how to learn a language and never forget it

What was the word? I swear it's on the top of my tongue. I studied this language for so long, for years, yet I can't remember this word. If learning languages is a part of your life, I'm pretty sure that forgetting that language after a certain amount of time has happened to you before. It's actually funny how long it takes for us to learn a language, yet we can forget it so quickly. That's probably one of the most annoying things about learning languages.

So today we're gonna discover some methods to prevent this from happening.

Tip number one: The inevitable thing you need to do is exposing yourself to that language as frequently as possible, probably more frequent than you might even think. Our mind is exceptionally good at forgetting things to prevent our brain from remembering irrelevant information. Your brain has a system to decide which information to hold on to and which information to forget. But how does the system work?

It's actually quite simple. The more you repeat a certain piece of information, the more it sticks to your memory. Think about your name, for example. When somebody asks about your name, you know what your name is; you don't even hesitate or think about it. It's because this piece of information, your name, is repeated throughout your life so many times that your brain recognizes, "Oh, maybe I should remember this information."

Now let's move to the long-term memory, and that's what we want to do with our foreign language, right? But the problem when it comes to the exposure to the foreign language is that it doesn't really happen naturally. If you don't live in the country, for example, you live in the US and you want to learn French. How often do you think that you need to have French knowledge in the U.S. to maybe survive in some sort of a situation? Probably not that often. I can't say never because you don't know what life brings, so maybe there are some situations that you would need French. But it's not really frequent that your brain starts to think, "Oh, maybe I should remember those French words because it's really important for my life." No, it doesn't happen naturally.

So if you're not getting this exposure to that language naturally, what we need to do is create this exposure by ourselves. We need to design this exposure, and creating this exposure actually requires a clear system and willpower. But to be honest, that's everything when it comes to life—not only about learning languages. System, willpower, and frequency consistency; that's all we need.

One of the easiest ways to make this happen is building a habit where you get exposed to this language effortlessly. If you make it effortless and easy, then it just becomes a habit of ours. I would recommend listening to audiobooks or podcasts or maybe even YouTube videos whenever you're commuting. The average American spends 55 minutes commuting to work. That’s the perfect time for you to get exposure to your target language.

By defining when and what exactly you're going to do, it will be much clearer and easier to get the results you want if you put in the effort. Obviously, after listening to an episode or maybe a chapter, you need to do an effective output. Learning stuff is all about inputting information and then outputting that information. So after every time, try to summarize what you have listened to in a couple of sentences. And because you know you need to summarize it afterwards, you will be more likely to focus on what the audiobook, podcast, YouTube video, or whatever, is talking about.

There is no reason for you to sleep on your commute time. Do something actually beneficial for you, so use this time wisely and never say you don't have time to learn a language.

Tip number two: How do you usually spend your time before going to bed? Answer honestly, please. You probably reach out to your phone, and like I do, maybe you consume something on the internet. The internet is full of stimulation for your brain, and don't you think we need a little break from it? You probably heard this a hundred times in your life, but reading is an excellent habit for preventing overstimulation that social media does because when you compare the amount of information we get exposed to per second, the difference is insane. Everything on your screen screams to get your attention.

So why not give your brain a little break, a little rest, when you unwind for a good night's rest? To stay up to date on the latest book in your target language, you might try pursuing Goodreads lists to see what other readers are enjoying. For instance, there are plenty of lists of Spanish language books, German language books, French language books, and even English language books lists. From there, there are links to help you find where to purchase the book. All you have to do is double-check to make sure it's in your target language.

To get the most out of your evening reading, try reading aloud. This way, you will not only reinforce your reading skills, but you'll also keep up your speaking practice.

Tip number three: If you want to do something more comprehensive, to do some reminding touch-ups in every area of language such as vocabulary, grammar, listening, and speaking, you definitely need to try out Busu. Busu breaks down learning into small and achievable lessons that make learning easier and motivating, so that you can do the activities in any given spare time. The app is free to download, and you can also use it on the web. Not only can you learn new vocabulary and maybe do some grammar-refreshing activities, but the grammar and vocabulary review tool helps you to remember everything you have learned in the lessons.

If you don't know where to start, you definitely need to check out Busu's study plan. It breaks the language down into chunks, reminds you when and what to study, and also prevents you from setting unrealistic goals. I'll have a link in the description below, in the comment section as well, so that you can try Busu for free.

Tip number four: Starting a new hobby using that language will not only be fun, but it will be much easier for you to actually put the work in. I don't know about you, but I'm a serious procrastinator. So if I don't enjoy something deeply, like if I don't really like it, I often find myself procrastinating and making a bunch of excuses to escape from that. Those excuses are so logical to me at that moment that I never try to do that thing.

One very common hobby where you can integrate your target language is watching some Netflix series. I'm pretty sure you will forget why you were watching it in the first place if the series are good, so you might even look forward to that Netflix language learning time. But if you're not into watching Netflix series like I do, you can try daily journaling in your target language. You can use apps, your iPad, or maybe Notion, or classical pen and paper to write down your thoughts.

Journaling has many benefits, and when you start experiencing the mental clarity it gives, I'm pretty sure that you will start to enjoy it. The great thing about journaling in a foreign language is that since you're writing your thoughts, you will get better at expressing your emotions and your thoughts in your target language.

Language is a communication tool, and it connects people, right? Being able to talk about the weather or something formal in perfect grammar and fluency might help you in certain situations, but if you want to connect with people deeply in a language, then you need to understand the other person—what they're feeling and what they're thinking. But understanding is not enough; you also need to express yourself, and journaling is the perfect way to practice that.

We all know that taking one-on-one lessons with native speakers once a week might be the best thing, but sometimes maybe it's not really accessible for you, or maybe you're really shy. Journaling doesn't require any of it. You can do it anywhere, at any given time, and you don't need to show it to someone else, too. And also, if you have pen and paper, which probably we all have, you can start it right away. It will help you mentally, and it will also help you achieve your goals.

I hope all these tips helped you guys, and I wish you a great language learning journey. I guess see you in my next video!