Now that you have an overview of the resources available, let’s explore six key activities you can start using today to build your language skills.
Before we start, remember that there is no “correct” way to learn; I am trying to cover as many different preferences and goals as possible, but I can’t cover every preference or useful exercise. If something I recommend here doesn’t feel right, or you feel like your circumstances merit doing something more or less than the percentage ranges I give, go with your gut.
A reminder: we are trying to build our vocabulary, grammar, and the four skills. There’s overlap with each activity, meaning you can swap out or drop them. For each activity I will highlight what we are trying to do, so if you decide to mix it up you will know what you need to compensate for.
In the following sections you will learn:
- How to do the activity
- What it’s teaching you
- Where in the guide you can find more info
The final section will give you an indication of how long to spend doing each.
The 6 key activities
I recommend you dedicate at least an hour per day to your language study. Split that time between these activities.
The first four directly map on to the three core resources from the previous chapter. The next few are the key “extras” that will help you really take your language skills up a level.
Study with your course
There are two reasons we generally need courses:
- They structure your learning
- They teach you grammar
Courses vary greatly—whether you’re using an app, a teach-yourself book, or attending a class, each has its strengths and limitations. Here’s how to get the most out of your course:
- Balance Strengths and Weaknesses—Identify what your course does well and where it might fall short. For instance:
- If your course focuses on grammar but offers little vocabulary, supplement with flashcards or input-based activities.
- If it lacks speaking practice, pair it with conversation sessions or a language exchange partner.
- Stay Focused—Your course forms the core of your study routine, so ensure you’re well-rested and attentive when working through it. Progress here will reinforce other activities.
- Diversify Over Time—While courses are a great starting point, relying solely on them can limit your growth.
Remember, your course is a tool. It’s there to guide you, but it’s not the sole path to success. If you need more help with the grammar component, more guidance can be found in the Grammar chapter.
Flashcard study
At this early stage, think about using your flashcards for two outcomes:
- Building a large vocabulary so you can understand content
- Learning some key phrases so you can communicate
These will correspond to the two flashcard sub-activities below. How much of each you do will depend on what you enjoy and your goals.
If you’re not sure how to get the decks to show the cards the way you like, read the Flashcards chapter for more guidance.
It’s worth noting now that there is a significant minority of learners that can’t stand flashcards and cut them out entirely. This may be you; However, if you haven’t yet tried them, I recommend you give them a try. If you decide to avoid them, you will need to compensate with your input.
Build a passive vocabulary
For this activity, find a shared deck online that has a lot of example words or sentences (I recommend sentences) in order of frequency. Use the target language side first, meaning you will see the word or sentence in the language you are learning, and need to understand what it means in English (or your native language) before you press good.
Learn key phrases
Similar to the above, find a deck online with words or sentences (I recommend sentences), but focus on the kinds of phrases you need, such as travel phrases or basic phrases. Use these with the English (or your native language) side first, and make sure you know how to say it correctly in the language you are learning before you press good. Some learners don’t do this activity, and rely on input and conversation practice to build the knowledge they need.
It’s worth noting that this type of card is far harder than the first type I introduced. For that reason, you should look for sentences that are as simple as possible. You may also want to start this activity a bit later.
Mass input
The mass input activity is simple: use the input while simply trying to understand as much as you can. As we saw in the resource section, input takes many forms: YouTube, TikTok, books, podcasts, etc. Whatever you use, make sure it is comprehensible and interesting to you. Try not to pause or look things up until you’ve finished, and only do so if it feels necessary. This will give you the exposure you need to start building an intuition for how the language works.
Input is critical for an effective method, but it usually requires a bit of baseline knowledge to be much use. For that reason, beginners usually wait a bit before they begin using input. There is high variation in how much of this activity learners do due to different levels of interest, lifestyle, and learning priorities. Chapter 6 will help you use input more effectively.
Conversation practice
One of the best language exercises you can do is conversation practice with a native speaker. It helps you activate the knowledge you already have, improves your speaking fluency, exposes you to new forms and vocabulary, and lets you get feedback in real time.
How to get conversation practice
The best way to practise speaking is to find a native speaker and start a language exchange, an activity in which yThe best way to practise speaking is to find a native speaker and start a language exchange, an activity in which you each spend time speaking each other’s language. There are a few options available to find native speakers:
- Find someone in your personal life who is willing to help
- Use the language exchange resources in the resources chapter
- Use a community or group on sites such as Facebook or meetup.com
Similar to input, conversation practice takes a bit of baseline knowledge, so learners often don’t start with conversation early on. It is also not typically a large portion of most people’s study routine due to constraints in accessing conversation partners. Use the language exchange section in the previous chapter to find a method that works for you. You can also pay for a tutor to get conversation practice, either online or in real life if available. If you need more help, Chapter 12 provides more guidance on the topic.
Intensive reading
This exercise comes a bit later, once you’re already feeling comfortable with the basic structure of the language and know enough words to use some content. It is more common among intermediate learners, but is perfectly usable for beginners. This is a basic yet common form of this exercise. Feel free to tweak it for your needs.
To do this, find a piece of written content that you already understand 90–98% of. Ideally it won’t be long, but if it is, focus on a smaller section of it. You will then read your content multiple times. Each time you will read more carefully and try to gain new insight. Start just by skim-reading, then read again more carefully. Next, read again focusing on the parts that aren’t clear to you. Look up words and forms that are blocking your comprehension (don’t worry about anything else). Read it again one last time, and notice how the bits you have learned are now more clear to you. Aim to spend 20–40 minutes doing this.
Drill the writing system
If you already know the writing system of your target language, you can skip this.
If your language uses a different writing system, I recommend you learn it well and early. It will pay off in the long run. You can use flashcards to learn, but there are also apps and courses out there that can teach you too. Use Chapter 8 for more ideas on activities you can do. Choose based on your preference.
How much time to spend
The below table provides an indication of the percentage of their study time that experienced language learners typicalHere is an indication of the percentage of their study time that experienced language learners typically spend with these activities. Use these as a rough guide, and note that it’s common for learners to not do some of them.
- Study with your course: ~50%, gradually reducing as you expand into other activities
- Build a passive vocabulary: ~5–20%
- Learn key phrases: ~0–15%
- Mass input: ~0–10% at the very beginning, ramping up to 20–70%, depending on interest, lifestyle, and priorities
- Conversation practice: ~0–10%
- Intensive reading: ~0–40%
- Drill the writing system:
- For characters (e.g. Chinese and Japanese): ~20–40%
- For scripts (e.g. Arabic, Russian, or Hindi): >50%, quickly reducing it once you are familiar with all the symbols
Here is an example split for a Spanish learner on day one versus day 60:
In this example, the learner made fast progress and rapidly reduced the time they spent with the course, utilising the extra time to diversify their activities and increase their time spent with input.
Building your own method
With the basic activities covered, you now have a solid base upon which to build your language learning method. If you would like to branch out a bit from here and build your own, here’s what I advise you keep in mind:
- Cover all the bases—Make sure you include at least some of each of grammar, vocabulary, and the four skills (reading, writing, listening, speaking)
- Build a base and work up—Begin with the simplest, most beginner-friendly components of your language, then gradually build towards more advanced ones as you progress
- Drill—Pick out some key activities that build on any specific weaknesses holding you back from achieving your goal
- Practice—Make sure you are practising the language by using it to convey or understand meaning. The best way is through input and conversation practice
Other learners’ methods
During your search for resources, you probably found at least one guide that outlined a method for you to follow.
Looking at other methods is useful for two reasons. First, they often contain resource recommendations and activities you can do using these resources. Second, you will often find good advice for your language such as common beginner pitfalls or useful areas to focus your attention. Reading about this in advance is a good idea, but don’t feel like you have to take all their ideas wholesale. Pick and choose what works for you.
Moving forward
With these key activities covered, we’ll next explore how to build your routine. We’ll look at some key ways to integrate your language into your life, keep yourself motivated, and spend the time necessary to ensure you succeed.