So you are learning a language, are you? But you want to pick up another. Say you’re learning French and now you want to learn Spanish. Is this possible or can it be done? Is learning multiple languages viable?
The short answer is yes! However, there are 4 things to consider before deciding to learn multiple languages at the same time:
- How different or similar are the languages you wish to learn at the same time?
Say you’re learning French and on top of that you wish to learn Spanish. Well, it is possible, but especially at the beginner levels, you may get mixed grammar and vocabulary and conflict.
In this case, I recommend that if you wish to study 2 similar languages at the same time, one is at an intermediate level or higher to avoid confusion. In my journey with languages I learnt Cantonese Chinese to an advanced level before deciding to pick up Mandarin Chinese; causing a lot less confusion and conflict in my learning.
- How much time do you have?
If you do have not much time to study I recommend keeping it to one and learning that language well. However, if you have enough time it may be possible to study 2, 3 or more languages at the same time.
A rule of thumb I like to give is that if you can spend time with each language every day that’s good or even every couple of days. However, learning / using it once a week is important so that you can maintain that language at the intermediate/advanced levels. However, to maintain and improve your languages you must use them often preferably every day to make good progress.
Generally, if I had one language that I was learning I would spend daily 30 mins a day actively studying a language; with a textbook or online course and 1 hour a day target language exposure – such as watching TV or reading books in the target language.
Now that I’m learning both Mandarin & Cantonese Chinese for example; I will split this time evenly. Alternating these on different days.
- What level are you in your target language?:
Generally; the higher the level you are in the language you are learning the easier it is to spend more time with it in exposure and/or even in actively studying it through flashcards etc because you know more of the language and so processing it and learning sub-consciously through TV etc is possible.
However, if you’re a beginner most of the time spent with the language should be geared towards active study, with textbooks and online courses etc until you have a good foundation at around an intermediate level.
- What are your language goals?
If you want to learn basic phrases then learning multiple languages at the same time is possible and maybe even recommended. However, if you wish to reach an intermediate level or even higher; learning each language will take a long time and it is wise to pace yourself. As we know language learning is a marathon, not a sprint.
If for example; you wanted to learn some survival phrases to get by on your holiday abroad then learning multiple languages at the same time may be fine. However; in this case, I would avoid learning similar languages as confusion may occur.
Conclusion:
Overall, many factors come into play when deciding whether to choose just to learn one language or to learn 2 or more. Have you ever learnt more than one language at the same time? How did it go? Let me know your thoughts down below!
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