{"id":302,"date":"2015-04-09T14:04:25","date_gmt":"2015-04-09T12:04:25","guid":{"rendered":"\/?p=302"},"modified":"2015-04-09T14:04:25","modified_gmt":"2015-04-09T12:04:25","slug":"things-you-need-to-know-about-learning-a-foreign-language","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.expatprep.com\/en\/things-you-need-to-know-about-learning-a-foreign-language\/","title":{"rendered":"Things You Need to Know About Learning a Foreign Language"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Things You Need to Know About Learning a Foreign Language<\/h1>\n

By\u00a0CANDICE HUGHES<\/a><\/p>\n<\/header>\n

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Always try to learn the local language.<\/dd>\n
PHOTO: iStock\/Anna Bizon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

IF YOU DON\u2019T <\/strong>speak the local language of your new home, try to learn. You will have ups and downs. Count on it. When I was learning Spanish, I replied \u00a0\u201cMy cat is dead,\u201d to what I later realized was an inquiry about what I wanted for dinner. By now, though, I am used to seeming the fool. So steel yourself, swallow your pride and go for it. Language can help you break out of the expat bubble more than almost anything else.<\/p>\n

And keep these tips in mind:<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> Be willing to sound like a blithering idiot (see above). You\u2019ll learn only if you try to speak, no matter how lame you sound. Your effort, if not your dazzling proficiency will be appreciated. And even a little is better than nothing. You might never be fluent, but really: every single word helps. Language is a window into a world.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> Learn all the dirty words so you\u2019ll know when someone is hurling insults at you. Never, ever use them. I know, I know. Believe me, I know. The temptation will be strong. From time to time, you\u2019ll have a powerful urge to let fly with a bit of profanity. Don\u2019t do it! These things are subtle. You will screw up. Disaster could ensue.<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong> Listen to talk radio, watch the news (you have a headstart because you know already what\u2019s going on), find a soap opera to follow. Soap operas are tacky, but useful. And you know what the characters are saying (\u201cHe loves another woman!\u201d) even if you don\u2019t understand the language yet.<\/p>\n

4.<\/strong> Eavesdrop. It\u2019ll do wonders for your grasp of the colloquialisms and, as you skill improves, amuse you to no end.<\/p>\n

5.<\/strong> Get a dog. Best ice-breaker in the world. You\u2019ll soon be chatting away with fellow dog owners in the park or on the street. Canine is an almost universal language.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Things You Need to Know About Learning a Foreign Language By\u00a0CANDICE HUGHES IF YOU DON\u2019T speak the local language of your new home, try to learn. You will have ups and downs. Count on it. When I was learning Spanish, I replied \u00a0\u201cMy cat is dead,\u201d to what I later realized was an inquiry about …<\/p>\n

Things You Need to Know About Learning a Foreign Language<\/span> Read More \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expatprep.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expatprep.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expatprep.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expatprep.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expatprep.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=302"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.expatprep.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expatprep.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expatprep.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expatprep.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}