Learn a language without spending lots of money

The best way to get the most out of your language learning (and spend the least money!) is to know how you learn.
Everyone falls into one of 3 categories: visual, auditory or kinaesthetic.
Some people may fall on 2, and a few on 3. No matter your case, you should know which is yours and how to get the best out of it.

Visual learners

- You learn when you see something.
- You like reading, understand diagrams and drawings, and like writing things down when you need to remember them.
- Most of people are visual learners. In language learning you will have no problem using books.

Auditory learners

- You learn when you hear something.
- You like listening to people, like having background noise (radio, TV, music), and remember thing when they are told to you or when you read them out loud.
- In language learning you will benefit from using CDs, listening to foreign radio stations, podcasts and audiobooks.

Kinaesthetic learners

- You learn when you do something.
- You like action, need to be active, and prefer to be in movement when you need to learn something (pacing, moving your leg, tapping on the table, doodling).
- For language learning your best option is to go where the language is spoken (maybe a neighbourhood with lots of immigrants) or find someone you can use the language with.

A language is made up of 3 things:
- Grammar: all the rules.
- Vocabulary: all the words.
- Pronunciation: all the sounds.
These are usually called the what of a language, they are the things you need to learn and memorize. Don't despair though, it doesn't have to be extremely hard or expensive.

The problem is that with those 3 things you would know the language but you would have no idea how to use the language. And that;s when the 4 skills come into play.
- Listening: a passive (you don't have to do anything) and oral skill.
- Speaking: an active and oral skill.
- Reading: a passive and scripted skill.
- Writing: an active and scripted skill.
Passive skills are easier than active ones, and oral are easier than scripted (just think how children learn their mother tongue!). That means that the first thing you will be able to do with your language is understand, after that speak and read, and finally write.

There's no easy way out: you need to learn the grammar. You could have a wonderful vocabulary, native-like pronunciation, but if you don't know your grammar, people just won't understand you.
We always see learning grammar as boring, with endless drills and complicated explanations. That's the way we were usually taught grammar, but it doesn't have to be that way.

The good news

Most basic grammar you will need, you will actually learn almost with out realizing, because it will pop up all the time and you will absorb it without thinking about it.

The bad news

The thing is that the more you know a language the more grammar you need. And that is when you really need to sit down and study some rules and do some of those drills.

The so so news

There are thousands of modern grammar books on any language you can think of (and some on languages you probably don't even know exist).
These have short explanations, are usually funny and the exercises are interesting, short and fun.

If you are going to focus on something, make it vocabulary. It is the key component of a language, and the one you will never stop learning.

The good news

There are lots of fun ways of learning vocabulary, that don't involve just learning a list of words and their translations by heart.
There are tons of great books and websites where you can pick up vocabulary, use interactive flashcards, and play games.

The bad news

Vocabulary is the thing that will take up most of your time when you are learning a language, and the one you will need to invest the most time in.

The so so news

We need to see a word in a meaningful context about 3-5 times to remember it without studying it. That means that you have to come across the word or expression and notice it is there. If you ignore it you won't learn it.
But, if you see a word, pay attention to it, and make an effort to remember it (like writing it on your notebook or highlighting it or looking it up in a dictionary) you can actually remember it after 2 or 3 times, depending on how good your memory is and how important that word is for you.

Pronunciation is one of those things language learners struggle with. We just want to sound native, but somehow there is always one or two sounds that we just can't get, no matter how hard we try.

The good news

Even if you don't sound perfect, most people will be used to immigrants and tourists and you will be understood. And, who knows, you might even get a free pronunciation class from a native!

The bad news

No matter how hard you try you will never sound like a native. You can get really close to it, though.
When we are kids we have the ability to say and hear any sound, as we get old we get used to the sound of our mother tongue and block all other sounds.

The so so news

You can actually train yourself and get better at recognizing and making foreign sounds. It won't happen overnight, but it will happen.
Today we live online and have easy (and usually free) access to mass media. The more you listen to your target language the faster you will identify all those tricky and strange sounds. If you mimic and repeat what you hear you will get great practice, and sound more and more like a native.

Most people want to learn a language so they can talk to people. That's a great thing, because the oral skills are the easiest to develop.

Listening

To practise your listening the only thing you need to do is get a CD in your target language, or a podcast or an audiobook.
Even if you don't understand every single word or if you feel like you just can't understand anything at all, you will be learning. Little by little you will understand more.
A good trick is to listen to the same audio several times until you have understood the most you can. A few weeks later go back to it, and you'll see that now you can understand more.
This will boost your confidence and show you how much progress you've made.

Speaking

We are all a bit shy when it comes to actually using our newly acquired language skills, but sooner or later you will need to take the plunge and have your first conversation.
Many language courses offer semi-scripted conversation practice that can ease you into a real life chat. Some other courses offer oral drilling of common and useful expressions of daily speech.
both options are great when you are just starting out and to practice your pronunciation, but your best option is always to have a nice talk to a native. It might be even easier than you think. Immigration is extremely common nowadays, and in your local area you will most probably find shops and restaurants owned by native speakers of your target language. A simple 'hello' or 'how are you' might be the start of a great conversation.

A little harder than the oral skills, the scripted skills can be learnt in an easy way.

Reading

Not as hard as it may seem, reading doesn't necessarily mean having to go through a big book with words you don't understand and about a topic you don't care about.
Simple things like changing your browser homepage language or using your phone, mp3 player, blackberry or any other gadget you have to your target language will help you get use to the new language.
When you are reading about something you are interested in, try looking for a book or a website in your target language. Maybe you don't understand everything, but reading about something you know about will make it easier.
The same goes for your favourite books. You already know what they are about and what happens, so that's one things you don't have to worry about.

Writing

Writing is the hardest skill of all. As the rest of them, the best way to crack it is to practise. The good thing is that, unlike speaking, no one has to see your writings.
Just write a little everyday. A great idea is to keep a diary in your target language. It could be about anything: your daily life, a place to vent about work, a dream journal or even a language learning log.
When you feel more confident about your skills you can join a forum or find a pen pal (snail mail or e-mail).

All photos come from stock.xchng and are royalty free.
By sxc.hu users (in order): topfer, lusi, dantesz, Ray775, danzo08.