Learning a Language Quickly

1. Deconstruct the language.

Break common sentences down into something

intelligible. Your goal is to create simple plug-
and-play structures for new vocabulary.
你吃饭了吗?
This is probably the very first sentence you
learn in Chinese.
你吃饭了吗?
Subject Object
Interrogative
Verb
Tense modifier (“Question”)
(“You”) (“Food”)
(“Eat”)
(“Past”)
 你吃饭了吗?
This is a sentence structure. You can “plug in”
new vocabulary easily to make new sentences.

A. 你回来了吗？
B. 你准备好了吗？
C. 你去过了吗？
D. 你真过了吗？
E. 他们明白了吗？
 I like hamburgers.
It works exactly the same way in English. You
can make hundreds of sentences from just one
simple structure.

A. I like watermelon.
B. I hate bananas.
C. I love Mommy.
D. You can’t stand politics.
E. They adore Paris.
 unhappily
You can also deconstruct individual words.

“Un” is a prefix. “Happy” is the root word. “ly”

is the suffix.
antidisestablishmentarianism

This seems difficult – but it isn’t.

The same rules apply. This word is made up of

prefixes, a root word, and suffixes.

Can you break it down?

 Learning a Language Quickly

2. Focus on learning high-frequency words.

Many language courses do not focus on the

most common – the most useful – words.

When have you ever been asked what color

something is?
 Top 100 Words – Spoken English
• a/an • go • one • place • think
• after • good • more • please • this
• again • goodbye • most • same • time
• all • happy • much • see • to
• almost • have • my • she • under
• also • he • new • so • up
• always • hello • no • some • us
• and • here • not • sometimes • use
• because • how • Now • still • very
• before • I • of • such • we
• big • am • often • tell • what
• but • if • on • thank you • when
• can • in • one • that • where
• come • know • only • the • which
• either/or • last • or • their • who
• find • like • other • them • why
• first • little • our • then • with
• for • love • out • there • yes
• friend • make • over • they • you
• from • many • people • thing • your
 Top 100 Words – Written English
• the • at • there • some • my
• of • be • use • her • than
• and • this • an • would • first
• a • have • each • make • water
• to • from • which • like • been
• in • or • she • him • call
• is • one • do • into • who
• you • had • how • time • oil
• that • by • their • has • its
• it • word • if • look • now
• he • but • will • two • find
• was • not • up • more • long
• for • what • other • write • down
• on • all • about • go • day
• are • were • out • see • did
• as • we • many • number • get
• with • when • then • no • come
• his • your • them • way • made
• they • can • these • Could • may
• I • Said • so • People • part
 Learning a Language Quickly

3. Put yourself in new and different situations.

Talk to different people. Your friend will always

like hamburgers. Ask someone else.
 Learning a Language Quickly

4. Practice active listening.

Listen to native speakers. What do they actually

say in this or that situation? Why?

Be sensitive to recasts (corrections) of language.

 Learning a Language Quickly

5. Mimic native speech early and often.

The easiest way to sidestep L1 interference is to

copy native speech patterns and intonations.