The Best Way to Learn a Language Fast. It Works!

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Lucy entered the room. Everyone there spoke an alien language. At least, she grasped it as alien. She heard only buzz and murmurs, nothing similar to a distinguishable word. She was not able to make any moves, scared as a chicken facing the chop. She felt lonely in the crowd. She was different, no one could understand her. Ever!

It wasn’t her first time in this room…

She was sweating. Every time she was in that room, she had repeated her actions: no movement, no eye-contact, no words… but this time, something interesting happened!

‘Enough!’ – she screamed like a fox trapped in a hole. Such an angry sadness!

A note from the Fluent in 3 Months team before we get started: You can chat away with a native speaker for at least 15 minutes with the “Fluent in 3 Months” method. All it takes is 90 days. Tap this link to find out more.

‘I want to learn Alienish NOW!’

Suddenly, an alien showed up by her side and started talking.

Wow! What a miracle! She even understood the alien’s speech! I wish I could learn an alien language just as quickly as she did! But I would be content with a foreign language too!

How did she do it?

It’s a riddle! But I certainly know what they were talking about! Listen and observe!

Alien: ‘Lucy entered the room. Did Lucy enter the room?’

Lucy: ‘Yes, Lucy entered the room.’

Alien: ‘Who entered the room?’

Lucy: ‘Lucy entered the room.’

Alien: ‘Where did Lucy enter?’….

The rest of the conversation is lost in the room. But you may imagine how it went on! ☺

The Biggest Secrets About Language Learning

This short story contains the biggest secrets about language learning! Or any learning, actually. Let’s discover these secrets together. (By the way, what I am doing now with you, is an extremely efficient method for learning anything quickly. Simply put, the tutor guides you and you draw your own conclusions).

I’ll guide you with some specific questions. Answer them before you look at the explanations. Take a minute and cover the story. Look only at the question. Don’t cheat! I’ll catch you, I am a teacher!

Could You Tell Me the Story in Your Own Words?

I’m sure you could. A story gives details a sequence and a context, which can make them easier to retrieve later.

You may still remember a favourite childhood story years later. That does not make stories a shortcut for every learner, but they can give new words a context worth recalling.

Let’s have a conversation!

You: Why is this?

Me: Stories give details a sequence, and that can make them easier to retrieve.

You: OK! But why, why?

Me: Memory depends on interacting brain systems, not one special “limbic” store.

You: What does that mean for learning?

Me: Stories are not stored in one special part of the brain. The practical point is that a story connects details in an order you can revisit.

Learning a language with stories can be useful, especially when the story gives new language a clear context. Let’s look at what can make one easier to remember.

How Would You Describe the Story of Lucy and the Alien? Realistic or Exaggerated?

It was EXAGGERATED, right?

What do you remember more easily? Something normal or abnormal? Boring or remarkable? Realistic or exaggerated?

Unusual or interesting details can hold our attention, which helps memory. A routine textbook dialogue may fade quickly if you only read it once and never try to retrieve or use it.

I’ll show how you can transform a boring scholastic dialogue to a super-dialogue! The base is the same, but the result…

Ready?

Dialogue A: The Boring Dialogue

You: Hello! I would like to buy a kilogram of bread and a bottle of milk.
Me: Which milk would you prefer?
You: The red one
Me: Sure! 3 euros, please! Would you like a bag?

Dialogue B: Super Dialogue!

You: Hello! I would like to buy a piece of Iron Man’s heart and a barrel of milk.
Me: Which milk would you prefer?
You: The holey one.
Me: Sure! 97 Marvel coins, please! Would you like a web shooter?

We changed only a few words, but the result is easier to picture. Imagination can give a practice dialogue more context and make it more enjoyable to revisit.

What Emotions Did You Have While Reading the Story?

Anxiety? Surprise? Curiosity? Other?

Emotion can make some events more memorable, but strong emotion is not required for learning. The useful part here is that the story held your attention and gave you something distinctive to recall.

There is one more useful point: attention matters. A story can hold your attention long enough for you to connect its details.

Did You See, Hear or Touch the Story?

• “Scared as a chicken facing the chop”
• “She heard only buzz and murmurs”.
• “At least she grasped it as alien.”

Stories can combine visual, auditory and physical details, giving you several cues to recall later.

This is not because people belong to fixed visual, auditory or kinaesthetic learner types. Research does not support matching teaching to one fixed “learning style”. The practical benefit is simpler: concrete details give the same material more than one useful memory cue.

Why Did the Alien Ask Lucy Questions?

Because questions make us retrieve an answer rather than only reread it. That retrieval practice can strengthen memory.

How were these questions structured? In a simple way. Simple questions are good because they keep our motivation up. We like having positive feedback. If we answer a question correctly, we get positive feedback.

I am not a fan of studying grammar in isolation. That does not mean I never study or teach it. A clear explanation can help, but memorising rules alone does not guarantee that you can retrieve and use them in conversation.

But I have a shortcut for you!

Answering a yes-or-no question or another simple question lets us retrieve and reuse much of the same language in an answer. It is guided practice, rather than an automatic route to learning every rule.

And there is even more!

What do you think is the effect of a yes-no question or a simple question on your brain?

Attention, emotion and memory rely on interacting brain systems, not separate “reptilian”, “limbic” and “modern” layers. The question helps because you have to retrieve an answer and receive immediate feedback.

Try memorable stories, concrete details and simple retrieval questions, then practise the same language in real conversation.

Let’s Say Goodbye to Each Other with a Small Conversation

You: All is amazing, fantastic, and really cool! But how can I find such materials for my study?

Me: Obviously, it depends on your level. If you are a beginner, I suggest you rewrite simple dialogues as we did above. In this way, you will learn new cool words too! Actually, you can apply this exercise at all levels, but for intermediate and advanced levels, the spectrum is wider. In this case, you can read children’s books or your favorite comics. You can watch movies. You can chat with natives and tell them a fantastic story!

[Editor’s note: For learning using the techniques outlined in this article, we recommend LingQ. It has top quality reading and listening resources, in 15+ languages.]

We all are children inside. Keep your child in your brain while you study!