Never translate
Whether it is speaking, listening or reading, practice not to translate!
Your brain is smart enough to assimilate without having to ‘echo’ everything you think, hear or read into your mother tongue.
It is difficult at the beginning, but it is an exercise that will prove beneficial in the long run.
Use it immediately
Don’t take learning for granted! The end of a lesson does not guarantee learning! Harness what you have learnt and make an effort to use it as soon as possible. Don’t rely solely on your teacher to do this.
Test yourself
It is so easy to say “Yes, I understand” without actually seeing if you really do understand. My bet is that you don’t! 21 years of experience tell me so.
NB* Always test yourself!
Dedicate
You need to put aside some time. Learning a language is like changing your operating system – it won’t just happen. Through effort and growing passion, you’ll succeed.
Summarize and challenge yourself
Finished one more unit of your course-book? Great! Now summarize it by writing down all key words on a separate piece of paper. Then, work these words, expressions, whatnot. Use them to write sentences, short stories or essays. Make sure you really make the most of the learning process!