For most learners, it's not the grammar, rules, or pronunciation that's the trickiest part of language learning — it's staying motivated! Learning a new language takes discipline and practice, so what's the secret to sticking with it past Parlez-vous français? In this post, we explore tips for staying motivated throughout your learning journey.
Tips for staying motivated
Motivation is super personal, so make language learning personal, too! Set your own goals, make your own schedule, and practice your language doing the things you already love.
Focus on meaningful goals.
- Give yourself deadlines in the near-future. Start with goals for just a few weeks in the future, so that your goals feel less overwhelming. Plus, it's more rewarding to frequently cross finish lines! Use your deadline to check in with yourself about what is working and what you might try to do differently before your next deadline.
- Set specific, manageable goals. For language learning, there's always the temptation to want to be "fluent," but that's not a very specific goal, which makes it hard to see your progress! Instead, pick a goal that reflects your interests and the time you can dedicate to studying. For example, for someone who's new to studying Korean, your goal might be "understand my favorite KPOP song" and maybe a more advanced goal ends up being "understand most of the Academy Award-winning film Parasite while watching with Korean subtitles." Specific goals allow you to see your progress every day. These small but frequent rewards are great for motivation!
Make learning a habit.
- Practice a little bit each day. Waiting until the night before an exam (...or just before the Leaderboards deadline!) makes studying feel stressful. But learning a language shouldn't feel like a chore! Studying a little bit every day, even just 15 or 20 minutes, makes learning feel more manageable and you actually learn better that way, too. New information needs time to consolidate in your brain: It's got to move from your short-term memory (where it hangs out during a lesson, while you're studying) into your long-term memory (where it'll be useful to you during your next telenovela marathon). That takes time, and sleep. So give your brain breaks in between studying by working on your new language a little bit each day.
- Link study time to your routine. Make time to study at the same time each day, and combine language study with other parts of your routine! Turn on practice reminders right in the app so Duolingo can help you remember your study time. Also try combining practice with other parts of your routine, like when you first check your phone in the morning or while eating lunch. See if you can find parts of your routine that don't change much between weekdays and weekends, to keep learning the whole week through!
Work smart.
- Include variety in how you study. Doing the same tasks over and over gets boring quickly, and you learn better from seeing information in new situations anyway! In addition to regular lessons, be sure to try Stories, review gilded nodes, or compete in a Match Madness challenge. You can also motivate yourself by including language learning in the activities you already love! Find music in the language you're studying, see what Netflix offers, and check out recipes in the language. You can also read about nearly any topic in the language you're learning — read articles in the language on Wikipedia and in newspapers, and find blogs and Twitter accounts that post in the language about things you're already interested in!
- Find social support. Humans are social creatures, and language is inherently social! Make a pact with a friend to study regularly, and hold each other accountable. You can even agree to study together, muting yourselves on Zoom while you study! Add your friends on Duolingo, so you can check your daily and weekly progress against theirs. Or team up with friends on Duolingo by starting a Friend Streak, and help keep each other committed to daily practice!
Motivational features at your fingertips
We've got lots of motivating features built right into our courses to help you reach your language goals!
- Streaks. Your streak counts how many days in a row you've completed lessons. See if you can build a streak until you reach your first specific, manageable goal!
- Leaderboards. Each week, compete against learners around the world as you earn XP! Top learners will advance to the next league, and there are special XP bonuses for finishing at the top.
- Friend Quests. Duolingo is more fun with friends! Add friends so that you can compete in weekly Friends Quests with your study buddies.
Pair your personal learning goals with your favorite motivational features from Duolingo! Click here to create your own Duolingo account and take control of your learning today.
