Basics
“To have another language is to possess a second soul.” – Charlemagne
This quote was written in the language hall of my college, and the closer I reached to fluency the more it resonated with me.
The purpose of a language is to communicate (and not just to memorize), so there is no better way than starting with some basic words and grammar while practicing with others who are studying along the same level. A word communicates a meaning, albeit roughly. A couple grammar structures will certainly help.
When you’ve got those basics down, you can upgrade to using it in other ways like movies (skip the English subtitles whenever you can), music, news, podcasts, books, recipes, and finding native speakers.
If you’re not in a class, you can try to find someone who would like to start studying with you and buying the same textbook so you’re on the same page.
If you’re just interested in basic conversation out of curiosity or in preparation for a trip, I’m a huge fan of the Pimsleur to practice your listening and speaking via a daily audiobook style.
What is your goal?
Language breaks down into four basic parts: reading, writing, speaking, listening.
If you only want to be basic conversational, you won’t need to spend as much time on reading and writing. But if your goal is fluency, I was told by my professor in college that it takes 9 years to get fluent in a foreign language.
From my own experience I would say it is not knowing all words or grammar that makes one fluent, but being able to understand an explanation of a new word in that target language that makes one fluent.
At first you’ll be able to do one-on-one conversations where you can slow or stop the conversation to ask questions, and eventually you will build up listening practice & cultural exposure enough to be able to follow a group conversation of natives at their regular pace and without them stopping to explain. (There’s a lot of listening involved to learn a language, so do your best to be attentive even when you’re not getting all of it.)
Mauron Kur 