The tips from polyglot E.M. Chernyavsky, who speaks more than 30 languages, can be useful to all of us. They stand out for their specificity and direct practical application.
- Study regularly.
- Keep compact, current materials with you: words, definitions, rules, texts.
- Vary your study format: reading, then listening, then grammar, then writing exercises, and so on.
- Learn words in context, not from lists.
- Read as much as possible, even if you don’t fully understand the text.
- Memorize as much as possible by heart.
- Master a set of ready-made expressions like: “it should be said,” “I’d like to point out,” “in my opinion,” “it makes sense,” “give me a minute to think” – all these are needed to buy time to formulate your next phrase.
- A language is a fortress, and you must storm it from all sides and with all means. Therefore, any practice is the foundation of success.
- Don’t be afraid of mistakes. You learn from them! Excessive modesty doesn’t help here; a certain self-confidence won’t hurt.
- Use time that is usually unavoidably wasted: commutes on public transport, waiting for a doctor’s appointment, and so on.