Por Michel Rosas, coordenador de marketing e comunicação na Companhia de Idiomas

Falar inglês continua sendo uma das habilidades mais procuradas pelas empresas, e muitas consideram que você já sabe pelo menos o básico. E, dependendo da função, talvez você precise se aprofundar nos estudos e buscar um domínio ainda maior da língua.

É por isso que você nunca pode (e nem deve) parar de estudar. O inglês vai ajudar você a conseguir uma vaga nos cargos de entrada e alcançar posições mais altas na sua carreira.

• Juntar produtividade e qualidade de vida é possível. Descubra como no novo curso da EXAME Academy

Mas se você está em dúvida de como aprender inglês (ou qualquer outra língua) mais rápido e melhor, faça os exercícios abaixo e coloque todas as dicas em prática o quanto antes!

EXERCISE 1: Vocabulary

Match the words to the corresponding definitions.

a) Ultimately	(     ) communicate an idea clearly
b) To stutter	(     ) discover a fact
c) To get one’s point across	(     ) words and phrases that are regarded as very informal
d) To attempt	(     ) say something with difficulty, repeating the initial consonants of words
e) To find out	(     ) be convenient for or acceptable
f) To suit	(     ) be absorbed in reading or studying
g) Approach	(     ) at the most basic level
h) To improve	(     ) a way of dealing with a situation or problem
i) To attend	(     ) make an effort to achieve or complete something difficult
j) Slang	(     ) sufficiently good, important, or interesting
k) To pore over	(     ) be present at an event, meeting, etc
l) Worth	(     ) make or become better

 

EXERCISE 2: Reading

Match the tips below to the corresponding paragraphs.

• Find small moments of time to devote to it
• Don’t be a perfectionist at the early stages of your learning
• Make new friends
• Take responsibility for your own learning
• Find out how you learn best
• Don’t sweat the rules too much
• Spaced repetition is your friend
• Use it in your daily life

1. _____

Teachers and language classrooms are only part of the solution, so consider them tools. You can pay for classes, but you can’t buy a language. Ultimately, the teacher’s obligation is not to convert you into a near-native speaker, but to facilitate it.

2. _____

Everyone is afraid of sounding like a stuttering child and being unable to get one’s point across. But most native speakers will be so happy you’re learning their language that they’ll try to help you. They will probably help you complete your sentences and attempt to communicate at your level.

3. _____

If you know what mode of learning suits you best, you can adjust your language learning to it. If you’re visual, try to use novels, books on grammar, etc. If you’re an auditory learner, find some podcasts or video series. But remember that becoming fluent in a language requires a mixture of approaches and learning modes.

4._____

Just a few sessions a week will seriously improve your vocabulary and pronunciation, as long as you follow your plan and keep reminding yourself to do it regularly.

5. _____

As the name suggests, spaced repetition is the theory that you have more chances of memorizing something if you repeatedly learn it over time. It makes you repeatedly study things you have already learned (like new vocabulary), again and again. Spaced repetition is based on the idea of the "forgetting curve", the notion that we quickly forget something after a short period of time.

6. _____

If there’s a community of people who speak the language you want to learn in your city, start attending events! Friendship is one of the best ways to learn a foreign language, and the easiest way to get comfortable with the slang, intonation, and mannerisms. You can casually chat with your friends in local cafés, bars, and restaurants and slowly build a foundation on the language you want to learn.

7. _____

Knowing the grammar helps, especially if you need to read and write in the language, but that doesn't mean you need to spend days poring over dusty text books. Think back to how you learned the correct tenses or conjugation in your native language -- it was through mimicry, repetition, and practice, right? There's no reason why the second or third language in your arsenal should be any different.

8. _____

The more you invite a foreign language into your daily life, the more your brain will consider it something useful and worth caring about. Use every opportunity to get exposed to the new language. Label every object in your house in this language, read kids’ books written in it, watch subtitled TED and TEDx talks, or live-narrate parts of your day to an imaginary foreign friend.

EXERCISE 3: Writing

Write a short paragraph explaining:

1. Your goals in the new language
2. How you learn better (by reading, speaking, listening, etc)
3. The best times for you to study
4. How you can use the the new language in your daily life

Send me an email with your composition and I will correct it for you (for free): michel@companhiadeidiomas.com.br

ANSWER KEY

Exercise 1

Correct order: C - E - B - J - F - K - A - G - D - L - I - H

Exercise 2

1. Take responsibility for your own learning
2. Don’t be a perfectionist at the early stages of your learning
3. Find out how you learn best
4. Find small moments of time to devote to it
5. Spaced repetition is your friend
6. Make new friends
7. Don’t sweat the rules too much
8. Use it in your daily life

SOURCES (and more inspiration for you!)

https://unravellingmag.com/articles/supercharge-your-language-learning/

https://blog.ted.com/how-to-learn-a-new-language-7-secrets-from-ted-translators/

https://mashable.com/article/best-way-to-learn-language

https://www.goabroad.com/articles/language-study-abroad/10-best-ways-to-learn-a-new-language

Michel Rosas é formado em Publicidade e Propaganda pela Universidade de São Paulo, é coordenador de marketing e comunicação na Companhia de Idiomas e professor de inglês há 13 anos. É especialista em estratégias de engajamento e nutrição pela Northwestern University e estratégias de marketing de conteúdo pela Universidade da Califórnia, assim como vários cursos de análise estratégica e utilização de ferramentas de marketing digital. Também é colunista de inglês na Exame.com. Quer falar comigo? É só mandar um email para michel@companhiadeidiomas.com.br ou me procurar no LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michel-rosas/

 

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