As someone who has learned several languages, both formally and informally, I have discovered just how important your language learning plan is to ensure your learning success.
Your language plan may be a detailed plan that’s integrated in your Google Calendar, or it could be a couple of stick-it notes on the fridge door. As long as you have a plan and contingency plans to help you stick to the plan (yes, a lot of planning!), you’re setting yourself up for success.
My language plan takes different learning methods, my schedule, and my personal preferences into account so I can learn as much as I can in a short space of time – Hey, I’m a busy wife, mom, and business lady, so I don’t have hours to sit and practice grammar.
(#WhoDoes?)
So let’s look a little more closely at how to create a language learning plan that will work for you, your life, and your challenges
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#1. Assess Your Language Learning Goals
Firstly, you need to decide why you are learning a language.
What are your goals for learning? And how will you decide what is success in your learning?
If I have fluency as my goal in learning a new language, I will approach it quite differently to learning a language just so I can get by on holiday in a country where that language is spoken.
The brain learns better when there’s a structure to the new information, which is why it’s important to decide what are your short-term and easily achievable goals versus your long-term goals.
You may want to learn the basics of Italian for your upcoming tour of Tuscany, which is an easily achievable goal to start with.
When you focus on more detailed knowledge, such as having lengthy conversations in Italian, reading Italian newspapers, and following your favorite show in Italian, you are dealing with long-term goals.
These “bigger” goals require more time, while a short-term goal can be mastered in a few minutes a day, so consider what time you have available before you set goals.
I also recommend that you decide what is the motivation for learning a new language. It has to be meaningful to you, or you won’t see it through.
When you set goals, you can track your progress, and you have something to come back to when the road of knowledge gets bumpy.
#2. Choose the Best Learning Methods
When you have that initial list of language learning goals written down, it’s time to look at the learning methods that work for you.
I prefer immersive learning, where I can really “bathe” in the new language. Perhaps you prefer more structured grammar lessons and lists of vocabulary – of course, a combination works really well too.
Here are some popular language learning methods:
Structured Lessons
If you’re more in favor of formal lessons, then a structured lesson can really help you meet your language-learning goals. You could use platforms like Babbel, Mondly, or Duolingo to help you along if you don’t have a tutor or language teacher you can see daily. Or you can sign up for an online language course.
Perhaps they offer lessons in your area, and you should totally include this in your learning plan, if that’s something you’d like to attend.
Live online classes are also a great way to practice and learn a new language. Lessons are often at fixed times, so you’ll have to plan accordingly when you set the learning plan for the week, month, or year.
A great winner about these structured lessons is that they build progressively on your knowledge, so your learning plan needs to be flexible (or leave room for that flexibility). A specific lesson may open the door to new developments, which is why I always advise that while you should stick to your learning plan, you have to also adapt it as needed to maximize learning.
Self-Study and Practice Tools
Whether you study online or with a tutor, language learning also entails self-study, and you need the right practice tools to help you really make progress and move toward fluency.
This is where I love using online language apps like Memrise and Anki that can help you build vocabulary, grammar, and other language skills.
When I began learning Italian, I really enjoyed interacting with my language tutors, but I also love that the learning apps continued to give me support. I even use them today to brush up on my skills, despite being almost fluent in Italian.
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Immersive Learning Methods
If you struggle with learning a new language, try immersive learning instead. It’s when you surround yourself with the language, learning it like you did your primary language. Even if the more traditional learning methods work for you, immersive learning is a great way to implement what you learn and really make progress.
I watch movies, read various book translations, and listen to podcasts in the target language. It doesn’t even feel like learning! You become so invested in the entertaining shows, songs, and stories that you don’t feel like you are practicing a language – it just flows!
When I was learning the basics of Italian, I would cook Italian food by using authentic Italian recipes with English translations next to them.
With each stir of the pot, I was building my vocabulary, fluency, and ability to follow instructions in a target language.
#3. Create a Weekly Learning Schedule
A weekly learning schedule is vital to language learning success. Mine has taken many forms over the years, and I’ve created a format that works for me. However, a learning schedule is unique to you, your available time, learning methods, and goals.
Before you start populating a grid or setting a string of reminders on your phone, you need to keep the following in mind to guide you:
Be realistic in what you want to accomplish. (There are only so many hours in the day.)
Don’t over budget on time. Rather budget to use less time, do less, and achieve a few basics. If you have free time, you can always add on as you can.
Work with a list of resources, goals to reach, and your major commitments (kids, husband, work, home) to help you plan.
Aim for balance or you’ll become very dull and lose interest in the learning process. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day, so your efforts to master Italian grammar won’t be won in a week.
My Weekly Schedule Sample
Again, my schedule won’t necessarily work for you, so please don’t try to “cop out” by copy-pasting it to your own week.
Instead, I’ll share what I considered when I set this particular weekly schedule.
Monday: Practice Vocabulary on Memrise.
I have a little free time on Monday mornings while the kids are busy with lessons, but when they get busy in the afternoon, I play Mom’s Taxi, so I can’t commit to more than a few minutes at a time. So learning a few new words is perfect for me.
I might learn anywhere from 7-15 new words, depending on whether they are related. It’s easier to study, retain, and recall new words that are related or based on a shared concept.
I like to use a sticky note that I write the words and translations on from the morning Memrise app lesson. This paper travels through my day, faithfully reminding me of words during the day.
Wednesday: Practice Conversation on Mondly.
You’re correct in assuming I don’t schedule learning for Tuesdays. It’s not so much about taking a break as that I have other obligations that make Tuesdays very difficult to set aside for learning.
Of course, this doesn’t mean I don’t learn on Tuesdays. I am always busy with blogging, research, and discovery. Tuesday just happens much more organically. And I refer to my “extra” list for ideas on what to learn if I have extra time (more on that later).
Back to Wednesday.
Mondly is great for practicing conversations, and I like to expand on this with a few online tutors and native speakers whom I can converse with.
I might hop onto a Zoom or Skype call and have a great conversation with someone who speaks the target language. It’s really quite informal, but it’s so incredibly valuable.
I’m currently brushing up on my Turkish since we live in Northern Cyprus, so Wednesdays are also market days. This is when I hop out to the local market to buy some veggies and catch up on the local gossip in the target language.
Thursdays are also not formal lesson days. I do a lot of writing on Thursdays, which already exposes me to different languages, and I like to keep my creative energy for this.
Though, I may indulge in a good podcast or movie in my current target language when I take a break from writing.
Friday: Grammar Lessons on Babbel.
While I clean house on Fridays, I love to follow a few grammar lessons on Babbel. There’s something symbiotic about learning language structures while restructuring and maintaining our home with a few chores.
After lunch on Friday, I like to set some time aside to read the local social media channels, which lets me catch up on some gossip au naturel.
Aside from just reading, I am consciously picking up on grammatical errors (nobody writes perfectly, especially on Facebook or Insta), and I get to learn vicariously like this.
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The Weekend: Immersive Entertainment
Over the weekend, I choose things that interest me like shows, music, movies, podcasts, radio shows, books, and more that I can gorge on in the language I am learning.
This is so important as it’s what helps fuel my motivation and keeps me excited about a new language.
#4. Track Progress and Adjust the Plan
No schedule is ever entirely foolproof, and life happens – throwing your whole carefully planned week on its @ss.
So you have to roll with the punches, remain resilient, and adapt.
I use language assessments on the various apps I use to help me track my progress. Far from just maintaining a streak on Duolingo and Babbel, I really focus on the scores, how and why I made errors, and what I have proven strong at. I also keep note while I do activities to see where I feel unsure or uncomfortable.
Next, I readjust the next week’s plan to include more of the things that I didn’t feel confident in. It’s not punishment; it does help me really build a solid foundation.
My notes are really vital as they show me which approaches helped in the past to learn better and understand more.
You may decide that notes are too parochial for you, and you can create your own tracking system, using charts, graphs, sheets, and more to help you make the most of your available time.
However, I find that it’s best to keep it simple and rather invest that time in learning. Yeah, I can procrastinate with the best of them, so I refocus on the work and not on a “perfect” tracking system.
You are making progress! Don’t lose hope.
#5. Partner with the Language Community
Speaking a language is vital, especially if you don’t live where the language is easily spoken (such as learning Italian in Russia). I include connecting with the broader language community to help me make a success of my learning plan.
While I could ask the local merchant why I am sounding like a robot when I ask for fruit in Turkish, he may not have the skills to tell me what I am doing wrong. Therefore, I ask online, schedule sessions with language tutors, and interact with other learners on platforms like Tandem and HelloTalk.
Other language students who are further along the journey than you are great resources and they can help you correct mistakes, gain cultural insights, and find your mojo (when it goes missing in broken syntax).
My Extra List
Finally, I want to mention my extras list.
I create a list of fun language activities that I may not always have time for. When I have a gap in my weekly plan, I can always draw from this list and quickly apply that “found” time to achieve another mini language goal.
Your extra list can include more activities you are already great at to help boost your energy and motivation.
Just start with a piece of paper and jot down lesson numbers you’d like to revisit, vocabulary areas you’d like to learn more, and resources you’d love to use (that awesome new mini series on Netflix, for instance).
Learning to Plan, and Planning to Learn
A personalized learning plan is perfect for achieving the maximum potential with your language goals and objectives. It helps you keep track of what you know, what resources you can use, and what time is available to you.
Surprisingly, when you create a detailed (but realistic) language learning plan, you’ll find that you have a lot more time to learn than you thought before. Sure, it might not be hours on end, but those five minute lesson-snacks add up to a mouthful of glorious language learning.
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Be patient, learn, and have fun as you follow the plan.
You’ll be a polyglot (if you want to be) in no time at all.
If you enjoyed my article, please feel free to share it. Have any questions? Don't hesitate to email me!
Disclaimer: I select and review independently. If you buy through affiliate links, I may earn commissions that help support my testing at no extra cost to you. Please read my full disclosure for more information.
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