How to learn a language that has a different word order than you’re used to
It’s always a challenge to learn a language with a word order different from the one you’re used to. Here are some practical ways to get over this language-learning hurdle.
4 ways to learn a new word order in a language
Listen, even if you don’t understand everything
Read as much as you can
Study the grammar and word order
Practice by writing
Color coding
Listen and read
Listening and reading will help a lot! Hearing/seeing the natural order and structure of sentences will hopefully ingrain it into your memory and things will just “sound right” eventually. Remember not to rush the process – it took me a long time to get the word order in Korean right and it only got better once I started practicing a lot by speaking to Koreans.
Try to immerse yourself in the language by listening to native speakers or podcasts, watching TV shows or movies, and speaking with native speakers. It will help you get used to the language’s rhythm, intonation, and word order.
And yes, I really believe you can learn a language by watching TV! Read more about it here.
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Practice by writing and color code your notes
Another thing you can try is to write sentences in a notebook and highlight the different parts of the sentence in different colors, or write them in different colored pens. For example, verbs in pink, nouns in blue, subjects in green, whatever. That way, you can start seeing a visual, colorful pattern of how things work and perhaps your brain works that way that the color cues will help you when speaking, too.
Pay attention to grammar and word order
When learning a language with a different word order, it’s important to focus on the sentence structure. Pay attention to the word order, and practice constructing your own sentences in this format. You can also break down sentences and analyze their structure to better understand how the language works. What I like to do is to make a list of nouns, a list of verbs, and a list of adjectives and pronouns, and then combine them together once I know the word order. For example, Korean has a SOV (subject/object/verb) order, and English has a SVO (subject/verb/object) word order. By separating the subjects, objects and verbs on different pieces of paper or lists, I can use them like puzzle pieces to create new sentences and get used to the word order over time.
Accept that it will take time
The key factor here is time. New language learners, who have looked up to established polyglots or people fluent in their target language, often think language learning is a quick process with lots of “hacks”. There is no “hack”. There are tips and tricks, but most importantly, discipline, consistency and dedication will get you far. You won’t learn the natural structure overnight. Be patient with the process. Learning a new language takes time and patience. Don’t get discouraged if you make mistakes or don’t understand everything at first. Keep practicing, and you’ll get there eventually.
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