Language Learning Hack That Focuses On The 625 Most Common Words In The Target Language Goes Viral

Some of us have fantasized about flying off to an exotic new country and learning the local language and customs in just a few short weeks. However, learning a new language is tougher and less romantic than we’d like. But it doesn’t have to be. A Tumblr post by Asian-lang-stubyblr went viral after summarizing a technique by Fluent Forever than can help you on your way to polyglotism.

The idea is simple: learning just 625 common words in the language that you’ve currently got a crush on will give you a solid linguistic foundation. You’ll understand a lot of the things that people talk about and you’ll then have enough confidence to further delve into vocab and grammar.

While 625 words might sound like a lot, when you look through the list, it looks completely manageable and like a lot of fun. Let us know if you’ve ever tried a similar technique before, dear Pandas!

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Learning a new language can be tough, but there’s a hack out there that can give you a solid foundation

Image credits: NBC

Image credits: asian-lang-stubyblr

According to Gabe Wyner, the founder of Fluent Forever, the very first step that you should take when learning a new language is getting the pronunciation of sounds down just right. Once you’re confident with that, it’s time to move on to the vocab.

Wyner states that learning words by category (like getting to know every single fruit in French) is the wrong way to go about things. It’s far faster to learn the most frequently used words.

Now, these are simple words like dog, bus, etc., so actually memorizing them is easy-peasy because you can use pictures and flashcards. If you’re new to learning languages, apps like Fluent Forever, Duolingo, and Anki can really help out. The latter is fantastic for using flashcards (and not just for languages, too, so keep it in mind for your exam prep).

Wyner also suggests that you group the words up into stories. And if those stories are funny, then you’ll remember them that much better. It’s been proven that we remember humorous things better.

The founder of Fluent Forever became fluent in German in 14 weeks, learned French in 5 months, and Russian in 10 months. He also learned Spanish, Hungarian, and Japanese over the last few years. With results like that, he must be doing something right.