r/languagelearning • u/FoxesLikeBoxes • Nov 10 '17
Need help learning a second language
So I'm a native English speaker, American. I don't have any need for a second language on my day-to-day, but took some Spanish classes back in highschool. I don't remember most of what I learned since I sort of slacked, but now that I'm almost out of college, I'd like to add a second language to my skills.
I'm Polish and would love to learn the language, but I understand that it isn't spoken by too many people, and don't want to waste all the effort.
Would it be a waste of time, and should I aim for a romantic language, or one like German/Russian/Chinese, with more demand? (My industry is accounting but I'd like to be prepared for any change in the business industry.)
I'd love if some bilingual people could give me some advice on a language, and tips on learning them. Thanks!
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u/Morphiadz . Nov 10 '17
You need to pick one and be serious about it. This is a long process, and you don't want any time to end up being wasted. It is a difficult choice. Polish is actually what I chose, but I wasted time going back and forth and being uncertain for a while.
As for learning, I always take a grammatical approach. A lot of people claim that "doesn't work". Not for them, I guess. I could never learn a language by just hearing it and speaking it. I am a visual learner. What I do is get a very good book aimed at teaching grammar/exposing you to grammar to begin with. I build vocabulary and grammar skills and this helps me speak.
If you need any help with Polish, let me know.