Everyone who’s learned a new language, whether that means becoming fluent or reaching a beginner’s level or any point in between, knows that some things come easily, and others require a bit more work. A lot of that work is memorization, from vocabulary to regular grammar rules to irregulars. Whatever it is that you’re learning, you first have to commit it to memory before you can retrieve it for use when you’re actually using the language.
Irregular verbs are, in some languages, the major culprit when it comes to memorization headaches. If a language has a lot (or just some) irregular verbs, they tend to be the most common ones that you need to use a lot, right from the start, so learners are bombarded early with a lot of stuff that doesn’t seem to make sense and that just has to be memorized.
Should You Even Bother?
People ask this, and it’s a fair question. Memorization of irregulars is the most boring part of language learning for a lot of people, and it’s the thing that probably turns you off the most when you’re deciding whether or not you would enjoy learning a language. This isn’t true for everyone, of course. A lot of people love that part of language learning, believe it or not! Mastering a new linguistic system is a labor of love to some, but probably not to most. If you’re one of the most, you may wonder whether you should bother.
The truth is, you don’t *have* to have good grammar to be understood in a language, or to understand what you’re hearing or reading. People will most likely figure out what you’re trying to say, and if it’s obvious that you’re not a native speaker, most people will cut you plenty of slack. So, if you’re happy getting by with “good enough,” and if the thought of doing all the work of memorizing irregulars turns you off a language entirely, don’t sweat it. That’s fine.
If, on the other hand, you’re a stickler for grammar and you want to try to speak with as few errors as possible, you’re probably already prepared for the work. That’s fine too.
Just keep in mind that it’s not an all-or-nothing proposition. There is a Middle Way. You can set a goal of perfection (whatever that may be) and work toward it, but leave yourself room. You’ll make mistakes, some things will take a lot of time, and you’ll live with all of the imperfection. It will come eventually, and some things may never come. But that’s all good, and honestly, it’s the most realistic goal.
Have Realistic Goals
This is worth repeating. There’s a lot of psychology involved in learning a language, and you have to be kind to yourself. If you expect too much, perfection will be the enemy of good, and you’ll turn yourself off of what would otherwise be a very rewarding endeavor. So relax, make mistakes, and be patient but committed.
Embrace the Boring, at Least a Little
If you want to master something like irregular verbs, there’s going to be a bit of boring memorization involved. But it doesn’t have to be that bad, and it doesn’t have to be more than a small part of your learning process. You’ll be surprised at how quickly you can commit language, including irregular verbs, to memory if you spend just a little time practicing with a few common strategies. The most effective strategies are going to seem obvious and terribly boring, but they work if you have patience.
So let’s look at a few of the strategies you can use. As you use them you’ll see which ones work the best for you, and you can decide how much time you want to spend on them.
Repeat, Repeat, Repeat
Obvious, right? It’s the absolute stereotype of the boring language class: droning on about je suis, tu es, il est, elle est… (I am, you are, he is, she is… in French) again and again. But the thing is, it works. Our minds are designed to commit things to long term memory if we do them again and again. It’s only work at first, and then it gets cemented into your recall. And bonus: every irregular verb that you memorize makes future irregular verbs easier, because they almost always follow patterns. Humans are pretty awesome at pattern recognition, so play to your strengths. Repeating verb forms aloud can be done as background to something else that you’re doing, so it doesn’t even have to take up time that you wouldn’t be spending on vacuuming or folding laundry.
Use Different Input
With language, if you engage more than one input, ears and eyes for example, you’re going to make the job of memorization easier. We’ve got five senses and only two of them are going to come into play, unless you figure out a meaningful way to smell or touch or taste irregular verbs. But with sight and hearing, you can read and listen to audio, or read the verbs aloud, so you’re seeing and hearing (yourself) at the same time. Try it for a few minutes, every little bit will help.
Write
Take the time to write out verb conjugations. Again, this is admittedly super boring and may give you high school language class flashbacks, but if you give it a chance, it will work. You’re engaging your sight (as you read what you write) and your hearing (as you speak aloud) along with the mechanical action of writing.
Small Frame Practice
A small frame is a tiny, controlled piece of language that you can use to practice something. All of the Language Garage material is designed this way, because it gives you an easy way to practice and assimilate something new (grammar, in this case) while reviewing something old (vocabulary, for example.)
If you’re practicing andare (to go, Italian), choose a few to- phrases, for example a casa (home), al lavoro (to work), in Italia (to Italy). Add io vado (I’m going) to each one, and say/hear/write them out: vado a casa, vado al lavoro, vado in Italia. Then alternate the subjects instead of the places: vado a casa, vai a casa, va a casa… (I go home, you go home, she/he goes home…)
You don’t have to spend hours doing any of this, just a little bit helps. And you can do most of this while you’re doing something else. For example, if you have a few minutes while you’re waiting for your microwave popcorn or taking a shower or doing the dishes, do this to pass the time.
Set a Routine
If you’re learning a language with the Language Garage, you have maybe an hour a week with your instructor, unless you’re following a more intensive program. But on top of that, you have plenty of review and practice material in your student book and audio. We designed these things to give you an opportunity to have a regular routine and plenty of contact with your new language when you’re not actually paying an instructor. Your student book and audio content follows exactly what you learned with your instructor during your lesson, with review and practice exercises, extra explanations, and plenty of examples.
So even if you’re paying for one hour of instruction a week, you have everything you need to get plenty more language learning time for free. Just follow the suggestions in your book, or ask us to make a recommendation that fits your pace and goals. You only need a few minutes a day, and you don’t have to commit time every day if you can’t. Come up with a routine that fits into your life – or ask us to come up with one for you – and stick to it.
Multitask
You’ve got plenty of moments outside of your live lesson and book/audio routine that you can use, especially with the things that require lots of repetition. Put a few index cards with irregular conjugations where you can them while you’re doing the dishes, and read aloud. Listen to your audio while you’re cleaning or running. Take a break from your email when you’re on the train and write out a few small frames. There’s a lot you can do when you’re doing something else, and the great thing about memorization exercises is that you don’t need to be all in or to set aside more than a minute or two.
It’s Not Forever
Keep this in mind: the hardest work happens when you first start to learn a language. You’re getting used to so many new things, and everything is unfamiliar: new pronunciation, basic vocabulary, new grammatical concepts. It’s a lot of hard work at this stage.
But then it gets easier. Think of that snowball rolling down a hill. It moves slowly at first, and it’s adding a huge amount of snow to itself compared to its size. But then it picks up speed, and its increased weight makes it easier and easier for new snow to be added, much more with every roll. Every bit of language that you add at the beginning makes everything you’ll add in the future easier to be added. Patterns emerge, once-bizarre grammatical concepts are tamed, vocabulary and structures become easy. This will happen if you invest a little bit of time and effort at the beginning.
Try It Before You Commit to Anything
If you’re not sure that any of this will work for you, just try it. Set up a free trial lesson with us, and ask us to help you design a routine for you. Commit to it for a week, and see how it works. If it doesn’t, you’ve lost nothing. If it does, tienes el mundo a tus pies. You’ve got the world at your feet.
