Sunny days on the beach. Lemonades and margaritas. Long, warm nights. Yep, summer’s here at last! And it’s the perfect season to use your extra time to pick up some new skills and grow as a person. You might not expect learning a language to be an entertaining way to be productive this summer, but thanks to intuitive apps, it’s actually really fun and easy to try! Here are some tips to thrive this summer:
Mix up your music
Don’t ditch the Bob Marley and Bruce Springsteen summer tunes, but try some new groups with a little foreign-language kick. For instance, if your interested in learning Spanish, check out Buena Vista Social Club for some old-school chillin’ or Calle 13 for something a little fresher. You’ll find a new appreciation of the language through the music and vice versa!
Taste foreign flavors
“Margarita” and “summer” are nearly synonymous. And with good reason – under the hot sun you need a refreshing beverage. But you don’t have to stick to the usual summer drinks like margaritas; explore a different country’s cuisine for drink inspiration and language appreciation! For instance, there are some delicious Italian limoncello-infused lemonade recipes out there…
Flip your phone’s language settings
Fair warning: remember how to switch back to English! That being said, changing your phone’s display to another language is a very fun way to pick up some new vocabulary and get a few chuckles to boot.
Corral your crew
If you can, involve a few friends in your language-learning summer adventure. Passing back and forth foreign phrases at the BBQ or the beach is a fun (and sometimes competitive) way to mutually improve each other’s language skills.
Appreciate an app
You really want to do this? You gotta get an app! Intuitive language teaching apps like Babbel prepare users for real-life conversations from their very first lesson. It’s available on iOS and Android devices and designed around bite-sized 10 minute lessons, so you can jump in at the beach or in your backyard! Try out the interactive video below to see how simple it is: