How to Best Learn a Language this Summer
Three potential options that will work regardless of your summer plans
Should you take a break from language learning this summer?
I wanted to write this blog post today because summer is right around the corner and I’ve seen too many people over the years make the mistake of pausing their language studies during this time. In general, I advise against this because:
Consistency and fluency go hand-in-hand and,
While you may have the best of intentions now, it is very common for people to give up on trying to learn a language by the time the fall comes around due to a lack of motivation or a change in priorities.
Therefore, I don’t believe it to be a good idea to drop everything for the sake of having an “enjoyable summer.”
What should you do instead?
The answer will depend on your individual circumstances. See below for a few different scenarios.
Scenario 1: You will have less free time than usual this summer due to other priorities and commitments
Many of you are going to be in this situation. The good news is that you can indeed enjoy your summer without sacrificing on your language studies. I would recommend the following:
Take five weeks off in the summer, guilt-free. Pause your language learning altogether.
Spend three weeks studying intensively
For example, most students at my business, the Calgary Language Nerds, dedicate about 2-4 hours a week to language learning, equating to 16-32 hours over the eight summer weeks in July and August. This includes class time and self-study. It is not unreasonable for someone to fit those 16-32 hours into a three-week intensive burst by studying 1-2 hours a day.
Another alternative is to reduce how much time and energy you spend on language learning. This is way better than not practicing at all for two whole months because you can, at a minimum, avoid a loss of momentum.
Scenario 2: You schedule isn’t changing much this summer
If your schedule won’t be changing much in the summer, maintain your current study routine. If you don’t have a routine, this is a great time to establish one. I recommend dedicating at least 2-5 hours a week to language learning. Spend your time primarily on any combination of:
Listening to podcasts or watching videos at your level
Reading stories, articles, or graded readers at your level
Speaking with patient fluent speakers who are willing to take the time to help you learn
Writing about topics of personal interest. Ensure you are picking topics that you have most of the vocabulary and grammar knowledge to write about.
You may also want to review, practice, or learn grammar rules. Just don’t spend too much time on it. While there are exceptions, a general rule of thumb is to allocate a maximum of 1/3 of your time on grammar drills.
I’m always happy to help people create personalized study plans, so don’t hesitate to contact me if you would like help doing this.
Scenario 3: You will have more free time this summer than you usually do
In this case, I highly recommend dedicating more time and energy to language learning than you usually do. Doing so will dramatically expedite your progress and give you a meaningful project to focus on. For example, when I was learning Spanish, I was able to move from a high B1 level on the CEFR scale (about a mid-intermediate) to a B2 level (upper-intermediate) within a single month.
Sound too good to be true? It’s not.
To demonstrate just how realistic this is (with a little discipline), take a look at the chart below. It outlines the approximate amount of time required to move between CEFR levels.
Let’s say you decided to get disciplined and spend 2-3 hours a day throughout the summer (i.e., 14-21 hours a week in July and August) learning a language. That would equate to 112 to 168 hours over two months. Imagine how much progress you would make! For instance:
Those with an absolute beginner level would likely reach or get close to an A1
Those with a mid-A2 level would likely reach or get close to a B1
Those with a mid to high-B1 level would likely reach or get close to a B2
If you already have a B2 level or above, an intensive burst this summer would be equally impactful as it would drastically reduce the number of years it would take to reach a C1 or C2 level. For example, compare the following situations:
Person 1: Studies 2 hours a week for 52 weeks (i.e., 1 year) = 104 hours. At this rate, moving from a B2 to a C1 would take approximately 6 years.
Person 2: Studies 2 hours a week for 44 weeks of the year and 15 hours a week (i.e., 2-3 hours a day) for 8 weeks = 208 hours. At this rate, moving from a B2 to a C1 would take approximately 3 years.
In short, getting disciplined for 2 months would allow you to double your yearly study hours and cut the time needed to reach a C1 level in half.
Conclusion
Regardless of your summer plans, don’t stop learning a language altogether for the whole summer. Reduce, maintain, or increase the amount of time you spend depending on your individual circumstances.
I hope you found this blog post helpful. If you’d like any language learning advice or if you’d like to inquire further about taking private/semi-private lessons with any of my instructors, visit my website below. From there, you can book a free, no-obligation consultation.