Listening can be one of the most challenging skills to master when you're learning a foreign language, as well as one of the most difficult skills to work on and improve outside of the classroom. Luckily, we've got a few top tips which will make a huge difference to your listening skills in just one month!
Do a language exchange
In order to really improve your listening skills, the best thing you can do is put yourself in situations where the stakes are high, but not so high that you end up panicking. A language exchange is a great way to do this. You'll listen to your conversational partner with focus and concentration because you need to understand in order to reply, but if you don't understand you can ask them to repeat themselves, knowing that they are a language learner too! If there aren't any language exchanges in your area, get online. There are lots of different websites that set up Skype language exchanges -Italki has a language exchange section, and The Mixxer is a website dedicated to language exchanges.
Summarise
When you're actively listening, you need the information that is being conveyed to reply to/reproduce in another form. A good exercise is to listen to a short speech in your target language. This could be a news report, a film review, a scene from a film, a TED talk - the internet is your oyster! Listen carefully the first time round, trying to focus on the gist of what is being said. The next time, make notes and listen for specific words, then write a summary of what you've heard afterwards.
Transcribe
Another excellent active listening exercise is transcribing what you're hearing. Youtube videos work very well here, because a lot of them are subtitled. Equally, you can watch a scene on Netflix in your target language, and try to transcribe exactly what is being said. Feel free to pause and repeat a few times! Once you've transcribed as much as you can, turn on the subtitles and check them against your notes. Give your vocabulary a boost at the same time by looking up any new words you come across! Clozemaster is a fun website where you have to listen to sentences in your target language and fill in the blanks.
Sing along
Pick a song in your target language and try to figure out the lyrics. You'd better like the song because you'll be listening to it multiple times! Once you've transcribed as much as you can, look up the lyrics and then listen and read along at the same time. Once you've learned the words, time to exercise your vocal cords. Not only is this a great listening exercise, it will also improve your pronunciation! If you're short on inspiration for song choices, check out this video!
Increase your exposure
Not all your listening has to be active - passive listening will also help to tune your ear in to unfamiliar rhythms of speech. Listen to podcasts on your commute, watch films in your target language with subtitles on, tune in to a radio station in your target language while you're cooking. Even though you're not focused with the same intensity, it will still be good for your ear!
What's your number one tip for improving your listening skills in a foreign language?
