Page 51 iStudy Guide 2019/20
P. 51
iStudy
2019/20
51
Keeping up-to-date with the news is a great way to boost
your comprehension abilities whilst also engaging with
what is going on around you. I listened to a 10-minute
news podcast every day as I was leaving the house, and
even if you don’t understand everything, it can be a
great way to pick up new phrases. I also took advantage
of free newspapers – the content wasn’t exactly high-
brow, but it was handy for learning colloquial terms,
and pictures help in deciphering trickier texts. For more
advanced language learners, newspapers also tend to
have puzzles which can really stretch your skills.
Tip: Even if there are a lot of things that you don’t
understand, only look up words that are key for
comprehending the sentence. Looking up every
word you don’t recognise quickly gets depressing
and if you can get the gist without them, then
don’t worry!
NEWS
I once met somebody who claimed that he could speak
German because he listened to Rammstein, and whilst that
was quickly disproved by an attempt at basic conversation,
actively listening to the target language can really help.
Finding Ohrwurms – those songs that get stuck in your
head – is great as the words and phrases will be committed
to memory, whether you like it or not. It’s also a fun way to
track your progress – I had a really satisfying moment in
Vienna when I was listening to a song I’d had on my phone
for years and suddenly realised that I could understand
everything that was being sung.
Tip: Tune in to local radio stations and go to nearby
music festivals to find current music. You’ll probably
find that the majority of the music is in English, but
there’ll be some native music artists that should
make for a good starting point.
MUSIC
2019/20
51
Keeping up-to-date with the news is a great way to boost
your comprehension abilities whilst also engaging with
what is going on around you. I listened to a 10-minute
news podcast every day as I was leaving the house, and
even if you don’t understand everything, it can be a
great way to pick up new phrases. I also took advantage
of free newspapers – the content wasn’t exactly high-
brow, but it was handy for learning colloquial terms,
and pictures help in deciphering trickier texts. For more
advanced language learners, newspapers also tend to
have puzzles which can really stretch your skills.
Tip: Even if there are a lot of things that you don’t
understand, only look up words that are key for
comprehending the sentence. Looking up every
word you don’t recognise quickly gets depressing
and if you can get the gist without them, then
don’t worry!
NEWS
I once met somebody who claimed that he could speak
German because he listened to Rammstein, and whilst that
was quickly disproved by an attempt at basic conversation,
actively listening to the target language can really help.
Finding Ohrwurms – those songs that get stuck in your
head – is great as the words and phrases will be committed
to memory, whether you like it or not. It’s also a fun way to
track your progress – I had a really satisfying moment in
Vienna when I was listening to a song I’d had on my phone
for years and suddenly realised that I could understand
everything that was being sung.
Tip: Tune in to local radio stations and go to nearby
music festivals to find current music. You’ll probably
find that the majority of the music is in English, but
there’ll be some native music artists that should
make for a good starting point.
MUSIC
