Autumn, or Fall as it’s called here in the states, is in full swing here in the northern hemisphere.
The weather’s getting colder, school is back in session, and the year is winding to a close, making it the perfect time to work on completing your language goals for the year.
However, if you’re like me, finding the energy and motivation to give your language learning a final push can be difficult. The chilly air makes staying in bed all day tempting, the limited daylight is depressing, and the goals set at the start of this year have lost their shiny newness.
Trying new ways to study languages is a great way to stay motivated during the final month of the year. These 10 autumn-inspired language study ideas that can help you change up your routine and keep your language learning interesting and exciting this season:
1. Study at a Cafe
Nothing says coziness and productivity quite like a coffee shop.
Pack up your study materials, ask a friend to join you for a study/work date, and enjoy a warm beverage away from the cooler weather while you make some language learning progress.
If you’re looking to save some money, you can also recreate this experience without ever leaving home.
While it might not be exactly the same, making yourself a warm beverage, setting up at a table or desk in your house, and listening to some acoustic music or even a coffee shop ambience video can put you in a similar headspace to get some studying done.
2. Read an Academic Paper in Your Target Language
After spending nearly 2 decades of my life in school, academia and autumn go hand in hand in my brain.
Not only is learning a new language an academic pursuit on its own, but there are a lot of academic and school-inspired activities you can work into your language-learning routine, such as reading an academic paper.
Academic papers are a great way to push your language abilities, learn a lot of new vocabulary on a specific topic, and use your target language to learn something new!
Though this activity may be better suited for intermediate or advanced language learners, it can be modified for lower-level learners!
If you’re not ready to read a full academic paper yet, here are some ways you can still try this activity:
- Start with a subject you’re already familiar with to limit confusion and new terms
- Read articles written for kids
- Instead of reading the full article, try translating a sentence at a time to see how much you can figure out or understand
After you read the article, test how well you understood what you read and use any new vocabulary you’ve learned to summarize the article. You could even try reading multiple articles and comparing them by writing an essay!
3. Write an Essay
Writing is an amazing way to practice output in your target language.
It gives you a chance to slow down and focus on grammar that you may be struggling with, look up words and learn them as you need them,and it comes with less pressure than speaking.
Plus, writing creates a record of your progress and makes it easy to reflect on and learn from previous mistakes.
Writing an essay to practice your target language doesn’t have to come with the same stress as school assignments. You don’t need to follow a strict structure (unless you want to!) and can write about anything that interests you, from writing about the last book you read or picking a topic and writing about the things you’ve learned on the subject.
Just have fun practising your writing and then consider sharing it with a tutor or a site like Journaly for feedback!
4. Study with a Textbook
If textbooks aren’t already a part of your language learning approach, studying with a textbook for even just a few chapters can change up your routine and give you a new way of learning or reviewing material.
If you do usually use textbooks, test prep books can offer that same variety. Even if you’re not actually planning to take that exam, a test prep book can show what gaps exist between your current knowledge and what you’d need to know to pass an exam.
I know textbooks and prep books can sound…not fun, but adding them to your routine can help break the monotony of what you’ve been doing and help you make some structured progress.
5. Take an Online Course
Learning a language can open so many doors for you, from travel, to friends, to learning new things (and I don’t just mean new words in the language)!
There are so many online courses on so many different subjects out there, and you can find and take one that interests you in your target language.
It’s great listening practice, you’ll learn something new, and learn relevant vocabulary!
Plus, you might just learn skills to help you progress in your career or learn the basics of a new hobby.
If you’re a student or recent grad not looking for more academia in your life, don’t worry. The next language study ideas move into some non-academia fall-inspired activities.
6. Rewatch a Show
It is a truth universally acknowledged that fall is the time to rewatch Gilmore Girls.
So why not rewatch Gilmore Girls with the German audio?
Rewatching content you’re already familiar with can make practicing listening in your target language easier and less daunting since you already know the story and characters.
You could also rewatch a show you originally watched in your target language to see how much more you understand now and pick up even more than you did the first time.
Pick a show you love and maybe haven’t watched in a while and enjoy the nostalgia while getting some immersion in!
7. Watch Sports in your Target Language
Speaking of watching stuff, for many people fall is the time to watch sports.
Depending on the language you’re learning and the sports you’re interested in watching, you might be able to watch a sporting event in your target language.
Even if you’re not into sports, watching a game is a great way to practice your listening skills in a very visual way as announcers talk through what you’re watching.
If you are interested in a particular sport, this activity is a great way to learn the vocabulary you need to discuss it.
If you’re learning French and need a recommendation, check out this flat-track roller derby bout between the Paris Roller Derby Allstars and Bear City.
8. Learn About Urban Legends
If sports aren’t your thing or you’re looking for something to put you in the spirit of Halloween, you can try learning about urban legends, myths, ghost stories, or other creepy things from a country that speaks your target language.
You could read scary stories, research the origins of the legend, talk about it with a tutor or friend, or watch videos or a movie about it.
There’s also lots of podcasts about creepy things, and you can find and listen to one in a new language!
Whatever aspect of language learning you need to work on, you can incorporate some creepy stories to learn and get yourself in the Halloween spirit at the same time.
Plus, it’s a great way to tie culture into your learning.
9. Bake
As someone who grew up in the US, Halloween isn’t the only holiday I associate with fall.
Even if you don’t associate autumn with Thanksgiving and its foods, it’s undeniable that fall is traditionally a time of harvest all around the world and has a strong connection to food.
Why not try making a traditional recipe from a region that speaks your target language or following a recipe for a favourite comfort food?
This is a great way to practise food and kitchen-related vocabulary, spend some time using your target language even during busy periods, and try some delicious autumnal food.
10. Keep a Daily Gratitude Log
As the months in the year get fewer and fewer and you begin to reflect on the year, a gratitude log can be a great way to stay positive and practice your target language.
Thinking about the things you’re grateful for each day is a great way to reflect on your day, to start shifting to a more positive mindset, and, in this case, to use your target language a little bit every day.
Even if you don’t have a lot of time to dedicate to using your target language, writing a sentence or short journal entry on what your grateful for can be a great way to squeeze a bit of contact with your target language into your day.
If you’re looking to get more speaking practice, you could also keep a video or voice memo log instead of a written one.
Regardless of whether Autumn is your favourite or least favourite season, these autumn-inspired ways to study languages can help you keep your routine fresh while putting in the time to complete your goals for the year.
If you’re looking for language study ideas for other seasons, check out this playlist of videos.
