An engaging story to follow. The most effective learning materials I encountered had this. At the beginner level, two older examples: "French in Action" "De

An engaging story to follow. The most effective learning materials I encountered had this. At the beginner level, two older examples: "French in Action" "Destinos" Once you have some level of fluency, you can pick your own stories to follow. Also, before this, you can use subtitles on interesting programs. A lot of language learning is the sound of the language. And you will start to recognize parts of what's being said. Well-written, contemporary programs can also supply a lot of everyday speech and idioms that are short-changed in many learning materials. Just be aware that subtitles often deviate significantly from what's being said. Space and reading speed constraints, but also the quality and effort of the interpretor(s). Even in languages I know less well, I not infrequently encounter and identify subtitles that do not choose the idiom most at parity with the idiom or expression originally used.