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> Hitchhiking is by far one of the best ways to learn a new language. Another way is moving to another country. You'll learn quicker than you think, and no nee

by diggan 2y ago

> Hitchhiking is by far one of the best ways to learn a new language. Another way is moving to another country. You'll learn quicker than you think, and no need to learn the language beforehand, it'll be great fun to try to understand something completely foreign, and gets a lot easier when you see people's faces and hands :) If you're young, you still have time to move to another country, and move back home if you get bored/scared. It's not as difficult or dangerous as most people think.

cynicalpeace 2y ago
Yes agree. I lived in Colombia for 4 years. But hitchhiking is learning on overdrive. Not just language, but what they like to call "agency". I slightly disagree that you don't need to learn the language beforehand. You don't NEED to, but I would actually recommend getting a 4 week crash course beforehand. Because I've seen so many expats that don't even know where to start so they just hang out with other expats and that's how you end up living in a foreign country for 10 years and you can't speak the language. The most minimal thing is you need to learn how to point at a thing and say "How do you say?" and refuse to revert to your native language.
realusername 2y ago
I've done it this way and didn't learn much, I learned more by self-studying after I left. Thinking that I would just learn my target language just by being there was my biggest mistake. Sure, if your target language isn't too far from your native one, learning it on the go probably works fine. But you aren't going to get from English to Chinese casually by picking up stuff though, you'll end up knowing a hundred words tops for your daily life and that's it.
- cynicalpeace 2y ago
  Yeah that's why I think you need a small, but solid base to really take advantage of being there.
  - realusername 2y ago
    Indeed that's also my opinion, sure if you spend 6 months before going there and reach a lower B1, that's not the same story.

by diggan 2y ago

cynicalpeace 2y ago

Yes agree. I lived in Colombia for 4 years. But hitchhiking is learning on overdrive. Not just language, but what they like to call "agency". I slightly disagree that you don't need to learn the language beforehand. You don't NEED to, but I would actually recommend getting a 4 week crash course beforehand. Because I've seen so many expats that don't even know where to start so they just hang out with other expats and that's how you end up living in a foreign country for 10 years and you can't speak the language. The most minimal thing is you need to learn how to point at a thing and say "How do you say?" and refuse to revert to your native language.

realusername 2y ago

I've done it this way and didn't learn much, I learned more by self-studying after I left. Thinking that I would just learn my target language just by being there was my biggest mistake. Sure, if your target language isn't too far from your native one, learning it on the go probably works fine. But you aren't going to get from English to Chinese casually by picking up stuff though, you'll end up knowing a hundred words tops for your daily life and that's it.

cynicalpeace 2y ago
Yeah that's why I think you need a small, but solid base to really take advantage of being there.
- realusername 2y ago
  Indeed that's also my opinion, sure if you spend 6 months before going there and reach a lower B1, that's not the same story.