Have you ever tried to post something in the foreign language you are learning?
When you are not confident using a different language to your mother tongue, posting public posts on social media websites may be the last thing you would want to do.
Of course, who wants some pompous grammar stickler butting in on some minor error you made when writing in a language you are not an expert in? Let’s face it, a lot of native speakers of English still do not know the difference between ‘you’re and ‘your’, and that’s just one example. So why should you hold back from doing something that will ultimately help you improve your use of the foreign language?
How exactly does social media help in your use of a foreign language? Let’s take Facebook as a starting point – posting simple phrases (there is no need to be a Shakespeare) or quotations in English can go a long way in terms of practicing sentence structure, spelling, punctuation and writing skills as a whole. When you actively research the grammatical aspect of these phrases, you are automatically revising or learning something new, and using it.
What about following blogs and writers in the foreign language? Nowadays, it is all about virtual writing – we can’t exactly refer to most of it as literature, when it comes to English, at least – and the stories you come across online and in the social media sphere. Whether you enjoy fashion, cooking, world events, tech news or simple day to day pieces, there is always something for everyone. Exposing yourself to any foreign language repeatedly gets your mind used to the phrases, structures, rules, and so on. Even by simply listening to the language you get accustomed to the various sounds, start matching them and remembering them.
Just remember that this will not happen in a day – you won’t learn a foreign language and master it in a week!