How do you improve your listening skills?

[dylr88]

One of my main  problems when learning a language is listening, I am able to read and understand more written words, i.e from chat, or reading books, articles etc. than listening, I do manage to pick up and understand what people are saying sometimes in conversations or radios/videos etc, but most of the times, it's blurry, and I feel that I'm struggling.

 

What do you do to successfully improve your listening skills when learning a language?

 

 

[anna3101]

Hello dylr88,

Probably everyone has something which works for him/her best. Here are some things that are helpful for me, maybe you'll find them useful too.

1. When I'm learning a new language, I start with listening to simple audio files while simultaneously following the text in a book. It helps me to be able to identify words inside the sentences and get a general idea of how the language sounds.

2. Also, and especially if I'm planning a trip to the country in question, I find everyday listening to phrasebook stuff very useful. I buy some nice phrasebook that includes audio as well, usually it's a set of phrases and dialogues sorted by the category ("Saying hello", "Ordering dinner", "Numbers" etc). You hear a phrase in a foreign language, then a translation into your native language. I listen to it as I go about my day (I spend a lot of time commuting which is ideal for learning as you have nothing better to do anyway ). After some time not only are you able to understand simple words and phrases when someone says them, but also you can use them yourself.

3. I watch films in the target language, always those that I really like and know fairly well + have the subtitles of the target language on. If it's something I've seen many times before (we all have our favourites I guess), then I already know what it's all about which makes a whole lot easier to try and understand the same thing in a new language.

4. Having a language partner also helps a lot, also has the benefit of improving speaking skills at the same time. For as long as the language partner is patient and willing to repeat what he/she said a couple of times before you understand, it does wonders for your listening skills, especially if you are talking to a native.

5. Probably has been said many times but it's really true: listening to music is beneficial in all sorts of ways. To make things easier, I use a program that downloads songs' lyrics and embeds them inside my mp3s, so that when I'm listening to a song and find it hard to understand, I can always look at the lyrics on the go and then later on find the words I don't know in the dictionary. One of the best things about studying a language is that you get to acquaint yourself with a lot of amazing music, films and books that you'd never ever come across otherwise.

Wish you lots of luck with getting better and better in your languages!

Ania

 

[Lingua Franca]

I think that you are facing the same problem most people face when the y learn another language. When you are in a class room the teacher will enunciate the words clearly so that you understand what is being said. On the other hand in our daily lives we don't speak this way and we tend to cut corners. My advice is keep listening, if you are looking at movies try to follow the language while reading the subtitles. There will come a point of clarity and you might find yourself not having to look down at the subtitles. 

[czarina84]

I couldn't really follow along by listening.  The words blend together in a sea of gibberish to me, unless I know the language.  For instance, I know some French and Spanish.  I can pick out the words and sentences that I already know if I hear them.  But for words I have never heard, forget it.  I guess what I am trying to say is that if you learn the words and phrases and how they sound individually, you may be able to pick them out better.  Relaxing is the method that I found works best.  I tend to get myself all bent out of shape and nervous when trying to learn a new language. 

[JasleenKaur]

To improve listening skills, you should watch English Movies, News and Songs with subtitles. And try to speak and sing song.

[lushlala]

My listening skills used to be terrible. I think this was partly because I have very low concentration levels, and my mind can start to wander LOL But ever since I acquired a wealth of experience working in customer service (both face to face and telephone based), where listening skills are imperative, my listening skills have improved tremendously! I'm just hoping and praying that this will carry over to my language learning too  I guess I'll find out when I start.

[宇崎ちゃん]

I listened to product reviews on YouTube over and over again, until I fully understood it.

[Mameha]

It happens that i listen to something that i don't understand immediately or after a few hours, but listening to it the day after i can understand what the audio says, im like "ahhh, i understand this word only now!", it's kinda funny and satisfying when this happens! So listening to an audio on youtube, etc really helps a lot. Obviously movies and song help a lot, my liceal english teacher always recommend it.

[Chris_A]

You should focus on what you are hearing, and maybe even write every word down. It will definitely help you associate what you hear with what you understand.

[pesic87]

Well, watching a lot of movies in the target language has helped many of my friends, myself included, in improving listening comprehension. Also, many songs, videos and just random shows, helped tremendously.

Talking with people and getting yourself engaged in a conversation, where you have to listen carefully to what the person is saying, process the information,  understand it and say something back at them, is also a very important thing to do to make sure your listening skills are to improve.

Reading books, articles and just passages of any kind, out loud, helped me listen to myself, trying to understand what I said, and easily process the information.

[Yehor13]

well, I enjoy listening to music. besides films without subtitles help too

[djordje87]

   Whenever I want to hear something better I shut my other senses. I used to think that was silly but when I tried I realized it was not. It is well known fact that blind people hear better if their ears are fine, of course. So, sometimes I go extreme. I play some movie, close my eyes, sometimes even my nose and I try not to touch anything because whether we like it or not whatever we touch instantly we make a picture in our brains. So by omitting all other senses you enhance your hearing and I was very pleased with the result. It is enough to close your eyes but i like to experiment.

[Trellum]

I'm really getting into the Dutchpod101 videos on YouTube  They are so educative and at the same time very entertaining, actually that is how I started using their site and decided that I will indeed buy a subscription to their web site in the future.   I also plan to watch more TV shows in Dutch, but that will happen when I am already living in the Netherlands    YouTube really helps in general though  

[takibari]

In learning a new language it is understandable to be struggle with listening at first. So, do not give up and and lose hope. Follow as the others suggested here. The key is to continually expose yourself with audio of the language you are learning. In the other thread, there was a suggestion about writing down lyrics of a song. This way you become an active listener as you pay more attention to the words.

Also, it's best to pace yourself. If you are still at the beginner's level - go with materials suitable to your level. While it's good to push yourself, it's also best to know your limitations and don't rush things lest you end up frustrated and think you can't do it. :)

[Nekomimi_mode]

I would say listen to music. The more music you listen to the better your listening skills will improve. Also whenever you get a chance listen to conversations between native speakers. I also recommend listening to Chinese dramas. Don’t actually watch it with the substiles, just listen to it and try to figure out what they are saying. Audio books are also a plus. I love downloading Chinese audio books and listening to them when I’m not busy. Even when you are busy you can listen to them. Having the language of choice as background noise whenever you are doing something will help you process it subconsciously. Also I’m not sure if this works or not but I also listen to the music while I’m asleep. I figure if my subconscious is always processing things I might as well give it some Chinese to have fun with. If you had to choose one or two methods though I would definitely say listen to music and listen to audio books. Just make sure you don’t pick a song that goes too fast or is too heavily accented, and for audio books don’t choose a book that is way over your head.

[roger1003]

The best way to learn that would be through listening to music and watching movies. Your ears would naturally learn how to understand them if you do this consistently. Also, speaking with someone in that language would improve both your speaking and listening skills.

[IronMike]

I had an instructor years ago, to whom I was complaining about not getting enough listening practice. He told me to read more. WTF?  

Sure enough, we did the same amount of listening weekly as usual, but I added a lot more reading on my "off" time. And who would have thought it, but I scored the same ILR level in listening as I did in reading!

Not saying that's the best way, but it sure worked for me.

[lingvo]

Doing active listening. I mean, listen carefully every dialogue piece with subtitles as backup double checks. But do not try to watch an entire movie like that, split that into several video fragments. And watch them over and over. Then watch the entire movie/t.v show several times. Is important to pick something that you're willing to watch repeatedly without getting tired.

[reverserewind]

I watch a lot of YouTube. It's proven to be very helpful, believe me. If you spend like 4-5 hours every day watching and listening... sure, you will be able to understand people in real life easily. 

[petesede]

Watch movies and TV shows that you already have see in english.  That is probably my biggest help right now.   I am addicted to Game of Thrones, so will usually watch an episode Sunday Night, and then again on Monday.. so I see it twice in English... then later in the week, i watch it again in spanish.  If you already know the plot, and know most of the dialog, you don´t get ´lost´ when you fail to recognize a word.

The other, probably more advanced is soap operas and Telenovelas ( in spanish).  The actors and actresses generally are trained to have very neutral dialects because it is mean for many different countries.  They also speak slowly and use precise syllables.  And finally, the camera usually has a close-up of their face, which many times seeing someone´s mouth can help you understand the sound they are making.  I know for me, my listening skills for Spanish are much worse over the phone when I cannot see the mouth of the other person.

[Dilof]

I listen to local radios and other forms of entertainment like podcasts. You most likely won't understand much to begin with; but you'll eventually pick up certain words and the tones associated with them, and will then be able to piece together the sentences. This worked really well for me.

[Trellum]

For me it's about listening as much as possible, but when I first start with a language I watch cartoon and similarly easy TV shows, like for example anything targeted at kids as well as educative TV shows and easy documentaries.  The more I listen the more familiar I get with the language, and learn in which context certain words can be used and so on.

[potoloklol]

I watch a ton of films in the target language, usually I'll find one that I really like and I'll just watch it over and over again. The more times I watch it, the more I understand as time goes on. Also, I listen to music, but it can be trickier so I usually just stick to films. To start off with, I do listen to the dialogue from the lessons, but I mostly enjoy speaking to my native speaking friends and listening to them speak their language. In fact, I was hoping to put in some practice today, but my friend is not replying to my messages 

[mykunos]

Listening comprehension is probably the most difficult part of language-learning, or at least it is for me. I don't think there's any shortcut to be honest - you're just going to need a ton of audio input. It doesn't really make a huge difference what you're listening to or hearing, just listen! Whatever you can get your hands on - TV, movies, music, radio, audiobooks, absolutely anything in your target language that has natives speaking! I made the mistake of putting too much time and effort into finding only the best stuff to listen to when it really didn't matter that much, because I primarily just needed quantity over quality in this regard.

I'll say the only thing that might help you better is if you are listening to something that actually interests you and can keep your attention. Love Harry Potter? Get the audiobooks in your target language! Love cars or science or tech? Download some podcasts! The internet really has made it incredibly easy to access all the listening resources you could possibly ever need.

[lingualbabe]

Here's some tips that I can give you, based off of my experience:

• Make sure that you're listening to a person that's interesting to you. Maybe a tutor that engages you into language learning. Even just a YouTube channel that makes you want to listen. If you have a preferred person for that, choose him or her because chances are, you'll be more inclined to learn if he or she is the one who's teaching.
• Listen slowly. There's actually some softwares that can help slow down the audio file so you can adjust it to your preference. I first used this for transcripts but then once I got into language learning, I figured it can work for that as well.
• You can hit rewind and play. If something isn't clear to you, just hit rewind and listen to it again.
• Make sure that you are in a quiet environment. I cannot concentrate whenever there is background noise so I try to learn a language at dawn or just any time that my son is asleep. 
• Have a dictionary beside you. It can sure help in case you come across an unknown word.

I hope this helps!