Advantages of Private Language Classes

Are you considering taking private language classes? If you are, read ahead to discover 3 main advantages of learning a new language in a one-on-one setting.

1. The focus is on you, the student!  Private classes are an excellent way to focus on specifics when learning a new language. You choose what to need to review or reinforce: grammar concepts, specific vocabulary (business Spanish, anyone?), conversation skills, etc.

2. The pace of the class is set by you, the student! Teachers adapt the class to your needs, whether you are a slow or fast learner.

3. Private lessons are interactive. The student has a direct approach with the teacher and the feedback is immediate. You will correct the mistakes on the spot, which ultimately will lead to improving your language skills.

There are a few important things that you should keep in mind when learning a new language: set short and long term goals in order to avoid wasting time and money; set study time for reviewing lessons and completing home assignments.

Learning a new language at your own pace and having quality private language classes will have a tremendous impact on your success.

What kind of student are you when learning a language?

The answer varies from person to person. Some language students consider themselves visual learners, while others might need to hear words over and over. Some need to write what they hear many times so that they don't forget or need to repeat words over and over. No matter what kind of language student you are, you need to take advantage of your learning abilities and follow the essential rules. There are 4  important steps when learning a foreign language: see the word, listen to it, write it and say it!

What is a cognate?

When learning a new language, we come across a special category of words called cognates. Two questions come to our minds: what are they and how important is it for us to know them?

In linguistics the word cognate means "descended or borrowed from the same earlier form". Examples of cognate languages are French, Spanish and Italian that descended from Latin, or Scandinavian languages such as Norwegian, Swedish, Danish that descended from an earlier form of a North Germanic dialect. The English language (as part of the Germanic family) shares words with other Germanic languages. Also, one third of the language is based on Latin; therefore, English shares words with Spanish and French. Here are some examples: similar, radio, television, patio, singular, plural, popular (true cognate words with Spanish);  revenue, reservoir, avenue, boulevard, abstention, parent, partial (cognate words with French). 

Cognate words help us learn new vocabulary, but we have to be careful in making the distinction between true and false cognates. True cognates are words with identical spelling and similar meanings, while false cognates are words with similar spelling but different meanings. For example the French word inhabité is translated in English as "uninhabited", while the English word inhabited is translated in French as "habité". In Spanish, the word atender means "to assist" and asistir means "to attend".

Cognates are very useful, whether they are true or false. The truth is that you can learn the new language faster and boost your vocabulary just by learning the similarities and differences of words of your own language and your target language.