The process of learning a new language typically relies on four domains of language learning: speaking, reading, writing, and listening. But, what if you focused only on one domain? Can you learn a language just by listening? The answer is yes and no.
Listening is an incredibly important part of how to learn a language, but it’s only one piece of the puzzle. Luckily, you can use several techniques to make the most of your listening opportunities. Discover the science behind learning a language by listening and how you can put it into practice.
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Benefits of learning a language just by listening
Auditory learning is effective for many people and provides significant benefits. Even if you remove speaking practice, the importance of verbal instruction in all aspects of education—including language learning—builds certain skills faster than other language domains. This includes:
- better information retention and comprehension
- more developed conceptual and abstract thinking
- a focus on communication skills, which is arguably the foundation of language
- the ability to multitask as you absorb new information
- bypassing (even temporarily) the need to learn new writing systems
- early mastery of pronunciation, unaffected by assumptions based on how the written language appears
People who benefit the most from learning a language just by listening
Even if you only focus on one major aspect of a language, you can still achieve many language learning goals. You can learn enough to travel in countries where the language is spoken without English aids, watch your favorite media in its original language, or even become a polyglot. In fact, some people may benefit more from listening-based learning than others.
- Busy people: If you have a busy schedule and don’t have a lot of time to dedicate to concentrated study with written materials, you may find that learning a language just by listening works best for you. You can listen to the language on your commute, while you’re cooking dinner, or as you settle in for bed (you may even start dreaming in another language).
- Young children: How did you learn your first language? You listened from the moment you were born! Young children generally don’t have the ability to read or write until they’re at least four years old, and babies still need to learn language by listening to be able to speak the language themselves as they get older. If you have a small child in your life, make sure you talk to them: The more auditory language input they get through social and language interactions will improve their language development by the time they reach three years of age.
- Visually impaired individuals: People who are blind or have visual impairments have a disadvantage when learning a new language, but they also have the advantage of being able to dedicate themselves more fully to listening to the language without necessarily adding in the complexities of reading and writing. Effective listening strategies for blind and visually impaired students of a foreign language include focusing on intonation and pronunciation, translating based only on auditory cues, and incorporating music.
Drawbacks of learning a language just by listening
Even learning by listening in your native language has its limits. Think about the last time you listened to instructions without a visual aid or listened to a podcast. You might be able to memorize the technique for baking a cake, but it’ll probably take several real-life attempts before you’re able to truly master it. To learn anything completely, you need practice in applying what you’ve learned. For language, this means adding other skills like reading, writing, and speaking.
Learning by listening may also be a style of learning that doesn’t suit you for one reason or another. If you learn best through interpersonal means (like conversation practice) or visual means (like associating images or writing with what you hear), you might want to add another aspect to your language learning process.
You may also experience hurdles that you can’t control. People who have inherent difficulties with listening—such as those who are hard of hearing or have an auditory processing disorder—benefit the most from accommodations for foreign language classes that add extra reading and writing practice.
Whatever your situation is, think about your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to learning anything before deciding if learning a language just by listening is for you.
What’s the difference between passive listening and active listening?
To learn a new language by listening, it’s helpful to know what kind of listening works best: passive listening or active listening.
Passive listening is when you’re in an environment where you’re receiving some kind of auditory input, but you aren’t giving it your full attention. You might be distracted, unable to participate, or uninterested in the topic. You’re able to absorb some of what’s being said, but you may not get the full picture or be able to recall what you’ve learned later on.
By contrast, active listening is when you’re focusing entirely on the auditory input you’re receiving. This includes being deeply invested in a friend’s story or a gripping audiobook. You’re leaning in, asking questions, maybe jotting down the details after. You’re giving the information your full attention.
When learning a new language, the fastest and most effective way to absorb new material is by actively listening. You’ll be able to engage with what you’re hearing on a deeper level, even if you don’t understand what’s being said. From being able to better emulate accents to learning vocabulary through context, active listening can help you in myriad ways and remains a key component of language learning.
What should I listen to if I want to learn a new language?
Start with media that you enjoy consuming in your native language. Love soccer? Try following a podcast about your favorite team. Addicted to soap operas and drama? Try watching telenovelas in Spanish instead of English.
Learning by listening is also a great opportunity to dive into something new. Languages shape culture and vice versa. Listening opportunities allow you to learn more about history, current events, ongoing traditions, and the nuances of each language. Knowing the why behind those nuances—like the lisp adopted by Spanish speakers in Spain—can help you remember to put them into practice.
Fortunately, the list of resources you can use to learn a language by listening is almost limitless.
Music
Music is a great way to tap into what’s most important to a particular culture, including key cultural values, while increasing your exposure to more colloquial, slang-based vocabulary. Keep in mind that the pronunciation of words in music may not be entirely faithful to how a word is normally said for the sake of art. Pay attention to other songs (or other auditory media) that use the same word and compare them to see if one pronunciation is more stylistic than the other.
Podcasts
If staying motivated in language learning is something you struggle with, podcasts are the perfect way to combine what you love (hobbies, business, or true crime) with the language you’re learning. Whether you want a podcast that focuses on one specific language or one that offers a variety, finding language learning podcasts that suit your goals is easy.
Sports
Sports commentary is easy to contextualize. Unlike the color commentary you might get on TV, which describes things like coaching styles and the personal background of the players, play-by-play commentary (such as what you might find on the radio) is meant to be clear and easy to understand for the listener.
If you’re familiar with the sport, you can picture what the commentators are describing. While some of the vocabulary you’ll pick up is niche, it’s also useful (especially if sports are among your hobbies) and often not included in language learning courses or textbooks.
Audiobooks
Did you set a reading goal for yourself this year? Combine that with your language learning goals! Listening to audiobooks in the language you’re learning allows you to work towards two goals at the same time. If you want to mix in some reading practice, you can keep the book open in front of you as you listen to the audiobook to boost your active learning.
Movies and TV
Yes, you can learn a language by watching TV! With so many streaming services out there, you can easily find movies and television shows in a variety of languages. As an extra aid, you can put on subtitles in the same language as the audio to pair your listening and reading skills. If you want a place to start, here are some of the best foreign language films to learn a new language.
News
Keep up with world events while you learn a language. News segments include a diverse group of speakers, which can help you familiarize yourself with a wide range of accents, voice differences (such as between male and female or young and old speakers). The dialogue is also easy to contextualize, which can help you pick up vocabulary quickly.
What’s the best way to learn a new language by listening?
Now that you’ve narrowed the resources you want to listen to and know to practice active listening, it’s time to optimize exactly how you’ll approach absorbing that new material.
Try pairing listening with lessons designed for learning your target language, so you have an understanding of basic grammar rules and vocabulary. To build on what you’ve learned, you’ll want to ask yourself the following questions when listening:
- What’s the topic being discussed?
- What vocabulary do I already understand (e.g., obvious loanwords or cognates)?
- What vocabulary was I able to understand after listening to more context?
- Is there anything about the speaker’s pronunciation that stands out?
- Are there any words or phrases that the speaker uses frequently?
Use context clues
Identifying context is the most important step. It will help you infer meaning when encountering words you don’t know and reinforce the words you do understand. You can opt to take mental notes of new vocabulary or write it down for later.
Listening opportunities are best for picking up more colloquial expressions (phrases you may not find in traditional language learning resources), and you’ll be sure to reinforce those as you build your experience.
In addition to analyzing what you’re taking in, these tips can help you retain even more:
- Don’t be afraid to pause and rewind to dig deeper into what’s being said. Repeated exposure to a single clip, news segment, or movie is recommended and can reinforce what you’ve learned!
- Adjust playback speeds to fit your learning level. Instead of listening at the recorded speed (1.0), try switching to 0.75 (three-quarters of the recorded speed) to hone in on pronunciation.
- Don’t shy away from subtitles if you’re just starting out. Associating written words with what you’re hearing can help boost your pronunciation.
- Remember to make listening a regular part of your practice routine. Putting on a foreign language film on a Saturday night totally counts!
Frequently asked questions about learning a language just by listening
Ultimately, the simplest answer to “Can you learn a language just by listening?” is “yes.” How you accomplish that goal is up to you, and you don’t have to limit yourself to just listening unless you want to!
Speaking is the best complementary skill to listening, so strike up a conversation with someone who speaks the language you want to learn (try using Rosetta Stone tutoring). In the meantime, take these frequently asked questions from language learners like you into consideration. Once you’ve done that, start listening to your language of choice today through Rosetta Stone!
Is it possible to learn a language by only listening to it?
Yes, and people do it every day. Various factors impact how long it takes (such as whether you’re listening passively or actively), but the content you have access to for listening practice is almost limitless. Find a few music artists to sample, pick up a new podcast that uses your target language exclusively, or look for cultural events in your community where you can listen to native speakers in person.
What is the No. 1 easiest language to learn?
The language you find easiest to learn is heavily influenced by what languages you already speak, particularly your native language(s). For example, the easiest languages to learn for English speakers include Germanic languages (like German and Dutch) and Romance languages (like Spanish and French). By contrast, the hardest languages to learn for English speakers primarily include languages from the Asian continent (like Japanese and Hindi), which have unique writing systems and pronunciation nuances in addition to grammar and word order rules that are significantly different from English.
How many hours of listening does it take to understand a language?
The exact number of hours it takes you will depend on what “understanding” a language means to you and what language you’re learning, but expect it to take hundreds of hours over a long period of time (several months to several years). So, how long does it take to learn a new language? To get an accurate value, familiarize yourself with language fluency levels to set a measurable goal, and then find out how close your target language is to other languages you’re fluent in.
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