Museum Of Knowledge, If I know Italian, will I learn Spanish more easily, 27042018

If I know Italian, will I learn Spanish more easily?

Students who already have knowledge of Italian often ask the Museum of Knowledge if knowing Italian will enable them to learn Spanish more easily. Due to the time and effort required to learn a language, students often look for short cuts in whichever way they can. Short cuts may include learning a second language at a pace that is similar to the first language the student knows well.

For those students who have a good knowledge of Italian, the good news is that due to the similarities between these two Latin languages, learning Spanish may be easier. This is especially because of some sentence structures as well as grammatical similarities. However this is where the similarity ends. Speaking Spanish requires a different tone to that of Italian and Spanish is often spoken at speed when compared with Italian. Written Italian also bears only some similarities to written Spanish and certainly listening to Italian and understanding the spoken words and phrases is unique.

The main criteria used to judge how quickly students will progress and learn Spanish if they already speak Italian, is that the student may be able to transfer skills developed already that embrace language learning techniques. This will include, but not be limited to learning grammatical rules, understanding sentence structures and syntax as well as developing a process of dedication and regular practice sessions in order to progress quickly.

 

 

 

 

How long to learn Italian? Museum of Knowledge guide 20042018

How long does it take to learn Italian? Museum of Knowledge guide

The Museum of Knowledge team is often asked by students, how long does it take to learn Italian? Italian is a highly distinctive language with seductive wave intonations when spoken. Although Italian has similarities to Spanish in written form, pronunciation between the two languages is dissimilar. With practice, dedication and enthusiasm, students should be able to learn Italian within six months, with high levels achieved varying according to the student.

To learn Italian, as one of the Romance languages, it is much easier to grasp if the student already has some knowledge of another language such as Spanish. Certain Spanish words and phrases are very similar to Italian words and phrases, giving the students the opportunity to develop their comprehension and reading skills quickly. For speaking, listening and writing however, these skills for those who wish to learn Italian will need to be developed over time. This is because there is very little similarity between Spanish and Italian in this context.

 A key requirement that the Museum of Knowledge team suggest that students employ is the complete commitment of their time and effort to learn Italian. One of the best ways to learn Italian is to put aside a few hours each week for instructional learning. This learning may be via online forums or courses as well as face-to-face platforms. Practice makes perfect, so once a few hours of theoretical learning has been undertaken, students can then put into practice what they have learnt through practical exercises. This may include speaking Italian in given scenarios such as in restaurants. Equally, this can be achieved through simple greetings or reading Italian by selecting Italian books, Italian magazines and Italian newspapers with which students can practice and improve their Italian over time.

 

 

 

How long to learn French? Museum of Knowledge tips 13042018

How long does it take to learn French? Museum of Knowledge tips

The Museum of Knowledge team is often asked by students, how long does it take to learn French? One of the Romance languages, French is also a Latin language rich in colourful sounds with strong accentuation at the heart of French pronunciation. To learn French is to learn and not be intimidated by the placement of accents in writing, accentuation when speaking, and having an open ear to the various accents when listening. Reading French is a skill that can be mastered by taking into consideration various educational tools, from books and newspapers to business related materials such as contracts.

Certainly the Museum of Knowledge team suggests that students dedicate sufficient time to learn French. Depending on how quickly the student wishes to progress, a minimum of three hours per week should be assigned to learn French. Students who wish to learn French will have to take into consideration that they will need to master various skills including speaking French, listening to French, reading French and writing in French. Three hours a week must be assigned over a set period of time, for example six months in order to advance quickly. Progress can be accurately measured via a tutor feedback session such as those developed for the Museum of Knowledge French language courses.

Some students find developing certain language skills more difficult to obtain than others. For example Museum of Knowledge students often highlight the difficulty they experience when attempting to write in French. Many reasons for this challenge include the fact that writing in French requires a high level of both comprehension and accuracy and some students will find it more difficult to master accurate French prose compared to developing conversational skills within six months for example.

Museum Of Knowledge blog, learn two languages same time 06042018

Does learning two languages at the same time slow down learning?  

The Museum of Knowledge team is often asked if learning two languages at the same time slows down learning. One of the greatest challenges a language learner may face when trying to learn more than one language at a time is confusing words from various languages or speaking in one language and then suddenly making mistakes, by using vocabulary from the second language. For those who have already mastered learning a language, it is far easier to then commence learning a second language, to learn new phrases and vocabulary that are distinct from the first language.

There are of course similarities between certain Latin languages. Sentence constructions for those who learn French and those who learn Spanish are in some cases, structured in a similar way, with nouns, verbs and adverbs placed in a similar order within a given sentence. In fact some language learners may find learning two languages at a time to be very useful as the more exposure to languages as a whole, the easier it is to absorb techniques such as verb conjugation, gender uses, noun placements and verb tenses.

In conclusion, the Museum of Knowledge team would advise that if the speed of learning a language is the most important part of learning for a student, language learners should start one language for at least six months before embarking on learning a second language.