Learn languages that share a linguistic background, such as Spanish, Italian and French, which are commonly called the Romance languages, or Slavonic languages like Russian, Polish and Slovakian. This allows for hearing sounds and speaking phrases that are similar or have the same meanings. "Si" means yes in Italian and Spanish. "Takk" and "Tak means thanks in the Scandinavian languages of Icelandic, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish. This will help with the retention of the languages.
Invest in textbooks in a different language about learning another language. An illustrated children's "How to Learn Spanish" book written in French allows an English reader to be immersed in both languages and learn them. The same principle can be used with language CDs as the student becomes more advanced.
Enroll in a language class at a community college or a privately held language school. Classes are held for beginning to advanced students. Some are geared for basic phrases for tourists, conversational lessons and in-depth lessons that include reading and business etiquette. CD sets are also available in varying degrees of expertise.
Join a cultural society of the country whose language is being learned. Many of the organizations have activities where the language is spoken in conversation, as dialogue in a play or sung in a choral group.
