Moving abroad? Learn less of the language, not more

If you're moving abroad in the next few months, you probably don't need to learn more of the language. You need to learn less.

Think about it. There'll be certain situations you'll find yourself in when you're there. Negotiating a price at the local market. Asking for directions. Sorting out life admin at the post office or the doctor's. And there'll be a lot of vocabulary you'll never need. The word for "Grandma" is probably irrelevant to you.

The problem is that most people prepare by trying to learn everything: all the grammar and every technical detail of the language. Most of it isn't needed, and it leaves less time to practise what actually matters in real conversations. That's why people freeze up when they finally talk to native speakers. They've not practised that part enough.

So here's how I'd prepare to move abroad if I had a set number of months to get good at the language. It applies to any language, and it's based on my 13 years of learning languages. (I'm James, a native English speaker, and I speak Spanish and Italian.)

Step 1: List the situations that matter to you

Only focus on the situations you'll actually be in. That might be:

• Asking for directions
• Asking at the post office whether your post has arrived
• Talking to a doctor about your own medical conditions
• Having deeper conversations with people so you can make real friends

Pick three to five, starting with whatever's most important based on what you'll be doing. If you'll be moving around cities a lot, practise directions first. If making meaningful friends matters, your next one might be asking people about their lives, what they like and dislike: more than just small talk.

Focusing on a few situations does two things. First, you're learning less, so it takes less time. Second, your confidence grows. If you've practised a hospital appointment over and over, the next time you're actually in one it feels normal. That makes you more confident, and more willing to keep going.

Step 2: Write 15 to 20 phrases for each situation

For each situation, make a list of 15 to 20 phrases: a mix of questions, statements and key words.

For directions, you'd want "Where's the bus stop?" and "Where's the train station?", plus words like near, far, second left and second right.

If you're not sure what to include, think about what you do now in your own country. When I'm out in Manchester, where I'm from, and I need directions, what would I normally say? Same in a restaurant or a pub. What you say now is a big clue to what you'll say abroad.

Step 3: Practise saying them, and practise understanding the replies

Now practise each phrase: how it should be said, and understanding what people are likely to say back.

That's hard if you're not living there yet. The usual options:

• A language teacher. Useful, but it costs money and you have to fit around their availability.
• A language meetup or exchange. Good practice, but the group might not want to practise the situations you need.

Either way, you do need to practise speaking and listening one way or another, or you won't be comfortable when you get there.

This is why I built Voco. It lets you have spoken conversations with an AI conversation partner, so you can practise exactly the situation you've chosen, as many times as you like. It adapts to your level, works out what you're good and bad at, and remembers you over time, so it feels more like a friend than a chatbot. It works for Spanish, French, Italian, German and Portuguese. Try Voco

Step 4: One situation at a time

Get comfortable with one situation before moving on to the next. If directions came first, stay with directions until you can hold that conversation, then move on.

This is the main idea of the whole approach: don't try to learn loads at once. Put your effort into what's relevant to you right now.

What you end up with

When you arrive, you'll be comfortable in the situations you prepared for. How many depends on how many you got through before the move.

Say you're at a doctor's appointment and they ask you a question. You know how to reply because you've practised it. You know what to expect back, and you've practised thinking quickly after someone speaks to you, so the words come.