How to (re) learn a language in your 30s

[Orangeandgold]

I have lost the ability to speak my first language. I understand bits of it, but I don’t have friends or family that speak it, and I don’t travel much.

I do have a family etc, and my partner speaks it (but we don’t to eachother) and the kids don’t (but is learning it at school).

What tips do you have for a 30 year old that wants to relearn a language.

So far I have tried Netflix movies (but don’t watch that much tv). Dialingo (life is a little busy so I stopped but maybe I should go back) and music.

Songs are great for language learning. Especially silly songs and nursery rhymes.

What is the language, if I may ask? I am in sort of the same situation with previously learned/studied languages that have gone really rusty. I don't have the time to do much about it right now, but I would suggest starting with some passive input that will help refresh it in your mind - TV, podcasts, YouTube, audiobooks etc. Also reading (newspaper, books, even Instagram etc). I don't personally find music very useful (although it's fun). I think the best is to listen to a lot of native-speaker input such as YT channels. Then either find a conversation partner or practice producing the language on your own through writing, talking to yourself or recording yourself speaking. You can also have conversations with Chat GPT in a lot of languages.

I'm learning rather than relearning but my tips are:

choose one resource which is progressive, professionally-produced and well-organised and work through it slowly. This resource could be a good-quality coursebook, a face-to-face or online course or a teach-yourself app. Make it the focus of your learning and use Netflix, music, Duolingo etc. as add-ons.

Use your partners knowledge, speak to them in the language if they are willing.

The reddit languagelearning sub can be useful. Try searching for tips for heritage speakers.

Watching TV. Maybe learning it together with your kid if they are learning it at school? Trying to speak it with partner

You have already mentioned netflix but if available I always put subtitles on for Russian which is what I studied at uni. I also read BBC Russian most days. That has helped. Duolingo annoys me more than anything.

My DCs are pretty committed to french, yet neither I nor DH speak it. Their French teacher suggested they watch french children's cartoons and tv shows to sort of keep on top of it out of term time.

I'm a British English speaker learning German with Duolingo. The fact that it is based on American English is pretty irritating, and some of the German is not correct, bit it is free, which definitely works in its favour, and I can ask my (German speaking) DP if I think something isn't correct. Even doing one exercise a day is better than nothing and only takes a few minutes. I use the free version; unless you want to really knuckle down and spend a proper amount of time on it, you really don't need to pay.

I started learning Italian with Duolingo & the Coffee Break Italian podcast, & they gave me the basics, but what really made the difference was signing up for a class, with a teacher & other students.

(Edited to add that I’m in my 50s not my 30s, but I wish I’d done it at your age).

I second @AudiobookListener . I am learning German from scratch. Tried Duolingo but it was much more guesswork than real learning.
I have signed up to an online course with the OU. It covers very early language learning with a great variety of activities - lots of listening to native speakers with questions to answer, short written exercises, unit tests and consolidation.
There is an opportunity to join in a language forum with other learners too.
My course is open to me until Jan 2027 and I can fit it around a busy life.
It is costly but effective and good value for money.

Books? As per PP, read the news in your first language. Turn your phone settings to it?

Speak it to your children and learn with them seems the most obvious.

Look online to see if there are any conversation groups you could join.

If your kids are learning it at school then there should at least be plenty of options! I did classes at https://www.ihlondon.com/foreign-languages/ first online & then in person.

There are some much better professionally-produced German courses that are totally free and no ads. Have a look at the DW Learn German app/website or the VHS apps/website.

You tube tutorials x