The rise of South Korea and the popularity of K-dramas and K-pop have no doubt piqued your interest to learn that unique language. But, as hard as you may think learning Korean is, it’s actually not that difficult. In fact, you can take a basic Korean course in Singapore, do some self-learning, and in six months to one year, you’ll probably be fluent in Korean.

According to Chris Lonsdale, a TED talk speaker who became fluent in Mandarin within six months, here are five principles that anyone who wants to learn any language quickly should follow:

Focus on Language Content Relevant to you
Unless you plan on going to Korea anytime soon, learning how to say “Lee Min Ho marry me!” Or “Dahyun be my girlfriend” will be more relevant and easier to remember for you compared to learning how to say “Where is the bathroom?” Or “How do I go to the store?” Lonsdale explains this by saying that we learn how to use language when we need them. Like tools, for example. So, if they are essential, they stick in our memory better because of how much we value them.

Use Your New Language to Communicate from Day 1
Stop worrying about what other people might think. Don’t worry if your grammar is wrong or if you aren’t even saying things properly. Think of yourself as a baby who’s just trying to learn. Notice how you wouldn’t care about a babbling baby? Well, even though you’re not exactly just babbling nonsense, just trying to string out whatever words you know is better than just replaying them on your head. The more you speak the language, even if you’re wrong, the faster you’ll learn.

When You First Understand the Message, You Will Unconsciously Acquire the Language
The more often you force yourself into often forgettable and embarrassing conversations, the more you will recognise the right words. This improves your comprehension of the language, which produces better, long-term language learning than simply memorising certain words, phrases and sentences.

Physical Training
Each language uses a different set of muscles. Notice how native Chinese speakers move their mouth compared to native English speakers? The same goes for native Korean speakers. Observe how they move their mouths when they talk and try practising the same thing. If your facial muscles get tired trying to imitate them, then you’re moving muscles you normally do not move. Or, to put simply, you’re doing it right!

Your Emotional State Matters
Babies learn the language fast because they’re almost always happy and willing to learn from their mistakes. The combination of being happy, relaxed, and curious, makes it very easy for them to absorb the language being spoken around them. While it’s a lot more embarrassing and easier to get flustered as an adult, don’t be afraid to make mistakes. This is especially true when taking any Korean courses in Singapore, because you probably won’t be the only one making mistakes anyway!

Keep these tips in mind before you head into your first korean lesson in singapore and you’ll surely be able to take away a lot more from it.