The Importance of Reading in Language Learning

In language learning, there are four main areas people tend to focus on: Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking. 

Today we are going to take a look at reading skills. 

Reading is learning a language through written text. That could be books, news articles, lyrics, subtitles, and so much more. 

When picking what to read, it is important to pick a text that feels “comfortable” for you. There really should not be more than five to ten words that you don’t know.

Here are my reading suggestions: 

1. Have a solid vocabulary built up
   When reading, you probably won’t know ALL the vocabulary you come across, but it does get annoying to look up every single word that you are reading. 

2. Start with short passages
   That could be news articles, magazines, short stories, picture books, recipes, etc.

3. Find sources that you are interested in

   Even if you LOVE reading, reading things you are not interested in can
   get really boring. Read about things that you are actually interested in. 

4. Read out loud

   This helps improve pronunciation and makes speaking less intimidating. 

Reading helps with seeing the natural grammar structure of the language. It also helps build vocabulary.

Another suggestion would be not to hold yourself back and read outside of your “comfort zone”. That means picking challenging text, but not one that you have to look up every single word. Again, that gets tedious. 

Finding the “right balance” for reading is difficult, but what you achieve from it will make all the difference in improving your target language. 

If you want to practice reading in Spanish or English, you can book a lesson here. 

You could also join the newsletter that is written in English with a Fictional Spanish Tale at the bottom of the weekly email.