Comprehension precedes production

Have you ever been part of a conversation in your new language where you feel you mostly understand what is being said but it’s impossible to get a word out and participate in the conversation? You’re not alone! For most language learners, it will take some time to acquire enough language passively (i.e. to be able to understand it) before it is internalized sufficiently for you to use it actively. This is known as the principle of “comprehension precedes production”; in other words, you understand much more than you can produce at first.

A first step is to increase your comprehension. There are a number of things you can do to understand more about what is being said in a conversation. First of all, don’t worry if you don’t understand every word, as long as you get the gist of the conversation. Focus on identifying the main topic. What is the conversation about? Is it about the weather? Politics? Shopping? You may be able to fill in a lot of detail with what you already know about that topic, so try to focus first on a global understanding of the conversation.

Practicing listening comprehension can also be a good way to help in gaining a better understanding of conversations. For example, you can use all kinds of materials that are available online in the target language to help you get comfortable with listening to a natural rate of speech. You can watch videos, news broadcasts, weather forecasts, commercials, music videos, etc. Again, don’t try to understand every word, but practice getting the main idea and identifying the vocabulary that you already know. Something that I have done recently is set the GPS in my car to French so that I have to listen to directions in French. It has been very helpful in reinforcing many of the words that I had learned! Another way to increase your understanding is to read in the target language and increase your vocabulary. It doesn’t matter what you read as long as it keeps your interest.

By first working on expanding your vocabulary, getting used to a more natural rate of speech, and focusing on gaining a global understanding, you can gradually increase your level of confidence and before you know it, you will want to participate in the conversation!