How to Learn a New Language While Living Abroad

Learning a new language can make everyday life easier when you move abroad and become an expat. It can also help you feel more connected to your new home. You don’t need to become fluent immediately, either. A combination of structured lessons, regular practice, and real-world conversation can help you build your skills and confidence over time.

The best approach depends on your goals, budget, schedule, and learning style. You might enroll in a language school, work with a private tutor, take online lessons, use language-learning apps, or combine several methods.

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Find the Right Way to Learn

There is no single best way to learn a new language. The most effective approach is usually one you can follow consistently.

Some of the most useful options include:

• Language schools: Best for structured learning, regular classes, and a curriculum covering grammar, vocabulary, reading, writing, and conversation.
• Private tutors: Useful if you want personalized lessons that focus on your goals and areas where you need the most help.
• Online tutors and courses: A flexible option for expats who travel frequently, work irregular hours, or prefer learning from home.
• Language apps: Helpful for building vocabulary and maintaining a daily practice routine.
• Conversation groups and language exchanges: A good way to practice speaking while meeting local residents and other international people.

Combining formal study with regular conversation and independent practice can give you both a strong foundation and experience using the language in everyday situations.

Consider a Language School

Language schools provide one of the most structured ways to learn. Courses typically cover grammar, vocabulary, reading, writing, listening, and conversation, and some schools provide certificates when you complete a course.

Several well-established organizations offer language courses internationally. Berlitz provides language training online and through language centers in a number of countries. For specific languages, you can also look for official cultural and language institutes such as the Goethe-Institut for German, Alliance Française for French, and Instituto Cervantes for Spanish.

These institutions can be particularly useful if you want structured learning or need to work toward a recognized language qualification.

Universities, community colleges, libraries, and adult education centers are also worth checking. Many offer affordable language courses for international residents, and some cities provide subsidized courses to help newcomers learn the local language.

However, language school courses may be more expensive than other options and usually follow a fixed schedule. If you prefer personalized lessons or need greater flexibility, a private or online tutor may be a better fit.

Find a Private Language Tutor

A private tutor can tailor lessons to your ability, goals, and learning style. You may be able to find qualified teachers as well as university students or native speakers who offer conversation practice at a lower price.

Ask colleagues, neighbors, your employer, universities, or other expats for recommendations. Local community groups can also be useful places to find tutors.

Online platforms such as Preply and italki can help you find tutors who teach remotely. You can usually search by language, availability, experience, and price, making these services useful if you want more flexibility than a traditional language school provides.

Before hiring a tutor, consider asking:

• What does a typical lesson involve?
• Do you teach grammar as well as conversation?
• Do you provide exercises or homework?
• What teaching experience or qualifications do you have?
• Can you provide references or student reviews?
• Can lessons be adapted to my goals and ability?
• What happens if I need to cancel or reschedule?

A trial lesson can also help you decide whether the tutor’s teaching style works for you.

Use Language-Learning Apps

Language-learning apps are useful for building a daily routine, particularly when combined with lessons and real conversations.

• Duolingo offers short, game-like lessons and can be useful for establishing a regular practice habit.
• Babbel provides more structured lessons with a focus on practical vocabulary and conversations.
• Busuu combines self-paced courses with opportunities to receive feedback from other language learners.

Apps are particularly useful for practicing vocabulary, grammar, listening, and pronunciation when you have a few spare minutes. However, they should not be your only source of practice if your goal is to become comfortable speaking with people in everyday situations.

Discover more great apps for living and traveling abroad.

Take Online Language Lessons

Online lessons can be particularly convenient when living abroad. You can study from home, fit lessons around work or travel, and choose tutors regardless of where they are based.

Many traditional language schools now offer online classes alongside classroom instruction. Private tutoring platforms also make it possible to schedule one-to-one lessons with teachers based in your destination country before you even arrive.

The drawback is that online learning does not automatically give you real-world practice. Try to combine online lessons with opportunities to speak the language outside your home.

Practice a Little Every Day

Consistency matters more than occasional intensive study. Try to incorporate the language into activities you already do each day.

Read signs and menus, listen to announcements on public transportation, watch local television, follow local news, or read simple books and articles. Change the language settings on your phone, listen to local radio or podcasts, and follow social media accounts in the language you are learning.

As your skills improve, gradually move on to more challenging material. Even short periods of daily practice can reinforce what you learn in lessons and make the language feel more familiar.

Immerse Yourself in the Language

Living abroad gives you something language apps cannot fully reproduce: regular exposure to native speakers.

Use the language in everyday situations, whether you are ordering food, shopping for groceries at a local market, asking for directions, or speaking with neighbors. Explore different neighborhoods, attend local events, and look for activities where you can interact with people who speak the language.

Local sports clubs, volunteering organizations, hobby groups, religious or community organizations, and cultural centers can all provide opportunities to meet people outside the expat community.

Mistakes are part of learning. Real conversations help you understand pronunciation, expressions, and cultural nuances that can be difficult to learn from a textbook alone.

Join Language Exchanges and Local Groups

Language exchanges pair people who want to practice each other’s languages. They can provide inexpensive conversation practice while helping you meet people in your new country.

Apps such as Tandem and HelloTalk connect language learners with native speakers for conversation practice. Both offer ways to communicate through text, voice, and other formats.

You can also look for in-person language exchanges through Meetup, universities, libraries, cultural institutes, community centers, Facebook groups, and local expat organizations.

Expat communities can be useful when you first arrive. Other international residents may be able to recommend tutors, classes, apps, and local resources that helped them learn.

At the same time, try not to rely exclusively on people who speak your native language. Regular interaction with local residents gives you more opportunities to put your new skills into practice.

Use Local Media to Improve Your Skills

Local media is another useful, and often free, way to immerse yourself in a language.

Watch local television with subtitles, listen to radio stations and podcasts, read local newspapers, or follow local creators online. Streaming services may also allow you to change the audio and subtitle language for films and television programs you already know.

Beginners can start with children’s books, graded readers, short news stories, or podcasts designed specifically for language learners before progressing to native-level content.

Listening regularly can help you become familiar with accents, everyday expressions, and the speed at which native speakers actually communicate.

Ask for Help When You Need It

You do not have to understand everything immediately. Friends, colleagues, neighbors, tutors, and other expats can help when language barriers make everyday tasks difficult.

This can be particularly important when dealing with official processes such as visas, taxes, housing, banking, insurance, or healthcare, where misunderstanding information can have greater consequences.

When accuracy matters, ask someone you trust to help you understand documents or conversations rather than relying solely on your developing language skills or automated translation.

Translation tools such as Google Translate and DeepL can be useful for everyday words, messages, and documents, but important legal, medical, or financial information may require help from a qualified translator or interpreter.

Make Language Learning Part of Life Abroad

Learning a new language takes time, and progress is rarely perfectly steady. The goal does not have to be immediate fluency. Being able to handle everyday conversations, understand your surroundings, and communicate when you need help can significantly improve your experience abroad.

Choose a learning method that suits your lifestyle, practice consistently, and use the language in real situations whenever possible. A language school or tutor can provide structure, an app can help you practice every day, and language exchanges and local activities can turn what you learn into real conversations.

Over time, those small, regular interactions can make it easier to navigate daily life, build relationships, and feel more at home in your new country.

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