7 Reasons to Learn a New Language as a Couple (+ the Best Way to Learn!)

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Living in Vermont, just an hour and a half from Montreal, Nathan and I decided that we should set out to learn French together. The French-speaking region of Quebec is so close by and it’s a destination we love to visit for a quick weekend escape. So while English is widely spoken in Quebec, mastering our French language skills would make our next trip to the region so much better and richer.

We Two Drifters do almost everything together: our travels, our business, our hobbies, and so much more. So when we had the recent opportunity to improve our language skills with Babbel, we were totally on board! Learning a language together is a great activity for couples, and since we were already excited to work on our French, the opportunity was perfect for a travel couple like us. Pssst. You can get a 25% discount when you use our link to sign up!

If you’re thinking of learning a new language, you definitely should. And if you can do it together, even better! After using Babbel to learn French for our next trip to Quebec, here are the 7 reasons why Nathan and I believe that learning a language as a couple is a powerful tool.

1. Learning something new together is an amazing bonding experience.

Conquering a new challenge together will bring you and your partner closer. And learning new things together is one of the key habits of happy couples. If you’re looking for a fun way to strengthen your bond, language learning is a perfect choice, especially for frequent travelers. We’ve been able to use the Babbel app both on our own and together. It’s fun to practice side by side when we’re hanging out on the couch with our phones (Babbel works across all your devices!)

Watching your partner build a new skill or hone an ability makes you feel incredibly proud of them. When you’re working on the same skill yourself, it becomes doubly thrilling. It was inspiring to hear Nathan using his French at a cafe on our last Montreal trip!

2. Learning a new skill with another person can be extra motivating.

Admittedly, sometimes doing something on your own is more difficult because it’s tougher to stay motivated. But whether building a new habit or acquiring a new skill, doing it with another person can be super motivating. You can encourage each other along the path of your progress, or even turn your language learning into a sort of competition or challenge. Nathan and I aren’t the most competitive couple, but we did try to see who could go through more Babbel lessons more quickly. Spoiler alert: Amy wins.

3. You have the perfect practice partner.

By the same token, when you learn a language as a couple, you have the benefit of an ideal practice partner! Using your language skills in real live conversations will enhance your skills and cement the knowledge in place. Babbel gives you the opportunity to check your pronunciation while using the app, and you can reinforce those skills when chatting with your partner. This made us much more comfortable when we were eventually using the language with locals in Quebec!

4. Your new language skills will enhance your travels tenfold.

For us, one of the most important and exciting reasons to learn a new language is because of our love of travel. Speaking the local language transforms your journey completely. Not only is it much easier to travel in a destination when you understand the local tongue, but it also enhances the experience tremendously.

For us, this created a far better experience for our frequent trips to Montreal and Quebec. We especially love trying new foods in restaurants and ordering in French. Poutine is far better when you can order it like a local! And even something like asking for directions becomes much more authentic and vibrant, with its own local color and flavor.

5. You’ll both gain greater confidence.

Building your language abilities is an incredible confidence-booster. Language is a fine way to sharpen your mind and show you how capable you are of learning new things!

Sometimes people may have had poor language learning experiences in the past, which can be a confidence killer. But you’ll see how Babbel is the antidote; an expertly-made app that is designed to build your language confidence. Their approach makes language learning a totally different experience that is far more logical and practical. This isn’t your high school French class. We found that the short lessons and repetition of what you’re learning really make it stick.

6. You can chat together in multiple languages!

Voila! You are now a bilingual couple! Well….almost. Keep practicing!

Now you can flirt, chat, and even fight in another language!

7. You’ll have a whole lot of fun!

And finally, learning and speaking a new language, whether it be French, Spanish, Portuguese, or Russian, is simply an enjoyable experience. The learning process is always fun—especially when you’re doing it as a couple! We would practice during road trips or even quick grocery store trips. Because each Babbel lesson is short and sweet, we could be sharpening our skills regularly and quickly.

We also tried out some real-life practice on a couple of date nights at restaurants in our area. Speaking as much French to each other as we could was a tough challenge, but it certainly made for a fun and unique night out, complete with lots of laughs.

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Ready to learn a new language? We’re confident that Babbel is the best way to learn.  If you’ve ever tried to learn a language before and had trouble doing so, this is going to be different.

First of all, you can use Babbel on your computer, phone, or tablet, going through the lessons at your convenience and at your own speed. They definitely won’t take up all your time either. Babbel has quick “bite-size” lessons that you can go through in 10-15 minutes. It’s an ideal snatch of time to fit into your day, even if you’re busy.

The lessons vary, with techniques like matching a word or phrase to the relevant picture, matching a word to its appropriate translation, or writing out the word entirely (no multiple choice!) It’s simple and effective, and lets you see and use the words over and over again in ways that guarantee retention.

But what might be the best part of Babbel is that you can focus on what interests you. You don’t have to learn vocabulary about topics that are of no significance to you. And this means you’re going to be far more excited about what you are learning, since you can truly apply it to your life and your travels. For us, we’re excited to dive into Babbel’s 14 lessons on vocabulary for Relationships!

For us, working with Babbel, has been très bien, and we know we’re going to keep learning more.

 

If you’re ready to give Babbel a try, you can save 25% on us! Just use our link to sign up now!