How to learn Bengali in 5 simple & easy steps?

Bengali is one of the most commonly spoken languages in the world. It is one of the sweetest languages to hear and is ranked 7th worldwide in versatility and use.

The Bengali language is known for its smooth charm and is very quick and easy to learn. Bengali is not dependent on gender, unlike other languages of the world, and hence there is less confusion in learning the language.

I am a native Bengali speaker, and I have been teaching the language for over two decades to other natives and foreigners who want to learn Bengali. In this article, I am going to talk about how to learn Bengali in five simple steps.

But first, let us understand why you should learn Bengali.

Why should you learn Bengali?

There can be a lot of professional and personal reasons behind learning a new language. Why do you want to learn Bengali? Please comment and let me know your motivation to learn Bengali.

Bengali literature is renowned worldwide and is one of the most famous as Bengali literary works have been translated into various other languages.

Prominent Bengali writer Rabindranath Tagore is considered the contemporary of William Shakespeare, and his work has subsequently been translated into other international languages.

Bengali writers and poets like Kaji Najrul Islam, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, and Bibhuti Bhushan Bandopadhyay have taken the Bengali language to new heights. Learning the language can be a feast for people interested in poetry and literature alike.

Bengali is the national language of the South Asian country, Bangladesh. A large section of the Indian population also speaks Bengali and its dialects. You will find Bengalis on every continent and probably in every country of this world.

Being the native language of more than 200 million people, you can easily predict that many companies and services carry their business in Bengali.

Today’s world is multicultural, and to understand someone, you need to understand and learn the environment he or she lives in. Thus, the Bengali language provides a gateway to reach out to the millions of people speaking the beautiful language.

If someone learns the Bengali language, she can learn about the Bengali culture as well.

You are reading this article probably because you are also interested to know how to learn Bengali. I am writing this prose to tell you exactly how you can do it in five simple steps.

But before that, let me answer a question that I keep getting from new learners now and then. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask in the comment section below.

How long do you think it needs to learn Bengali?

Learning anything depends on the learner, the time and effort she puts in, the environment she is surrounded with, and the system she follows while learning.

When I teach Bengali, I follow a system. However, depending on the learner and his specific requirements, the system is customized. It then focuses and caters to the individual much better.

It may take a long time, indeed, to master the Bengali language. With a proper system and methodical practice, you can easily and quickly obtain conversational fluency in Bengali.

If you are ready to put in the effort to understand the various aspects of Bengali and practice what you learn, you can quickly learn Bengali.

Here are five simple steps that tell how to learn Bengali quickly and speak fluently. Feel free to comment and ask if you have any questions.

Practice Deliberately

The most crucial factor that separates the high-achievers from the rest is the way they practice. In the same way, you can learn Bengali if you practice the language deliberately and often.

Most polyglots use simple techniques to learn any new language, and they push themselves to read and listen to things slightly above their level.

They practice speaking even though it makes them feel awkward and spend a lot of time correcting their mistakes and getting better through practice.

When you face the trickier parts of language learning head-on, like speaking or reading texts with words you do not recognize, it’s a struggle at first. So you feel like you are not making much progress. But that extra effort you put in will help you to use the language much better in real life.

When you practice speaking in Bengali and manage to garner the courage to record yourself and correct your mistakes, it makes learning the language much more manageable and straightforward.

Speaking Bengali from day one

Speaking a new language from day one ensures that your interest in learning accomplishes new heights. If you are a beginner, you may wait for several months to learn the language and the right words until finally put it to practice in real-life situations.

It is understandable as you need to obtain the confidence to try to speak Bengali. But if your goal is to learn Bengali at the conversational level, you must practice speaking from day one.

There are many ways to learn to talk in Bengali, and you may take help by practicing the language, interacting with native speakers, and going to group classes. However, in doing so, you need to travel, which consumes a lot of time and effort. In this pandemic situation, it is not even allowed.

The most straightforward way most Bengali learners incorporate this is by talking in Bengali to themselves, which boosts their overall self-confidence and helps improve their pronunciation.

Learning efficiently

The key to learning Bengali is to jot down the right words to be used in various situations. Efficient use of the right words in a language can help master that language at the conversational level quite quickly.

Many people think that their frequent failure to learn a new language is because of their bad memory. It is not valid! It has got a lot to do with the efficiency with which they learn Bengali.

However, the real problem lies in not utilizing the correct technique in learning the language. Adults are found to learn new languages more quickly than toddlers by using the proper techniques.

You can start by learning the words used quite frequently. It gives you the edge over the language and makes the language relevant to real-life situations. By focusing on appropriate terms, you can find them easier to use in actual situations.

I often use flashcards with my students, which makes remembering much more straightforward. Always take a notebook to jot down the difficult words and go through them often.

A daily habit

Habits are crucial to behavior changes in people because there is no need for additional motivation or willpower once you build them. People complain about learning a new language because it is too difficult. However, I have seen in students that it is the sheer lack of practice and determination to learn Bengali.

You may learn languages way faster by making learning languages a habit. A habit consists of a reward, a routine, and a cue in reverse order.

For example, you can set daily reminders for a few minutes to learn and practice Bengali. The pattern is reflected in the actual behavior changes that you develop following the cue.

Lastly, you can reward yourself as positive reinforcement increases the chance of success and eliminates boredom.

Thanks to technology, you can spend your daily commute practicing vocabulary. It is better to stop making excuses and develop such habits that help language learning in the long run.

Enjoy learning

It might take you months to reach the conversational fluency level of a particular language. Whether it takes a few weeks or months to learn Bengali, what keeps the journey going is consistent motivation.

Most people give up on learning a new language because they read boring old books and rely only on sheer willpower. You need to have systems that make the process enjoyable and rewarding.

However, in learning a new language, you cannot rely on willpower alone and enjoy learning procedures. Instead of obsessing over grammar and words, focus on things and topics that interest you and keep you motivated in the journey.

Summary

To conclude, you have taken a good step towards learning Bengali already, and I am pleased about it. You must be having a good reason and motivation to learn Bengali. It is essential.

The time it takes to learn a new language, like Bengali, depends on many factors, but at the end of the day, it is the system you follow and the amount of practice you do that matters.

In this article, I have talked about five simple steps that you can follow while you learn Bengali, and I am sure you will do very well if you adhere to these.

You can also benefit from online courses and live one-to-one coaching, and those will definitely have a significant impact on your journey of learning Bengali. If you are one of my students, you already know how effective these methods are.

Again, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask in the comments. I read each of your comments and respond to them personally.

I wish you all the best in your endeavor. I appreciate that you want to learn Bengali and would love to be a part of your journey.

Cheers!