How Important Is Reading For Learning A Language?

You have probably been told that you should read more, and that’s in your native language; however, this is equally true for a language you are learning.

Reading is one of the best things you can do to improve your skills in a new language.  It has so many advantages which I will go through below.

If you are not already reading in your new language, this is something you need to start right away; the gains you make will be very worth your while.

Reading Is Input

When learning a language you can usually split everything into two groups, input and output. Input is anything you take in, and output is when you produce the language yourself.

If you are just starting out, then you know nothing and you need to get a lot of input, you need to absorb as much of the language as you can so that you can start to work out what is going on and see how everything works.

The two forms of input are reading and listening. You will need to do a lot of both of these to make progress in your new language.         

Reading is a form of input and this is how you learn a language.

(You can read more about the – The Input vs Output Language Learning Methods)

It Is Active Study

You may be thinking that you can just do listening as input, since it is slightly easier, which may be true, but reading has got the advantage, it is an active form of study.

You have to actually read, which means you need to pay attention. This makes it more engaging than listening, which is why it slightly harder, but the extra effort actually makes it more beneficial for you.

You will get more out of reading in your new language than listening. (Of course if you do both its even better)

(You can read more about – Frequently Asked Questions About – Reading In A Second Language)

Reading Shows You Grammar

One of the best parts about reading is that you are indirectly exposed to so much grammar. Every sentence will be using grammar and the more you read the more you will start to see the word order and general structure of the language.

A lot of this may be subconscious, but that does not matter, your brain will still be getting used to it and figuring everything thing out.

If you read enough you will start to get a feel for how things should be. When you pair this with actual grammar study you will very quickly get everything to click into place and you will make a lot of progress.

Reading Shows You Proper Spelling

Reading will also show you how words are spelt, this can be important as in some languages, such as French, the spelling and pronunciation may be totally different.

This can be a little confusing at first, and also shows why it is important to focus on all areas of language study, so you can be well rounded.

Once you know the proper pronunciation, reading a lot can help you master this. You are going to be seeing the word many times and will saying it over and over again.

If you really want to speed up your progress you can read out loud, which is going to of course help your reading skills, and your actual pronunctaion.  

Reading Teaches You More Vocabulary

If you want to learn more words, you need to read more. You will see this in your own language. The people who have larger vocabularies are the ones who read a lot.

As a language learner you are going to have a lot of gaps in your vocabulary and reading is going to quickly fill these holes. You are going to be exposed to a lot of new words all the time and the real beauty of reading is that everything will be in context.

Learning new words is so much easier when they are surrounded by other words that you already know. Words on their own can be difficult to remember, which is not going to happen when you reading, it really is the perfect way to get a larger vocabulary.

Reading Allows You To Take Your Time

Reading in new language also allows you to take your time and go and your own speed.

If you are listening to the language, it can fly right past you and you can very quickly get lost. Native speakers are so fast that by the time you understand what they have said they are already 3 sentences further along.

This doesn’t happen when you are reading. You can go at your own pace and re-read things, which is ideal as a learner.

As you improve you will get comfortable with a quicker pace and this is when listening can be more enjoyable.

You Can Improve Your Writing By Reading More

Reading and writing are of course closely linked. This actually means that the more you read, the easier you will find writing.

You will still have to work at it, but you will find reading does help you. You will be used to seeing the words and will be more likely to recognise them if they are written correctly. You will also be a lot more comfortable with sentence structure and word order as you will have read so many things that it will start to feel more natural to you. 

Reading is like writing practice, without actually practicing writing.

(You can read more about – How Can Reading In A Second Language Improve Your Overall Language Skills?)

Reading Can Help With Your Speaking

Reading can also indirectly help with your speaking. Reading is still the language, just written down. There really is not much difference between it being written or spoken.

The more you read, the more you are preparing your brain to speak. You are getting your brain used to the patterns of the language and you will be saying things in your internal voice, which will be getting you comfortable with the language in general.

This will all help you when you want to actually speak. Your mouth muscles will still need some practice forming the words, but at least your brain will be slightly more comfortable with things and can easily send your mouth the message.

Someone who reads a lot will master speaking a lot faster than someone who just tries to do a lot a speaking. The reading really helps with a lot of the mental process that can cause people to stumble over their words when they speak.   

Reading Is A Gateway To Culture

One of the most beautiful parts of reading in a new language is that you can enter a whole world of culture. Reading really gives you so many stories and will open a new world to you.

These will be different from what is available in your own language and why it can be so fantastic. You can really feel like an explorer when you start reading something you like in a new language.  You really can learn so much, all while practicing your new language. 

Are There Problems With Reading In A New Language?

While reading is an extremely positive activity and you should always be doing more of it, it is of course not perfect.

The biggest issue as a learner is going to be finding material at your level. Most reading material is going to be aimed at natives, so you will find this difficult.

You may have to read kids books, or stuff aimed at learners, which isn’t always the most interesting, but you just have to battle though it. The sooner you can develop your skills, the sooner you can start tackling the native material.   

The only other problem is that if you are not focusing on listening at the same time, you can develop problems with your pronunciation. It’s easy to see a new word and pronounce it wrong. However, you can easily get around this by looking up any new words and checking how they should be pronounced, and then you shouldn’t have any issues.

(You can read more about – What Are The Benefits Of Reading In A Second Language?)

Conclusion

As you can see there are a lot of good reasons to get reading in your new language. It really is going to be one the best ways that you can make quick progress.

Other forms of learning are still important and you should not neglect them, but if you can, read more. You will see the benefits for yourself and will be very happy you invested your time into this great language learning activity.  

(You can read more about – Can You Learn A Language Just By Reading?)