Reading Resources For Language Learning

When it comes to finding resources to help with your reading there is quite a lot. 

However, I would argue that it can be hard to find good quality reading material for beginners; the majority of what is available is going to be for more advanced learners as it’s usually aimed at native speakers.

However, I still think there is plenty of stuff out there to help you get to that level; you just might need to dig a little deeper in some languages.

I will go through the main resources I like to use that help me with my reading when I am learning a language and hopefully they will be of some use to you.   

Language Exchanges

Language exchanges are great for practicing your reading, as well as many other aspects of language learning. You can really do it all with a language exchange.

This is simply when you interact with native speakers online, so depending on what language exchange app you are using you can almost treat it like a social media. Natives and other learners can post updates which you can of course read. You then also message people and while this is excellent for you writing, you are going to have to read the replies.

The beauty with language exchanges is that you are talking to real people and will be reading messages about real life. You can talk about the things that interest you and get to read your new friends response to this.

The only problem is that the quality of the responses are not guaranteed. You might not get a reply, or it may be short or full of slang and errors.

Most of what you will read will be small chunks, probably just a couple of lines of text, you are not going to be able to sit at length and just read and read. However, you will be practicing your other skills to, so you have to see a language exchange as an all round practice, not just reading.    

(You can read more about – Language Exchange Partners)

Books

It’s probably no surprise that books are going to be a resource for reading, but I will go through the different types you may want to look at.

Of course textbooks may be your initial introduction into the language, but as soon as you have some basics down you should start trying to read actual books, like novels and stories.

A textbook will usually explain the language with examples, where as a novel is just going to be the language in its purest form and this is really want you need to practice. 

Kindle

Getting hold of books in your new language can be both difficult and expensive, kindle eliminates this problem.

You just need to subscribe to the service then you can basically download any book you want. You should be able to find plenty of books in your target language and can usually get a free trial to try it out.

Of course the downside is that it’s all digital, but this is the world we live in now. It can still have its advantages so I wouldn’t let this put you off.   

You will also find that there are some audio books on here too, so you can read and listen at the same time which can be extremely beneficial, especially for beginners.   

Graded Readers

Graded readers are probably going to be the best option for beginners. These are books made for language learners and are graded based on your skill level.

If you are a total beginner there will be a book aimed at you. This will allow you to get some reading practice where you will actually be able to get to grips with what you are reading.

If you just jump into material designed for natives it can be extremely difficult, which means you are then forced to read kids books, which are like 90% pictures and extremely short. Graded readers solve this problem and they can be very worthwhile. (They are also often available on Kindle)

Dual Text Books

I am not really a fan of these books, but I guess they have their place. These books are written in both languages so you have the left page written in the target language and then right page written in your native language.

These are good as you can check what is going on by looking at your native language, but my issue is that they can often encourage you to just try and translate things exactly.  Sometimes languages do not translate directly; it’s more of the concept that you have to apply to both languages to make sense of it.

You may also rely to heavily on your native language with these types of books. It’s right there, so it can be easy to just look at it, rather than think for yourself and actually use the new language.

New Books

Now that we live in the age of the internet you should be able to buy any book you want. When I was a young man you would go to the local book shop and you would only be able to buy what was there. When it came to foreign language books, there would not be many.

Now you don’t have this problem, you can get anything delivered to you. You can also ask your language exchange partners for recommendations and then buy the book online.

Second Hand Books   

Second hand books of course work in the same way, but they are cheaper. You can again easily source these online and have them sent to you.

Ebay is going to be full of options and this can be a really great way to build up your collection of books in your new language while keeping the cost down . 

Local Library

You are probably not going to have much luck at the local library, but it is worth checking. Sadly my local library only had two French books …two dictionaries.

So it didn’t work out for me, but you never know what your local library may have to offer.

Reading Resources On The Internet

The internet is a very broad resource, but let’s be honest, you can find anything and everything you will ever need online.

Language Courses/Apps

There are plenty of language courses and apps you can find online, both paid and for free. These usually focus on all areas of language learning, but of course they will cover reading too.

Most of these will really be focusing on teaching you the framework of the language more than just allowing you to freely read so maybe they are not really reading resources, even if you will be made to do some reading exercises within these.

I would like to mention Linq though, which is an app that does lean more towards reading.  Their whole goal is to try and get you to read more, as they understand the important of this. They offer a number of ways you can read and learn, but the general idea is to read a lot and acquire the language through this.    

Any Website For Natives Can Be Used For Reading

This is extremely vague, but really there will be a website for anything and everything you want in your target language that is aimed at natives. Just think about what websites you like to visit in your own language, there will be a version of that in your target language.

This is going to be things like news, sports, wikipedia and just generally any sort of hobby or interest. The next time you go to search for something, do it in your target language. This is a very easy way to find things to read.

Social Media

There is always something to read on social media, even if it is mindless nonsense or an argument.

It’s not my favourite resource as usually its short paragraphs at best and as it is also usually full of slang or just general mistakes. Just look at how badly written most posts or comments are in English, would you really want someone to read these and learn English this way? Probably not  

Social media is probably not the best place to start with if you are a beginner, but as you advance you can spend more time there seeing how the natives actually interact with each other.

(You can read more about – Can You Learn A Language From Social Media?)

Reading On YouTube

I would probably say YouTube is going to be a better resource for your listening, but you can do some reading here too.

You can of course read the comments, which are always an interesting way to see how natives communicate.

However, I would say you will get more value from the subtitles on the videos. Most videos will have subtitles and while they are usually auto generated they are fairly accurate. When you pair thiswith the audio it can be a pretty good resource, especially as a beginner.

Hearing the language and seeing the words on the screen actually benefits your readings skills and your listening ability.

You are able to listen better as you have the words there to back up what you are hearing, but it will also work in the other direction. Seeing the words and hearing them at the same time helps you get better at reading. You are going to be able to associate the right pronunciation with the words.

Overall reading and listening at the same time is really effective and something you should be doing, especially as a beginner. It will really help you out.   

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

Conclusion

As you can see there are plenty of resources out there for you to find things to read. Now all you need to do is get reading, it really will help you make improvements.

Also, don’t forget that you need to be reading things that you can comprehend. So long as you do this your practice will be beneficial and you will make progress.

(You can read more about – How To Practice Your Reading Skills In A New Language)