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Did you know that 1.2 billion people around the world are learning a new language right now? The world may be getting smaller by the day, but that doesn’t make the process go any faster (much to the dismay of all aspiring polyglots out there.) 

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Whether you’re trying to pick up a new language for work, moving abroad, or just for the fun of it, using song lyrics has the power to turbocharge your learning process. Read on to learn why that is and our top tips for learning languages using song lyrics.

The benefits of using song lyrics in language learning

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Learning a new language is the ultimate workout for your brain: a groundbreaking study even showed links between bilingualism and preventing - or at least delaying - the onset of Alzheimer's.

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Song lyrics can help with all that mental exercise and improve your memory while you’re at it. They’re a great mnemonic device for learning languages, opening up a world of possibilities when it comes to interacting with new cultures and traveling (not to mention professional opportunities.)

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Here are some of the main benefits of using song lyrics to learn new languages:

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1. Enrich your vocabulary and grammar: music helps us learn new vocabulary, grammatical structures, and common expressions we might not come across in formal lessons. Song lyrics can also make complicated rules and structures easier to understand and remember: after all, it’s often easier to grasp abstract language rules when you see them in practice.

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2. Improve your listening skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing a language (also known as the four abilities of learning) are all distinct brain skills that require specific exercises to improve. Songs can help you practice your listening skills, and just like a full body workout, reading the lyrics, writing them out, and talking about them can exercise all the other areas, too. 

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3. Expand your horizons: music is an immersive cultural experience. Learning languages is not all about verbs and syntax, it’s also about understanding the different styles, cultures, and origins of the music itself. These nuances make a big difference when it comes to better appreciating cultures and remembering commonly used expressions.

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4. Motivate yourself: learning languages is fun, but it’s also really challenging — and even isolating sometimes. When you move to a new country and you’re struggling to express yourself and understand others, it can feel like a really lonely process. Using music to learn languages can make this complex process fun again, motivate you to practice more often, and give you something to talk about with your new acquaintances.

Using song lyrics to learn languages

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If you like the idea of learning languages through music and song lyrics but you’re not sure where to start, here are a couple of tips to help you hit the ground running.
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1. Pick a song you enjoy 
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Start by choosing a great song in your target language - the catchier the better. Using any kind of music is already helpful, but it goes without saying that you’ll enjoy it a lot more if it’s a song you already love. That way you (ideally) won’t get sick of it after listening to it over and over to practice. 

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2. Pull up the lyrics and break them down 

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Looking at a song in its entirety can be a little bit intimidating. Start by finding your lyrics and breaking them down into smaller chunks, like verses, lines, or even words. Look up vocabulary words you’re not familiar with and note down their meaning. 

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Finally, you can write a short summary of the theme of the song to practice your reading comprehension.

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3. Memorize the lyrics

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Music is an immersive experience that activates our memory using the combination of sound and storytelling, which in turn, makes it easier for us to memorize lyrics and new words. 

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Translate the entire song into your own language and have both versions side by side to help you process your understanding of the lyrics. Read through your target language version and translation, then repeat, repeat, repeat. Repetition helps with memorization and so does reading out loud.

4. Sing along

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Now that you’re confident about the song’s meaning and you’ve familiarized yourself with new vocabulary, sing the song! See how much you remember without peeking at the lyrics. 

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Whether it’s a power ballad in the shower or you’re rocking out in the car, it’s the perfect opportunity (and a low-pressure situation) to practice your pronunciation without an audience.

Practice language learning on the go with Musixmatch

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Musixmatch is the world’s largest catalog of song lyrics and translations, with over 20 million people globally contributing to building the largest lyrics catalog ever. Find time-synced lyrics for YouTube, Spotify, Pandora, and more. Find translations of your favorite songs while you’re on the go and practice your target language from wherever, whenever.

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