Learning a new language can be very daunting and many students have huge expectations in the beginning. It is always recommended to approach language learning at one's own pace. There are plenty of language learning resources apart from books and CD's or tapes. The Internet, for example provides an array of up-to-date articles and everyday language.

It is not important that you understand every word right from the beginning - in fact this will take time because not many people have a sharp memory and unless you are under the age of 10 you will need a little more patience to memorise vocabulary and grammar.

However, if you are serious about learning a language you will soon be able to express yourself and even with the simplest of vocabulary you will be able to make yourself understood.

Many people believe that the traditional method of learning vocabulary is to memorise individual words - have you ever thought why this doesn't work in the long term ?

Our human brain needs to connect and link the world around us in some way, i.e. when you are trying to memorise anything, there should be a link and a single expression does not convey anything meaningful to our brain. The secret is to make a meaningful connection, i.e. you need to learn the vocabulary in its context which may be a phrase or even a definition.

If you have a photograhic memory, a little illustration or picture will also enhance the word or expression so you can memorise it easier.

It can also be very useful to learn new vocabulary in the concept of a whole topical area which relates to a whole range of words.

Recent studies have shown that the process of learning a language can actually help preventing Alzheimers as the brain in challenged in a particular way.

And remember: it is never too late to start learning a language and many of my students are pleasantly surprised when they discover how much they can understand and speak after only a few sessions.