Whether for study or work or travel, learning a place’s native language would make travelling much more stress-free and fun. Learning a new language has been shown to boost both creativity and mental capacity. However, learning a language through a traditional class takes time and money. Tough languages, like Arabic, can require more of your valuable resources.

Luckily, there are ways to learn a language, even Arabic, in less time.

Don’t worry if you struggled in your school language courses. This does not predict or show someone’s ability to learn a language. These courses just test if someone is good at school or not. Similarly, there is no magic age that once you pass it you cannot learn a new language. Learning a language is something anyone can do, no matter their age or success in school.

Courses, books, CDs, and all of the traditional ways to learn a language do not work for everyone or even most people. To actually learn a language requires a whole different mindset and approach. Benny Lewis, a language hacking expert, explains the trick to learning a language is simply to speak it. Just speak it.

Languages like Arabic are complicated. There are many different forms, constructs and dialects, and it can feel like you must know every nuance of the language to have a conversation. When there are over 100 ways to say ‘camel,’ it is east to be overwhelmed! Getting past these excuses and having the courage to speak the language is not easy. The best advice is to go for it. The locals will not make fun of you. In fact, they will appreciate your efforts and help you learn!

One trick to start is to focus on words that are similar in different languages. For example, in Arabic, the word for ‘sofa’ is ‘suffa.’ You may not think so, but it is almost impossible to find a language where you no zero words. Words like ‘Internet’ and ‘Coca-Cola’ are recognised globally and are pretty much the same everywhere.

The Internet is an awesome place to learn the basics of a language. Knowing how to say, “Where is the bathroom?” or “Can I have water?” is valuable in any language and the Internet provides an easy, quick place to learn these things. If you want to learn Arabic online, the amount of time put in is totally up to you. You can have the basics of Arabic down and be able to confidently hold a simple conversation with someone after a few weeks of study.

Another trick is to associate words with different ideas or places that make them easier to remember. Words don’t have to be a problem. Create a short song full of important words to remember and you will have them in no time.

The most important trick, though, is less intuitive and it takes courage and confidence. Making mistakes is the best way to learn a language. Benny Lewis actually aims to make 100 mistakes per day when learning a new language. Through this tactic, he learns the grammar of the language in an interesting and interactive way.

Start now and make yourself liable to learn the language. Tell your friends and family you are learning Arabic and they will expect you to follow through. Sign up for an online course and do it. People want to help you and will appreciate you trying to learn their language.

The feeling of accomplishment from speaking to someone in a new language is indescribable. Languages open up people and cultures to you that otherwise you never would have found. Learning a new language will be one of the most rewarding things you ever do.