Check out lyricstraining.com for a fun way to practice the sounds, words, and rhythm (grammar) of other languages. This site presents music videos with lyrics captioned beneath. But, wait! Some words are missing. Did you hear them? Can you remember what you heard?
Here’s how it works:
The song will start, with captions underneath. Soon you’ll come to a blank. What was that word? Click on the right choice and the song will continue. Hesitate and the song will pause until you choose the right word–even if you have to make 3 wrong choices before choosing the final word in the list!
You can play the same song several times. Each time, different words will be blanked out or missing, so you are truly training your ear and not just memorizing a sequence of correct answers. You can also replay the song with no pauses, or look at a print copy so you can take your time investigating each word and phrase. You can also sing along! (I only do that when I’m alone, for obvious reasons.)
If the song pauses because I’m taking too long to choose a word, it gives me the time to look at the actual structure of the sentence and see which of the words in the list fit the grammar or the meaning.
Most of the time, you are clicking on words you have heard, not translating or even understanding the whole sentence. So it’s truly an ear training exercise. Something I noticed, too, is that words that “disappear” are tiny words that connect things (in, of, to, and) or larger words that get “swallowed” by a singer fitting them into the rhythm of the music.
I tested it in Spanish (my target language) and my native language, English, just to see if the same types of words “disappeared.” Yes, they did! But native speakers automatically adjust their hearing so that they get the overall “sense” of a message, not every word. (Have you ever tried to sing along with a favorite song in your native language, and had to hum parts where you couldn’t remember the words? As native speakers, we are not processing every word as it happens.) This game makes us listen as native speakers, and then stops us so we can figure out what we just heard. Nice!
Here’s how to get started:
- Sign up for a free account at lyricstraining.com. [You can download the app or click on go to web.]
- Choose the language you want to learn (English). *
- A music video will pop up. [If you don’t like the first choice, scroll down for others. You can even select a Genre from the menu at the top.]
- Click Play now. You will be asked what level you want. I always start with Beginner because I’m kind to myself.
- Before you start the game, there’s one more choice. When you hit a blank in the captions–a word that’s left out–do you want to type it in (write mode), or do you want to select it from a list (choice mode)? I always choose choice mode, because, as I say, I’m kind to myself. This should be fun!
- Click Press here to start game. [Skip the ad.]
Have fun!
*You can also adjust the language of the whole site using the menu on the bottom of the page.