terra linguas is designed to remove the most common reasons people don't learn a language. The guidelines that follow will help you get the most out of terra linguas and give you the best opportunity to feel confident with your new language.

You must first tell us what language you know best by clicking on the flag associated with your country. If your language is not included, we would love to add it, but we need a native speaker. Help us! After choosing your native language, all buttons and text is in your preferred language. Now choose what language you wish to learn by clicking on that country's flag. Now choose what type of lesson you want to study; conversation or vocabulary. Choose a conversation theme, or vocabulary category(s) and click Start Learning. Finally, click Play (black triangle).

While that is the simplest way to use terra linguas, there are many additional features. One of those features is the Speech Speed slider. Moving this slider to the left will slow the playback speed of the native speakers' recordings. There are three slower than normal speeds and three faster speeds. Once you have moved the slider, press the restart button (vertical bar with triangle), and press play to begin your lesson. You will now hear the lesson at the chosen speed. Additional options include Show Play List, to view each item in the chosen lesson; Play Words Randomly (selected by default), to play words in random order or not; and text, to show the written words or not.

Choosing a Conversation lesson will make additional choices available. Background Type allows you to select one of seven types of common noise backgrounds. This helps you get accustomed to listening to conversations in noisier and noisier backgrounds and, with the Speech Speed, gain more confidence that you can understand anyone speaking at any speed, in any environment. Background Volume is used to adjust the background noise volume independently of the lesson. The final option is whether to view the text of both languages (default) or only one of them, by clicking on the Dialog: button.

Conversation lessons are played in a dynamic manner. Once you start a conversation lesson, it will continue to play until you stop it. Although the lesson continues non-stop, it continually changes. At the end of each conversation, you will hear two cricket chirps. These indicate the end of that conversation and the beginning of the next. Rather than hearing the same material over and over, you will hear the same theme of conversation, but not necessarily the exact same one. This teaches you HOW to listen to your new language.

The best way to use terra linguas to learn a new language for most people is to play lesson material as much as possible. Start a lesson and let it play while you work, cook, exercise or even while you sleep! Anytime you are comfortable listening to TV or music as background noise, you could be learning a new language. If you are comfortable with listening to lesson material while you sleep, even better! Shortly after you wake, review the written lesson material to reinforce what you listened to the night before.

terra linguas does not have a linear path through the lessons. People learn differently and one person will learn some words and sentences easier than another. Each word and sentence you learn will give you confidence that you CAN learn a new language. A journey begins with one step.