Be honest with me, how many times have you stopped learning a language and come back to it a few months or even years later?
Believe it or not, this happens quite often to many people. It has even happened to me. But why does it happen?
Why Do We Stop Learning?
There are several reasons, but one that everyone has in common is, “I got bored and I see no progress.” This happens because we don’t find it appealing; therefore, the learning process becomes repetitive and tedious. Language apps like Duolingo have changed a lot during the last couple of years to make the learning process more fun, but it is still not enough.
I have watched some videos from people who have spent more than one thousand days on Duolingo, and they share that they did learn some things, but it doesn’t help them to have a more complex conversation.
They also mention that the process becomes repetitive with the same activity format, the vocabulary becomes a bit harder, and still, after thousands of days, they drop it because they feel stuck.
The frustration of not feeling any progress is dangerous because that feeds our minds with negative thoughts and makes us believe that we are not good at learning languages.
Add Your Target Language to Your Hobbies
What we can do to reduce this effect is to add more activities that will help us integrate our target language into our daily life, something I love calling “Natural Immersion.” Let me give you an example: you use your phone every day, you check your social media several times a day, and you read or watch content that you like every day.
So, why not do the same but in your target language? If you are learning Spanish and you like cooking videos, then look for “videos de cocina” and start watching Spanish content. This may seem difficult at first, and you may even feel that it was a bad idea because it turns something you like into a hassle.
This is just an example, and you can do it gradually. Start by watching short videos like TikToks or Reels in your target language and, little by little, add longer videos, podcasts, series, and movies. Don’t do it all at once because it may frustrate you, and we don’t want that, right?
Change Your Device Language
Another natural immersion activity is to change the language of all your devices to your target language: change your phone’s language, your laptop, your TV, and even the books you read. Again, at first, this may seem difficult—and it is—but there’s no other way if you really want to see progress.
These two changes are going to help you understand the language you are learning and will also make you feel more confident and comfortable with it. Remember, it is about progress, not perfection.
Real changes come with consistency. If you keep interacting with the language you are learning after every class and after every practice, you will see the progress you were looking for.
My Personal Struggle with French
These two activities have helped me with French. I was feeling so bored and frustrated because I was learning and learning and attending classes, but I realized I didn’t practice anything after class.
I was just present during class and was only practicing French there, and that was not helpful at all. It is important to understand that just attending classes is not the only way to learn a language, and up to a point, it’s not the most efficient way to learn.
You also have to practice outside of class. This is something that I have mentioned in a previous post where I talked about “Why You’re Still Not Fluent: The Real Reason Your Language Classes Aren’t Working.”
The Power of Taking a Break
Let me ask you another question: have you ever felt that no matter what you do, you still don’t feel or see the progress? This is also very common. Don’t worry, it is natural to feel stuck, and even if we do several things, we still feel that we aren’t moving forward.
The most important thing here is to realize that we need a change; then it is time to decide. To be honest, there are times when we need a break. If you are doing lots of things and feel that none of them work, then it is time to take a break.
Don’t worry, you can come back after a couple of weeks or a month. Don’t push yourself to keep going if you don’t feel like it, because the frustration levels will increase and you will end up hating the process and dropping the language.
Sometimes when I am practicing a riff on my guitar, I feel that I practice a lot but am still not learning it or it doesn’t sound clean. I stop and come back after a couple of hours, and then, I am amazed that it sounds so clear and with fewer mistakes or no mistakes whatsoever. See what I’m talking about? If you need a break, take it.
A Final Word of Encouragement
I am not a magician. I cannot see the future, so I cannot tell you if this may work for you or not. What I can tell you is that it worked for me and for the vast majority of my students.
Of course, I always make my classes fun so my students can feel comfortable and don’t think of the classes as, “Agh! I have Spanish class!” but instead, “Oh! I have my Spanish class!” I know, I know, this seems like a promotion of my classes, but the point is that even though I make my students practice in class,
I always ask them to practice whenever they can, before or after class. I didn’t mention any apps in this post because I have already done so in this post: How difficult is it to learn Spanish? Where I share some apps that can help you practice your speaking and listening with people from all over the world who are just like you, looking to improve their language skills.
My advice is that no matter how long it takes, please keep on keeping on. Take a break if you need to, try to be consistent, and you will see progress.
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