Hello there! This is Cedric from MosaLingua.
In today's video, I'm going to talk about
6 very common mistakes that people make when they learn a language.
Chances are that you're making one of these six errors. So listen up and
bear with me!
You may have noticed in the past that some people don't seem to have
any problem when learning a language. They get started and a few months later,
you see them getting by in their target language as if they've been learning it
for years. Some others remain stuck at beginner level for a long time
before giving up out of frustration. What could be the reason for
such a difference in success between learners? Let's take 2 language learners
that we are going to call Alice and Bob.
Alice is a good student that doesn't do
the same mistake that poor Bob does while learning a language.
Let's see what Bob's mistakes are and that Alice manages to avoid.
1. Not listening enough
This is the most important skill to develop at the beginning. While Bob spends a lot of
time reading Spanish books, texts and doing a lot of grammar exercise, Alice
spends a lot of time with music, TV shows, podcasts, movies which helps her
improving her understanding and expression. As a result, bob is totally
lost when he's trying to have a conversation
with a Spanish native. This is why it is crucial that you immerse yourself from
the very beginning.
2. Not listing the reasons to learn the language
Motivation is a key factor when learning a language, and it's all down to the reason why one
decides to learn a language. For example Alice made it clear she wanted to learn
Italian for her love of good food and this impression of a good life she could feel
while watching old Italian movies, or when she goes there on holidays.
Meanwhile Bob wants to give up when his faced with difficulties in Spanish
forgetting the reason why he wanted to learn Spanish in the first place.
This is why it is important to list your reason to learn the language, commit to them, and
review them when you feel that your commitment is diminishing.
3. Being too much of a perfectionist
At some point, you won't know the right word and you will
be stuck, and yes, you will make mistakes, a lot. And often
the same one, and again and again. If you manage it up with a smile then you're
good to go. Alice is aware of that and doesn't get
too frustrated when she fails to make a perfect sentence, when talking to an
Italian person. While poor Bob claims all the time is Spanish is bad and that
becomes an excuse not to practice. Accepting your imperfection is the best
way to see mistakes for what they truly are: a great opportunity to learn more.
4. Learning the boring way
It will take some time for you to learn a language,
so why make this boring? There are many ways to have fun while learning a
language and yet, many of us learn languages the same way we did in school.
Bob keeps on doing his "listen and repeat" drills alongside more grammar exercise.
It's so boring! No wonder he wants to quit all the time! Alice is aware of that
and mixes them with many more fun, diverse, and interactive activities such as chatting,
reading or simply watching a movie in its original version.
5. Work too hard
This last one might sound quite strange, but bear with me. Studying for long session
will not improve your memorization. You might overload your capacity to
memorize information and bore yourself to death. It's smarter to work less but
regularly. Over time you will remember much more this way without running the
risk of losing your precious motivation. That's why Alice started doing short
10-minute study sessions every day and increase the length once she had built the habit;
Meanwhile Bob gave up after week, trying to cram in 2 hours of Spanish everyday.
6. Being scared to speak
It's also understandable for you to be scared when
speaking in a language. This is a very natural emotion and you will never get
rid of it. Instead of letting it prevent you from speaking, it's better to face it
and realize that you cannot make progress by remaining muted. That's why
Alice leaves her pride aside when she talks and forgets about sounding or
looking silly when she speaks in Italian. How can Bob progress if he always shies
away from any opportunity to speak Spanish?
Did you recognize any mistakes that you're currently making?
If so, don't be a Bob and check out our other videos
in which we give our expert tips on how to learn a language the smart way. And if
you enjoyed this video, give it a like and more importantly subscribe to our
channel for more language learning tips with MosaLingua. Happy learning
and see you soon!
you