Or how do YOU stay motivated to learn a language
I have been thinking recently about why we learn languages. Why we start, why we continue and why we stop (and hopefully restart again). There are so many reasons why to people learn a language and knowing your reasons are important when life is busy and study time is short.
If you don’t live in the country of the language you are learning, (as I don’t) then it can be difficult. You don’t hear the language in your everyday, and sometimes the studying you do can seem quite remote from your goals. It can be hard to prioritise language learning when there are so many other demands on your time. I find here that doing a regular class helps, and chatting to other students for example on a Whatsapp group, can help a lot. The camaraderie of a like-minded group of people goes a long way.
Little and often
It’s also a good idea to set aside some time for language learning that works for you. It might be in the early mornings when everything is quiet and you can get a time slice of work done before the day starts. Or in the evening, if this is when you can fit it in. Multiple studies and teachers recommend “little and often” for language learning rather a huge hours long chunk once a week. The regular work in short bursts is helpful for language retention.
Learning as a adult is different than when we were at school and had to learn. We were motivated by other people! We have the choice now about how to spend our precious free time. Appreciate the little wins in your language learning. These could be: remembering a word, getting some grammar correct for the first time, communicating your message. Even the most fluent speakers of foreign languages are not “done”. There is always more to learn which can be both stimulating and demoralising at the same time!
My personal goals for learning this year are to read more, and try to look up less words when I’m reading. I’ve moved to a one language dictionary, which is definitely a step up in difficulty from a bilingual dictionary! I’ve slowed my speech down, as I was trying to speak at my native English speed. This helps as it gives me more time to think and do the mental gymnastics required to get the grammar right (or at least attempt to get it right).
How do you stay motivated to learn a language?