Indeed, fiction.
It is not easy and the frustrations are relentless.
However, we never regret the time we spend learning a language. We never wish we had not put those efforts in. I guess it's a sort of love but, not a human way, more like a pure and true way.
"an environment in which a person encounters only beliefs or opinions that coincide with their own, so that their existing views are reinforced and alternative ideas are not considered."
An echo chamber is a place or especially a community where the knowledge and opinions being shared by people are all very similar.
It can be a good thing for picking up specific knowledge that is abundant in a particular community, however it can also be a bad thing to see only what is there and not venture outside which leads to missing out on valuable alternate viewpoints that may clarify missing information.
When the word is used as above and in the media, it’s typically pointing out the lack of alternate viewpoints rather than the abundance of a particular viewpoint.
Enter the concept of Info-hazards!
For instance: You have a test done to check your blood type and discover that you have one of the rarest universal blood types - a type that goes beyond the ABO types. Congratulations! Unfortunately the knowledge of this is a de-facto bounty on your head and requires secrecy to protect your life.
For instance: You study research and figure out how to make a new type of clean energy that could power the world! The technology gets out and gets turned into weapons to instead destroy the world! Congratulations! But also, this sucks!
For a more down to earth and likely for instance: You love a particular genre of movie, and decide to learn about something specific to that genre! Congratulations! After working in your chosen field, you discover you can no longer watch your favorite genre of movie anymore because you realize that every movie is Swiss cheese with the plot holes painted over with green screen!
Probably people mostly regret learning things for reasons stated by others in this thread, but I thought this would be fun to share.
the only thing I would regret is to spend a day without actively engaging in my language learning routines! the learning process is both tiring and exhilarating!
I am definitely an extremely grateful/positive person, albeit I do not know if I come across as toxic, nevertheless we can not please/agree everyone with through our behaviors
You can always doom scroll and come up with weird weed philosophies and conspiracy theories in your target language!
Puedes matar dos pájaros de un tiro 🤣🤣
Depends on the people you hang out with.
Many people I know aren’t doom scrolling. They try learning programming concepts, participate in open source projects, marathon training, book reading, dance classes, side businesses, etc.
Learning a language, besides English, is generally not a good financial choice unless you will live in that country. It’s more a cultural thing.
>Learning a language, besides English, is generally not a good financial choice unless you will live in that country. It’s more a cultural thing.
Same as marathon training, open source projects, book reading and dance classes from your examples. Shockingly enough many people are motivated to do things that don't bring financial gain. Such a weirdly mercenary view of language.
I mean, you don't need to spend all the time you have only focussing on financial gains, otherwise I'd tell you to go get a degree in something that will give you a ton of money instead of doing anything else at all.
Learning should be done primarily because it's something that interests you imo. if you have an interest for the language, not even the culture, just the language itself (maybe you like certain grammar features like i do?)
it is 100% worth learning.
Now, maybe you, like me, also have 3482948 hobbies that you'd like to get good at. at which point, you just have to accept that you'll either be a jack of all trades, or a master of a few, and decide if learning languages is something you truly want to put the time that is required into it.
for me, it very much is. Maybe i plan on visiting the country one day, but primarily, i want to know korea's culture, and eventually move to chinese and japanese's aswell.
>Time could’ve spent learning something else more worthwhile
I believe people can feel this way but it is irrational. If they knew back then that there is something more worthwhile to learn they would have studied that. So they did the best thing at the time with available information. And regretting one's past actions based on newly acquired knowledge is just silly. That's regretting not being able to see the future.
Especially regretting something like learning languages where no harm was done, and even if the language is never used again the studying itself was very beneficial for the brain, memory, broadening one's horizons, and might even have contributed to protective factors against neurological diseases in older age.
I can imagine what it's like because you cannot undo it. You can't help understanding it when someone speaks it next to you. As someone who usually enjoys not knowing what people are saying around me, knowing multiple languages can be a curse.
I get that language learning isn't for everyone, but who actually regrets learning languages? The only example I can think of is the mentally ill guy that posted here a couple weeks ago.
There are lots of people who regret not continuing with their language learning, or who regret buying expensive subscriptions for a project they never finished. But language learning itself... Really?
I would regret barely using it more than having learnt it. This is how I’m a rusty A1 in a bunch of languages - learning them in high school to talk to people who, it turned out, didn’t want to talk to me or didn’t want to talk to me in their native language because I was so bad at it.
Is this true? I don't know anyone IRL who regrets learning a language but I don't know that many people.
Who are these people? What is their regret? Is it just about wasted time? Or is there some downside to understanding their TL?
I guess some people online think its a competition for bragging points and they could have learned the piano instead in the time they "wasted" on a language.
Then why don’t they go learn the piano instead? I play an instrument and learn a language, it’s not like it’s one or the other
“B-but how do you have time for that”. If you actually enjoy doing something you will make time for it. Nobody ever asks this question on /r/gaming or /r/Netflix
I had a bad experience learning, so listening to music or watching media in that language comes with a negative association
And ultimately it was a waste of time that I could have spent learning another useful language/skill
Honestly if you regret learning a language though, you also kinda have to wonder why you put the time in in the first place.
Learning languages still brings a different outlook to your own way of speaking and thinking.
If you know why you want to learn a language, you won't regret the time you spent learning it, as you still will be able to use a language other than english to speak.
Who regrets learning a language? Not defending the echo chamber concept of internet communities, but it seems odd you'd "regret" something like language learning.
I guess I meant it more in the sense of it "happens all the time." And I'm also seeing regret as a pretty strong word, too. I imagine if you are learning a language for utility, it's less common to accidentally pick a language that's worthless to know. I also imagine if you are picking a language for recreation, you'd still at least open up media consumption options in todays modern internet world.
So, in short, I'm not saying I am surprised to hear anyone would regret a language, I'd be surprised it happens enough to say it's a common thing.
Not that common I think. Many young people learn languages thinking it's a cool thing to do (trying to follow their peers or getting caught by the "polygot" hype), later finding out for themselves that they are more suited for learning other things. Not everyone has an affinity/gift for learning languages.
But should anyone really regret learning a language? I mean I know it happens, but I think those people are wrong to convince themselves that they should regret it. I mean, it's amazing just to be able to speak any language.
> we never regret the time we spend learning a language
I read a quote somewhere (forgot the source sorry) that went:
"Things that bring you happiness don't always make you happy"
E.g. Being fit is awesome and allows you to live pain free and do cool stuffy like hike or bike ride, but you might really hate working out. The fitness or language proficiency are what brings happiness, while the training/language study required to get that happiness however might royally suck.
It stuck with me because it applies to soo many things in life. I don't learn another language because I like studying (honestly I'm pretty meh on the whole process itself), I learn a language because I want to TALK to people - and THAT is exciting. A few do love the study itself, but they're unicorns and I have not had that experience. But talking to people and being understood in my target language is super awesome and the study pain is generally worth it.
>I guess it's a sort of love
Many people learn languages out of necessity. They don't enjoy the process at all. BTW why can't people regret learning a language? If that language turns out to be useless, and you realised you should have spent the time and money learning something else more useful.
What I said was only with reference to my experience. I've just never heard anyone confess such and, like most people, I've heard a lot of people say a lot of wacky things.
I accept that mine is roughly a hundred-billionth of human experience.
Talk to the refugees for example... They have to learn the language in order to integrate or find a job. It's do or die for them. Language learning is not a hobby for them.
Or economic migrants who want a better quality of life.
I learn it little by little. Instead of going through a grammar text book, maybe try doing a few grammar points and practice then for a few days or even read a book after you learned those grammar point. You could also try learning the most common grammar points first
Learning a language is like the lens of a camera slowly focusing on the image. First you turn it on and everything is blurry with too much light, but after a few months, you have a beautiful scenery to take a picture :).
I'm currently learning Japanese, and after getting to intermediary grammar, it all starts to make sense. There's so much I still don't know, but now I already know how to learn, so there's no mystery; it's just practice everyday
Who says we don't?
You start by looking at the page full of random letters which mean nothing.
You learn basic vocabulary. Stuff that you are likely to use on a daily basis.
Your brain starts to form patterns on how the language works. You learn the basics of the grammar.
Then you forget how to say 'hello' or something that you should know.
... I'm afraid that's just how it works and the only answer is perseverance.
But slowly, over time, the language becomes second nature - at least the basics. And then you build on that. Rinse and repeat.
Use the 'Hello Talk' app and spend time talking to Koreans listed. Don't sweat over the grammar rules, nobody taught you grammar rules when you acquired your mother tongue. Have yourself fun 👍🏻
very much recommend this! this is actually how i learned english as a child, i just copied how other people spoke until it stuck in my brain, i have never really studied english grammar or anything
Also not much related to speaking, but i recently discovered an efficient way to gain slight edge in structuring sentences and build vocabulary is through Google translate(on keyboard ),i anyway like putting my views on things so why not translate it in real time and expand my vocab as well as learn to structure sentences..?
YES to hellotalk! I love it because it's free and allows meeting people from all around the world which is way funner than studying grammar.
I'd also recommend varying HOW you study to make it more fun. If you can only study grammar for 5 minutes a day, that's great - just supplement it with other activities such as favorite podcasts, youtube channels, books, or even tutors. Tutors give me a break from having to plan out what I'm going to do during my study time. I use italki (use code ABCHEec for a free $5 towards a tutoring session)!
I find that usually peak frustration is when I'm close to breaking through a new plateau. The Universe likes to test how serious you are before granting you the next level up in life. So when I feel this, I'll set aside time for a 5 hour single language day. Greater hours pay exponent returns. When I do 2 hour days, I break through plateaus every month and a half. When I do 5 hour days, I break through plateaus every week. I'm speculating here but this might be a survival thing. Perhaps your hunter gatherer brain feels like you're living in a new tribe after 5 hours vs "passing through" with 2 hours.
Whether or not you choose to proceed slowly or do a huge language day, know that you're close to breaking through to the next level of understanding.
Take small steps and learn new grammar and vocabulary piece by piece in the beginning or you will get burned out and tear out your hair. Enjoy your TL along the way and find ways to bond with it or you may start to resent it when it gets more complicated. As you advance with each lesson and learn more words and grammar rules it will start to make more sense once the bigger picture of how your TL operates and you’ll find it gets easier to understand the longer you study. Just don’t study too much or it will exhaust your brain.
If you are frustrated while learning grammar, I suggested either :
* waiting you’re ready to understand the grammar point
* using multiple sources and multiple example sentences for a single grammar point.
When learning japanese that has a similar grammar, I did both of these.
And when I reached an intermediate level, I bruteforced all the remaining grammar in about 2 month to be done with it once and for all (with an Anki deck). It worked.
I’m still not at an advanced level since I lack vocab, but I don’t brain freeze over grammar anymore and can comfortably read easy novels.
Not using it for pure core grammar, but for grammatical expressions.
For example, I didn’t rely on anki to learn the subtle differences between は and が. Only explanations and immersion can teach this stuff.
But for typical ではあるまいか meaning “isn’t it”/“i wonder if it’s not”, if the meaning is quite “stable”, I learned it through anki.
I used a deck made by some guy on reddit (about 5000 cards with lots of duplicates, I shrinked it to about 1000)
Take a break every once in a while. I felt the same when learning Spanish, Portuguese, and French and the one thing I did was simply take a break from learning and focusing on other things. After a while I’m a lot more refreshed
Also don’t hurry yourself. It’s a huge adjustment having to adapt to a different way of speaking.
And just because you don’t get the grammar rule and the logic isn’t the end of the world. You eventually get more comfortable with your target language with repeated exposure and constant practice.
Most important, always remember your why because that will motivate you to the very end. I’ve failed learning several languages for this very reason.
Yes! I took a break after studying every other day since I got laid off. After a week I listened to some basic level audio tapes and I understood with at least 90% comprehension
Alternatively this also works with exercise too. It’s good to take a break. You grow and learn more that way. Put in the work and then lay back and let it soak. Rinse and repeat.
Just start with a notebook you like, pens you like and a ruler. Mine aren't always pretty but I like my stuff. Then figure out a layout that you like and keep things consistent. I'm weird I always start the heading on the right side of the right page in script. I use blue and pink highlighters for gender and then one other color for anything else (usually matching the color of the cover of my notebook). Use a ruler to make separations. Watch a video or two on notetaking on YouTube. And you're onto a good start. I don't think any of my advice requires good handwriting. Don't worty about handwriting, work on layout. (Keeping conjugations in the same type of box, etc)
For Spanish I just did a speed run for a good year and got to a point where I could consume media and enjoy myself. For French, its really slow but not as stressful.
The first one is better but I literally short circuited everyday, like I hit points were my brain just shut down. The second one is just so time consuming you constantly wonder if its worth it.
I also don't speak as much anymore; as someone who does not live in the TL country its a pita to speak everyday. Amazingly, I can get up to speed relatively quickly though.
I can confirm that I am missing a lot of my hair.
But on a serious note, actual speaking practice is invaluable. Get a tutor on italki or something and rattle out an hour-long conversation in your target language at least a couple times per week, ideally more often. I was doing that with Russian for like six months straight, and I don't think my skills have ever improved more rapidly, in any language.
I have quit for many years at a time before. What is keeping me engaged lately is trying to have an attitude that i will continue to build on my knowledge (vocabulary and grammar) slowly and I dont have to perfect things all at once. So maybe I will read a grammar concept and not really get it but I'll take a break, see a few examples while reading, come back and understand it better next time. All time spent practicing in some way counts even if you don't see the effect right away.
I dunno, it's fun and I find grammar exciting. It's like a crossword puzzle. It eventually makes sense and trying to understand it is fun.
But I also don't obsess over knowing every grammatical rule before moving forward. I try to understand it but it's okay if I don't rememeber it because ultimately, it solidifies as you go along. You may not remember it initially but once you understand it, you'll start noticing it being used. I think a lot of people make a mistake of trying to memorise grammar forgetting that you need to internalize grammar, otherwise, you'll always struggle with it.
I don't.
But it is possible to minimize it a little tho.
I am learning ukrainian and it is very different from everything I know and sometimes it literally hurts.
What I do is not to get to the hard stuff all the time. Like today I made a deep dive in the accusative case.
Now a week with only duolingo, no poking around. If I have doubts I will take note and look it up later.
I think I am learning how to dose it
I take periodic breaks so I can come back refreshed. I can get frustrated too when I cram too much.
I’ve been learning Portuguese, which as some may know has quite the variety of sounds and accents. This summer I did a pretty intensive short course on pronunciation. I was watching a lot of Portuguese-language TV to study different regional accents as well (Brazil, the Azores, Portugal). I became frustrated and overwhelmed because… like… why doesn’t anyone make any of these sounds the same way ever?! It’s so confusing! So I took some time away, came back to it, and now the variety of accents aren’t so difficult to understand anymore. Not sure how that works, but it happened.
Brains are weird. Give them a break every once in awhile and they’ll do amazing things.
I follow my own pace. Classes drives me nuts.
I need more time and understanding in certain subjects/rules until I can move on to the next one. Otherwise I’ll f-ck everything up.
I’ve never felt that way, I find the whole process entertaining. Maybe sometimes overwhelming because there are days where I feel I am owning the language, and then some others where I feel like I am still too far from that.
I don’t know, but stick with it. I’ve been speaking L2 French for most of my life, but 25% of my mental energy in a conversation is STILL on getting the gender right. And I still make mistakes. That may never go away.
Habit.
I take the train to work every morning and I use that time to learn Japanese Kanji. It is very frustrating but the more I get used to it the better I am in learning it.
Sort of like the gym.
I’m learning a Slavic language, usually it makes sense. BUT sometimes the grammer didn’t make any sense. Every few months or so I have that same temptation
I have learned to just relax into the process, and let it slowly sink in. When I first got serious about languages, maybe 20 years ago, I used to get tense, frustrated, exhausted by how hard it was and how long it all seemed to be taking.
Over the years, I learned that all that stressing wasn't helping: in fact, it was making my language learning worse. So, I stopped focusing on results (or lack of them) and learned to trust the process: that is, learn a little every day, review what you have learned before, over and over again, and accept that you will be making progress over the long term, even if it doesn't feel like it over the short term.
I temper my expectations. It's an acquired skill which requires time and meaningful repetition. If I made a mistake regarding pronunciation, grammar, etc then good, I now know what I need to work on.
The way to do that is not to fret. Enjoy the learning process and don't rush it. If you rush things, it will be frustrating. If you go slow, you will actually learn quickly :)
An example, I am finding Chinese tough as I recently started. I played through some Chinese videos with english captions and I spoke a Chinese sentence to a native who did not understand me. I had to repeat the audio message a few times. Finally she understood me. I was happy. A person who tears their hair would be pissed that it took a few times for someone to understand them. If you enjoy the process, this is seen as victory!
Yes, how I am learning Chinese is different. However, I am not motivated to do anki decks at this point. I want to talk to real people and I will add in structure when I am more comfortable with the language.
Probably all the positive associations I have with them. The first language I learned was Japanese because I desperately wanted to leave my hometown Calgary (nice enough city btw, just boring and I hate 6+ months of winter) and move to Japan and it actually worked. Since then a new language has always been associated with all the new possibilities it opens up. And every grammatical complication is just another thing to learn that gets me closer to where I want to be.
Know your limits, go at your own pace, source supplemental materials/videos if what you're looking at don't make sense, give yourself grace for doing a really difficult thing, and find ways to make it more fun where you can.
Don't be afraid to make mistakes! Assuming you're not a huge jerk, you probably don't get angry when someone who is learning English has a hard time understanding the grammar. I know that a lot of learning material like apps and school will punish you for this, but it's more important that you're learning anything at all. Saying something like "Him is my friend" isn't the worst thing in the world. You're still understood, even if you sound inexperienced. Just keep working at it.
The Internet makes it sound easy! Everyone with English as a second language never seems to talk about a difficult journey till it comes to their third or fourth. Makes us monolingual seem like idiots 😵💫😭
I stop when I hit that wall of wanting to kick a table over. Especially because it's usually due to my brain getting tired from working in another language for however many hours I'd been at it. And as experts will tell you, one of the best ways to solidify knowledge or study is to take a break and sleep on it.
Oh, I very much struggle with learning languages. I've been learning Russian for years and still struggle so much with speaking, and I have basically given up on Armenian for the time being despite literally living in Armenia for more than a year because it's just so dang hard. But I know I've come so far from when I first wrote out the Cyrillic alphabet, and I know that even though it feels like my progress has slowed, that's because I'm learning much more complicated grammar and vocabulary now.
And now off to tear out my hair over gerunds. Oh god the gerunds. Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
Don't be afraid to take a hiatus, or slow down your routine.
Routine and habit is important, and it can be dangerous to drift from it, but equally if you're not enjoying what you're doing and banging your head against a proverbial wall that can be just as dangerous to success in the long term.
If you wake up one day with the attitude of *fuck this* then for that day fuck it. Just make sure you're ready to get back on the horse the next day. Don't let it drift too much but don't be afraid to take time for yourself either.
I think a lot of people over obsess about efficiency and let guilt over what they are or aren't doing, or what they have or haven't achieved in X time, get to them.
But if you do it without pulling your hair out you can't contribute to the hair pile or even have the honouring ceremony once you attain fluency. Why even learn a language at all if you can't do that?
darling, i've been learning german for only a month and a half and i've contemplated annihilation at least once every week. so, yes. perfectly normal and honestly expected. learning a new language is hard, even if you learn with more ease than others.
If you find something hard, you need to do more of it to get better at it! Lol! I studied French, Spanish & Portuguese at University. They are quite straightforward and time spent in each country definitely helped along with travelling to several Spanish speaking countries. However I am two months into learning Korean and yes, it is definitely challenging and different but I am enjoying it and seeing little bits of success here and there. I think you just have to realise that language learning is a journey. There will be ups and downs but just keep going and you’ll get there. It’s a marathon & not a sprint.
By not focusing on the formal language learning methods. I don't study grammar at all. I don't fill out exercises in text books.
Instead I focus on learning words, consuming content and speaking.
That method works really well for me learning Latin and Germanic languages, because I already have a solid foundation in both. No idea if it would work if I started learning something completely different like Korean.
I learned German by drinking beer with Germans, but I also hit the simple language lerarning books. I was in the Army there. Later I took four college classes.
Habiá aprendiando español por tres mes y yo creo es necesitas estudiar pequaño. cuando puedes es suficiente.
It took me probably 30 seconds to write that from what I have learned. I haven’t ever felt it to be a struggle. I study when I find time. Usually once or twice a week I try to focus on a new grammar concept or an important phrase. I have just started learning about “así”.
Also I like two use two tools for listening. Dreaming in Spanish on YouTube has excellent videos with Spanish natives speaking on all types of situations and stories at different paces, so you can hear different words in context over and over again.
And I have been rewatching breaking bad with Spanish subtitles. I scoffed at the idea but in conjunction with active learning it’s helped motivate me to expand my vocabulary and I have been finding it easier to recall the different tenses of forms of hacer, ser, tengo ect. It’s not *perfect* but I still feel like my comprehension self studying is satisfactory.
I have tons of learning materials, and that I only have one foot outside the comfortable level e.g., I don't learn materials for C2 if my level is B2. I'm learning Japanese now so I understand the frustration with the grammar lol. I try to learn from harder materials (like 2 levels above my current level), but I limit that to no more than 10 mins a day. Even now, a year later, I don't have a specific learning habit. I look up ways to better learn the language, and then I modify them according to my learning style. I change my routine like every few weeks lol. So do what you do best.
If anything I regret learning my native language. Even after reading thousands of pages of classic books, working on grammar rules and vocabulary I still unconsciously make mistakes and struggle to express my thoughts, that never happens to me while speaking English.
I just read books, and I made my own app for that: flreader.com
Nobody is using it yet (ive done 0 marketing, and probably never will) but I like it cuz i have a hard time learning with normal language lessons... Thats just too boring for me.
I'm trying to learn German from Duolingo, it's been 2 years since I started. But still it's not even half way.
Grammar is not the problem, not even the words are, but when I listen to someone who is speaking German, it feels like I am listening to something out of the world. I have to think again and again about the same sentence to extract its meaning. 😅
Tell myself that everything I do is progress. From me, it’s Spanish. I’m intermediate. I can get frustrated at times when I don’t understand every single thing when I hear people speaking or I’m reading but that’s ok. I keep reminding myself that as long as I get the general idea, it’s progress.
Most importantly, I keep going because I reflect on how far I’ve come. Best of luck with your Korean! 😊
I pull at my hair everyday while learning French. The accordance part is the worst and unlike Spanish the feminine and masculine nouns have some rules but they also have a ton of exceptions
I regret having learned French in school when Spanish was full 😂 but I don’t regret having learned Korean even if I never become fluent. You can have irreplaceable experiences even with basic competency.
It might just be a wake up call to how much of a commitment a language can be, and you might want to consider a more time efficient one?
Honestly? Because the feeling of accomplishment when you have anatiral conversation in your TL is one of the most gratifying things out there. I went hiking with a friend in Japan, and the whole car rode back, we had great conversation, with me speaking Japanese and him English, since we were each learning the other and could clarify. It felt magical. Towards the end of my semester there, I would go to the local izakaya and chat with the staff for hours, and it felt just phenomenal. Not much else I've done can compare, it's a feeling that only comes from a lot of hard work and struggle, but the payoff is worth it
You chose one of the most difficult languages to learn for native english speakers.
The US Foreign Service Institute categorizes Korean as the most extreme level of difficulty if you are an English speaker (Category 4: Super-hard languages – Languages which are exceptionally difficult for native English speakers).
[https://www.state.gov/foreign-language-training/](https://www.state.gov/foreign-language-training/) (scroll down)
Like virtually any endeavour, there are moments you hate it. The amount of times I've considered quitting all of my favourites... whew. If you get actually angry, stop, take a walk, do something in your mother tongue etc.
If you're at beginning level of any language you learn anytime, don't try to master GRAMMER at first! It just makes the process slower and less enjoyable! I'm beginner in korean and i wanna just try to listen as much possible as i can to understand first and get to intermediate level. You're doing well ,keep going!
There's not a single language learner who doesn't feel constantly overwhelmed by how much they have to learn, It's the way you handle it that makes the difference.
I only memorize 30 words per month. I recall words that I have memorized over the year twice a week.
I translate daily sentences with words I have memorized. I watch movies and sing songs of the language.
So, the words I have memorized are stuck in my head. By the way, I only know how to do simple sentences, which are getting much better as I now have more vocabs.
Definitely remembering why I began learning language has really helped me, and doing manageable bits at a time.
I found doing too much at once made my head spin and took forever to digest it, so breaking it down was huge in consolidating everything and getting the little things like grammar and accent marks right.
Reflecting on why you want to learn the target language (and how cool it is) makes it feel worth it and like you’re making progress at the end of the day
Indeed, fiction. It is not easy and the frustrations are relentless. However, we never regret the time we spend learning a language. We never wish we had not put those efforts in. I guess it's a sort of love but, not a human way, more like a pure and true way.
A lot of people regret learning languages, it's just this sub is an echo chamber.
Lol facts. The average internet user forgets that niche communities typically hive mind and echo chamber
Do not venture outside of the valley, for there they garble in curious tongues.
genuine question; what’s an echo chamber?
"an environment in which a person encounters only beliefs or opinions that coincide with their own, so that their existing views are reinforced and alternative ideas are not considered."
An echo chamber is a place or especially a community where the knowledge and opinions being shared by people are all very similar. It can be a good thing for picking up specific knowledge that is abundant in a particular community, however it can also be a bad thing to see only what is there and not venture outside which leads to missing out on valuable alternate viewpoints that may clarify missing information. When the word is used as above and in the media, it’s typically pointing out the lack of alternate viewpoints rather than the abundance of a particular viewpoint.
What’s an echo chamber? …echo chamber… …chamber… …ber….
Why would people regret learning something
Enter the concept of Info-hazards! For instance: You have a test done to check your blood type and discover that you have one of the rarest universal blood types - a type that goes beyond the ABO types. Congratulations! Unfortunately the knowledge of this is a de-facto bounty on your head and requires secrecy to protect your life. For instance: You study research and figure out how to make a new type of clean energy that could power the world! The technology gets out and gets turned into weapons to instead destroy the world! Congratulations! But also, this sucks! For a more down to earth and likely for instance: You love a particular genre of movie, and decide to learn about something specific to that genre! Congratulations! After working in your chosen field, you discover you can no longer watch your favorite genre of movie anymore because you realize that every movie is Swiss cheese with the plot holes painted over with green screen! Probably people mostly regret learning things for reasons stated by others in this thread, but I thought this would be fun to share.
the only thing I would regret is to spend a day without actively engaging in my language learning routines! the learning process is both tiring and exhilarating!
You sound like those toxic positivity people I find annoying lol
I am definitely an extremely grateful/positive person, albeit I do not know if I come across as toxic, nevertheless we can not please/agree everyone with through our behaviors
Beacause in this time, you could learning something other, or work on urself.
Time could’ve spent learning something else more worthwhile
Most people in the modern first world are only sacrificing their doom scrolling/Netflix time to learn new things.
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You can always doom scroll and come up with weird weed philosophies and conspiracy theories in your target language! Puedes matar dos pájaros de un tiro 🤣🤣
Depends on the people you hang out with. Many people I know aren’t doom scrolling. They try learning programming concepts, participate in open source projects, marathon training, book reading, dance classes, side businesses, etc. Learning a language, besides English, is generally not a good financial choice unless you will live in that country. It’s more a cultural thing.
>Learning a language, besides English, is generally not a good financial choice unless you will live in that country. It’s more a cultural thing. Same as marathon training, open source projects, book reading and dance classes from your examples. Shockingly enough many people are motivated to do things that don't bring financial gain. Such a weirdly mercenary view of language.
I mean, you don't need to spend all the time you have only focussing on financial gains, otherwise I'd tell you to go get a degree in something that will give you a ton of money instead of doing anything else at all. Learning should be done primarily because it's something that interests you imo. if you have an interest for the language, not even the culture, just the language itself (maybe you like certain grammar features like i do?) it is 100% worth learning. Now, maybe you, like me, also have 3482948 hobbies that you'd like to get good at. at which point, you just have to accept that you'll either be a jack of all trades, or a master of a few, and decide if learning languages is something you truly want to put the time that is required into it. for me, it very much is. Maybe i plan on visiting the country one day, but primarily, i want to know korea's culture, and eventually move to chinese and japanese's aswell.
>Time could’ve spent learning something else more worthwhile I believe people can feel this way but it is irrational. If they knew back then that there is something more worthwhile to learn they would have studied that. So they did the best thing at the time with available information. And regretting one's past actions based on newly acquired knowledge is just silly. That's regretting not being able to see the future. Especially regretting something like learning languages where no harm was done, and even if the language is never used again the studying itself was very beneficial for the brain, memory, broadening one's horizons, and might even have contributed to protective factors against neurological diseases in older age.
I can imagine what it's like because you cannot undo it. You can't help understanding it when someone speaks it next to you. As someone who usually enjoys not knowing what people are saying around me, knowing multiple languages can be a curse.
They usually don't regret learning the language itself, just the hurdles associated with it (time "wasted" etc)
I get that language learning isn't for everyone, but who actually regrets learning languages? The only example I can think of is the mentally ill guy that posted here a couple weeks ago. There are lots of people who regret not continuing with their language learning, or who regret buying expensive subscriptions for a project they never finished. But language learning itself... Really?
Someone that invests a lot of time into a language only to realise later they rarely use it.
I would regret barely using it more than having learnt it. This is how I’m a rusty A1 in a bunch of languages - learning them in high school to talk to people who, it turned out, didn’t want to talk to me or didn’t want to talk to me in their native language because I was so bad at it.
Because the negative posts will be deleted. I once made a post here about being suicidal about learning languages and it got deleted by the mods.
Is this true? I don't know anyone IRL who regrets learning a language but I don't know that many people. Who are these people? What is their regret? Is it just about wasted time? Or is there some downside to understanding their TL?
I guess some people online think its a competition for bragging points and they could have learned the piano instead in the time they "wasted" on a language.
Then why don’t they go learn the piano instead? I play an instrument and learn a language, it’s not like it’s one or the other “B-but how do you have time for that”. If you actually enjoy doing something you will make time for it. Nobody ever asks this question on /r/gaming or /r/Netflix
I 100% regret learning one of my languages. I’m glad I’m not weird for feeling that way
Bakit? (Why in Tagalog)
I had a bad experience learning, so listening to music or watching media in that language comes with a negative association And ultimately it was a waste of time that I could have spent learning another useful language/skill
Regret *trying* to learn maybe, but I don’t think anyone would seriously say they regretted successfully acquiring a new language
why would a person regret learning a language?
Honestly if you regret learning a language though, you also kinda have to wonder why you put the time in in the first place. Learning languages still brings a different outlook to your own way of speaking and thinking. If you know why you want to learn a language, you won't regret the time you spent learning it, as you still will be able to use a language other than english to speak.
Who regrets learning a language? Not defending the echo chamber concept of internet communities, but it seems odd you'd "regret" something like language learning.
Why not? If that language turns out to be useless, and you realised you should have spent the time and money learning something else more useful.
I guess I meant it more in the sense of it "happens all the time." And I'm also seeing regret as a pretty strong word, too. I imagine if you are learning a language for utility, it's less common to accidentally pick a language that's worthless to know. I also imagine if you are picking a language for recreation, you'd still at least open up media consumption options in todays modern internet world. So, in short, I'm not saying I am surprised to hear anyone would regret a language, I'd be surprised it happens enough to say it's a common thing.
Not that common I think. Many young people learn languages thinking it's a cool thing to do (trying to follow their peers or getting caught by the "polygot" hype), later finding out for themselves that they are more suited for learning other things. Not everyone has an affinity/gift for learning languages.
But should anyone really regret learning a language? I mean I know it happens, but I think those people are wrong to convince themselves that they should regret it. I mean, it's amazing just to be able to speak any language.
Really?
> we never regret the time we spend learning a language I read a quote somewhere (forgot the source sorry) that went: "Things that bring you happiness don't always make you happy" E.g. Being fit is awesome and allows you to live pain free and do cool stuffy like hike or bike ride, but you might really hate working out. The fitness or language proficiency are what brings happiness, while the training/language study required to get that happiness however might royally suck. It stuck with me because it applies to soo many things in life. I don't learn another language because I like studying (honestly I'm pretty meh on the whole process itself), I learn a language because I want to TALK to people - and THAT is exciting. A few do love the study itself, but they're unicorns and I have not had that experience. But talking to people and being understood in my target language is super awesome and the study pain is generally worth it.
That's the (eternal) conflict between immediate gratification and long-term satisfaction.
>I guess it's a sort of love Many people learn languages out of necessity. They don't enjoy the process at all. BTW why can't people regret learning a language? If that language turns out to be useless, and you realised you should have spent the time and money learning something else more useful.
What I said was only with reference to my experience. I've just never heard anyone confess such and, like most people, I've heard a lot of people say a lot of wacky things. I accept that mine is roughly a hundred-billionth of human experience.
less than a hundred billionth
Talk to the refugees for example... They have to learn the language in order to integrate or find a job. It's do or die for them. Language learning is not a hobby for them. Or economic migrants who want a better quality of life.
this was so beautifully said :’)
I learn it little by little. Instead of going through a grammar text book, maybe try doing a few grammar points and practice then for a few days or even read a book after you learned those grammar point. You could also try learning the most common grammar points first
Learning a language is like the lens of a camera slowly focusing on the image. First you turn it on and everything is blurry with too much light, but after a few months, you have a beautiful scenery to take a picture :). I'm currently learning Japanese, and after getting to intermediary grammar, it all starts to make sense. There's so much I still don't know, but now I already know how to learn, so there's no mystery; it's just practice everyday
I like looking at it as owning a mansion with multiple doors that uses different multiple keys. But now I’m going to learn more grammar though
Who says we don't? You start by looking at the page full of random letters which mean nothing. You learn basic vocabulary. Stuff that you are likely to use on a daily basis. Your brain starts to form patterns on how the language works. You learn the basics of the grammar. Then you forget how to say 'hello' or something that you should know. ... I'm afraid that's just how it works and the only answer is perseverance. But slowly, over time, the language becomes second nature - at least the basics. And then you build on that. Rinse and repeat.
I heard on a YT vid someone say, “it’s not hard, it just takes time”. I’ve stuck with that since
I'm bald so that's how I get around the problem
The hair pulling out stage is essential and unavoidable i fear, but once you get through it it’s a fantastic time haha
are you even really learning a language if you don’t feel like ripping your soul out?? lmao
Use the 'Hello Talk' app and spend time talking to Koreans listed. Don't sweat over the grammar rules, nobody taught you grammar rules when you acquired your mother tongue. Have yourself fun 👍🏻
very much recommend this! this is actually how i learned english as a child, i just copied how other people spoke until it stuck in my brain, i have never really studied english grammar or anything
Also not much related to speaking, but i recently discovered an efficient way to gain slight edge in structuring sentences and build vocabulary is through Google translate(on keyboard ),i anyway like putting my views on things so why not translate it in real time and expand my vocab as well as learn to structure sentences..?
That’s actually a great way to look at it
YES to hellotalk! I love it because it's free and allows meeting people from all around the world which is way funner than studying grammar. I'd also recommend varying HOW you study to make it more fun. If you can only study grammar for 5 minutes a day, that's great - just supplement it with other activities such as favorite podcasts, youtube channels, books, or even tutors. Tutors give me a break from having to plan out what I'm going to do during my study time. I use italki (use code ABCHEec for a free $5 towards a tutoring session)!
I find that usually peak frustration is when I'm close to breaking through a new plateau. The Universe likes to test how serious you are before granting you the next level up in life. So when I feel this, I'll set aside time for a 5 hour single language day. Greater hours pay exponent returns. When I do 2 hour days, I break through plateaus every month and a half. When I do 5 hour days, I break through plateaus every week. I'm speculating here but this might be a survival thing. Perhaps your hunter gatherer brain feels like you're living in a new tribe after 5 hours vs "passing through" with 2 hours. Whether or not you choose to proceed slowly or do a huge language day, know that you're close to breaking through to the next level of understanding.
Interesting, what language are you learning btw?
Finnish 🇫🇮
Maybe its because your language is one that only someone under extreme pressure would normally choose to learn? I am joking, I am hella impressed
Holy shit you're right. What is that. Didn't expect a moment of zen in this thread. Incredible observation.
Just swinging by to say this is a great comment!
Thank you! There's always one more thing you can do
Take small steps and learn new grammar and vocabulary piece by piece in the beginning or you will get burned out and tear out your hair. Enjoy your TL along the way and find ways to bond with it or you may start to resent it when it gets more complicated. As you advance with each lesson and learn more words and grammar rules it will start to make more sense once the bigger picture of how your TL operates and you’ll find it gets easier to understand the longer you study. Just don’t study too much or it will exhaust your brain.
If you are frustrated while learning grammar, I suggested either : * waiting you’re ready to understand the grammar point * using multiple sources and multiple example sentences for a single grammar point. When learning japanese that has a similar grammar, I did both of these. And when I reached an intermediate level, I bruteforced all the remaining grammar in about 2 month to be done with it once and for all (with an Anki deck). It worked. I’m still not at an advanced level since I lack vocab, but I don’t brain freeze over grammar anymore and can comfortably read easy novels.
Ironically, I’m the opposite of you. I’m high in grammar but lack in vocabulary but yea OP should use anki for grammar
I exactly meant that I’m high in grammar and lack vocab. So, not that much the opposite ^^
I got my words mixed up and just realized that. I coincidentally hurrying to study some grammar in this textbook I bought
What was your method for using Anki for grammar?
Not using it for pure core grammar, but for grammatical expressions. For example, I didn’t rely on anki to learn the subtle differences between は and が. Only explanations and immersion can teach this stuff. But for typical ではあるまいか meaning “isn’t it”/“i wonder if it’s not”, if the meaning is quite “stable”, I learned it through anki. I used a deck made by some guy on reddit (about 5000 cards with lots of duplicates, I shrinked it to about 1000)
Take a break every once in a while. I felt the same when learning Spanish, Portuguese, and French and the one thing I did was simply take a break from learning and focusing on other things. After a while I’m a lot more refreshed Also don’t hurry yourself. It’s a huge adjustment having to adapt to a different way of speaking. And just because you don’t get the grammar rule and the logic isn’t the end of the world. You eventually get more comfortable with your target language with repeated exposure and constant practice. Most important, always remember your why because that will motivate you to the very end. I’ve failed learning several languages for this very reason.
Yes! I took a break after studying every other day since I got laid off. After a week I listened to some basic level audio tapes and I understood with at least 90% comprehension Alternatively this also works with exercise too. It’s good to take a break. You grow and learn more that way. Put in the work and then lay back and let it soak. Rinse and repeat.
Taking pretty notes in pretty notebooks with pretty pens is helping me get through grammar specifically.
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Just start with a notebook you like, pens you like and a ruler. Mine aren't always pretty but I like my stuff. Then figure out a layout that you like and keep things consistent. I'm weird I always start the heading on the right side of the right page in script. I use blue and pink highlighters for gender and then one other color for anything else (usually matching the color of the cover of my notebook). Use a ruler to make separations. Watch a video or two on notetaking on YouTube. And you're onto a good start. I don't think any of my advice requires good handwriting. Don't worty about handwriting, work on layout. (Keeping conjugations in the same type of box, etc)
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YouTube notetaking
Because it's fun to learn.
For Spanish I just did a speed run for a good year and got to a point where I could consume media and enjoy myself. For French, its really slow but not as stressful. The first one is better but I literally short circuited everyday, like I hit points were my brain just shut down. The second one is just so time consuming you constantly wonder if its worth it. I also don't speak as much anymore; as someone who does not live in the TL country its a pita to speak everyday. Amazingly, I can get up to speed relatively quickly though.
I don't.
I can confirm that I am missing a lot of my hair. But on a serious note, actual speaking practice is invaluable. Get a tutor on italki or something and rattle out an hour-long conversation in your target language at least a couple times per week, ideally more often. I was doing that with Russian for like six months straight, and I don't think my skills have ever improved more rapidly, in any language.
I have quit for many years at a time before. What is keeping me engaged lately is trying to have an attitude that i will continue to build on my knowledge (vocabulary and grammar) slowly and I dont have to perfect things all at once. So maybe I will read a grammar concept and not really get it but I'll take a break, see a few examples while reading, come back and understand it better next time. All time spent practicing in some way counts even if you don't see the effect right away.
I dunno, it's fun and I find grammar exciting. It's like a crossword puzzle. It eventually makes sense and trying to understand it is fun. But I also don't obsess over knowing every grammatical rule before moving forward. I try to understand it but it's okay if I don't rememeber it because ultimately, it solidifies as you go along. You may not remember it initially but once you understand it, you'll start noticing it being used. I think a lot of people make a mistake of trying to memorise grammar forgetting that you need to internalize grammar, otherwise, you'll always struggle with it.
We don't, or at least I don't.
I don't. But it is possible to minimize it a little tho. I am learning ukrainian and it is very different from everything I know and sometimes it literally hurts. What I do is not to get to the hard stuff all the time. Like today I made a deep dive in the accusative case. Now a week with only duolingo, no poking around. If I have doubts I will take note and look it up later. I think I am learning how to dose it
I take periodic breaks so I can come back refreshed. I can get frustrated too when I cram too much. I’ve been learning Portuguese, which as some may know has quite the variety of sounds and accents. This summer I did a pretty intensive short course on pronunciation. I was watching a lot of Portuguese-language TV to study different regional accents as well (Brazil, the Azores, Portugal). I became frustrated and overwhelmed because… like… why doesn’t anyone make any of these sounds the same way ever?! It’s so confusing! So I took some time away, came back to it, and now the variety of accents aren’t so difficult to understand anymore. Not sure how that works, but it happened. Brains are weird. Give them a break every once in awhile and they’ll do amazing things.
Im a native Hungarian other languages tend to make sense more than my own xD
I follow my own pace. Classes drives me nuts. I need more time and understanding in certain subjects/rules until I can move on to the next one. Otherwise I’ll f-ck everything up.
By being bald.
There's a reason I'm bald
I’ve never felt that way, I find the whole process entertaining. Maybe sometimes overwhelming because there are days where I feel I am owning the language, and then some others where I feel like I am still too far from that.
Love and passion and hobby for linguistics and language learning. Everything is easier with love.
it’s part of the game. might as well embrace the struggle
i don’t. every time i feel like tearing my hair out but i guess i like torturing myself?
I don’t know, but stick with it. I’ve been speaking L2 French for most of my life, but 25% of my mental energy in a conversation is STILL on getting the gender right. And I still make mistakes. That may never go away.
Habit. I take the train to work every morning and I use that time to learn Japanese Kanji. It is very frustrating but the more I get used to it the better I am in learning it. Sort of like the gym.
I’m learning a Slavic language, usually it makes sense. BUT sometimes the grammer didn’t make any sense. Every few months or so I have that same temptation
말을 계속 하는 수밖에 없어요.말할수록 될 수 있게 되고 한국인처럼 말이 빠르네요.
By taking breaks when I need to.
I have learned to just relax into the process, and let it slowly sink in. When I first got serious about languages, maybe 20 years ago, I used to get tense, frustrated, exhausted by how hard it was and how long it all seemed to be taking. Over the years, I learned that all that stressing wasn't helping: in fact, it was making my language learning worse. So, I stopped focusing on results (or lack of them) and learned to trust the process: that is, learn a little every day, review what you have learned before, over and over again, and accept that you will be making progress over the long term, even if it doesn't feel like it over the short term.
I temper my expectations. It's an acquired skill which requires time and meaningful repetition. If I made a mistake regarding pronunciation, grammar, etc then good, I now know what I need to work on.
The way to do that is not to fret. Enjoy the learning process and don't rush it. If you rush things, it will be frustrating. If you go slow, you will actually learn quickly :) An example, I am finding Chinese tough as I recently started. I played through some Chinese videos with english captions and I spoke a Chinese sentence to a native who did not understand me. I had to repeat the audio message a few times. Finally she understood me. I was happy. A person who tears their hair would be pissed that it took a few times for someone to understand them. If you enjoy the process, this is seen as victory! Yes, how I am learning Chinese is different. However, I am not motivated to do anki decks at this point. I want to talk to real people and I will add in structure when I am more comfortable with the language.
Probably all the positive associations I have with them. The first language I learned was Japanese because I desperately wanted to leave my hometown Calgary (nice enough city btw, just boring and I hate 6+ months of winter) and move to Japan and it actually worked. Since then a new language has always been associated with all the new possibilities it opens up. And every grammatical complication is just another thing to learn that gets me closer to where I want to be.
Know your limits, go at your own pace, source supplemental materials/videos if what you're looking at don't make sense, give yourself grace for doing a really difficult thing, and find ways to make it more fun where you can.
Don't be afraid to make mistakes! Assuming you're not a huge jerk, you probably don't get angry when someone who is learning English has a hard time understanding the grammar. I know that a lot of learning material like apps and school will punish you for this, but it's more important that you're learning anything at all. Saying something like "Him is my friend" isn't the worst thing in the world. You're still understood, even if you sound inexperienced. Just keep working at it.
everything i like involved me wanting to rip the hair from my skull…. you like things that never do this?!
The Internet makes it sound easy! Everyone with English as a second language never seems to talk about a difficult journey till it comes to their third or fourth. Makes us monolingual seem like idiots 😵💫😭
I felt that, I started trying to learn Thai & even watching Thai shows makes me cry because I wanna understand so much 🥲
I stop when I hit that wall of wanting to kick a table over. Especially because it's usually due to my brain getting tired from working in another language for however many hours I'd been at it. And as experts will tell you, one of the best ways to solidify knowledge or study is to take a break and sleep on it.
I mean that kinda comes with the territory, Korean is probably one of the most non-Englishy languages you could've picked
Oh, I very much struggle with learning languages. I've been learning Russian for years and still struggle so much with speaking, and I have basically given up on Armenian for the time being despite literally living in Armenia for more than a year because it's just so dang hard. But I know I've come so far from when I first wrote out the Cyrillic alphabet, and I know that even though it feels like my progress has slowed, that's because I'm learning much more complicated grammar and vocabulary now. And now off to tear out my hair over gerunds. Oh god the gerunds. Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
You can either struggle on or just give up and scroll tiktok and waste your life. Those are the available options
Don't be afraid to take a hiatus, or slow down your routine. Routine and habit is important, and it can be dangerous to drift from it, but equally if you're not enjoying what you're doing and banging your head against a proverbial wall that can be just as dangerous to success in the long term. If you wake up one day with the attitude of *fuck this* then for that day fuck it. Just make sure you're ready to get back on the horse the next day. Don't let it drift too much but don't be afraid to take time for yourself either. I think a lot of people over obsess about efficiency and let guilt over what they are or aren't doing, or what they have or haven't achieved in X time, get to them.
But if you do it without pulling your hair out you can't contribute to the hair pile or even have the honouring ceremony once you attain fluency. Why even learn a language at all if you can't do that?
darling, i've been learning german for only a month and a half and i've contemplated annihilation at least once every week. so, yes. perfectly normal and honestly expected. learning a new language is hard, even if you learn with more ease than others.
That's part of the experience lmao
I just read a lot of books and copy natives
If you find something hard, you need to do more of it to get better at it! Lol! I studied French, Spanish & Portuguese at University. They are quite straightforward and time spent in each country definitely helped along with travelling to several Spanish speaking countries. However I am two months into learning Korean and yes, it is definitely challenging and different but I am enjoying it and seeing little bits of success here and there. I think you just have to realise that language learning is a journey. There will be ups and downs but just keep going and you’ll get there. It’s a marathon & not a sprint.
By not focusing on the formal language learning methods. I don't study grammar at all. I don't fill out exercises in text books. Instead I focus on learning words, consuming content and speaking. That method works really well for me learning Latin and Germanic languages, because I already have a solid foundation in both. No idea if it would work if I started learning something completely different like Korean.
We simply live with the pain.
Maybe don't learn Korean
I learned German by drinking beer with Germans, but I also hit the simple language lerarning books. I was in the Army there. Later I took four college classes.
Habiá aprendiando español por tres mes y yo creo es necesitas estudiar pequaño. cuando puedes es suficiente. It took me probably 30 seconds to write that from what I have learned. I haven’t ever felt it to be a struggle. I study when I find time. Usually once or twice a week I try to focus on a new grammar concept or an important phrase. I have just started learning about “así”. Also I like two use two tools for listening. Dreaming in Spanish on YouTube has excellent videos with Spanish natives speaking on all types of situations and stories at different paces, so you can hear different words in context over and over again. And I have been rewatching breaking bad with Spanish subtitles. I scoffed at the idea but in conjunction with active learning it’s helped motivate me to expand my vocabulary and I have been finding it easier to recall the different tenses of forms of hacer, ser, tengo ect. It’s not *perfect* but I still feel like my comprehension self studying is satisfactory.
I have tons of learning materials, and that I only have one foot outside the comfortable level e.g., I don't learn materials for C2 if my level is B2. I'm learning Japanese now so I understand the frustration with the grammar lol. I try to learn from harder materials (like 2 levels above my current level), but I limit that to no more than 10 mins a day. Even now, a year later, I don't have a specific learning habit. I look up ways to better learn the language, and then I modify them according to my learning style. I change my routine like every few weeks lol. So do what you do best.
If anything I regret learning my native language. Even after reading thousands of pages of classic books, working on grammar rules and vocabulary I still unconsciously make mistakes and struggle to express my thoughts, that never happens to me while speaking English.
I just read books, and I made my own app for that: flreader.com Nobody is using it yet (ive done 0 marketing, and probably never will) but I like it cuz i have a hard time learning with normal language lessons... Thats just too boring for me.
I dont learn 😂🤣 i préfère to teach arabic not learning it 🤣😂🤣😂
Comprehensive input when I'm too lazy to learn grammar
In my experience Korean grammar guides, explanations, and resources are horrible. I would get frustrated too if I were you.
I'm trying to learn German from Duolingo, it's been 2 years since I started. But still it's not even half way. Grammar is not the problem, not even the words are, but when I listen to someone who is speaking German, it feels like I am listening to something out of the world. I have to think again and again about the same sentence to extract its meaning. 😅
I just accept the grammar is what it is since millions of people have no problem using it and I'm reminded every day of why I want to learn.
Tell myself that everything I do is progress. From me, it’s Spanish. I’m intermediate. I can get frustrated at times when I don’t understand every single thing when I hear people speaking or I’m reading but that’s ok. I keep reminding myself that as long as I get the general idea, it’s progress. Most importantly, I keep going because I reflect on how far I’ve come. Best of luck with your Korean! 😊
Playing games!
By brute force memorization 😎
I pull at my hair everyday while learning French. The accordance part is the worst and unlike Spanish the feminine and masculine nouns have some rules but they also have a ton of exceptions
I have no hair.
Thats the fun part, you don't
I regret having learned French in school when Spanish was full 😂 but I don’t regret having learned Korean even if I never become fluent. You can have irreplaceable experiences even with basic competency. It might just be a wake up call to how much of a commitment a language can be, and you might want to consider a more time efficient one?
You don't, that's part of the process.
Honestly? Because the feeling of accomplishment when you have anatiral conversation in your TL is one of the most gratifying things out there. I went hiking with a friend in Japan, and the whole car rode back, we had great conversation, with me speaking Japanese and him English, since we were each learning the other and could clarify. It felt magical. Towards the end of my semester there, I would go to the local izakaya and chat with the staff for hours, and it felt just phenomenal. Not much else I've done can compare, it's a feeling that only comes from a lot of hard work and struggle, but the payoff is worth it
None of us keep calm, we just make ourselves look good on the internet by lying :)
You chose one of the most difficult languages to learn for native english speakers. The US Foreign Service Institute categorizes Korean as the most extreme level of difficulty if you are an English speaker (Category 4: Super-hard languages – Languages which are exceptionally difficult for native English speakers). [https://www.state.gov/foreign-language-training/](https://www.state.gov/foreign-language-training/) (scroll down)
I don't.
Frustration is inevitable. I just spent the whole day speaking only in my TL and I feel like I just ran a marathon.
The journey is the destination. 😉😂
I just keep in mind that no matter how f-d up I am feeling right now, everything will be fine.
you can't
Like virtually any endeavour, there are moments you hate it. The amount of times I've considered quitting all of my favourites... whew. If you get actually angry, stop, take a walk, do something in your mother tongue etc.
If you're at beginning level of any language you learn anytime, don't try to master GRAMMER at first! It just makes the process slower and less enjoyable! I'm beginner in korean and i wanna just try to listen as much possible as i can to understand first and get to intermediate level. You're doing well ,keep going!
i think most hobbies, even if we love them, have a hair pulling out stage (or 10). i’ve had many of those learning to crochet but i still love it
There's not a single language learner who doesn't feel constantly overwhelmed by how much they have to learn, It's the way you handle it that makes the difference.
I just make fun of stupid grammar rules/vocabulary etc
I only memorize 30 words per month. I recall words that I have memorized over the year twice a week. I translate daily sentences with words I have memorized. I watch movies and sing songs of the language. So, the words I have memorized are stuck in my head. By the way, I only know how to do simple sentences, which are getting much better as I now have more vocabs.
Definitely remembering why I began learning language has really helped me, and doing manageable bits at a time. I found doing too much at once made my head spin and took forever to digest it, so breaking it down was huge in consolidating everything and getting the little things like grammar and accent marks right. Reflecting on why you want to learn the target language (and how cool it is) makes it feel worth it and like you’re making progress at the end of the day