Regardless of age, anyone can learn to write, read and speak a foreign language. When you start learning as an adult, you will no longer become an expert in Italian or French. However, that doesn’t change the fact that you can become proficient in a new language. Remember that learning is a process. You cannot master a language in 5 minutes, but in a year you can
First of all, lower your expectations. Children or teenagers are always in a better position than older people. They have a more flexible mind and less things on their mind. Does this mean that you will not reach the top of your dreams? Not really. It all depends on our attitude. We shouldn’t delude ourselves that in our adult life we will learn perfect pronunciation or change our accent. But what is it for? Learning a foreign language should be fun and practical. In this case, you need to learn to communicate with other people, not look at your mistakes, shortcomings and perfect accent. Take it easy and lower your bar. It will be much easier for you to achieve your goal
Although children absorb knowledge and memorize quickly, they also tend to get distracted more often. Moreover, they do not want to participate in lessons of their own free will. They are supervised by their parents, on whom some of the duties connected with additional lessons fall. Adults, on the other hand, although they do not have such plastic memory, are simply much more motivated. When we choose lessons, we do so of our own free will. We pay for them with our own money. All of this makes us more determined to achieve our goals. An hour a week of private lessons is not that little. Additionally, you have the opportunity to spend a few minutes a day on vocabulary or short grammar. An adult will organize everything so that after a year he/she will speak fluently and you don’t have to force him/her to do it. Children, although more capable, are characterized by laziness and the desire to constantly play, which makes foreign language lessons not so effective
Remember that you know one language quite proficiently, and that is your native language. You know how you learned it. Through years of practice, exercises, phone calls and listening to other people around you. This has given you quite a large vocabulary. A foreign language should be learned the same way. It’s not just grammar and speaking lessons in language school, but also reading newspapers, blogs, books and watching foreign language movies and series. Soak up the language with every sense and you will find it much easier to assimilate. Remember to do it consciously. Moreover, you have years of various schools and courses behind you. You know how to learn effectively and what you find most difficult. Take advantage of that. This will make your learning much more enjoyable and easier. You finally know how to go about it
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This is another thing that makes it much easier for an adult to learn a foreign language. It is perspective. You realize that learning is a journey, not a momentary spurt. You know how to plan your day so that you have time for everything. You understand that it won’t take you 2 months to learn, but 24, so you don’t become impatient or bored. There are a lot of things that you won’t know even after 5 years of learning a language. Make the process enjoyable for you. Remember that a foreign language is a window to the world and culture and a path to a better job. It is a tool that will open many different doors for you. It is worth taking advantage of these opportunities. It’s much easier for an adult to understand the privilege that comes with learning. It keeps her motivated to take action and keep improving herself. This is a big advantage over younger people, so there’s no need to give up. Roll up your sleeves and get to work! You can learn a foreign language at any age!
