Our Biggest Flaw When Learning a Language And How to Fix It

What exactly gets us so intrigued when learning any language at all? Everyone is different, but in some cases, it’s thriving off of the sense of our own lack of knowledge — subconsciously, our knowledge-hungry brain is begging for more input to learn a language hoping we’ll master it soon enough. Anyone will tell you, the best time to learn a language is now. Gone are the days of the pocket dictionary. We have the technology and instant digital media without having to travel to another country to learn a language. It’s never been easier. Although there are major flaws we make when it comes to learning a new language as technology progresses, just by the nature of who we are as a society.

One of the major problems is that we may not be setting goals for ourselves. The question doesn’t just become “How can I learn this language?” it’s “How much can I realistically improve in the language I’m learning?” While we live in the perfect era to learn a language with the technology we’re given today, it’s also an unfortunate reality that we’ve grown accustomed to believing you’re too old to learn, or we’re overtaken by the mindless doomscrolling and a shortening attention span thanks to Twitter, TikTok, and clickbait titles on YouTube. It’s almost as if people now believe there’s a short arbitrary barrier of time to learn a language in full, and if you don’t meet it, therefore you’ve failed, because you see a popular YouTuber learning a language in “24 hours”. Both mindsets are simply untrue and it might take a while to get out of that mindset.

Learning a language — depending on how committed you are to it — is something that takes time and dedication. Setting a goal for a certain date to acquire a level of the language becomes a necessity. If you’re not setting a realistic goal, you’re not practicing the language every day, and you’re not evolving or expanding your learning curve to its maximum potential. On the other hand, if you develop unrealistic expectations — like trying to learn a language in your sleep, it’s just as bad as not setting goals for yourself.

While it’s true you can learn pieces or a decent amount of any language within a very short amount of time, or a month or two, small portions are not enough to be proficient at a high level — if that’s what you’re aiming…