Nowadays there are a lot of misbeliefs about language learning. A lot of them are on Youtube in a format of tutorial or even on TEDtalks.

Picture taken from: learnoutlive.com

What are the common misbeliefs about language learning ?

You can learn a new language only in 20 days

This is a well known pick-up line for someone who is starting with learning a new language.

After few phrases that would be offer to you, you are going to see that it is not so possible without hard work to make this dream happen.

Language learning is all about hard work that includes: pronunciation workouts, vocabulary, grammar and live talking.

It can happen that someone who is talented and already speaks two or three languages can learn easily the next one, but that is rare.

As human beings we like to believe and that is why we are believing also in this prophecy.

“This child already speaks three or thirty languages like native”

This is really a common mistake of them all. The children are prone to language learning because they like to repeat things other people say.

So, why would it be so hard for someone age 3 to repeat all the silly questions and answers on some foreign language.

I beat that these children can’t say :

“Hey, let’s go out and have some fun playing with our new expensive toys..”

No, they can only say things like :

“I am 3 years old and I don’t piss in my pants anymore.”

The last sentence is there for fun.

Same thing is with adults

They can only say the few phrases that they already learned like a song or recital.

You can’t learn foreign language only buy watching TV

Unfortunately not. Maybe you can learn to speak and hear good but writing is going to be a huge problem.

I had a lot of experience with students who have learned German language only by watching TV but they couldn’t write good.

In order to master a foreign language, you have to master all four skills and not just some of them.

You have to read, speak, listen and write that foreign language.

Only after mastering these skills you are going to feel confident in using this foreign language.

A truth for the end: Learning a language has no end

Yes, there is no the end in learning a language. You are going to learn a foreign language every day by speaking with foreigners just like you are learning some new things everyday when you speak your native language.

Ever year there are contests for the “word of the year” and for the new words, so it is normal that every year there are more and more new words. And you should learn them.