As I shared with you in my last blog post I sat in over 20 language courses for about 15 different languages over the course of 20 years. Here are a few of the mistakes I made and learned from and which my online German courses help you to avoid without having to do anything.
1. The Lack of Structure and Interesting Content
The worst mistake I made was that I didn’t follow a consistent structure long enough. I had book courses like Assimil and Langenscheidt or Pons, sat in live language classes and even played with Rosetta Stone (they were the frontrunner back in the 2000’s) and later Memrise and Anki before Duolingo, Babbel and Busuu showed up. I tried these too, of course.
But I got bored pretty quickly with the content. The structure was nice to have but on its own it wouldn’t really do much to me and while my motivation was always strong in the beginning I felt it drain after a few months if not weeks of working with them. So I started course jumping which today I still see many students doing.
2. The Lack of Continuity, Not Discipline
I was at first always infatuated with any new language I had to tackle but the initial high only lasted so long and when the honeymoon was over, I became sloppier and sloppier. I skipped a day here, an exercise there and soon the flow ebbed out, and studying the language became more and more of a struggle. It’s obvious to me today that this isn’t how one runs a marathon but back then I simply lacked this experience and knowledge of how we actually learn languages.
You might think that a bit of discipline would have helped overcome this but in my experience, whenever a student says “I need more discipline” what they imagine is them punishing themselves for not performing according to their unrealistic expectations. I can assure you that you don’t need even a tiny bit of discipline to learn German or at least not the kind of discipline that you can consciously add to your learning routine. The moment you want to apply discipline consciously you are already doomed and should reach out to me and I’ll help you see what you are doing so that your misery finds a quick end.
3. The Lack of Proper Practice
The older ones among you (50+) will remember those grammar drills where one only had to put in one word in a sentence or phrase with a gap looking something like this:
a) Peter _____ (go) to school at 8 am.
This kind of exercise is still popular among learners due to the lack of training of their teachers.
Learning Grammar Rules or Just Passing Exams?
It is a scientific fact that this kind of exercise will make you better at only one thing: doing this kind of exercise. The only benefit I can find is that of a Placebo (meaning: I please [the Lord]) and for that reason, I will add some exercises of this nature to my courses at one point. But with a big warning that one should not feel sufficiently prepared by having done a bunch of such exercises.) The other kinds of exercises were also often too little structured, too stiff in nature (especially those fake dialogues that one had to practice with one’s mate), were random and taken out of any context other than a grammatical one, and provided not sufficient – if any – feedback.
4. The Lack of Interest in the Language’s Culture
Learning a language for the sake of studying it is totally fine and can get you a long way but for the most of us it will be simply impossible to master it if there’s not enough interest in the country, people or culture that speak this language or are based on it. I was and still am always first interested in the different kind of people of any language that I’m fluent in. Other languages like Old-Mongolian didn’t really strike me as languages worth pursuing beyond the required level at university as I simply wasn’t interested enough in the history of the Turks.
Though if I had had the pleasure of taking more seminars with Herr Schönig, I might as well have become an expert in that language by today. Lucky for you that didn’t happen 😉
Culture is a vast term and includes so many topics that it should be no problem to find a few things that you could put your focus on if you wanted. Of course, there are also many ugly parts of a foreign culture or let’s say it more accurately, things that I simply can’t get on board with due to my own cultural, moral and social upbringing. And that’s fine. If there’s a hair in your soup, simply take it out and enjoy your soup. There’s enough left of it to enjoy even after you have removed a whole wig from it. So, Guten Appetit.
Here’s a thesis for you to ponder on: If we were able to let go of our educational and cultural programming, there would not be a single language that most people wouldn’t like to explore.
5. Not Realizing I was Running a Marathon
It took me years to realize that learning any language is actually like running a marathon and that one has to train for it. For a minority of humans it’s a Kinderspiel in the sense that they are extremely gifted or just smart enough to figure out how to hack this process.
Most polyglots belong to this category. But that’s really just a minority. Easily 99% of learners learn a language the long and hard way and are often not even especially good at it and yet manage to get to an agreeable level of competence.
If only there was a way to learn a language the smart way, language learning would enjoy a far better reputation than it does today. And people would stop blaming themselves for failing at it “I’m just not very good with languages”.
6. Some Minor Time Wasters
Let me just list a few more things I did that I consider a waste of time today. If you got time to waste, all good but if time is precious to you as it is for me, this might ring home:
Looking up every word
When reading books in another language I always looked up too many words because my mind needed to know every word to feel at peace. Over time I let go of that habit and only looked up crucial words and reading has become a joy again instead of being a chore.
Using a mono-lingual dictionary
I was taught that from a certain level onwards it would be beneficial to use a mono-lingual dictionary. That’s one that explains unknown English words with simpler English words. And there were some example sentences for each word as well. Those dictionaries were huge and heavy back then. But that wasn’t their problem.
Drawing on Knowledge of Your Native Language or Solving a Puzzle?
Their problem was that they are utterly useless, with the exception of the sample sentences maybe. Monolingual language tuition is scientifically proven to be slowing you down significantly (see Butzkamm, Dodson et al.) and to cause confusion as one can never be fully in the clear about a words meaning when it’s explained in a language one does not fully understand yet instead of providing a simple translation for a word or phrase.
Sticking too long with what doesn’t work
Like in relationships, some of us tend to hang onto things for too long that one has invested a lot of money or time already. So if you booked a six months German classes package from your local language school to save 20% on the fees but realize after 2 months that something isn’t working, you are more likely to see the remaining 4 months through despite already knowing that it will not be worth your money and time.
Here’s a motto I always repeat: money can always be made again, time can’t. And yes, you need time to make money but it’s still a lot smarter to quit a bad German class or end working with a tutor one knows isn’t working out than to hurt one’s motivation by dragging oneself through.
Trust your feelings: if it doesn’t feel right, address it and see whether you can fix it and if not, end it and look for something better. On the bright side, despite all these mistakes, I still managed to become fluent in Polish and English and I still enjoyed the language-learning process a lot for a while in any language I set out to study. After all, we are learning machines and it really takes a lot of effort or incompetence to defeat our innate desire to learn.
How my Courses Help with These Problems
My online German courses are all designed with these mistakes in mind. Of course, they are also based on all the things I did well in the past when it came to learning new things.
You’ll find a solid and effective learning structure, compelling content (three criminal stories in A1-B1), various exercises training your grammar, sentence structure and vocab and all your skills – even speaking freely at one point – interesting bits about the German culture (B2, C1) and my personal learning and teaching philosophy pointed out to you on crucial points so that all you got to do is to trust my lead and the learning process in order to enjoy what there is to enjoy.
I’m not saying that it won’t be a lot of work but the amount of work is never the real problem. It’s the amount of energy one has to put in and the level of pleasure that one derives from this work that decide whether or not one reaches their desired goal.
Are you ready to reach your goal of mastering the German language and to let me support you until you get there? Then check out my online German courses and our language journey begins today.
FAQs about difficulties language learners face
Here are also some of the most frequently asked questions about learning a foreign language and common mistakes language learners tend to make
What are the 5 causes of errors in language learning?
Errors in language learning can arise from inadequate recognition of grammar rules, challenges in recognizing patterns, reliance on the native language, insufficient practice, and the reluctance to make mistakes.
What are the developmental errors in language learning?
Developmental errors in language learning encompass challenges like mastering a new writing system, understanding complex grammar concepts, and grappling with word order, verb conjugations, and pronunciation in the target language.
What is one common mistake people make when learning new words?
A common mistake is a lack of consistent practice when learning vocabulary. To avoid this, dedicate time to practice regularly, watch movies in the target language, and start speaking to native speakers to enhance word retention, as well as your listening skills.
What is the #1 hardest language to learn?
Determining the #1 hardest language to learn is subjective, but Mandarin Chinese is often considered challenging, being a tonal language with a complex writing system and significant differences from languages that use the Latin alphabet. However, it is a widely spoken and beautiful language worth learning despite these challenges.
What is the roughest language in the world?
The concept of the “roughest” language is subjective. However, languages with complex grammar and pronunciation, like Arabic or Russian (written in the Arabic and Cyrillic alphabet respectively), may be perceived as challenging.
What are the top 10 hardest languages to learn?
Determining the top 10 hardest languages varies, but languages like Arabic, Hungarian, Finnish, and Icelandic are often considered challenging due to unique grammar rules, unfamiliar writing systems, and distinct linguistic features.
Summing Up: My Worst Language Learning Mistakes
To avoid typical language learning pitfalls, our SmarterGerman courses have been strategically designed to harness the most effective ways of mastering German.
By taking advantage of structured learning, staying motivated, and embracing the language learning journey, learners can conquer any foreign language and overcome the most common mistakes with guided support and tailored insights.