Falling in love with language learning is a choice that must be strengthened day after day to reap the best rewards. Undoubtedly, you will face obstacles and, perhaps, fall. However, the important thing is the attitude and the stance you take to get back up and continue chasing your dreams.
How to fall in love with language learning?
There are several ways to fall in love with language learning. It all depends on how much you want it and how determined you are about your goals in life (both work-related and personal).
Are you looking for a way to fall in love with language learning? Here are 8 ways you can if you really put your mind to it:
1. Accept their imperfections
It works like in a love relationship: the first step to fall in love with someone is to accept them as they are, with their flaws and imperfections, as well as their qualities and merits.
Focusing on learning languages according to the model of your mother tongue can lead to frustration. Indeed, each language has its own unique and irreplaceable grammatical patterns.
Just as there is no such thing as a perfect report, there is no such thing as a ‘regular’ language. Focus on learning the rules and applying the exceptions, only then will you be able to understand and learn languages successfully.
2. Commit to the learning process
As in any kind of relationship, the key to falling in love with language learning lies in commitment. Therefore, the best thing you can do is to remain consistent and eager to strengthen your relationship with the language you are trying to learn.
3. Address your “problems” with the language
Although they may seem insignificant, you should always try to resolve your ‘tensions’ with the language. In general, you will often find that you have difficulty enriching your vocabulary, or memorising the meaning of certain expressions.
However, there is no reason to think that every effort is useless. Take the time to rest a little, and keep on with the same motivation that made you learn languages in the first place.
4. Consolidate memories
Remembering important events with the language you are learning will strengthen your relationship with it (just like with your loved ones or partner). Celebrating your achievements in the process of learning a foreign language will help you to stay motivated.
You can do this in a variety of situations, such as using an expression in the right way, ordering food without communication problems in a restaurant, or having a conversation with a native speaker of the foreign language. Just focus on recognising and enjoying every little progress you make during the learning process.
5. Find new friends supporting your learning
Even if there is a commitment between you and the language you are falling in love with, there should always be room for new friendships. Remember to take every opportunity to grow as an individual and learning a new language is no exception.
You can start your lessons with a single teacher, which is ideal for consolidating the basics of the language you are learning. However, we recommend that you open yourself up to new horizons. Therefore, you should consider talking to other people and learning from them.
Keep in mind that each individual has particular ways of speaking and, therefore, to speak fluently you will need to assimilate the particular differences within the same language.
6. Focus on long-term goals
Continuing with the romantic analogies, if you take your relationship seriously, you must strive to be worthy of that love. The same goes for learning foreign languages.
If you want to be fluent in a language to add value to your career and life, you need to focus on your long-term goals. In this way, you will be able to overcome the task of memorising grammar rules and tables with the different verb conjugations, for example.
7. Develop a passion for learning
When a person loves you, he or she will dedicate a thought to you. You cannot, therefore, renounce this gesture to show your gratitude and affection. In fact, learning a foreign language also means doing each act with love and care.
If you spend at least 10-15 minutes a day listening to a podcast or reading a magazine, for example, you will contribute to improving the learning relationship.
8. Don’t give up your commitment for anything in the world
Inconveniences, misunderstandings, unpleasant and unexpected situations can appear even in the most stable relationship. If we bring this into the field of language learning, you will notice that you will often encounter difficulties that will make you seriously consider throwing in the towel.
Before making any decisions, think about the reasons why you fell in love with the language you are learning. There, you will probably find many reasons not to give up, and to continue to cultivate your learning with patience and a lot of willpower.
Don’t forget that on the journey of learning new languages you may find many obstacles. However, don’t give up and you will see that continuing to strive for your goals will guarantee your success.
