Debunking Language Learning Myths
7 language learning myths that are holding you back and what actually works, from a polyglot educator
Welcome, aspiring polyglot! There are hundreds of language learning strategies that can be found all over the internet. Many of them seek to push your buttons and FOMO (fear of missing out) is one of those buttons. That is where many of the language learning myths come from and they are often more destructive than helpful. After all, it can be difficult to want to study a new language when you have been convinced you will lose it should you stop using it. While it is certainly true that you will have a better experience if you never stop, you do not need to worry about losing it, unless you decide to never return to your language studies. Oh, and 10 minutes per day is not enough.
No, 10 minutes per day is not enough
The amount of people who have come to believe they can learn a language with only 10 minutes per day is astounding. As great as that would be, it is simply not true. Reality dictates that you need at least one hour of dedicated study every day in order to develop your language skills. Of course, if you are intent on sticking to 10 minutes per day just know you will need to do that for a couple of years in order to get anywhere. Second language acquisition is no easy feat, it is going to demand your time and energy, but not all of that time needs to be active learning.
You can get tons of passive learning done through simply placing emphasis on your listening comprehension. Pay attention to music, listen to audiobooks, listen to podcasts. All of these things will help you in the short and long term, but if you can sit down and focus on the content you will make even greater progress. When you are only listening you can pick out key words and their correct usage, you can pick out a new word and hear what is sounds like in practice. Sitting down and writing these things down will make everything stick.
As you can imagine, writing is where things begin to clearly take more time. You can only write so much in ten minutes, but if that is all you do then it is better than nothing. It is incredible how writing a few sentences can help increase your understanding of different vocabulary words and grammar rules in a variety of contexts. However, you may find that when you start writing it is difficult to stop. Looking up new words and finding an example of a new grammar concept is going to take time, far more than ten minutes most of the time.
If you can only manage ten minutes on a given day then it will certainly be better than nothing. As a general rule, though, try to give yourself at least an hour per day. Working with a foreign language is unique in that, even if you stop you will always have more understanding than if you had never seen it in your life. You will not lose it if you do not use it, but going too many days without studying can be disheartening. The best language learners do everything in their power to never go more than a couple days away from their target language. Either way, use it or lose it is probably the most pervasive language learning myth.
Use it or lose it
The problem with this particular myth is that there is a hint of truth to it. Worse, it is possible to make it true of your own accord. If you never use it then you are invariably going to lose it. Fortunately, it is rather simple to avoid this mistake. Not only that, but it is also possible to overcome the "lose it" part if you are truly willing to put in the work. Your language is not lost, it is dormant. If you are willing to put in the work, it is completely possible to revive your language skills. This way you can avoid starting a new language at square one. Foreign languages are difficult, but starting from the beginning is even more daunting.
Language learning becomes more difficult with age, this happens for a few reasons. At the same time, you should have a better understanding of what your learning style looks like and how you can leverage different language learning strategies. Do not be afraid to dive back into a foreign language you studied in school, your language is lying dormant, it is not gone. I have seen several people return to languages they had not touched in decades only to find their stride relatively quickly. If that sounds like something you want to try and make happen in your life, you can find the roadmap here:
If it comes down to it, using it does only take ten minutes. No, you will not makes tons of progress with only ten minutes per day. You will, however, be able to "keep it" with only ten minutes. Ideally you mix in some additional vocabulary and maybe even some grammar, but if you only have ten minutes, that is better than having none. You do not need to be concerned about losing your language skills, especially if you have ten spare minutes in your day.
There are different levels of vocabulary words
Learning a ton of vocabulary when you are getting started and throughout your second language acquisition is crucial. Use the vocabulary you use in your first language. If 9 out of the 10 new words you learn are words that you use on a regular basis, speaking will be far easier. There is no such thing as "beginners" vocabulary. Having gatekeeping for levels to vocabulary helps no one and it would be best to approach all vocabulary as something that will be useful for you. That said, learning how to correctly express a couple different verb tenses is always a worthwhile way to expand your competencies while adding new words to your repertoire.
When it comes to choosing which verbs to learn, many teachers focus on the irregulars. While there is merit to learning irregular verbs, trying to remember the normal conjugations on top of all the irregulars will be difficult. You will come up against irregulars, but if you let it happen naturally rather than seek them out you will have more retention space for the verbs and words you actually use every day. With that said, it is rarely worthwhile to memorize the genders of words.
For the most part, people will know what you are saying irrespective of whether or not you use the correct article. Memorizing articles is a waste of time. You will learn what is what and how they work together as you use the language more. Until then, worrying about whether or not you have it right is not necessary. When you are speaking it will be almost impossible to tell anyway and when you are writing you can take the time to verify. Until then, including word genders and articles in your comprehensible input is probably not worth your time.
It takes years to develop your language skills
There is no world in which it should take you years to learn a foreign language. You should be able to develop your communication strategies in a small amount of time. Self evaluation can be difficult, but if you focus on your speaking and writing you will notice your progress. The reason writing and speaking move the needle the most is because those are the two that require you think. When you are reading you are just translating in your head. Same thing goes for when you are listening. But when you are trying to write you must come up with the words on your own.
Doing these things will all but ensure it does not take you years to learn a new language. Of course, that is highly dependent on what your goals are when it comes to second language acquisition. Conversational is an excellent goal, but if that is not your idea of fluency then you need to be more specific with your language learning goals. For some help on that be sure to check out this article.
Keeping in mind that it should never take years to learn a language, try to remember that there will always be room for improvement. Most people do not even speak their first language perfectly, so there is no reason to chase perfection in your target language. As long as you practice and speak every day you will quickly realize that you can speak with anyone sooner than you expected. Public education has really destroyed the view of how long second language acquisition should take. When you are learning a new language, try to set your deadlines so that you reach some level of fluency in under a year.
Conclusion
Language learning myths provide students with a misconception of what language acquisition is. When you understand the things people get wrong, you can focus on what moves the needle the most. Whether it is basic phrases or complex sentences, a large vocabulary will increase your comprehension. An hour a day is the minimum requirement if you want to take your language learning seriously. It takes time to hone your skill, you cannot do it in ten minutes a day. However, if you are truly afraid of losing it, then you only need 10 minutes to ensure you keep it.
Learning a foreign language is no easy feat, it will be difficult irrespective of how you approach it. These myths will never serve you, though. Focus on the things you can control and remember why certain things became myths in the first place. Many language teachers will want to keep you as a student for as long as possible.
The public school system insists it should take years to begin speaking a new language. It will be difficult to become proficient in one year, but you can do difficult things and be great, so continue to do difficult things and be great. I will be here by your side endeavoring to do the same.
If this post made you rethink your approach, the next step is replacing what isn’t working. My free downloadable PDFs give you exercises and frameworks that no app provides, real output practice designed to get you speaking, not just tapping.
Want to skip the trial-and-error entirely? My private students go from zero to conversational in 12 weeks with a course built around their goals, their schedule, and their life. See what that looks like.