Why effectively learning a foreign language is difficult

Learning something new is already fairly difficult. We aren't always receptive to new ideas, and new education is often met with resistance. A foreign language is no different. We want to revert back to our native and more familiar tongue when attempting to speak a different language. It's hard to truly commit. In this article, we'll take a look at just why learning another language is so difficult.

1. Unfamiliarity.

In another language, we know none of the words. Key vocabulary is foreign to us. Idioms and expressions that a citizen might use make no sense in the context of learning. Even memorizing the most simple vocabulary when starting can be a tough task. Students can overcome these language barriers by practicing and speaking these new words out loud. This helps people get more comfortable with what the language.

2. A Different Grammar.

In German, nouns are assigned genders. Verbs need to be conjugated properly. There are certain rules associated with the cases of prepositions. Adjectives need to include the proper endings to combine with nouns correctly.

That's a lot of rules, and those are just a few. Every language has their own and this long list of rules can be difficult to overcome.

3. Memory Retention.

The longer you go without using something, the more you forget about it. The same principle applies when it comes to a foreign language. If you don't speak it, you'll forget it over time. That makes it very hard to have knowledge and mastery of multiple languages at one time.

4. Time Required.

To truly acquire the skills necessary to succeed with another language, one needs to invest a large amount of time. This time can be spent speaking, studying grammar, studying vocabulary, studying verb tenses, or analyzing structure. In any case, all of these activities need to be done on a regular basis for a student to accomplish true mastery.

It's hard to commit to an activity for so long, but that's absolutely what needs to be done for a foreign language.

People shouldn't be intimidated by the difficulties. They should instead embrace the challenge and look to learn about the foreign language that they wish they could speak.