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As a language learner, you probably know already that the process isnât easy. There are lots of times when youâll make mistakes and this is entirely natural.
However, there are times when you make big mistakes in language learning and this can impede progression. Eventually, a lack of progression can make some people choose to give up.
So, what are these errors in language learning and how can we overcome them? In this article, weâll discuss 12 common mistakes in language learning and provide solutions to help you get over them. Letâs go.
1. Setting unrealistic goals
As the English idiom goes, practice makes perfect. One of the biggest errors in language learning is expecting to master a new language in a matter of months. The reality is vastly different. While you can make huge progress in months, it is unrealistic to expect to be fluent so soon.
When you have unrealistic expectations, it can be off-putting and make you want to give up. Think of language learning as training for a marathon. A marathon runner will spend weeks and months building up their training schedule to include more and more running and longer and longer distances.
Language learning is the same. Just like you wonât be able to run a marathon with only a few weeks’ training under your belt, you wonât be able to speak a new language that quickly either.
Solution: Set achievable goals
To progress well and feel happy with your progression, take a look at exactly what it is you want to achieve and set yourself an achievable target.
SMART targets are a great way to look at language learning. If youâre unfamiliar with the SMART acronym, it stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. Define these parameters within your language learning journey and youâll be much happier.
2. Only relying upon one method of learning
Mistakes in language learning are much more frequent when youâre only learning in one way. There are lots of different ways to learn a language but sticking to one method is a big mistake for many. Some people concentrate on listening and repeating new vocabulary, some focus intently on learning the ins and outs of every grammar point, and some just learn by copying out of a book.
When you only rely upon one way of learning, you donât make as much progress and you also get bored very quickly. This can put you off learning and youâre more likely to give up.
Solution: Use multiple methods of learning
When you donât just stick to one method of learning, you get to practise all sorts of different skills. For progress (and to avoid boredom!), you should practise listening, reading, writing, and speaking regularly and also try to incorporate different concepts and interesting things into your learning, like cultural elements, for example.
3. Not speaking
Arguably one of the most crucial mistakes in language learning is not speaking. You come across people who spend ages learning vocabulary, completing grammar exercises, and even reading texts, and yet, they wonât be able to follow or be involved in a simple conversation.
Presumably, most people learn a new language to be able to speak it so this can seem baffling! The truth is, no matter how well you know grammar and how many words you know, you need to practise speaking to become fluent.
Sometimes people are afraid or embarrassed to speak because they donât want to get it wrong or look stupid, but this is hindering your endeavours. You just canât learn a language properly if you donât speak it ever.
Solution: Seek opportunities to speak the language
Whether this is online or in person, itâs important to find someone willing to have a conversation with you in the language. Ideally, this would be a native speaker but it could also be someone who is learning too.
Language learning resources like apps and online tutoring sites such as italki and Preply can also help.
4. Not listening
When I was a teacher, the one skill that most of my students found the most difficult (and, as a result, hated) was listening. This is why many language learners avoid listening activities; itâs extremely easy to get overwhelmed by the speed and accent. However, this is one of the biggest errors in language learning.
After all, if you donât practise listening, your ears arenât going to be attuned to what native speakers are saying to you when youâre in the country. Thereâs no point being able to speak a language well if you canât understand what others are saying to you!
Solution: Look for a variety of listening activities
Listening doesnât just have to be you sitting down with a recording and answering questions. There are so many different ways of listening to the language youâre learning â and lots of them can be low-key and fun.
Why not try watching some programs on Netflix in the language or listening to the radio? There are so many valuable resources online too and now lots of videos offer subtitles to help you when it gets a little tough. Apps like Pimsleur and FluentU also provide lots of listening practice.
5. Sticking to whatâs taught in the classroom
When youâre learning a language there are no hard and fast rules about the topics you need to learn. Ok, so you might be working towards an exam with a specific syllabus, but that doesnât mean you canât have fun and learn the language on the topics that really interest you.
One of the biggest mistakes in language learning is not going beyond the textbook. Some teachers are guilty of this too â if itâs not on the prescribed list of vocabulary set by the exam board, they wonât teach it. But the world is so much wider than an exam syllabus!
Solution: Learn about what interests you
Youâll learn so much more about the language if youâre interested in it. Your teacher and textbook are a great starting point but thatâs not where language learning should end.
If you have a hobby, for example, why not try to pursue it in the new language? If itâs cooking, follow some native recipes. If you need to learn the language for work and youâre in a specific industry, learn the words youâll need for your job.
Even if your hobby is something like watching TikTok videos, try to follow content creators who speak the language youâre learning.
6. Translating directly
This is a hard thing to let go over but many foreign language learners get by translating language directly from their first language into the new language. Doing this opens you up to all sorts of grammar and syntax errors, let alone mistakes like idioms that simply canât be translated.
If you wrote il pleut des chiens and des chat in French (literally, itâs raining cats and dogs), you wouldnât be at all understood. This is because it rains ropes in France!
Always translating directly as you go brings up heaps of problems and youâre more likely to forget things like the correct word order.
Solution: Be conscious when creating sentences and check for idioms
When youâre writing something in a new language, donât jump straight to the dictionary to look up every word. Go back through your notes for examples you can adapt so that you know youâre going to be saying something accurate. This can make a huge difference to the result.
7. Not adapting the learning to your style
When I was at the start of my teaching career fifteen years ago, there was a big push on learning styles. The idea was that students would learn better if the lesson were tailored to their preferred learning styles and so as teachers, we had to make sure that every lesson contained something visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic in each lesson.
This theory, however, has since been heavily criticised as a âneuromythâ and there is no concrete evidence to suggest it actually works.
That said, when youâre learning a language, you should think about how you learn best and adapt your approach accordingly. When it comes to language learning, there is no one-size-fits-all approach.
Solution: Consider how best you learn and do more of your learning that way
So, weâre not going to resurrect the VAK principles here, but all learners should still consider what helps them to learn best. Do you enjoy reading? Then, you should read more in the language. Are you a big fan of rock music? Listen to French rock music. Do you need to see things lots of times before it stays in your memory? Build in lots of repetition in your learning.
Understanding what works well for you will help you create the best learning method for you to make progress more quickly.
8. Not learning the language sounds
If youâre at the beginning of your language learning journey it can be easy to try to skip the âboringâ bits and get on with learning words and phrases. However, one of the most common mistakes in language learning is not learning the sounds of the language and how the letters are pronounced either individually or together.
Reading and writing tend to be the most enticing but every language has a unique sound and youâll make much more progress if youâre able to understand and repeat the sounds early on.
Solution: Learn pronunciation rules and a few exceptions
Some languages are phonetic (like Spanish) so itâs fairly easy to learn how to pronounce the sounds and any new words that follow. Others (like French) arenât so easy, but that doesnât mean you should bypass learning the sounds of the language.
Consider things like nasal tones and trills etc. The sooner you master those tricky sounds, the more natural youâll sound when speaking the language.
9. Concentrating on the wrong topics
If youâre teaching yourself the language, it can be hard to know where to start. Some people learn languages because they want to travel and explore a country where the language is spoken and so jump straight in at topics that they want to be able to talk about, for example, ordering meals and drinks.
However, before you can get to that topic, there are lots of things youâll need to learn first. Being able to order food and drinks requires a base that includes greetings, formal language, numbers, plurals, agreements, verbs, questions, and food and drink vocabulary.
Solution: Create a base of transferrable vocabulary that can be used in lots of different situations
When you start learning a new language, itâs a good idea to learn things like greetings, numbers, colours, family members, and key verbs like want, can, have, be, do, like, love, hate, take, etc. Together, you can say lots of things with only a few new words learnt.
10. Not building up useful sentence vocabulary
Building on topics, one of the most frequent errors in language learning is not building up a list of common words and phrases. Things like Iâm sorry, excuse me, can you repeat that?, please, thank you are all really useful as common phrases.
However, lots of people forget the little words that really matter like and, but, with, in, after, before, etc.
Solution: Create a list of sentence vocabulary and learn it
All of these small words and phrases are so useful and they often donât tie in with any specific topic. As a result, many people donât know where to record them and just forget where they are.
If you have a language notebook, create a special page to note down useful sentence vocabulary for all of those words and phrases that can be used in any topic.
11. Concentrating on grammar too much
Personally, I love grammar! However, one of the main mistakes in language learning is spending too much time focusing on grammar.
Unless youâre sitting an important exam, native speakers will often understand you, even with poor grammar. Just think about how easily you understand someone foreign whoâs trying to speak English.
Learning complex grammar and all its intricacies will come with time, but as a beginner, itâs not something you should focus on intently.
Solution: Communicate freely without perfection
It can be hard to let go of perfection but the truth is, many people make grammar mistakes in their own language all of the time. Walk around any city in the UK and youâre likely to hear things like I should have took instead of taken or I have went instead of I have gone.
When learning a new language, the most important thing to concentrate on is communicating a message.
12. Worrying too much about pronunciation
It took me years to be able to pronounce the French âRâ sound. When a language has sounds that arenât in your native language, it can be really hard to learn them. Some people will never get there â but that doesnât mean they wonât be understood.
Solution: Practise and listen, but donât worry about it
When you develop your language skills, youâll find that pronunciation comes along naturally. The more you listen and repeat, the better it will be. However, it doesnât have to be perfect, just comprehensible to a native speaker.
Final thoughts
Learning a new language is never easy and it will take a lot of dedication. Hopefully, youâre now aware of 12 common mistakes in language learning that you can avoid. The most important thing is to keep on learning and never give up on a bad day!