10 Mistakes People Make When Learning a New Language

Learning a new language is challenging and takes time. There’s no way around it; otherwise, everyone would be a polyglot.

But I’ve noticed that a lot of people study in a way that makes it 100 times harder and slower than it has to be.

In fact, some mistakes increase the likelihood that you’ll throw in the towel and never touch language learning again.

I have identified ten common mistakes that hinder and slow down your progress and learning. Luckily, these mistakes can be avoided easily by simply being aware of them.

Before I continue, let me point out that these mistakes aren’t exclusive to beginners. People like myself, who have studied languages for over 30 years, sometimes slip up and fall into some of these traps.

So, without further ado, here are ten common mistakes people make when learning a new language!

1. Lack of consistency

Learning a new language is all about consistency, and this is where most beginners fall.

I see it time and time again: people studying diligently for a month and then slowing down with longer and longer gaps between lessons. All of a sudden, they haven’t studied for over a month.

Usually, beginners are extremely motivated initially, so they study for several hours a day. But that motivation slowly fades away, along with exhaustion from the intensive schedule – so they stop and give up. Two months later they are energized again and start over.

Before learning a new language, it’s important to understand that this is a marathon, not a sprint. Slow and consistent is always better than quick and inconsistent.

You have to consider your discipline, motivation and energy levels when planning your studies. Do not push it.

Make a schedule for when you will study and stick with it. For example, 30 minutes every evening or 60 minutes every second day.

2. Searching for the perfect method

When I was young, we didn’t have social media or Google. If you wanted to learn a language, you had to use your textbook or not learn at all.

Today, information is so easily accessible that it has become a problem.

Imagine that you are in an ice cream shop with two flavors to choose from: vanilla or chocolate. I bet it’s an easy choice for you.

Now imagine if you had 100 different flavors and types of ice cream to choose from. Suddenly, the choice would be less obvious.

This is called “the paradox of choice.”

In the world of language learning, there are so many methods, applications, and techniques to choose from. I can see that many people are struggling with this.

I often read forum posts by people who can’t decide which method to follow or which app to use. They have tried them all but can’t find “the best one” – so they keep changing methods.

Students sometimes know more about different methods than the language itself. The primary focus has become how to study, not what they study.

This is a typical mistake beginners make, and I understand why. They want to optimize and get the most out of their studies – but it can easily become a trap. They lose focus on what’s important.

Choose one thing and stick with it. Evaluate your progress after 6 months to see where you are, what you have done and how you can improve.

3. The translation trap

Translation can be helpful, especially at the beginning of your language learning journey. However, it’s important to gradually reduce your use of translation tools as you progress.

Overreliance on translation can be a real problem.

Your goal should be to let your brain do the work; to remember, understand, and memorize.

Translation tools are a crutch, a support, and shouldn’t be there to give you the solution whenever you don’t understand something.

4. Not setting goals

The older I get, the more I realize the importance of setting goals.

We need something to work towards. It gives you a purpose, and it’s much easier to measure your progress.

It’s essential to know where you are going. If you don’t know where you are going, then how do you know how to get there? And how do you know when you are there?

I often compare language learning to travelling.

If my wife tells me we are going to Spain, I want to know exactly where we are heading. Spain could mean Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla and Valencia.

If she tells me we are going to Valencia, I can plan our trip accordingly. I know where we are going and which flights, buses, and streets will take us there.

When the goal is clear, the path is clear.

This concept should be applied to your language studies. Set a goal, know where you want to be in one years’ time. Write a list of your goals and be specific. Do not write “I want to get better at French”, but “I want to be able to read this book” or “I should be able to name 10 different colors”.

5. Ignoring grammar

Grammar is the worst part of language learning for many people. Myself included.

But grammar is an important aspect of any language.

Memorizing words and phrases is definitely the best way to become fluent in a language. However, rules, sentence structures, and conjugations are critical for speaking and writing correctly.

Do not neglect grammar.

6. Not reviewing

This is a common mistake that I often make, even when I’m aware of doing it.

I have a page in my textbook or a set of vocabulary that bore me to death. I can’t wait to get it over with and move on to the next page.

That’s a huge mistake!

You don’t learn by reading or studying something once. Most things must be repeated and drilled several times before you learn it.

When learning a new language, it’s important to repeat, re-visit, and review what you have learned. Otherwise, you would be able to read your textbook from page to page and become fluent by the end of it. But that’s not how our brains work.

7. Unrealistic expectations

I blame social media for many people’s misconceptions about language acquisition. So many “influencers” and companies claim you can learn this and that in only 30 days.

As a result, some beginners believe that using Duolingo for 20 minutes a day is enough to become fluent or that “language immersion” is the golden ticket to mastering a language in a month.

The truth is that language acquisition is a slow progress that takes time, sacrifice, and hard work.

You can’t become a professional athlete by hitting the weights once. You can’t sing like Celine Dion by taking five singing lessons, and you can’t master the guitar with only four months of practice.

The same is true for language acquisition. As I mentioned earlier in this article, language learning is a marathon, not a sprint.

8. Imbalanced learning

It’s impossible to learn every aspect of a language equally. You will either read more than you speak, write more than you listen, or vice versa.

The mistake many people make is that their language learning is too imbalanced. It’s natural to put less emphasis on certain aspects of a language, but you should avoid neglecting them completely.

If your main goal is to be able to conversate with native speakers in your target language, then it makes little sense to read more than you speak when studying. But that doesn’t mean that reading can’t come in handy, or that it can’t help you improve your ability to understand the language.

Try to have a healthy balance between reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

9. Not making it real

It’s an odd headline, but let me explain:

One time, I was studying a language by using only textbooks and flashcards.

No other inputs.

I became fairly sufficient, but it was robotic and unnatural. After some time, I became demotivated and bored.

That’s because I wasn’t immersed in the language. I didn’t read about the culture or listen to natives communicate, other than the tedious dialogues that came with my textbook.

I studied words and systems, not language in its natural form.

That wasn’t enjoyable for me, and I gave up. Yes, I threw in the towel.

That’s because this type of approach isn’t suitable for me: I need authentic material and interactive exercises. I want to hear the music, watch the movies, interact with natives, and experience the culture. That’s how I learn and stay motivated.

I want the language to be real.

10. Comparing with others

Comparison is the thief of joy, especially when it comes to learning a foreign language.

There is no reason to compare yourself and your progress to others. None.

If you and I studied Arabic in the exact same way, taking the same classes, dedicating the same amount of time, and learning from the same textbooks – we would still have different results. Your pronunciation might be better, I might remember more words and our classmate might be able to hold conversations before both of us.

We all learn and process information differently. There will always be people who are faster and better than both of us. That’s just life.

The only person you should compare yourself with is you. It makes no sense to compare your progress with someone else’s.

It’s like climbing a mountain: it doesn’t matter where Frank and Berta are. They might be higher up or under you. The mountain is still yours to climb, and it is your steps forward that counts.