How to Cope with the Tough Times When Learning a Language (Part I)

Learning a second language is far from being the easiest thing you are ever likely to do. A lot of new skills you learn offer a way of learning by constantly building up your confidence and knowledge.

When you study a foreign tongue it isn’t quite like this. Instead, you could find that you suffer a rollercoaster of emotions at times, as you find that your progress seems to have stalled or even that you have gone backwards. This is perfectly normal and it has happened to me on a regular basis since I first decided to learn another language. If you find that you are going through a tough patch then here are a few tips to get you going again.

Learn to Laugh at Yourself

I have to confess that I never used to be very good at laughing at my own mistakes. The good news is that I was forced to change when I began to speak Spanish. There is simply no way to be too serious about yourself or to get annoyed when you make the kind of horrendous linguistic mistake which leave you with a beaming red face when you think about it afterwards. When they are taking Chinese lessons London students needs to get used to making a fool of themselves occasionally, as it happens to all of us.