Language Learning Mistakes to Avoid

You’re naturally going to make mistakes learning a new language, and there’s so much to learn through the trial & error process. BUT there are some mistakes you can avoid making all together that help you learn more quickly and with less frustration. These are all mistakes I’ve made that I’m sharing with you, so you can learn from them & know that you’re not alone in experiencing them on your language learning journey.

All the Mistakes I’ve Made

I’ve made more mistakes than I can count. Many were normal speaking & writing mistakes that everyone makes, like using the wrong word or butchering pronunciation or horrendous grammar mistakes, the list goes on. These are unavoidable, but they can be minimized so that you make fewer of them.

Whereas, the mistakes you can avoid are missing out on opportunities to practice because you are too afraid or uncomfortable. You can avoid not making the progress you desire because it’s too hard or you feel like you’re not good enough. These mistakes are normal, but they’re not a necessary part of the learning process. They’re different than the unavoidable mistakes mentioned above because you can overcome them entirely through a mindset shift around what you’re capable of.

Embarrassing Speaking Mistakes that Don’t Have to Be Embarrassing

You’re going to make mistakes speaking. Sometimes, you’ll self correct immediately and others you may not even realize you made them unless someone else points them out. Using the wrong word or uttering an unintelligible sentence is unavoidable, but being embarrassed about it is NOT. You can simply decide to change the way you perceive your mistakes & understand that making mistakes means you are courageous enough to be vulnerable and that those mistakes make you a stronger, more competent speaker. This mindset shift will also help you make fewer mistakes because you’ll be more confident - fear & nerves make it more challenging to recall information because you are busy thinking about how you feel or how you are perceived instead of focusing on what you are doing.

Make Fewer Mistakes by Practicing Speaking through Writing

Think of writing as practice for speaking. Whether you’re actually writing out a conversation or presentation to practice speaking in a specific context or you’re simply writing because you have to in a course. Writing helps you become a better speaker because you have time to think & process language at a deeper level when you write. When you speak, you have to respond immediately with only what you can recall in the moment. Writing trains your mind to form sentences in your language which improves the speed at which you can articulate your thoughts. You become a more precise communicator with a more robust vocabulary because you’ve been upgrading your linguistic abilities through writing, especially if you’ve been receiving feedback & challenging yourself to use more complex grammar vocabulary.

Remove Self Imposed Limitations that Make You Make More Mistakes

All that can truly hold us back from learning a language is ourselves. Sure, some people learn more easily & some people have more access to resources, but when you decide you are going to learn regardless of obstacles in your path, you are unstoppable. Likewise, when you feel like you’re not good enough & think that you can’t, you don’t reach your goals because this haze of inferiority clouds judgement about what is possible for you. You limit yourself. When you remove this limitation, all that’s left is actually figuring out how to learn and doing the work to become fluent. You no longer waste precious time & energy wondering about whether it’s possible or not. You focus on finding ways to make it happen no matter how long it takes and how many mistakes you make along the way.

Who Are You to Yourself When You Make Mistakes?

Knowing that mistakes are inevitable, but you can learn from them and make fewer of them by practicing more & shifting your mindset, what do you choose to believe is true about yourself when you make a mistake?

You decide what that mistake means about you, no one else. You allow yourself to feel embarrassed when you make a mistake based on making a mistake means to you. You determine if you are capable of reaching fluency, not your circumstances, YOU.