What Is The Hardest Part Of Learning A Language?

I think we can all agree that learning a language is hard, but is there one part that is harder than the rest?

Honestly, it’s very difficult to say. We need to remember that languages are huge and very broad topics. Every language is going to be slightly different and everyone who tries to learn any language will have a different experience to the next person.

What I find hard, you may find very easy. However, there are some common areas where people commonly struggle which we will discuss below.   

Every Ones Experience Of Learning A Language Will Be Different

As I touched on in the introduction, every language is different and everyone learning a language is different.

Your previous exposure to the language you want to learn, as well as your history with other languages are all going to play a part in how difficult you find things.

Little things like if you are already able to read the alphabet for the language you are trying to learn, or if you have already learned a different language before are all going to affect what you find difficult compared to someone else who might not have these past experiences. 

There are also going to be the social and culture differences with languages and your previous experience again is going to play a role in how difficult you find things. Your own language may already have gender nouns or a formal and informal system of speaking, which can help you a lot compared to someone who finds these concepts very alien. 

Is Reading The Hardest Part Of Learning A Language?

Reading can be difficult for some people. Some languages have a lot of silent letters, which can then make the pronunciation of the word not match the spelling.  If you are constantly reading words wrong you are going to get confused when you hear them spoken and you will not recognise them as easily.

There is also the difficulty of the alphabet. If you are learning a language that has a different alphabet to your own, this is going to slow you down a lot. You basically have to learn from zero and really spend a lot of time on the basic skill of reading and trying to understand how the new letters or characters translate to sounds.

Until you attempt this, you will really not appreciate how automatic and effortless it is to read in your alphabet and language.

(You can read more about – Why Is Reading In A New Language So Difficult?)

Is Writing The Hardest Part Of Learning A Language?

Writing has all the same issues that can arise from reading, but it’s potentially harder. Reading can be quite passive, especially if you are using the same alphabet. However, when it comes to writing you actively have to think and also use your memory.  When you are reading you might recognise a word, but when you are writing you have to recall it and this can be quite difficult.

Spelling is also a troublesome area. This is not even helpful if the languages are similar. Learning French as an English speaker I am forever just wrongly using the English spelling of words. I often  find that when words are spoken they may sound very similar in both languages, but there will be a little difference in the spelling and it’s enough to throw me off.

I’ve lost count how many times I’ve written “Passport” when I should be typing “Passeport”. My subconscious just takes over and defaults to the spelling I know best.

This might not seem like a big deal, but its little issues like this that can very difficult to overcome.

(You can read more about – Why Is Writing In A New Language So Difficult?)

Is Speaking The Hardest Part Of Learning A Language?

If you ask people what they find most difficult, speaking will be high on that list.

Speaking has all the problems of actively having to recall something but it’s in real time, usually with someone else stood in front of you, at least when you are writing you are alone and can take your time to think.

Usually this need for a quicker response leads to a lack of confidence and fear of speaking, which results in your mind going blank and you feeling embarrassed. This extra layer of having to speak to another human can make the whole experience seem so much more difficult.   

Pronunciation is another aspect of speaking that can be very difficult. Different languages produce different sounds and your mouth may not be used to moving in that way.

You literally need to train your mouth muscles to speak these different sounds. Just think of the Spanish and their rolling R sounds. This is very difficult to do if you have not moved your mouth in this way before.    

(You can read more about – Why Is Speaking A New Language So Difficult?)

Is Listening Is The Hardest Part Of Learning A Language?

If you are not used to a language, listening is difficult. Your brain needs time to process what it is hearing and it can take a while to be able to identify all the new sounds and actually be able to make the noise start to form into words you can pick out. This is made harder by accents as well as native speakers talking very fast.

It can get even more difficult when you have to take into account things like the shortening of words, or slang. You might also have more subtle challenges like having to listen for changes in pitch and tones which can be very hard to hear if you are new to a language.

(You can read more about – Why Is Listening To A New Language So Difficult?)

Is Grammar The Hardest Part Of Learning A Language?

I think it’s safe to say we all fear grammar and we all know it can be difficult. I think this is more based off the fact that it is kind of boring. It is just a set of rules and while these are clearly important, having to learn them is a pain.

Some aspects of grammar can hold people up such as using genders or trying to work out the different conjugations. You then have things like tenses to confuse you further let alone the weirdly random exceptions to the rules that seem to work off no logic what so ever.  

Is Learning Vocabulary The Hardest Part Of Learning A Language?

Learning vocabulary can seem difficult as it can be hard to remember everything but the real fear comes when you realise there is a bottomless pit of words to learn.

You need to remember two things. A native speaker is always going to know more words than you and no one, ever, has learned all the words of a language.

There will be plenty of words you do not know in your own language, so you shouldn’t get to worried that you do not know all the words in new language. 

(You can read more about – How Does Our Brain Memorise New Vocabulary?)

Is Remembering The Hardest Part Of Learning A Language?

This isn’t really anything to do with the language itself, but it is important for how you learn the language. Some concepts may be easy to understand and to use, but you need to remember them to be able to use them.

Personally this is my difficulty with language learning. I feel like it takes me 10 times longer to make progress as I have to repeat so many things over and over until I get them to stick in my mind and even then they can easily slip away into the ether very quickly.

The whole ability to remember the language is subconscious, so you just have to keep exposing yourself to more content and eventually it will stick.

Overcoming The Fear Can Be The Hardest Part Of Learning A Language

For some people the most difficult thing is to overcome the fear they have. If they could move past this they would make a lot of progress. The two biggest fears I see are the fear to start and the fear of making mistakes.

Starting shouldn’t be something you find difficult in today’s world. The internet can pretty much give you everything you will ever need to learn a language. The barrier to entry is so low that you should not be finding this difficult.

As for mistakes, you just have to accept it will happen and swallow your pride and let it happen. Don’t let this difficulty stop you!

Finding Resources /Opportunities Can Be The Hardest Part Of Learning A Language

The internet can give you everything you need to learn a language, but it can still be difficult to find good resources.  

Certain languages are going to be more popular to learn and will therefore have more resources than others. I have also found that no matter what language you are trying to learn there can be a lack of resources in the intermediate stage.

You can very easily find simple beginner material or material for native children but after this it can sometimes just jump to fully native. There is often only Peppa Pig and then the full blown complex news stories. One is too easy and simple and the other is too fast and difficult. That middle step can often be missing.

You might also find it difficult to have opportunities to use your language. The internet and language exchanges can help if you cannot go to a country that speaks the language, but you also have the problem that the natives want to speak English to you, especially if you are not that good yet at the language, which ironically, you would only get better if they allowed you to practice more. 

Motivation Can Be The Hardest Part Of Learning A Language

This aspect of language learning can be very difficult. Most of us learn on our own and it can get hard to battle on when you feel like you are getting nowhere. It can take a long time to see results and it’s hard to keep going if you are unsure you will get there.

If you are just learning for fun, it can also be difficult to stay motivated. Sometimes it isn’t fun, so it makes sense why you would want to stop; you have nothing to gain when it’s not fun. If you are learning for a job, at least you can stick it out for the hope of getting paid. However, if you can stay motivated and trust the process, you will see results.

(You can read more about How To Fight Procrastination In Language Learning)

Consistency Can Be The Hardest Part Of Learning A Language

This for me is the number one reason why people find languages difficult. All the other aspects can be difficult, but a lack of consistency is what is going to make you struggle the most.

Learning a language takes a long time and you need the discipline to keep going. All the other areas of difficulty can be overcome with consistency. You just have to stick at it!

(You can read more about How Often Should You Study A Language?)

Conclusion

As you can see, basically anything in language learning can be difficult. However, there will be plenty of areas you will find easier than others so you should not get worried.

Anything you do find difficult can be overcome and you can reach your goals. Staying consistent and continually working on what you find hard will get you results. It can take a while, but it will work, you can learn a language. It is not too difficult!