Why Does It Take So Long To Learn A Language?

Language learning takes a very long time and this can be extremely frustrating and is usually why so many people give up before they see results they want.

It can be easy to underestimate the length of time that it can take to learn a language, but I will go through some of the main reasons, explaining why it can take so you long, so that you can mentally prepare yourself for what you will experience if you want to actually learn a language to a high level.  

There Is A Lot To Learn

The first and most obvious reasons for it taking so long to learn a language is purely because of their size.

Languages are made up of thousands of words and you simply cannot learn everything that quickly. Even if you spent all day studying and you where extremely efficient, it is still going to take you months and months to make any real progress.

We all really underestimate how large languages are and shortly after starting to learn a new one, we start to realise just what we have got ourselves into.   

Languages Are Different Compared To Each Other

Languages are also not just a copy and paste of each other with some tweaks. Words and phrases do not translate directly from one language to another, so it’s not as simple as just learning a set of new words that you can replace the ones you currently know.

Learning a language is much more than that and you almost need to learn a new way of thinking, which can take a while to develop.  

Grammar Is Confusing

Often the most obvious difference in language is the grammar. While some languages have a similar structure, there will still be a lot of new rules that you need to understand.

You basically have to learn the new frame work for how the language actually works, which can take some time. Usually this is slow as your brain is so used to the pattern of your native language, it can be hard to break the habit of a lifetime and try and form sentences using the new grammar framework that you are learning.

Some Languages Do Have Similarities

While there are a lot of differences, I think it’s important that the similarities can make a difference too.

If we look at English and French, there is a lot of overlap and this will be helpful and speed up our progress. However, you can see the total opposite of this when we compare English and Japanese.

The Japanese language has a totally different alphabet and grammar structure, which is going to take a learner much longer to comprehend, where as someone learning French already has the alphabet and  some grammar structures already, as they are the same as in English.

These types of differences between languages really can affect how long it will take to learn them. 

Your Brain Is Slow and Needs Lot Of Exposure

Our brain learns by creating neural pathways between information we have stored in our memory. These pathways are not formed instantly and they actually need a lot of repeated expose to really grow strong.

This means we need to see words a lot of times before they really stick in our mind. Really the more exposure you get, the more comfortable your brain will get with the new language.

This is also why you are so good at your native language. You think in this language 24/7 and have done pretty much your whole life. I think people really underestimate how much exposure they have had to their own language. It’s literally every waking second of their life!

If you are learning a language you can’t expect to reach this same level of exposure, so of course you will not have the same results. You have probably only spent a few hours in your new language, compared to the years spent in your own, so it will take quite a while for your brain to even get to the level of a small kid in your new language.  

You Will Forget Things

One of the most annoying things about learning a language is that your brain will forget things. This is all part of the process. Your brain is not sure if something is important or not and may not remember it.

This can really slow things down as you may need to repeat certain things over and over again until they stick. 

Its small things like this that can make the whole process last much longer. There is not much you can do apart from keep exposing yourself to the language and hoping your brain will see it as important and store it in your long term memory.

The Speed You Work At Can Make Things Difficult

As I’ve said you will forget things, but you also need exposure to remember them, this basically means that the amount and frequency of your exposure matters.

If you are only studying once a week, your results will be dreadful compared to someone who studies daily.

A lot of what slows people down is their speed. You will find that people who totally immerse themselves in the language will get better results. This is always why moving to a different country has better results. You are surrounded by the language 24/7 rather than those who are studying for an hour on Sunday afternoon.

If you want to speed things up, spend more time with the language.  It’s uncomfortable, but it works

Ineffective Learning Can Make Things Difficult

Another reason why we find learning a language so slow is because we study so ineffectively.

You may spend an hour a day studying, which is great, but how much of that hour is actually quality learning.

I am very guilty of this and I have to admit that I am not very efficient. This really slows my progress down and I know I am not the only one who suffers from that.

Your Motivation Matters

A lot of language learning does come down to your mindset. The wrong mindset can really slow you down and if you are really motivated and push yourself you will get results faster.

You will want to work harder and you will subconsciously just allow your brain to really absorb the language, you will just be more receptive to it and less likely to give up.

You generally will just make much better progress than someone who does not really want to do it.

Everyone’s Experience Is Different

I’ve already talked about how languages can be different, but your own past experiences can play a role in these differences too.

You as the individual can really affect the length of time it can take you to learn a language compared to someone else.

You may have things that help you, such as already knowing another language or you could have things that hinder you, like stress and tiredness.

There are endless factors that can all play a role in how long it will take you to learn a language. This is why it is extremely important to never compare yourself to anyone else when it comes to languages.   

You Can’t Learn Everything

I think it is also important to note that you actually cannot learn everything. Learning a language could be a lifelong thing if you wanted it to be and even then you would not complete it.

Just look at your own language, you don’t know everything and you never will. You just need to get a good working level and that is more than enough.

This is still going to take a while, but it will also always be a work in progress

Conclusion

As you can see there are of different things than can affect language learning and they can all make the process last a long time.

A lot of these are just things you need to accept. You can always try and be more efficient and study more frequently, but regardless, it will still take you a very long time to learn a language.