Why Is Speaking A New Language So Difficult?

When it comes to learning a language, speaking is probably one of the hardest parts and it is what most people struggle with, and fear the most.

Speaking is a form of output so really you need to have a good all round knowledge base in the language to be able to actually produce it yourself. As a beginner you will just not have enough experience in the language to do this well.

I will go through some of the main reasons why speaking in a new language is actually very difficult.

(You can read more about – What Is The Hardest Part Of Learning A Language?)

Pronunciation Is Difficult

One of the first difficulties when speaking a new language is actually just being able to produce the sounds.

While languages can sound similar at times, they all have their own unique sounds which can be awkward for a learner to make.

Correct pronunciation is achieved by moving your tongue and mouth in a certain way and you will actually need to retrain your mouth to move in this new way so that you can produce the different sounds that are required.

You are going to have to practice a lot to get the right pronunciation and it is going to take a while for your mouth to get comfortable with what you need it to do. This can make it seem like speaking the language is impossible, but give it time, you will adjust.  

(You can read more about – How To Improve Pronunciation When Learning A New Language)

Knowledge Gaps

As a beginner, you will only know a small amount of the language. The problem is that even if you are quite advanced, you will still know pretty much nothing compared to a native speaker.

This can make speaking very difficult and you will very quickly find the gaps in your knowledge. If you do not know the word for something, you are going to be stuck for words, quite literally.

If you are advanced you probably know enough other words that you can explain what you want to explain, without using the word you don’t know.

The real problem lies with beginners who may not know the really simple common words in the language. When you lack the words, it’s difficult to try and speak.     

(You can read more about – What Are The Most Common Challenges When Speaking In A Second Language?)

Recalling Words Is Hard

A lot of people find speaking difficult as they struggle to recall the words. They may be able to recognise the words when they hear it, but when they actively have to come up with the word themselves, their mind goes blank.

This is extremely frustrating as you know that you know the words, it’s just lost in your brain somewhere. 

The reality is that you do not know the words well enough. It is probably in your passive vocabulary, but it has not quite made it into your active vocabulary, where you are able to recall it and use it in your speech.

(You can read more about – Active vs Passive Vocabulary, What Is The Difference)

Speaking Is Fast

One of the biggest problems with speaking is that it is fast. It’s a real time activity. If I ask you something, I’m expecting a reply there and then.

You also have the problem that speaking usually involves listening too. So you have to quickly process what I’ve said and then quickly formulate your reply.

Speaking is not like writing an email where can read it 10 times to make sure have you understood it, then think about what you want to reply with for a few hours.

(You can read more about – How Do You Get Faster At Speaking A New Language?)

Speaking Is Multi Tasking

Really if we look at speaking, it is multi tasking and this is why it can be so difficult.

If you look at everything I’ve talked about above you would agree that any one of these would make speaking difficult on there own, but they actually all happen together.

You really have to do everything at once and it is a real over load for the brain.

You have to listen and work out what is being said, and then formulate a reply. Usually you do this with great ease in your own language, but when you are speaking a new language you brain has to translate things and double check what was said and what you are going to say.

Then if you do not know certain words, you need to work around this and then finally you have to concentrate on actually saying what you want to correctly and making sure you pronounce things right.

This is a lot to do and it’s very easy to get overwhelmed and is why it can be so difficult.

(You can read more about – Frequently Asked Questions About – Speaking In Your New Language)

You Can Have Social Anxiety

Once you realise that speaking is pretty hard, you can develop social anxiety about it. There are so many processes going on and it is so easy to be overwhelmed that you can basically send yourself into a spiral of fear and worry.

Nobody wants to mess up and look stupid. The second our brain recognises that what we are trying to do (speak our new language) could cause us danger (we could look stupid) it will do everything in its power to convince us that we should not be doing this.

Of course speaking doesn’t actually put us in any danger, but our brain will still act like it will. This is why so many people shy away from speaking.

You almost have to fight with yourself to overcome this.

(You can read more about – Overcoming The Fear Of Speaking A Foreign Language)

You Are Not Speaking Enough

People find speaking difficult as they do not do enough of it. Speaking a language is just a skill, and just like any other skill, you need to train and practice to get better at it.

It’s exactly like growing your muscles in the gym. You can learn a lot from watching someone else show you what to do, but you need to do it yourself to grow your own muscles.

You also don’t start lifting weights once and get massive muscles. You have to lift the weights to get those muscles. You need to put the work in to get the results.

Speaking a language is the same. You can’t just start speaking perfectly. You are going to have to practice and struggle through some tough times, but with enough repetitive practice you will get better.

(You can read more about – Why Are You Struggling To Learn A Language?)

How Do You Make Speaking In A New Language Easier?

As you can see, speaking a new language is difficult, but it’s not impossible and you can overcome it. You are going to struggle at the beginning, which is normal, but with time you will be able to speak your new language as easily as your native one. 

Reduce The Stress

The first thing you can do to make things easier is to realise its fine to make mistakes. There is nothing to worry about, you won’t look stupid and no one is going to laugh at you if you are struggling to speak.   

You can make things easier by talking to someone that you can trust and who will help you. If you have a friend or a tutor who understands you are learning and is expecting you to make mistakes it can really reduce the anxiety.

You have enough to worry about when you are speaking without anxiety on top, so try and get rid of this as it does not help anything.

(You can read more about – Resources To Help With Your Speaking In A New Language)

Read and Listen More

Reading and listening are input methods and while this is the opposite of speaking, it can actually help you a lot.

The more exposure you have to the language, the stronger you will get with it as you will become more comfortable with it.  

You will get more use to the language as you will hear the same words over and over again. They will start to become common in your brain and this will make it easier for you to recall them when you want to actually speak.

The more comfortable you get with the language, the easier speaking will become.

Speak More

Of course it makes sense that if you want to get better at speaking, you should speak more.

Speaking more will get you more comfortable with the process. It will train your mouth to make the right sounds and you will become faster at getting the words from your brain, into your mouth.

You will really notice that you are stumbling over your words less and less the more you practice and you will soon be able to speak as efficiently as you can in your own language.  

Just keep Practicing

Really the secret to making speaking less difficult is to just keep practicing. Keep speaking and keep listening and reading.

The more you practice, the faster you will become comfortable. It really is that simple.

Just trust the process. Do the work and you will see the results.    

(You can read more about – Should You Learn to Read or Speak A Language First?)