6 habits that made me a successful language learner

🔥 Learn languages like I do with LingQ: tinyurl.com/nh3xt3a
🆓 My 10 FREE secrets to language learning: tinyurl.com/2v584ptz
CC subtitles available in multiple languages.
In this video, I share the six key elements that shaped my language learning journey. Find out why the usual ways might not work and how a different approach can make a big difference.
📌 Sources:
Language Ability Linked to Pattern Recognition: www.voanews.com/a/language-ab...
Pattern learning key to children's language development: www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinio...
Tap into Your Child’s Natural Way of Learning Language: www.hanen.org/Helpful-Info/Ar...
Why is it so hard to learn a new language? Scientists blame the brain: www.cnet.com/science/why-is-i...
⏲️ TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - intro
0:29 Focus on patterns
3:24 Aim for intensity of input
4:55 Believe in yourself
6:37 Be flexible
8:40 Don't rush to speak
11:21 Stay curious
📺 WATCH NEXT:
Want to learn a language from scratch? Here's a playlist with everything you need to know: • How to learn a languag...
Improve your reading and listening with these 5 skills: • Improve your comprehen...
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Soundcloud: bit.ly/3iZsbic
Apple: apple.co/3z1F1lD
Google: bit.ly/2W3DYmK
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4TbcX8i...
💡 LEARN MORE:
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Download my FREE grammar guides: www.lingq.com/en/grammar-reso...
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Read the LingQ language learning blog: bit.ly/35yvaqK
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[@Thelinguist]

📲 The app I use to learn languages: tinyurl.com/4nde62e9 🆓 My 10 FREE secrets to language learning: tinyurl.com/58e383vh ❓What is the key element in your language learning? Let me know in the comments!

[@kimtimothy3764]

老师，youtube你是自己运营吗？我想和您联系，我是一个language buff，我也有自己学习英语的心得和您分享，我也可以和您用中文聊天，我也想继续学习英语。

[@nia6747]

Thank you

[@alo7456]

6 elements of learning a language. 1. Do not focus on details, focus on patterns 2. Commit to intensity of input 3. Believe you can learn 4. Be flexible 5. Do not be rushed to speak 6. Stay curious

[@khier-eddinehennaoui9783]

Thanks for pointing out these elements, but i don't know how to apply them in learning.

[@saidalkiyumi3499]

You always speak positively about learning languages which encourages people to keep learning, even though who sometimes get frustration.

[@user-vx6ps9kd9k]

I've watched many of Steve's videos, and I found this one to be one of his best! I really enjoyed it. Thank you Steve.

[@rebeccamiko9156]

How much better our world would be if we stayed curious about others, and found a way to make them less "foreign" to us. As always, great advice, Steve!

[@Tamake872]

Ты же про изучение языка сейчас?

[@gringopapi8058]

​@@Tamake872she sounds like a globalist. Her ideals would only destroy the unique and intriguing qualities of people essentially making us "all the same".

[@Eduardo-gi8ex]

i think you're right

[@annettemcnabb3033]

I love your honest approach to language learning. The fact that you have knowledge in 20 different languages some extremely well spoken and others are a work in progress is so refreshing! I love that you are so real in the fact that when it's not our native language there will be mistakes to some degree and that is OK and NORMAL the point is to communicate. That is a fantastic message for some people(me included). I'm not sure if there has been a bit of criticism but if that is the case, in my mind, they don't know what they are talking about and just looking to find something, someone to criticize! You are one of the few people I have found on the internet who is just so real about language learning, it's a fantastic message.

[@CsabiEnglishCoach]

I love everything you mentioned, Steve. Many people forget that it's our habits - habits of thinking and habits of behaviour - that ultimately shape how fast we achieve our goals. I personally stopped striving to speak the languages I'm learning like a native speaker and focused more on the habits and beliefs of a successful learner who gets as close to speaking like a native speaker as humanly possible.

[@heredia7528]

It's always a pleasure to hear advices from a person who knows. God bless you.

[@Watschelinka]

I think my key elements are discipline and curiosity. Some days I have to force myself to start my daily lesson but after 1 minute or so I'm fully in. Even if I just watch a video in my target language I never skip my daily input. And I discovered when I switch between advanced and easy stuff it's more rewarding. Once a week or a month I look for a short video, article or text which is really above my current level. And then I work myself through this content, often with the help of Lingq. Sometimes I need 3 days to get through a text, but I stick to it. And when I finish, it's so so rewarding. And afterswards I treat myself with content at a lower level and I speed through it because it's a lot more easier now. Second reward 😅. And for friends of the italian language: The channel geopop italia here on youtube is awesome for this method and my current favorite ❤ (Sorry for the long text and errors. Very passionate non-native speaker.)

[@lizzethmancilla5197]

Steve I love you so much , you really help me to continue putting all my effort into this journey.You're a great inspiration❤

[@JohnKaman]

Steve this is the best language learning advice I have ever read. I have been skeptical of you in the past but I was wrong. Thank you for your advice.

[@user-zb9tt7mo3t]

Steve for us you have achieved alot of success and you are a role model for us .I am also currently learning french and I like your method of learning ,reading and listening not classroom setup grammar

[@Atomic-255]

I love your thoughts about learning languages just for learning about another culture, that's brilliant and relaxed my anxious about learning English, because I was told frequently that I should be good at speaking in English for several years, and that should be the final aim of learning English, while I just want to use it as a key for my trial in English books and great videos, to see how other people in this world to live, and find my way to achieve a peace and meaningful life.

[@Thelinguist]

That is how I treat the languages I learn. I enjoy them even when I have no opportunity to use them.

[@seanlewellyn3886]

Thank you for this video! Your advice is always so helpful and encouraging!

[@mirandanullaria1027]

Great video. I often tire out hearing bunk advice or people just repeating what Krashen has already said (which I agree with & maybe needs repetition to stick), so I found the positive attitudes & habits really helpful

[@AhmedAhmed-nt1tx]

انا جداً جداً سعيد لانك احسك رجل كبير فاهم ومتعلم ومثل خالي أو عمي واتمنى أيضاً تكون المقاطع فيها ترجمة في العربي

[@larsiselid9238]

One of the best you and no one made about the keys to learning. Summarizes all you need to know to start learning in the right direction.

[@simonsmatthew]

Japanese was the first foreign language I learned. I think what really helped me with that was really understanding the difference between transitive and intransitive verbs. It was never explained properly to me for ages, until I found someone and a text book that did. I finally could get the verbs sorted out and which ones to use when, and constructing Japanese sentences with the correct particles became so much easier!

[@fatiseei-tofi95]

what textbook

[@simonsmatthew]

@@fatiseei-tofi95 It was back in the 90s when I studied it. It was a book called Conversational Japanese and was an intermediate textbook. I will try and find it!

[@ronaldgamboa6594]

Thank you so much!!! Excellent advice

[@user-lz5pv4qf5z]

선생님의 영상들이 진짜 유익해요. 감사합니다~

[@sweet_coconut420]

Thank you so much for the amazing content! Wish you all the best, with lots of love!

[@SocietyFinder]

Sound advice sir. Thank you for sharing

[@peterjc2473]

Thank you for the tip. ❤

[@egmccare]

Very encouraging advices! 🙏🏼

[@nickcagla]

Thanks for the great tips. Loving LingQ. I’d love to know more about what sort of patterns we are trying to recognise - if you were looking for future video content!

[@chrisbunka]

As someone who used to teach ESL in Temecula and lived in Murrieta, I am very happy you mentioned Temecula in your video! I finally signed up for LinQ because I intend to brush up on my Korean, and I am loving reading intermediate-level articles and listening to podcasts even if I don't comprehend everything. As someone who mastered Japanese in the 90s, I am very happy to see your Japanese-related videos!

[@Eduardo.Fernandes09]

ESL podcast? I wanted pay for it, but I am afraid don't know how to use.

[@ginabisaillon2894]

You are so right about not rushing to speak! I had trouble convincing my teacher in Mexico that when I was ready I would speak, that she should not worry. Another way I would put it was, if I spoke Spanish I wouldn't be here learning it! Now I'm learning Hebrew and that's the way I feel about it - first learning to read and write and read and write and read and write… I don't have to speak it I'm in Canada!

[@joelmorados]

This is a beautiful advise thank you ❤

[@23DanielVincent]

This helped me. Thanks.

[@salamsalamo9944]

It's Just beautiful content. Thank you steve👍👍👍

[@elle1642]

What a great video! Thank you!!

[@Sawaedo]

Thank you for the tips, I'm learning Japanese and your suggestions are quite good, they keep me motivated studying because I know that one day I'll be able to understand at least a bit of it ❤

[@yieldingway]

My advice, don't write the same kanji character over and over like 50 times it's too slow

[@HoangTruong-ij4sm]

Thank you very much Teacher. Student from Sydney, Australia.

[@shalbic]

I agree with you that our brain is good at seeing patterns. I see that in my own study of languages, and I saw it when my daughter was young. She made certain grammar mistakes, which followed a pattern but, in actuality, do not exist in English. For example she used "had brung". Something she had never heard anyone in the family say, but it does fit the pattern for words such sing, wring, etc. Anyway, I enjoy your content. It seems very practical to me. 😊

[@adebcquadri475]

Thanks for this. It is really helpful.

[@osamahabbas3443]

thanks as always

[@wrench2474]

Sir, I am learning Sanskrit. The tips that you have given have helped a lot, and I think they will continue to do so

[@maries.c.4704]

¡Gracias! 🏆

[@jaredtaylor5374]

سلام آقا. خیلی ممنون برای همه ویدیو های شما!

[@user-hf2lo5mp4s]

Very informative and explains some certain important things why I learned other languages in some degree. Now I make an effort to learn Mandarin Chinese though development of patterns are so slow comparing to English learning process

[@cr4zyboy212]

This is greater than i expected

[@esterbarbatt]

So thankful for this explication, i'm trying to learn and writing in english !! From Brasil 💖💚💙💛

[@nanangzulkarnain6239]

Great tips 👍. Thank you

[@henryxavierkonan7369]

i couldn't agree more everything you said in this video was right learning a language is a dedication to the learning and you need some tools to learn fast memorizing words mastering the vocab and being fluent without forgetting the prononciation trying to speak with natives nowadays there are many plateform that can help people to practicing and enjoy the learning of a language

[@timothy7137]

Thanks for your experience sharing. The six approches is commonly used for me except the intensity when learning. I have learned english for many years, but i am still a mediocre learner, which i can't understand the films or videos without subtitles. I start to learn German, hope your valuable approaches give me more confidence in learning.

[@vivianewaz2247]

The exact same thing with me😅.. I was reading this comment as though if I was the one who wrote it myself.

[@semihtuncer12]

Thanks Steve

[@bambooflute2589]

Steve. You are the man.

[@mcnutty26]

The elements 1-4 and 6 are great for learning anything.

[@jejwood]

In a world of egomaniacs, I have gobs of respect for your very genuine humility. Thanks for all you do for our community!

[@akshitarai1380]

This guy inspires me to learn languages

[@johnmortimerjbmfitness7753]

Great channel, thanks.

[@andrewdoriani617]

i find immersing in their way of country culture and maybe thier way doing things (perhaps thinking) is useful to learn language faster

[@glaucofavot9904]

Thank you for your tips. I hope i can finally subscribe to your premium course.

[@farahdeeba-bm5vx]

I just love learning languages, I know three languages and now I am learning Turkish as the 4th one.

[@kyu-son817]

It’s hard to learn languages 😢😭

[@dilbaryazici1678]

Merhaba arkadaşlar! Turkish language easier than English 🙂

[@Wazkaty]

I'm French, and studied French at school of course, and I totally understand you. It was in my private life that I learned the more : grammar lessons or conjugation is basic but not "alive", as datas we can't read/exploit. The "solo time" is more than important to embrace the weird structure (hello exceptions) of French 😂 For others languages, the hard part for me is to create a strong link between datas and experiences made in real life. Two tools. The goal is being able to use these tools with precision, I guess, still searching how it could be more effective Ps: I love the idea of "white heat", really ! Have a good journey with Hindi

[@nadershaji5356]

Thanks it was great.

[@user-bh3wz2sc9e]

Thanks a million

[@ramesh-meenasevak6409]

Hello Steve Kauffman, I have been listening to you for a long period of time. I like your comprehensible English language as well as clarity of speaking. You are a much more devotee learner of many languages, now you want to learn Hindi. I am from India and speak Hindi very well. If you want to learn Hindi You can learn with me. I enjoy your videos and learn from them also. Thanks a lot.

[@ljlopez9470]

Thank you so much, i was loosing confidence on myself for not be capable of speaking properly but, with your advices i'm a little bit more calm an relax about my performance, i really love your videos and so am i'd like to be a polyglot person as you 🩷🩷🤝

[@adamgilbert4541]

Thank you so much and you are the fun of Turkish learners.

[@khaldon9711]

I have never made a big effort to learn any language. I just listen so much more than i understand. I've learned something through the whole process : the basic structural knowledge of any language is so important for spead learning.. moreover ,you have to select mathematically the language you want to learn if you wanna be a polyglot, for example : the family language is a must in order to learn more than one language in short time. 1'-Speak the differences and the share "language's knowledge" among languages "similarities" What i mean by " 1'-speak" above is :tell or discern the differences... Etc Thanks for reading.

[@maxducoudray]

Another great video. While I agree with you that speaking isn't important, I will say that it can be *exciting* to do so. It's showing oneself our own progress and that builds enthusiasm to do more.

[@gamingwithpurg3anarchy157]

5:38 this is definitely true. I remember going to Mackinaw for the first time, I WAS YOUNG and it is a 4 and a half hour long car ride. it felt like an eternity. now I'm 23 and go there 2-4 TIMES a year so it feels quite short. a few times I was like "we're already here!? wow it feels like it's been an hour!"

[@joeldias4088]

Muito bons seus videos Steve agora estou aprendendo Inglês. Sou do Brasil.

[@drewcummins7836]

Funny because I live next to Temecula. I just started learning Spanish for the past 3 months. Everyone is shocked saying I know a lot for 3 months but I feel like I'm not learning well enough. This video has helped me

[@user-jz7kr3hy4y]

With one mil people who believe your approach，that's accountability. Well done Steve.

[@cherryneko2]

Thank yoooooou ❤

[@timwoods3173]

Thank you

[@user-hf2lo5mp4s]

So important video suggestions for introverts

[@hildatovar963]

Your class is very good

[@ricardocorsa9077]

Hi great content, thank you Steve because with this video I have more confidence that I can learn a new language, I know only 2 my mother language Spanish and English not that great but I get by with my heavy Spanish accent , I'm leaning bahasa indonesia and I have passion for the language terima kasih pak steve... I'm also a subscriber in lingq ❤

[@LovingMistakes]

Hello Steve, I am a US citizen. 18 years old. And have recently obtained a desiring skill to speak a different language,(Turkish),as where I come from most people are Mongolian, or just simply don’t care to expand horizon, I agree with you 100% learning new languages opens a lot of opportunities, and prospectives. I watch all of your videos, and I gradually take your advice into consideration, implementing it in my every day life, so I just want thank you very kindly For your personal tips and tricks, as most polyglot give misinformation. ❤ Ps: If language simp had you at 🔫 point at the beginning of the video it’s ok, you can tell us!

[@myt7471]

അടിപൊളി.. ഞാൻ ജർമൻ പഠിക്കാണ് ഇങ്ങനെ ട്രൈ ആകി നോക്കട്ടെ

[@atthinh1840]

4:17 Wow that's incredibly motivated how you can see your " known words " in your Lingq Statistics. Hope you can show me the application being used in 4:17. Thank u so much

[@deborahduffy7344]

Could you consider offering a “lesson” sharing examples (many!) of patterns of a language. Would especially love thoughts on patterns to look for learning Spanish. Thank you.

[@Thelinguist]

I asked Chat GPT for some examples of conjunctions in Spanish with examples. This came up immediately. give me the most common 20 conjunctions of Spanish with 5 examples of each ChatGPT Sure, here are the 20 most common conjunctions in Spanish with 5 examples for each: y (and) Juan y María van al cine. Compré pan y leche en el supermercado. Estudié español y francés este semestre. Pedro es inteligente y amable. La comida estaba deliciosa y la compañía agradable. o (or) ¿Quieres té o café? Puedes elegir entre la pizza o la pasta. Mañana podemos ir al cine o al parque. ¿Prefieres el rojo o el azul? Tienes que decidir si vienes o te quedas en casa. pero (but) Me gusta bailar, pero no sé cómo. Quiero salir, pero estoy cansado. La comida estaba buena, pero el servicio fue lento. Hoy hace sol, pero mañana lloverá. Quiero ir contigo, pero no puedo. porque (because) No fui al trabajo porque estaba enfermo. No salgo de casa porque está lloviendo. No pude estudiar porque mi hermana tenía la música muy alta. No dormí bien porque el perro ladraba toda la noche. Me gusta el chocolate porque es dulce. sino (but rather) No es alto, sino bajo. No es inteligente, sino listo. No es un gato, sino un perro. No está en la cocina, sino en el jardín. No es rico, sino modesto. si (if) Si estudias, aprobarás el examen. Si tienes hambre, puedes comer algo. Si quieres, podemos ir al cine. Si llueve, lleva un paraguas. Si tienes tiempo, podemos hablar más tarde. aunque (although) Aunque hizo calor, salimos a caminar. Aunque tenía sueño, terminé el trabajo. Aunque no tenía dinero, compré el regalo. Aunque estudié mucho, no saqué una buena nota. Aunque no te guste, debes hacerlo. mientras (while) Mientras tú cocinas, yo limpiaré la casa. Mientras estudiaba, mi hermano veía la televisión. Mientras paseábamos, empezó a llover. Mientras dormías, llegó una carta para ti. Mientras vivas, aprende. como (as, like) Baila como un profesional. Come despacio, como hago yo. Se comporta como un niño. Se viste como si fuera al trabajo. Estudia mucho, como su hermana. pues (well, so) No puedes ir, pues no tienes dinero. No me llamaste, pues pensé que no querías hablar conmigo. Hace frío, pues ponte un abrigo. No me lo dijiste, pues no pude ayudarte. No llegué a tiempo, pues me perdí en el camino. también (also) A mí también me gusta el helado. Él también quiere ir al concierto. Quiero viajar también. También tienes que hacer tus deberes. También necesito tu ayuda. ni (neither, nor) No quiero café ni té. No vino ni cerveza están en la lista de compras. No hablé con Juan ni con María. No le gustan ni las películas ni los libros. Ni tú ni yo entendemos esto. que (that) Dijo que vendría a la fiesta. Sé que lo hice bien. Creo que esto es verdad. Espero que todo salga bien. No estoy seguro de que venga mañana. sino que (but rather) No es solo alto, sino que también es fuerte. No solo estudia, sino que también trabaja. No solo es inteligente, sino que también es divertido. No solo lee libros, sino que también escribe. No solo canta, sino que también baila. así que (so) Estaba cansado, así que me fui a dormir. Llueve mucho, así que mejor lleva un paraguas. Estás enfermo, así que debes ir al médico. Terminé el trabajo, así que ahora puedo relajarme. No tengo dinero, así que no puedo comprarlo. luego (then) Termina tus deberes y luego puedes salir. Desayuna y luego cepíllate los dientes. Primero estudia, luego podrás divertirte. Limpia tu habitación y luego vamos al parque. Haz tus tareas, luego juega. antes (before) Debes terminar tu comida antes de tomar el postre. Primero debes estudiar, antes de salir a jugar. Antes de hablar, piensa en lo que vas a decir. Llegué antes que tú. Debemos resolver este problema antes de que sea demasiado tarde. después (after) Come tu cena y después podrás ver la televisión. Estudia ahora y descansa después. Después de llover, saldremos a pasear. Hablaremos después de la reunión. Termina tu tarea y después podrás jugar. cuando (when) Cuando sea mayor, quiero viajar por el mundo. Cuando llegues a casa, llámame. Me gusta salir cuando hace buen tiempo. Cuando era niño, jugaba mucho. Cuando estudias, aprendes. donde (where) Vamos al parque donde jugamos ayer. No sé dónde dejé mis llaves. Busquemos una tienda donde podamos comprar ropa. ¿Sabes dónde está la estación de tren? Quiero vivir en una ciudad donde haya mucha naturaleza. These examples should help you understand how each conjunction is used in different contexts in Spanish sentences. Message ChatGPT… ChatGPT can make mistakes. Consider checking important information.

[@satchycollins3985]

Thanks

[@AnonyGx210]

Muchas gracias por este video, lo voy a poner en práctica.

[@brmrao448]

Very good vedio...

[@andrew_salvia_art]

Thx! Greeting from Russia, Mr. Steve!

[@user-lj1eo9fh7r]

Hi Steve. Congratulations on passing 1M subscribers. I love your videos which greatly motivate me on my journey to learn French. I’ve been learning for a couple of months now and feel that I’m making goon progress by reading and listening but when I watch a French film or TV show I hardly understand a word. What can I do?

[@Thelinguist]

Be patient and keep going and enjoy the process.

[@zane17760]

Hindi in a month or so....maybe two or three....lol. I'll be learning right along side ya. Thanks for sharing

[@rebeccatrue6252]

I have a goal to meet with the European Framework for Greek to a B1 within 3 years. I need to learn to at least that level as a requirement for a life goal. I think it is a relatively easy goal to attain.

[@mattmx888]

Great contents

[@Omidd69]

‏‪2:20‬‏ love from Iran ❤

[@yoyo_Alice]

Learning naturally and honestly, driving by curiosity.

[@joseangeljimenezruiz674]

Muy útiles sus consejos verdaderamente. Gracias.

[@chadb7694]

Can you please give more example of these patterns you discuss?

[@whatscooking104]

Instead of learning 30 minor languages to B1 or B2 proficiency (e.g., Hungarian, Tigrinya, and Quechua), focus on mastering a few major ones like French and Spanish, enabling you to effectively use them in any situation. This approach will benefit you much more. Personally, I "only" speak eight languages, but those are eight languages that I use daily and weekly when communicating with clients. I may also consider picking up Mandarin as well to attract more Chinese clients, as very few people in my profession here speak Mandarin, which would give me a competitive advantage, but I haven't decided yet.

[@FlowLai]

B2 is quite a high level already. You could cover almost all daily situations with B2, and then supplement with technical vocabulary for whatever your specific needs are.

[@tracygregory8448]

Any more languages on the horizon, Steve?

[@alanmattei]

Very useful Steve. When will Punjabi be added to Lingq #request!

[@juancarlosarias740]

Hi Steve, greetings from Costa Rica, I wonder what do you think about the tremendous advance of the generative artificial intelligence during the last year and how can we use it to improve our language learning.

[@TheSkatersk8terskate]

WOOOOO NEW STEVE KAUFMANN VID JUST DROPPED !

[@Sarah_Eva]

My sentiments exactly

[@strangerintheselands251]

I would say: don't focus on details AT AN EARLY STAGE. But as an adult you won't develop accuracy if you don't pay attention to details at some point. Adult brains function differently than child's. As for your six elements, three of them are not "doable". Be this, be that, be flexible, believe in yourself. You ARE curious. I am not so much. Still, there are things I can DO to improve my language.

[@carloscachicamo331]

Hello steve! Is there any plans to add more challenges to lingq? Im loving the platform but id like more things to challenge myself. Lingqing is great but sometimes i find myself wanting a bit of gamification (i know it's a slippery slope) any thoughts of other challenges to help add some variety to the learning process?

[@charlesoneill466]

❤ Regarding item # 2. Commit to intensity of input. How many hours per day would you recommend?

[@StillAliveAndKicking_]

This is very informative and interesting. I wonder if any polyglot accepts Chomsky’s theories on language learning? I have the impression he decides how the world should be, then tries to fit the evidence to match. ,.I feel that the major problem an adult faces is that they make so many assumptions when learning a foreign language. Their own language acts as a barrier, and they often retain their mother tongue’s phonemes, timing, grammar and idioms. Children just seem to soak it up directly, and at some stage that ability to just listen disappears, and it becomes a skill that we have to relearn, or at least I did.

[@tayebehheydariyan4375]

استیو عالی هستی.

[@aSnailCyclopsNamedSteve]

I agree fully with your message (except Chomsky, whom I have not read), but you glossed over one thing. You need to a certain amount of details to access the pattern. How I handled that was to read a page, memorise the new words, and then read the next page. I read a real text, not a textbook, so I got real patterns. The speed with which I read each page showed I was continually improving, thus giving me daily motivation. The problem with a real text is that many words are used only once, wasting a certain amount of effort (no reinforcement means a loss of memory). And a textbook is usually a translation into that language that uses limited patterns or even wrong patterns. What students need are real patterns using the same vocabulary for reinforcement of both patterns and details. Good luck finding that.

[@peterl1195]

...and daring to take (social) risks. When you are a child, you are totally dependent on your closest social envirionment (a k a parents), and you can't socially "afford" to not take the risk of making a "fool" of yourself when learning your first language. When you are an adult, the social pressure and cost of making a fool of ourselves is (percieved) is even higher, since we have invested social capital in the groups and hierarchies we surround ourselves with. But since we don't "have to" learn a new language to survive, we don't dare to spend social capital from one venue to get social capital in an unknown group, which at the moment is unknown in height and width. So finding the right context of daring equals is really key.

[@Emily.study.coffee]

Always enjoy your thoughts and advice. I thoroughly agree! 🩶