Not long before writing this article, I had just received the news that I had passed the DALF C1 French exam (it took me three years to go from complete beginner to C1). In 2022, I also studied independently and achieved a 7.5 on the IELTS Academic test. On top of that, I have worked as a language teacher for eight years, so I have developed some of my own thoughts on how to learn a language and would like to share them with everyone.
Common misconceptions about language learning
Memorizing words without knowing how to use them
Obsessing over grammar
Being too afraid of making mistakes to speak
Below, I will explain these misconceptions and offer some suggestions.
Memorize phrases, not individual words
Vocabulary size is important, but you should learn how phrases are used rather than memorizing the meanings of individual words. Before studying for the IELTS, I had spent years memorizing words. It was only when I began preparing for the test that I realized I should be learning collocations. This allows you to remember several words at once, and, more importantly, gives you context so that you know how to use them. I later used this method when learning French, and it was much more efficient.
Grammar is not the main focus
Grammar is important for building a language framework in the early stages, but once you reach an intermediate level, you should set grammar aside and increase your exposure to the target language instead—for example, by watching TV shows, listening to podcasts and songs, reading magazines, and so on. Do whatever interests you. Simply switch the language medium of the things you enjoy doing to your target language. Learning a language is a long-term endeavor, and without some genuine interest, it is really difficult to keep going.
You can only master a language by making lots of mistakes
Think about how, when learning our native language, we made lots of mistakes while interacting with others and were corrected by our parents and teachers. It is precisely through this process that we learn the rules governing how a language is actually used. As adults, however, the fear of making mistakes can become an obstacle to language learning. My suggestion is to join a local or online language exchange group (socializing + language learning), or use AI (the advantages are that you can keep track of your mistakes and it is available 24/7).