I definitely resonate with this and am glad I’m not the only one! In college I had friends who were triple language majors and they made it look so easy to not only simultaneously learn all three but to progress quickly as well. In college of course your main focus is usually all on your studies so their hard work showed quickly! But as an adult learner it’s nice to hear others having similar journeys and timelines. I clearly need to remind myself that I am not a full time college student with all my time dedicated to Irish and that is ok 😂
You are totally right! Even when I was in the beginning of my Irish language journey, like I said, it was basically all I did! I had the luxury of having time and energy to focus on the language more than anything else. Now that is definitely not true and even if I tried to focus on languages above all else, I would not be happy or have a balanced life.
You should be proud of your progress with Polish; for most native Anglophones, it is an incredibly difficult language (or, at the very least, intimidating). Ukrainian has been quite difficult for me beyond the advanced beginner stage. Slavic languages in general, to one extent or another!
Go raibh maith agat! Glad to hear it’s going to get harder past this stage. 😂 But jokes aside, thank you for the reminder and you should be proud of yourself too!
Hahaha! Well, I thank you, as well! If it's any consolation, it's "darkest before dawn" - I'm now at a point where grammar is starting to seem easier and easier. It's the prepositions which drive me nuts ;_; lol
I’m having a similar experience. For a few years, I was really hard on myself for not studying/practicing Spanish and Italian enough. I felt like it was a race but I slowly realised that there was no deadline and that learning these languages was just an enjoyable part of my life that I didn’t need to put pressure on myself for 😊 Now I’m learning other languages and I’m not making as much progress because I’m more focused on my mental and physical health, my social life and sleep 😴😂
Hi Molly! I felt that race part pretty hard with Ukrainian. I didn't, like, consciously think of it as a race, obviously, but after the full-scale invasion commenced, I saw a bunch of people who knew not a word of it before then start to surpass me in ability to speak. It was like here I was, having dedicated most of my life to Ukrainian culture, and newbies were passing me by. Really had me down for a while, both in lessons and in life. Luckily, I was able to learn to focus on myself, and that helped a lot... But comparing ourselves to others is maybe the deadliest trap.
it is, it's so important to remember that by learning anything about another culture or in another language is a good thing, no matter how much or how little.
I feel the same way. I know I could probably learn Polish more quickly if I wanted to... but I would have to sacrifice some amount of mental and physical health, other things I enjoy and other goals. Cozy > Cliste
Mieszkam w Polsce od ośmiu lat, i wciąż mówię po polsku na podstawowym poziomie. Ale wierzę, że ostatnio robię postępy. Nie jesteś sama, Briano! Jak mówią Polacy „Polski język, trudny język.“
Thanks for sharing this. I'm not learning a language, but have been working on several long-term projects during challenging times, and have been feeling frustrated and dissapointed at how long everything is taking, feeling like a failure. A lot of what you said about being too hard on yourself and thinking you weren't progressing fast enough really resonated with me. Your insights helped me get a broader perspective about my own struggles, so thank you! Wishing you all the best!
Thank you so much for your comment! I’ve always believed that languages have given me a lens to view these lessons through, but they are applicable to life in general and the same lessons can relate to so many different things. I’m really glad to hear that you were able to relate to my experiences and I was able to help you in some way. That means a lot!
I definitely resonate with this and am glad I’m not the only one! In college I had friends who were triple language majors and they made it look so easy to not only simultaneously learn all three but to progress quickly as well. In college of course your main focus is usually all on your studies so their hard work showed quickly! But as an adult learner it’s nice to hear others having similar journeys and timelines. I clearly need to remind myself that I am not a full time college student with all my time dedicated to Irish and that is ok 😂
You are totally right! Even when I was in the beginning of my Irish language journey, like I said, it was basically all I did! I had the luxury of having time and energy to focus on the language more than anything else. Now that is definitely not true and even if I tried to focus on languages above all else, I would not be happy or have a balanced life.
You should be proud of your progress with Polish; for most native Anglophones, it is an incredibly difficult language (or, at the very least, intimidating). Ukrainian has been quite difficult for me beyond the advanced beginner stage. Slavic languages in general, to one extent or another!
Go raibh maith agat! Glad to hear it’s going to get harder past this stage. 😂 But jokes aside, thank you for the reminder and you should be proud of yourself too!
Hahaha! Well, I thank you, as well! If it's any consolation, it's "darkest before dawn" - I'm now at a point where grammar is starting to seem easier and easier. It's the prepositions which drive me nuts ;_; lol
Grammar? Easier? 🤯 Maith thú!
I’m having a similar experience. For a few years, I was really hard on myself for not studying/practicing Spanish and Italian enough. I felt like it was a race but I slowly realised that there was no deadline and that learning these languages was just an enjoyable part of my life that I didn’t need to put pressure on myself for 😊 Now I’m learning other languages and I’m not making as much progress because I’m more focused on my mental and physical health, my social life and sleep 😴😂
Hi Molly! I felt that race part pretty hard with Ukrainian. I didn't, like, consciously think of it as a race, obviously, but after the full-scale invasion commenced, I saw a bunch of people who knew not a word of it before then start to surpass me in ability to speak. It was like here I was, having dedicated most of my life to Ukrainian culture, and newbies were passing me by. Really had me down for a while, both in lessons and in life. Luckily, I was able to learn to focus on myself, and that helped a lot... But comparing ourselves to others is maybe the deadliest trap.
it is, it's so important to remember that by learning anything about another culture or in another language is a good thing, no matter how much or how little.
I feel the same way. I know I could probably learn Polish more quickly if I wanted to... but I would have to sacrifice some amount of mental and physical health, other things I enjoy and other goals. Cozy > Cliste
Mieszkam w Polsce od ośmiu lat, i wciąż mówię po polsku na podstawowym poziomie. Ale wierzę, że ostatnio robię postępy. Nie jesteś sama, Briano! Jak mówią Polacy „Polski język, trudny język.“
Tak, masz rację! Przeczytałem zdanie po angielsku "what is worth knowing is difficult to learn."
Thanks for sharing this. I'm not learning a language, but have been working on several long-term projects during challenging times, and have been feeling frustrated and dissapointed at how long everything is taking, feeling like a failure. A lot of what you said about being too hard on yourself and thinking you weren't progressing fast enough really resonated with me. Your insights helped me get a broader perspective about my own struggles, so thank you! Wishing you all the best!
Thank you so much for your comment! I’ve always believed that languages have given me a lens to view these lessons through, but they are applicable to life in general and the same lessons can relate to so many different things. I’m really glad to hear that you were able to relate to my experiences and I was able to help you in some way. That means a lot!