Barriers that stop you learning English
And how to overcome them
Hello!
What are some common blocks and barriers for English learners?
What gets in your way when you’re trying to learn English?
That’s what today’s post is about! I’m going to talk about some things that English learners often say to me and give you some solutions to try.
Fear
Many people get a bit scared when they try to speak another language. Me too! We’re scared that the other person won’t understand us. Or that we won’t understand them. We’re scared of making mistakes and being laughed at or judged. We’re worried that they won’t like or understand our accent.
The solution:
1. Don't worry so much about mistakes. Everyone else makes mistakes too. And remember that you can learn a lot from your mistakes.
2. Find people to talk to who you are comfortable with, like friends, other learners or a patient teacher.
3. This is a hard lesson but you have to accept the fear and speak anyway or you will never improve. In time, it will get easier and less scary, I promise.
Perfectionism
Perfectionists don’t like making mistakes. They don’t like it when they get the grammar wrong or they use the wrong preposition, for example. This isn’t quite the same as fear of making mistakes. Perfectionists get frustrated or annoyed with themselves when they make a mistake.
The solution:
1. You don’t have to speak perfectly to communicate effectively. People will still understand you most of the time, even when you make a mistake.
2. Remember that nobody is perfect. Native speakers get stuck for words, change their mind halfway through a sentence and make little grammar mistakes.
3. Enjoy the journey and have fun learning.
Inconsistency
You know that you should practise a little every day but it’s difficult to find the time and stay consistent.
The solution:
1. Try to make English part of your daily routine. Find a time that works for you and do it every day, even if it’s only for a few minutes.
2. In fact, a few minutes every day works better than a long study session once a week.
3. Make it fun. If you enjoy it, you’re more likely to keep going.
Comparison
Some people compare themselves with other learners and then feel bad about their own English. Some people even compare themselves to native speakers and then they feel like they will never get there.
The solution:
1. Remember that everyone has to start somewhere. That person who seems better than you was a beginner once.
2. Maybe the other person seems really fluent and confident but you don’t know how they feel inside and you don’t see that they have weaknesses too.
3. Remember that you don’t have to speak English like a native speaker. Be yourself. You don’t need native-level English to communicate well.
Time
I know a lot of people feel like there isn’t enough time to learn English. If you can find just 15-30 minutes a day to learn or practise, it will make a big difference.
The solution:
I wrote more about finding time in this blog post so I won’t say any more on this today!
Some general tips
1. Set small achievable goals, like watching one video a day or learning 5 new words a day.
2. Celebrate your wins, even the small ones. Each new thing you learn and each successful conversation in English is worth celebrating.
3. Don’t try to do it all alone. Find friends who are learning, join a class or join one of my Facebook groups.
My Facebook groups
I have TWO Facebook groups:
1) “English Conversation for Women”
This group is for WOMEN ONLY, as the name suggests! https://www.facebook.com/groups/englishconversationforwomen
This is a small group where you can connect with other women working on their English.
There’s a free Zoom session once a month for group members!
2) “Practise English with Katie”
This group is for EVERYONE.
Men and women, anyone of any gender can join this group! There are lots of active members and we have some interesting conversations.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/learnenglishwithkatie
Hope to get to know you more in one of my groups soon!
See you next week!
Katie 💙
PS Have you seen that I have a library of lessons here? Some of these lessons are free and some are locked. You can unlock all the lessons in the library AND get a monthly invitation to a chat on Zoom if you upgrade to a paid membership.
Here’s a free lesson to show you what you could unlock:
Maybe the other person seems really fluent and confident but you don’t know how they feel inside and you don’t see that they have weaknesses too.
Thank you for this sentence! It sparked something for me.