When you are talking I feel like my mind is talking to me, so weird.

All the language learning videos should alternate between the positive and the negative. If all the videos are positive it is actually counterproductive. Thanks for making this.

100% agree!!!

It’s so encouraging to know that other people feel this way. Thank you for talking about this.

Thank you. I really appreciate you saying these things. I am an older (57) language learner, who is a pretty intelligent person. Some days, though, it feels as if my brain has zero retention capability. But, then, I realize just how much I actually do know. It's just piecing it all together that is the challenge. Again, thank you for your post. Yo aprendiendo espanol.

Thank you so much, your video just put the rights words on what I feel about language learning currently and it's a relief to see that I am not alone feeling this way. Thank you very much for all your videos (that I liked a lot) and particularly this one! Have a great evening :)

This is probably the best video on youtube and you have a new subscriber now. I have to say its a relief to hear something like this because i am an independent language learner and i go through everything that she mentioned in the video. Im working on my third language, I've been speaking Spanish for about 2 years and just started German and everyone around me(friends coworkers, acquaintances, etc) say"your amazing i mistook you for a native, how did you learn by yourself was it rosetta stone and can you teach me?" meanwhile this video is everything im thinking while everyone praises me as some sort of language prophet because even though ive endeavored so much to learn Spanish i still have random moments when i lack comprehension and thats just the nature of the beast there will always be gaps because its not my Native tongue but i dont think about that i just continue learning and improving because of my love for languages.

Thanks for this true message. Yes I've been through many of these challenges you discussed while Ive been learning. It's part of that natural process. It helps to take a break every now and then when feeling like there is an overload. But I find that when I come back to it again days later it's even more fun than the last.

thanks for saying you get less fluent based on emotions and situations, because I've wondered if that was just me. I can barely remember my native language half the time because of anxiety, so I do wonder if I'll ever be able to speak anything else.

It's true :" to find something to read on internet about you don't have time to do the things you want". I've been learning English over two years. It's my first foreign language. At age of 18 I just speak Portuguese, and at moment I am able to communicate in English, Spanish. Spanish I've mixed it up with Portuguese, but I'm trying to get better like native. I speak a little German, if I come across with a German speaker, I'll speak and understand what they're saying. I think learn a new language takes time...great video. I'm in my mission to get a degree in University in Physics and become a polyglot. I guess at the 25 I'll be speaking English, Spanish, German and french. I have 6 years to get it.

I would recommend this to anyone learning anything tbh, not just language learning

I'm so grateful that you opened up your languages journey in this way. I suppose that most of us are going to be identified with what you shared. Again thanks for be that honest. Nowadays is not that common to find this real and highly valuable type of content on KZfaq.

Thank you. I well know the awkward situation when I have said "WHAT" at least three times and still have no idea what the other person said.

I so needed to hear this message right now. I love learning languages and am currently in my second year at university studying Japanese. I have repeated a class due to not being able to fully grasp the grammar and remember all the kanji readings and even vocabulary. It was frustrating. Now again I am facing this same obstacle and feel like such a failure because I don't think I can pass to the next level yet. So I'm faced with repeating this course too. Yet at the same time I can see my progress, but it's still not up to par for going on to my 3rd year level yet. Thank you for reminding me I'm not alone. I will be watching other videos on your channel. You have a new subscriber😉😁

I felt this way late in my German learning. I think it had a lot to do with having to study things I didn't want to or didnt care much about in class (which is a drag even in English). Another thing may have been that I was hearing other students talking about taking trips to Germany, and all I could think was, "That sounds expensive. Maybe if I had more money my German would be as good as theirs". But trudging through the 3 semesters of German have me a better understanding of the grammar along with a more diverse vocabulary. Now I'm able to take it one day at a time, read intermediate material that I actually enjoy, watch KZfaq videos in German, and have fun listening to German music. And now when I hear someone talk about a foreign excursion they had, instead of getting jealous and wishing I had more money, I'm happy for them while still being hopeful that one day I WILL be able to travel even though that day hasn't come yet. And now that I've added Spanish to the mix, I'll get to put my optimism towards to languages instead of only one. Thank you for making this video! You are so right that nearly everybody makes second language acquisition out to be something done easily and quickly, rather than a lifelong journey.

I speak 2 languages and I'm currently studying 3 idk why but I love coming back to video from time to time as a form of therapy for this arduous journey. Thank you🥺

Thank you for making this video. All of this is true. Some days I feel like I am one of the natives and other days I feel like I don't know anything. And then the more I know, the more frustrated I become because my expectations just get higher, "I have been learning for this long, I should be at this level..."

It's so good to be reminded that I'm not unique. Your video summed up literally everything I'm going through right now, having had a particularly rough day of trying to learn my target language. This helped me to take a deep breath and keep moving forward. Thank you.

oh my god, you've voiced so much of my experience. thank you for this.

Excellent video. I think everyone feels this way but no-one ever talks about it. Thank you for voicing it :)

Thank you, ma'am. It is much more frustrating when it's your third language :).... but the key to success is not to give up moving on in this way 🤞

Well, my English teacher made a self-study upon listening. And I was thinking that video would be somehow connected with the languages. I mean, the origin of them, or about a person who is fluent in English. But, what was a surprise, when I started watching this video , I really got a lot of motivation to improve my English. And u know, I understood that now I am not afraid of making mistakes, I feel confident when I speak this language with someone. And I want to say thank u so much!! Thank u for these words. They are really helpful.

Thanks for the helpful video. It is easy to get bogged down and discouraged sometimes, and it's helpful to know that I'm not the only one. I'm 75 now, and I've been studying German on my own for the last few years. It's a lot of fun, but it can be frustrating at times.

you have to enjoy the learning and not the final goal than everything is ok i study arabic (i am 70 year old) and i enjoy every moment of it even if i cannot understand still a lot but every word and every short story i learn gives me satisfaction and i am not frustrated about not understanding something

Your speech is like - The Language Manifesto! "Language learners of all countries, unite!"

In my experience, the worst part of learning a language is understanding the negative things people sometimes say about you within earshot. After years of this happening you may simply give up speaking up for yourself and move to a country where you 'blend in'. The positive side could be the apathy that comes with realising you don't have to say anything to these people regardless of how their negative comments make you feel on a daily basis, and you become hardened to it. I guess there is an art to learning how to not listen to negative speech nor let it affect you. My uncle is a prison officer and seems to be great at 'switching off' while listening to what some say. I could hardly speak English when I returned home from Asia in 2017! That was also a dark time going through 2.5 years of reverse culture shock, feeling like you are losing your mind. haha

This is exactly how I have been feeling, I don’t feel like I myself, I feel like I’ve become a different person, and that I’m not being natural, the worst part of all of this is, the language that I am learning, it’s my traditional language, the language of my people. Thank you for making this video, sometimes I feel like I’m just saying sounds, even though I know they are words, I’m starting to resent the sound of my own language in some ways, but then sometimes I have a ray of hope, but I will keep going, any thoughts would be welcome.

At first it was a little bit awkward to watch this video. It seemed to be in a repetitive voice, which almost sounded like a meditation mantra or sort of. But I have to admit, it is a very important lesson that you are giving. Learning a language can be exhaustive at times, but it also can be full of joy. You need to be brave at times. And sometimes you are the only one that is judging yourself very hard. Then it is important to recognize it takes time and people are quite supportive in general.

Hi Agnieszka, I think you are a mind reader. My daughter moved to Germany in 2017 and I've decided to learn German. It's the beginning of November, so I've been working on German here and there for most of nine months, and I've experienced every one of the problems, headaches, disappointments and failures you described. But, I keep at it and I am improving. Nowhere near the rate I'd like, but I am moving forward. To Infinity and Beyond!

Thank you for pointing out the problems in learning a language. There will be times you "plateau" and run into discouragement. I've also seen your video about expectations and reality. You make an excellent point that you have to continually practice in whatever language you learn; otherwise, you'll forget. I found that true in learning German.

You watch different videos about language learning than I do. Much of what I watch shows how to deal with the hard patches. Nearly all these polyglots started by thinking they had no ability. But by some combination of exposure to the new language and a stubborn insistence of putting in time every day, the new language slowly began to be acquired. That has been my real experience (Russian, French, Spanish, and now - I hope - Korean).

Yes, absolutely! I spent so much time focusing on learning basic, conversation Mandarin in preparation for the trip to China for my son & daughter-in-law's wedding. I didn't expect flowing conversations, but when I forgot some of the most basic expressions and had to debate in my mind which ones to use in which cases -- I felt like an utter failure! I had to subsist on Ni hao? Ni hao ma? Xie-xie. Zaijien. Xia (shrimp) and Ko-ko-la (Coca-cola). I knew Beijing Kalya (Beijing Roast Duck), but didn't really want to order any anyway, so what was the use?

Thank you! I find it motivating to go back to basics to remind myself that I have come a long way in learning my 2nd (and now 3rd) language.

Thank you for this!

Lots of feelings there. So that would be the dark side of language learning: feelings. Feelings of inadequacy, feelings of frustration, , etc, etc. I am currently more interested in and limiting myself to 14 languages so that I don't get completely lost in my tendency to dispersion. Yet I only know how to say "Thanks" in those 14 languages (and a few more. I find gratitude the best attitude and nothing seems to light up peoples' faces as much as being thanked in their own language.) I still am note quite familiar with how to write it in some of them. My next big word will probably be "sorry" to let people know how sorry I am that I am not able to communicate any better than I am actually. An my first sentence will probably be "I don't speak your language." I am a 64 years young linguaphile who is more into theory than practice . My enjoyment of languages and words has indeed reached a point where it will soon require communicating in more than only the 2 languages I speak now. I consider I haven't really started learning languages yet, except for English , my second language and North American French which is my native one. I had to conclude that I prefer studying to learning . The knowledge I have is disproportionate to my capacity of using it and learning is the unavoidable next step. The feelings I have cultivated so far are ones of awe and appreciation. I savour words as I savour foods. I indulge in my love of comparing things and concepts. I relish words for all the dimensions they are capable of and languages for their unique and not so unique ways of allowing us to perceive and act upon the world(s) we live in. Abstract thoughts and systems of thinking fuel my motivation way more than my desire to be actually able to communicate in many languages. So far. But I'm getting there. Hopefully;-) I have a huge issue with procrastination and I have accumulated a tremendous amount of resources over the years. Any normal person in my situation would be far far ahead of my in his capacity of speaking languages and would probably be a polyglot by now. Even in Esperanto, supposedly the easiest language to learn I resist learning. But I do go through the motions of familiarizing myself with it. I prolong my. incompetence to speak the language in order to contrast better my feelings of helplessness and frustration of being unable to communicate with my feelings of joy of being in presence of people actually using it and wanting to get better at it. I am slowly, ever so slowly, starting to use simultaneously certain methods in order to be able to compare them and I may just have to resolve elaborating mine. The question being "How do you teach yourself something you don't know?" Sorry if I spoke so much about myself. I realize how marginal I am but I do share the love of languages many people feel. Thank you for your post and daring to share what may not have been the most pleasant things to say but certainly useful and, in a way, very encouraging. Namaste! 🙏

Great video. When I stared learning English I thought I couldn't learn it, but I realized I was on a wrong path. But now I've my own method,. Now i can speak 3 languages.

Very nice! Thanks!

Thank you so much,you inspired me😍😍😍

I really enjoy your videos :) thank you so much , I am afraid to start learning and I don't know how to start , just wish me luck !

Thank you for your talking about that i appreciate

Hello, Aga! iI love your accent And you pronounce the words so clearly, It is a pleasure to hear you. I saw somewhere, maybe in another video, that you teach english also. I wonder if you give conversation classes also. I would love to have some conversations classes with you. Any way, I will keep on hearing you at youtube!

Thank you, thank you so much..

I loved this video. This has been my journey so far

Thanks now I feel better with myself.

Thank you very much for this video :)

Dziękuję bardzo, Agnieszka. Podoba mi się ten film. Czasami nie mogę znaleść energii ani motzwacji, ale wiem jest normalny.

This is all very much true. Fortunately I did acquire native and near native fluency in four langs. Knowing it really stops there can be lived with. But I am still being consumed and devoured by passion for more languages still. And this could eventually destroy me, like the moth drawn to the flame.

Dziękuję za uwagi i masz rację. Ja też zbyt surowo ocenił siebie i nie zawsze zaakceptowałem porażek i rozczarowań jako normalne doświadczenia podczas procesu uczenia się nowego języka.

Does anyone have a tip on how to speak louder when speaking a foreign language? I realised most people tend to speak in a lower tone when using a foreign language. I'm just wondering if there are maybe some breathing/speaking techniques one can adapt.

Wow ! How could you turn this subject into words , Amazing

Great

Thank you , a great positive video Learning french but go strangely dumb when time to speak but still trying. The words in there so just have to learn how to get them out.

Thank you

Thanks for this. Im ever the pessimist!

This is bang on!

Hi Aga, great content! Would love to see you add subtitles to your content, this will let us share your content in our app for language learners! Keep up the great work! :)

I had no idea !

Ironicznie też ma osóby, które uczyli się języków obcych ale zniechęca innych od uczenia swojego języka ojczystego jako jeżyk obcy: "Nasz język jest taki trudny i każdy odpowie Ci po angielsku"

So true…

Frankly, I'm afraid to watch this video. That's because I'm in the process of trying to bring much-needed positivity and "light" into my language learning, to bring it back after so many years. I'll just say that I've been learning French for almost a decade, but I'm still at A2, higher beginner level. But, I don't want to give up and want the darkness to pass already.

Great video i m speechless

Hello Aga! Could you tell me what’s the meaning of dark side of language learning?

❤

tell it to yourself everyday standing in front of the ca-mirror and you'll never be satisfied.

A human brain is a numerically large place, with hundreds of trillions of connections among billions of neurons. The total length of the connections among them is in the hundreds of thousands of miles of nerves, some of which are within myelin sheaths, which allows them to be faster, and some not in myelin. The top speed for signal travel is about 268 miles per hour in the spinal column, the fastest conduit in the body. Inside the brain, signals are slower. So, it is no surprise that language learning takes a long time. Reduce some of your self-imposed psychological pressure to succeed quickly by realizing the realities of the speed of human learning. Try to enjoy the process, because the effort takes a lifetime, and measures of success are relative to a variety of standards. ¿Cómo se dice realista? Es mejor y más agradable. Gracias.

Thanks Honey your words will help me. I must be a stoic

Are you also a telepath? Because you just read my mind.

It takes so long!

Please speak fast. Even in 2x it feels slow ☹

I really don't agree, this video trying to make me so sad, but i am not :p it is ok i don't blame myself for my mistakes, it is just a hobby, it is just a game.

shut up i'm not an addict i can quit any time WHERE IS THE DICTIONARY