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Advice on language learning for an old man (lemmy.ml)

submitted 2 years ago by stopit@lemmy.ml to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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After getting fired by my corporate job, three weeks before my NYC sublet lease expired, I decided, hastily to run away. PR was the furthest I could get without worrying about working laws...so I went for it, and honestly, I love it!

But...I need to learn Spanish, and idk if I'm too dumb or too old...but three years in and I can't do very much. I don't have many friends, I can't afford to live in the tourist zone (I wash dishes) so making friends without Spanish is near impossible. Any advice? Anyone my age that has mastered a foreign language?

Any tips or ideas appreciated. Thanks!

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[–] CHEFKOCH@lemmy.ml 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Do not give up, your learning curve is slower the older you get, this is absolute normal.
There are free courses on YouTube and bunch of other websites you can use and it also helps repeating the vocabulary once in a week, the stuff you try to learn. If you need additional help finding some material to learn Spanish - there are apps, YouTube courses, text courses and so on, let me know and I DM you the stuff you need it.
I am also miserable at language, I do not imply you are but I want to say that I feel your frustration, I am trying to learn Chinese since over 10 years and its awful painful for me, I had 4 years French and Spanish in school and I barely can order something in French which is embarrassing for me. For me language is also a pain, I have a inner barrier so I simply learn very slowly new languages or make the same grammar mistakes over and over again. My problem was that I always hated it, so maybe it is not entirely because of my age but it is a factor. Just do not lose hope. Most things are in your head, if you really want it, you get there. Do baby steps, celebrate small victories and repeat vocabulary really on a fixed schedule.

Personally I need to write things down to have a learning curve, maybe check what is best for you, others prefer hearing things first but I personally need to write things down to get used to it. I think if you know what method works best for you, then you will make progress.

Language itself or communication in general is very important, as you say you do not get much friends without at least the basics, no one expect that it should be perfect, but if you cannot communicate at all with someone, this is pretty much dead sentence to connect.