How to not lose motivation when learning English

How to not lose motivation when learning English: with my 3 tips for you!

Hey there! Today, we're going to talk about how to keep your motivation up while learning English (or any other language). As you probably already know, I think I'm pretty good at English - I haven't taken a test recently or anything, but I'm pretty sure I'm at a C2 level. At least, I can travel to other countries now with confidence. Of course, I still make mistakes here and there! Right now, I'm also learning Norwegian because I want to live in Norway someday.

Anyway, I wanted to share my top three tips on how to become bilingual like me. I've written this post in simple English so that even beginners can understand it. Oh, and for all the Portuguese speakers out there, I'm also going to create a Portuguese version of this article. I'll make sure to add a link to it here when it's ready.

Hope these tips help you on your language-learning journey! Thanks for reading!

Comparing yourself to others when learning a new language

I've noticed that a lot of people in Brazil tend to judge themselves and compare their language-learning progress to that of their peers. But here's the thing - everyone learns at their own pace! Some people have more free time to study, access to private teachers or other paid materials, and some may even have the privilege of traveling to an English-speaking country like the USA or UK.

Even if you feel like you're not learning as fast as others, don't let that discourage you. Keep going, and you'll eventually achieve your goals. I remember feeling pretty down on myself when my mother-in-law told me she learned basic Norwegian and found a job in Norway in just three months. Meanwhile, I've been studying Norwegian for a while now, and I'm still not sure if I can do the same. But then she explained that she did an intensive course in Norway, while I'm mostly just following Duolingo lessons for now. I mean, all I can confidently say in Norwegian is "Katten spiser fisk" (which means "The cat is eating fish") - if you're also using Duolingo, you'll get the joke!

So, my advice to you is to not compare yourself to others. Just focus on your own progress and keep moving forward. You got this!

Filter people's compliments or criticisms

Don't just rely on what other people say to measure your progress. When I was learning English, people would often tell me how fast I was improving and how talented I was. Their kind words were motivating, but sometimes they made me too confident and I didn't study as much as I should have. One time, I went to take an English test and I was so sure I would ace it, but the teacher told me my level was lower than basic and that I might struggle in the A2 class. I was really upset, but it also made me realize that I needed to work harder to improve. So I started studying more, and after about two years, I probably could pass a C1 test! Remember, don't let others define your progress or discourage you from working hard towards your goals.

Consistence is the key

Okay, so this might sound like a super common piece of advice, but it's actually the most important thing when it comes to learning a language. Everyone says it, because it's true! No matter how good or bad your language learning method is, the secret to success is to just keep going. Sure, some methods might be better than others, and it's good to find the most effective way for you. But don't give up just because you're not sure if you're doing it right. Celebrate the little victories along the way and keep pushing forward. And before you know it, you'll wake up one day and realize you can speak English (that's kind of how it happened for me). So don't worry too much about finding the perfect method, just keep learning and growing, and you'll get there!

And...

That's all for today! I hope you enjoyed reading this post. If you did, please leave a comment down below and let's become friends! We can even share our progress together and help each other out. Thanks for reading!"