• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Street Smart Brazil

We teach smart Portuguese

  • Contact
  • My Account
  • Cart
  • Policies
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Service
    • Disclaimer
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Speak Portuguese With Ease
  • Home
  • About
  • Shop for Lessons
  • Starter Kit
  • Testimonials
  • Resources
  • Blog
Tips to Overcome Language Learning Frustration

Tips to Overcome Language Learning Frustration

posted on February 25, 2012

Language learning tips to overcome language learning frustration

Is it difficult to learn a language? Have you had to overcome language learning frustration? Have you felt stuck in your learning? If you answered yes, you are not alone. These are common experiences among language learners even though there are those who will tell us that we can learn a language easily and quickly.

In my opinion learning a language is challenging. It is extremely fun and rewarding, and will open doors that we didn’t even know were there, but it takes effort and patience.

I feel that a source of frustration for many learners is their own expectations that they should learn everything quickly and easily. Most of our learners at Street Smart Brazil are working professionals, including entrepreneurs and high-ranking executives. For many, it is uncomfortable to find themselves struggling to communicate simple ideas or having to ask the meaning of a word again. This is just a natural part of the learning process, as is making mistakes, but for many learners it is a major source of frustration.

5 Tips to help you in your language learning journey

How can we make our language learning journey more joyful? I have a few simple reminders that I find very useful.

1. Use the language every day

To learn a language well one needs to use it often, repeatedly, if possible in real life. I understand that using the language in real life can be challenging when you do not live in the country of the language you are leaning.

So how can you get around this?

You can engage with authentic content. Read the news in Portuguese. Watch videos on YouTube about any topic that interests you. Listen to podcasts. Read a book in Portuguese. If you like music, learn the lyrics, observe the words, and sing along  – as loud as you can 🙂

2. Create Portuguese-speaking moments

If you have Brazilian friends, create agreements to have Portuguese-speaking moments together. But remember to have fun. Focus on the adventure of learning and not on the challenges of communicating. Tell your Brazilian friends that they don’t need to correct every detail of what you say. You, too, need to have patience. I know how it feels when we want to communicate an idea well and have the English language right there asking to enter the conversation. Resist the temptation. It takes practice to get your brain comfortable expressing ideas in the new language.

3. Engage all your senses in the learning experience

When using Portuguese with other people, resist the temptation to ask your friends to translate what you don’t understand. Have fun using gestures, draw a crazy picture, ask for synonyms, grab objects, do a little dance. Interact with the world around you in Portuguese.

4. Have fun with your mistakes

We all learned how to walk by falling. We all learned how to speak by saying words incorrectly at first. We learn from our mistakes.

No one likes to make mistakes. However, it is simply impossible to learn a language without making mistakes. In fact, making mistakes is necessary if you want to become fluent.

I have made many silly mistakes speaking English. I used to say pimp every time I wanted to say pimple. I still have to think about these words before I say it. It’s hilarious. I also laugh when I remember that I used to say smashed potatoes instead of mashed potatoes  😂 I did that for a long time.

I have been living in the US for over a decade and my husband still corrects my English. When it happens, I embrace the opportunity to learn.

5. Be patient with yourself

Most of all, be patient with yourself. Most likely you will not be fluent in three months or learning 10 minutes a day. Most of us will not learn that easily. Learning a language takes consistent effort. It is challenging. You are not alone.

Remember that you are learning the entire world with new words, new rules, and new sounds while the many other areas of your life compete for a chunk of your attention and focus.

Learning a language is an adventure. Allow yourself to have fun and be silly at times. It is truly all right.

Share ... Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
Email this to someone
email

Related Posts:

  • 4 language learning hacks for your Portuguese
  • My Favorite Online Dictionaries to Learn Portuguese
  • 8 Power Tips to Learn Verb Conjugation – Portuguese lesson

About Luciana Lage

Luciana Lage founded Street Smart Brazil drawing on her passion for Brazilian Portuguese language and culture. Luciana has also taught Portuguese at University of California, Berkeley, and currently teaches at the University of San Francisco.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Patrick

    March 7, 2019 at 10:14 pm

    I’m frustrated after studying for 4 years and 7 months and going to Brasil 14 times and having a Brasilian girlfriend and not being able to converse with her yet. I can’t order food. I can’t read. Its a secret code for me. Any ideas? Thanks

    Reply
  2. VideoPortal

    March 26, 2017 at 1:28 pm

    I don’t believe there is one grand key to overcoming the frustration barrier. But I do believe there are many heuristics you can use to help yourself push through this difficult phase.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Want to see your pic by your comment? Get a free custom avatar at Gravatar.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Categories

  • Brazil
  • Brazilian music
  • Brazilian Portuguese
  • Business Culture
  • Culture and History
  • Flashcards
  • Food
  • Grammar
  • Idiomatic Expressions
  • Learning Languages
  • Pronunciation
  • Resources
  • Video lessons
  • Visiting Brazil
  • Vocabulary

Schedule a Trial Session

Testimonials

Street Smart Brazil has a wonderful program for teaching Brazilian Portuguese. All the teachers are professional, nice and a lot of fun to learn from. You learn a lot about everyday slang that is use… Read more
Davina
Street Smart Brazil is the best lessons you can get for such an affordable price. I was initially skeptical about doing virtual Portuguese classes, but after doing the trial class, I learned that Stre… Read more
Alexis
Street Smart Brazil has impressed me. Not only will your Brazilian Portuguese improve under their instruction but you will learn a lot about Brazilian culture.
Naomi
The web class is a unique setup. When I first heard about it I thought it would be too weird to try to do something so personal and interactive as a foreign language online. Now I am sort of devotee. … Read more
John

Find Resources

Make your learning fun and easy with good resources.
Learn More

51 Portuguese Idioms – Speak Like a Brazilian

You will learn each expression inside a real-life context: everyday situations that could happen to any of us.
Purchase Now >

Recent Posts

  • Learn the Numbers in Portuguese: All you need to know
  • The Difference Between ESTE, ESSE, ISSO in Portuguese
  • 4 language learning hacks for your Portuguese
  • War Vocabulary in Portuguese
  • Valentine’s Day in Brazil – Dia dos Namorados

Search

Cart

Classes

  • Trial Lesson
  • One-on-One Portuguese Lessons via Video Meetings – Subscription
  • One-on-One Portuguese Lessons via Video Meetings – Packages
  • Celpe-Bras Preparation Course

Footer Subscribe

Books

  • 51 Portuguese Idioms
  • Master the Word MESMO in Portuguese

Footer Video CTA

Subscribe to my YouTube channel to get all the new video lessons

Subscribe

https://youtu.be/Q8ONwVoTG9M

Footer Full CTA

Book a Trial Lesson today to get started.

Get Started Now

Footer CTA

Street Smart Brazil

  • About
  • Shop For a Portuguese Class
  • Testimonials
  • Blog

Portuguese Classes

  • Trial Lesson
  • One-on-One Portuguese Lessons via Video Meetings – Subscription
  • One-on-One Portuguese Lessons via Video Meetings – Packages
  • Celpe-Bras Preparation Course

Books

  • 51 Portuguese Idioms
  • Master the Word MESMO in Portuguese


Street Smart Brazil, LLC

phone 415.573.8180
email info@streetsmartbrazil.com
Oakland, California

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Disclaimer
  • Sitemap

© 2014–2022 Street Smart Brazil, All Rights Reserved | Website by Web Savvy Marketing