Don’t Make Excuses, Make Progress: The 9 Worst Language Learning Excuses

Is there something holding you back from learning a new language?

You want to learn, but you don’t have enough time?

You can’t afford to pay for classes?

Or perhaps the language is too hard for you?

Let’s be honest: those are all excuses.

If you really want to learn another language, you have to find a way to do it.

Hoping that you’ll find motivation from it, we’ve listed 9 typical language learning excuses people tend to make.

Let’s dive in.

The 9 Worst Language Learning Excuses

People make excuses all the time. Trust us, you’re not the only one.

However, this stops today. 

In the following lines, you will find the 9 lousiest language learning excuses that people make. It can help you think positively and stop talking about learning languages but actually do it this time.

“I’m Too Old to Learn a New Language”

Familiar? We think so.

There is a famous myth that adults can’t learn foreign languages, especially the way kids can.

That’s not true.

The problem is that this false information has been spread throughout the world, so the damage has already been done.

To prove you wrong, take a look at the explanation that adults not only can learn new languages, but they can understand them better than kids.

When did you learn to drive a car? Or to use an iPhone? As a child? Of course, not.

We’ve said enough.

“I Don’t Have Enough Time For Learning.”

This is such a lame excuse.

If you don’t have enough time to learn a language, how come you have time to watch TV or spend time on your tablet?

So, you do have enough time.

If you study at least 15 minutes a day, you can make progress. Watching TV or playing games instead can’t really help you with the language.

If you are serious about learning a language, then you will make it a priority.

We can give you some tips for a start. If you want to relax, but you genuinely want to learn a language, then try watching movies in your target language. 

Let’s say that you want to learn Mexican Spanish. Mexican movies on Netflix can help you get into the language, build your vocabulary, learn Mexican slang, and improve your listening skills.

Or you want to learn Italian, for example. Listen to Italian podcasts on your way home, while you’re jogging, or walking in the park.

Don’t make excuses and don’t pretend to be busy. Instead, organize your day and stick to it.

“The Language I want to Learn is Difficult.”

It’s all a matter of perspective and attitude.

If you convince yourself that you can’t do something, your brain will stop trying, and you will fail.

If you tell yourself that you can do it, your attitude and willingness to succeed will be greater than failure.

The same goes for languages.

Who said that the easiest languages could be learned in no time? Or the hardest languages in the world are impossible to learn?

No matter if you are a natural talent for languages or not, every language learner comes to that point when they find it difficult to learn some parts of the language. For some, it can be some grammar rules. For others, those are some specific expressions. If you bail on your language lessons just because you came across an obstacle, then you won’t be able to learn any language.

So, don’t think about language difficulties. Think positively, and believe that you can do it.

“I’m Not So Good At Languages.”

Saying that you aren’t good at languages is one excuse that makes you feel better and less guilty.

But it’s all wrong.

Did you know that more than 60% of the world population speaks more than two languages? Do you think that every one of them is natural talent? Some of them perhaps yes, but most of them are ordinary people with their regular lives. The thing is that they are persistent and don’t take ‘no’ or ‘impossible’ for an answer.

Have you ever heard a polyglot say that they’re not so good with languages? Quite the opposite, actually. You can hear them say they learn and practice languages every single day.

For example, if you are better at sports, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you are bad at languages. Maybe you need the motivation to start and dive into the world of languages. 

If you don’t know how to start, Justlearn tutors are here to help you. Not only they’ll give you extra motivation, but they’ll also make you fall in love with the process.

“Speaking English Is Enough”

This is true, partly.

Today, everyone speaks English. Wherever you go, you can speak English with the locals. 

If you go on holiday to another country, you can easily communicate in English because the only language you hear is English in the main tourist places.

But what if you want something more than that?

What if you travel to another country and want to experience that world and their culture from their perspective? 

You want to speak to the locals and make the impression that you aren’t one more typical tourist.

That way, English isn’t what you need.

So, even though everyone speaks English, it isn’t enough.

Therefore, you can forget about this excuse.

“Now It’s Not a Good Time to Start.”

Every time you sit down and decide to start learning a new language, something pops up, and you have to delay it.

Let us ask you one thing: do you skip making dinner (and eating, of course) just because something came up? Of course, not.

It’s never a good time to start something new. Our entire life is like that. Something always comes up.

But, when you are serious about learning a foreign language, you will find another solution and dedicate some time to learning it.

The perfect time and conditions will never come. 

If you’ve planned to learn one hour today but, in the end, you have only 20 minutes, then use them. Those 20 minutes will do, too.

“I Don’t Have Enough Money.”

Are you reading this post? Yes?

And can you afford an internet connection?

Then, you can learn the language.

Telling someone that you don’t have enough money is one of the worst excuses.

Thanks to technology and the era we live in, there are many freeways and methods of learning a language.

Starting from hundreds of free podcasts and websites for learning languages to blog articles and free forums, you can find even more free resources than you can manage.

Some of the best language learning apps are available for free. Blog articles are proven to be very useful, too.

Justlearn blog, for example, gives you so many unique tips about different languages that you can choose from. Not only will you find articles about grammar, pronunciation, or vocabulary, but you will also find useful tips and tricks on how to learn a new language more efficiently.

“Tomorrow, I’ll Start Learning a Language.”

Today, you can’t start learning because you’re too tired, but tomorrow you’ll be as fresh as new. Or, today you didn’t have enough time to get through one lesson, but tomorrow you’ll have time.

This is another lousy excuse.

Do you say that when you have to have lunch? Today you won’t eat, but tomorrow you will eat two meals. Of course, you don’t.

Once again, if you are really serious about learning a new language, you will make a daily schedule.

Make learning a language a habit, something like having lunch, or brushing your teeth. 

Even if your schedule is full, you’ll surely have 10 minutes to check out some new blog posts in your target language or take a peek at some new words and phrases.

“What If I Don’t Succeed?”

Fear is a usual part of the language learning process.

You are afraid of making mistakes, and making a fool of yourself in front of others.

First of all, don’t look at mistakes as your failure. Look at them as one more way to learn something. Making mistakes while learning a new language isn’t the end of the world, nor will anyone laugh at you.

It can be hard at the beginning, especially if you start learning it from scratch. All you have to do is remember that everyone makes mistakes. Many of them turned this into a new experience.

The fear of speaking in a foreign language is normal. You have to know to recognize it and to find a way to overcome your fears.

Final Thoughts

No matter how deeply you want to learn a new language, sometimes, it’s not easy to organize yourself and stick to it.

Once you create a schedule and get into the beauty of it, you’ll be eager for every new lesson to start.

If you think that you can’t learn a language on your own, we have a solution for that, too. Book a lesson with one of Justlearn's tutors, start learning, and stop making excuses.

The time is right, don’t wait for tomorrow.