"Lentamente, por favor"

Learning a new language as an adult

I’m probably not telling you anything you don’t already know, but learning a new language as an adult is no easy feat.

We’ve been in Spain for nearly six months (❗️), and I’ve diligently listened to podcasts, taken a class twice a week, spoken Spanish when I can, and immersed myself in the language.

Still, I’m at an A1.2 level.

It’s getting better poco a poco.

I can now hold a basic conversation in Spanish, and while finding the words I want to speak can be challenging, understanding what is being said is getting easier.

There is no special trick to learning a language faster. Some people have this ability. Unfortunately, I simply have to put in the work, and I’m relatively good with language in general.

It’s tedious at times. Frustrating. Enraging, even, at certain moments.

And then we go to a restaurant, and I can rattle off what I want without needing to stop and translate it in my head first.

There it is. Progress.

To a native Spanish speaker, I most likely sound like a toddler learning to put sentences together for the first time. But everyone has to start somewhere, right?

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Learning Spanish has, in many ways, been a lesson in humility and empathy.

When you grow up speaking a language, you don’t give much thought to it – how someone new to your country might struggle to understand what’s going on around them or what’s required of them. How they might not be able to read the sign telling them where the bathrooms are or hearing their number called at a restaurant when it’s time to pick up their food at the counter.

These basic tasks become one more hurdle to overcome when you already feel like you’ve landed on an alien planet.

I’ve always been empathetic, but this experience in Spain has taken it to a whole new level. Will and I have discussed several times how much more understanding we are of immigrants who arrive in the United States without knowing the language or customs of their new country. The language barrier is real, and so much is lost in context when you aren’t a native speaker.

In my not-so-professional opinion, one of the biggest disservices we do to children in the U.S. is not providing them an opportunity to learn a new language in elementary school. Across Europe, it is not uncommon for someone to speak at least three languages – probably more. Part of that is the proximity of countries, each with a unique culture, language(s), and customs. However, most international English-speaking schools in Spain are predominately filled with Spanish children. (Our school’s student population is about 60% Spanish, with the rest being international students.) Even in the public and concertado schools here in Valencia, many offer several lessons in English a week in addition to Spanish and Valenciano.

It is far easier to learn a language the younger you are. While it is possible to learn as an adult, we’re more aware of our mistakes and less willing to screw up. We don’t want to “get it wrong” in front of someone. We’re more concerned with embarrassing ourselves.

But if you’re not willing to screw it up, you’re probably not going to learn. Mistakes are how we remember what not to do. This is the unfortunate reality of reading, writing, and speaking a new language.

Thankfully, I haven’t screwed up too badly yet … but there is always tomorrow.