Harsh Truths
The challenges of language learning that nobody warned you about
Image by: Brett Jordan
By Hanyu Tales (1st March 2025)
Here at Hanyu Tales, we believe everyone should learn a foreign language. However, there are some harsh truths that learners often discover without warning while enrolled in a course that promised them acquiring a new language would be nothing but joy. In this article, we will go over some harsh truths about the language-learning process, so that you are prepared to face them with confidence.
Decreasing Praise
Many students report that when first starting out in a language, they receive seemingly undeserved praise for almost anything they do in the language. Contrarily, as they become more proficient, people are less likely to offer encouragement. While this may seem disheartening, it may actually be a good thing. A study looking at Iranian EFL students found that being praised for effort increased students’ belief in their abilities to develop, while being praised for intelligence had the opposite effect. Therefore, when you are starting out and exhibit more effort than intelligence, you will receive the praise you need to keep moving, but as you begin to know more about a language and therefore become more aware of what you do not know, you will avoid compliments that cause you to overthink your progress. If you don’t receive praise, you can assume the person you are speaking to doesn’t think you need it.
Self-Doubt
Students noticing a reduction in praise leads us onto the second harsh truth, which is that every foreign language learner will run into periods of overthinking, self-doubt, and anxiety. This anxiety can exist in many forms, such as doubting the efficacy of your current approach, or worrying that you are innately bad at languages. In fact, language-learning anxiety is a widely studied research area, which is beyond the scope of this article (this paper gives an excellent overview of it). However, it is crucial to note that it exists, and you will almost certainly encounter it. 
Image by: Mizuno K (cropped)
Speaking is Scary
A paper looking at the influence of anxiety on the speaking skills of second language learners offers a reminder that anxiety and speaking are usually tied. This is for the simple reason that speaking in a foreign language is scary. You will make mistakes, you will feel nervous, and you may never sound exactly like a native speaker. The good news is that none of that actually matters. Take a moment to think about how much time you spend thinking about how bad the heavy accent of the last foreigner you spoke to in your native language was, or how hilarious their misuse of the past tense was. Zero? Great, let’s move on.
Progress Slows
As praise dries up, self-doubt sets in, and speaking still feels slightly uncomfortable, you may also find that progress feels as if it has stalled— welcome to the intermediate plateau. Beginners of a language have less vocabulary and grammar structures to maintain, therefore they can dedicate more of their energy into acquiring new knowledge. Furthermore, learning 10 new words when your total vocabulary consists of 20 words leads to a much more noticeable improvement than adding 10 new words to a vocabulary of 5000 words does. This principles applies to most endeavors; newbie gains do not last forever. The flip side is that as your level improves, the amount of interesting content you can use to chase these minor improvements increases—every cloud has a silver lining.
It Never Ends
Not needing to stick to graded readers and elementary textbooks means that the further you get into your language-learning journey, the more fun it gets. Given the fact that the journey never ends, we should be thankful for this. If you are a native English speaker and read highly specialized non-fiction, or even some literary classics, you will likely encounter unfamiliar words. If you are unable to learn your native language in its entirety, you should not expect to learn a foreign language in its entirety either. Furthermore, languages are constantly evolving and even if you reach an arbitrary target—such as knowing 5000 words—you still have to make some effort to maintain your knowledge (albeit much less effort than was required to acquire the knowledge in the first place). 
Image by: Morais
Learning Like a Child is Unrealistic
Adults often wonder whether their non-child brains are capable of learning a foreign language (spoiler: they are). Meanwhile, others push learning a foreign language in the same way a child develops their mother tongue. In reality, adults cannot spend 24 hours in diapers, being immersed in their target language while receiving constant encouragement from two of the most loving native-speaking language coaches on the planet. Therefore, the notion that a baby’s approach is suitable for an adult dedicating a few hours per week to learning a new language is way off the mark. Instead, you should spend the limited time you have to study by following a more traditional approach (books, flashcards, podcasts, a tutor—the usual suspects).
Just Keep Going
We all know that any worthwhile skill requires some struggle. Learning a foreign language is no different, but remembering that most learners will go through the same issues, and that foreign language acquisition is a lifelong endeavor that should be enjoyed at your own pace, will hopefully keep you from letting the frustrating parts discourage you from what is a brilliant use of your time. 加油！