Foundations
Most people assume that thinking in a second language is just a matter of practice: do it enough, and it will eventually feel natural. That assumption is roughly correct, but it glosses over something interesting: Why does it feel so unnatural at first, and what is actually happening when it
My Experience
When I think about how I learned languages as a child and how I’ve tried to learn them as an adult, the biggest difference isn’t efficiency or motivation. It’s what learning felt like. As a kid, language wasn’t something I performed. It was something I participated
My Experience
English is my second language, but it doesn’t feel like one, and I think that distinction matters more than I thought. I learned English very early, before I had any real sense of what learning a language even meant. From around the age of four or five, English was
Foundations
Language learning is often organized around levels. Beginner –> intermediate –> advanced. A sequence that suggests steady, orderly progress. Levels are useful for administration and testing. They make it easier to design courses, sell products, and compare learners at scale. What they don’t do particularly well is reflect how
Foundations
Sometimes I describe my Spanish language abilities in very contradictory terms. * I understand almost everything, but I hesitate when speaking. * I know advanced vocabulary, but I also get stuck on simple constructions. * I can follow fast conversations, but struggle to respond smoothly. This unevenness in people is often treated as
Foundations
For a lot of people learning a new language, progress slows down in a very specific way. At first, things feel measurable. New words stick. Lessons feel productive. The sense of improvement is clear enough to stay motivated. Then, at some point, the tools that once worked start to feel
Foundations
If you're anything like me, you must've noticed a strange asymmetry in your second language knowledge – understanding feels increasingly easy, while speaking can feel stubbornly difficult. You can recognize words almost instantly, follow conversations without much effort, and rarely get lost when reading. Yet, try to
Foundations
A lot of people reach a point where understanding feels easy, but speaking does not. They can follow conversations, watch films, or read without much effort. Yet when it’s time to respond, words come slowly, confidence drops, and speech feels harder than expected. This gap is often very confusing