I have recently felt as though the pace of my learning has dropped, but I am pushing through the plateau because I know my negative feelings are actually rooted in my success. Now that I understand why I feel the way I do, I can get over it and keep learning. I believe the following might help explain why some beginners/intermediate learners mistakenly feel that they are slowing down. I would really like to hear your ideas on the subject so reply/send me a message with your thoughts. Thanks

Feeling vs Reality

Feeling: I am learning fewer words
Reality: When I first learnt French words, I would be adding to a very small vocabulary so if I knew 50 words and then learnt another 50 words, I had doubled my knowledge. Now when I learn 50 words, it is only a small percentage of my current vocabulary. In fact, I am still learning at the same pace, it’s just that I know so much more so it feels relatively small.

Feeling: I keep making mistakes
Reality: When I first spoke French, I was shocked at how well I spoke. It was because I was unaware of the errors I made – ignorance was bliss! Now, my knowledge of French is better, I can notice my own mistakes in pronunciation, in conjugation, etc.

Feeling: My study methods are not working
Reality: My study methods are just boring. I need to change things to get them exciting again. I have moved away from watching TV5Monde videos for now, and have started watching Les Simpsons and French cinema (with French subtitles). I still use Memrise, but now I am trying to read Albert Camus’ L’Étranger. The idea of comfortably reading French novels and watching French films has reignited my interest.

Feeling: I keep forgetting what I’ve studied
Reality: I have a lot more to remember. When I knew only 50 words, I might have difficulty recollecting, say, 10 words. Now, that I know about 1000 words, I may forget roughly 100 words. It may feel like a lot more, but it is in fact a smaller/similar percentage.