If you feel that your English isn’t improving, it’s because you are making one or more of the following mistakes.
You’re not practicing speaking
Maybe you are nervous or embarrassed to make mistakes and this is holding you back from trying to speak. Just remember, if you don’t practice and make mistakes, no one can correct you! If no one corrects you, you don’t improve! Maybe you don’t have anyone to practice with – there are plenty of ways to find an English speaker to practice with, whether it’s a language exchange, an English class or an activity in your area that is done in English. If you live in the Madrid area, check out this article to learn more about how you can practice your English in every day situations.
You don’t review and revise what you’ve learned
Going to an English class a couple of times a week isn’t enough, you must review and study what you learn in class in order to remember it. If your teacher tells you the definition of a word one time, chances are you aren’t going to remember it the next day. It’s important to take what you learn in class and review it in your free time. English has lots of irregular verbs and phrasal verbs that you will have to memorize, in order to achieve fluency in English, you will have to spend a lot of time studying on your own.
You’re directly translating from your native language
At the beginning stages of learning a language, it is normal to try and translate directly from your native language to try and communicate. After the beginning stages, when you are equipped with more vocabulary and grammar, it is helpful to stop directly translating. Remember that the word order is most likely different from your native language. There is also the endless list of phrasal verbs and different expressions in English that don’t directly translate and leave you defeated if you try to do so.
You’re not devoting enough time to learning English
If you feel that your English isn’t improving, you may need to dedicate more time to learning it. If improving your English is something you truly want to do, you can’t make excuses as to why you don’t have time to study. For example, if you only dedicate two hours to learning English on the weekends, it will take you decades to become fluent. Learning a language is a time commitment and requires a lot of effort on the behalf of the student. If you take time each day for classes, studying or even watching a movie in English, you will see a difference in your skills.
You get ahead of yourself
If you are a beginner or low-level English student, be patient! If you’re trying to express ideas that involve advanced grammar structures that you haven’t learned yet, simplify your sentences a bit with the grammar and vocabulary that you have already learned. Of course there is nothing wrong with wanting to learn something new, and if you need to ask for the definition of a word you want to learn, that’s no problem. Nevertheless, its important to concentrate on perfecting what you have learned and are learning at the moment before moving on to a higher level. You should start from a solid base and work up according to your level or else you will confuse yourself.
