For the majority of Spaniards learning English has become their life goal. However, would you all agree with me if I said that this particular dream has a way of turning into a nightmare? I can hear you all saying 'Yes' right now. Let's face it, it's a pain in the neck. Inevitably, feelings of despair, frustration and guilt are coming over learners while learning a new language. And if we talk about adults it's even worse because it's definitely not easy to make room for English in their busy lives.
How many times have you started this new and exciting adventure but given up when things were changing in your life? Does this sound familiar? 'I'll start again in September, or maybe as a New Year's resolution, better yet, in summer since I have a free month.' I bet this happend to all of us if not with learning English then with some other aim we had. It's difficult to hang in there.
We can definitely take this easy way out, although learning English is not like learning a school subject. We don't want to learn it by heart, pass an exam and never use it again. There's more to it than that. We must be prepared to make it a part of our lives by being patient, practicing every day and also being ready to reap the benefits in the long term.
As I see it, our own expectations make us fail, because it's not only about learning something, it's about the time limit we set, the pressure we exert, the motivation we give ourselves as well as our personality and how we deal with problems. Knowing all these things about ourselves before starting can make our dream come true. On the other hand, ignoring them might turn it into our worst nightmare.
Do you feel the same? What's your story with English?