The Stages of Learning a Foreign Language

Before you arrive:

I’ve studied, I know the basics. I’ll be fine, everything else will come with ease.

Upon Arrival:

Ummmmmmm.  I can’t understand a word you’re saying.

One month in:

You’ve learned the basics, objects, colors, months, things like this.  But you still have no idea how to put a sentence together in a grammatically correct format. 

Two-three months in:

You start to recognize more and more words and build your vocabulary.

Four months in:

You know enough to begin reading, and build your vocabulary even more this way, though of course you don’t always remember every word.  Recognition is always easier then recall.

Five months in:

You can understand almost everything that people say, but you still have a hard time expressing everything you want to say.  Sometimes you have to be creative.  For example I wanted to buy chicken on a stick, but I didn’t know the word for stick.  However thanks to Harry Potter I knew the word wand.  So I asked for chicken on a wand instead, and received an interesting look from the cashier.

Six months in:

Almost everyday you recognize a new word, or learn a new conjugation of verbs.  Your speaking skills increase to the point where some people assume your fluent, though of course you don’t know every word you hear. 

Learning a new language is a process, and a difficult one at that.  You learn to laugh at yourself and you become an excellent mimic.  I’m excited to see what my last 4 and a half months bring!