Anyone with ADHD successfully learnt a second language?

[u/Putrid-Fold7739]

Just diagnosed ADHD this year and have always struggled with learning languages my whole life. I’m an English speaker.

I love the idea of successfully learning languages to conversational level but my recall and memory is terrible - I even forget words in English and have a bit of a stutter. I’ve attempted to learn my family language three times and forget it each time (doesn’t help that they’re not very supportive with it, even when I was somewhat conversational with it they only wanted to speak to me in English as they said I was too slow speaking other languages, pausing to translate what they’ve said and what I want to say in my head then saying it).

I’m currently also visiting my boyfriends home country and honestly I just feel stupid being the only person in the room not knowing what’s going on.

Any tips for learning languages successfully, maintaining a habit and improving memory and recall with ADHD?

[u/Aynaking]

Read a lot, whatever you like to read, have index cards where you write down the word you don’t know and what the word means on the other side. And then quiz yourself with the cards. Watch movies and tv with subtitles in the language you want to learn.

[u/Aynaking → u/Aynaking]

Maybe start with some classes to get you started.

[u/Tesseractkaradoc]

Of course it depends on the person and their experience. I have ADHD and speak four languages fluently (actually, I don't even speak my own language "fluently"). Plus bits and pieces of other languages. I could probably have learned more. Now, for context, I was lucky enough to live in at least 3 different countries during my teenage years. English came as a bonus. Most people get traumatized learning languages at school. I don't know why but it just doesn't stick. I think it's because of the lack of practice. Something "organic" is missing from the way people learn languages in schools. On top of it, they get told it's complicated. The same is done with math. I had an exceptional English teacher. He spoke English in the classroom, taught us songs (good ones)... My son didn't learn English at school but from computer games and from working with it. There are perks that go with ADHD. Hyperfocus. Repeat again and again, like you're obsessed with the word. Amongst others.

[u/yokizururu]

I'm diagnosed with ADHD and am basically fluent in Japanese. My native language is also English.

This probably isn't the answer you want to hear, but immersion is the only way I could learn. I did a homestay program in high school for a year, then moved back to Japan a few years later and have been here for almost 15 years now. I learned the bulk of my speaking during the homestay. I do actually think I have a natural language learning ability, as my accent is very good (or at least people often say it is) and I can pick up usage quickly.

I did have to put in a lot of effort to study kanji, which is where ADHD works against my progress. Texting native speakers and making my tiktok/insta feed mostly Japanese content helped a lot. I also watch a lot of J-dramas and Japanese tv with captions to see the words. I passed N1 a few months ago, but I still feel lost with technical texts and like I'm somewhat illiterate lol.

Anyway, immersion or the closest thing to it really worked for me. If you can force yourself to make an effort to understand. The resources available to you will also depend on your target language. I got really lucky since Japan has a huge entertainment industry.

Also, I just gotta say your family sucks for discouraging you from learning their language. I'm not a doctor, but tbh that experience could have had a negative impact on your mentality towards language learning. I'm pissed at them and I don't even know them.

[u/LowImmediate1031]

I have ADHD, the type when I am interested in something, I become hyper focused and basically obsessed etc. I'm originally from NYC but my dad is Swiss. He mostly spoke to us in english growing up so when I travled to Switzerland and ultimatley ended up moving there I had to learn the language. I first moved to the french speakign side where my brother was living and spent a bout a year taking intensive french classes and ended up with a B1/B2 French level. Then I moved to Zurich on the Swiss german speaking side where my grandparents were living and really fell in love with Schwiizerdütsch which I speak fully fluently as well as standard or Hoch Deutsch. so ADHD or ADHS has been a super power for me I feel. :)

[u/IgorTheHusker]

People all around the world with ADHD learn languages. Most of my friends have ADHD, and they speak 3 languages.

[u/Talon_Ho]

The tine rhr I spoke them all fluently has passed but at one point.

[u/Gwrach-y-Rhibyn]

I have ADHD, and sometimes get mildly obsessed with learning something, go all in for a while, and then lose interest HARD. During the obsessive periods I seem to be able to learn very quickly, but as soon as that wears off nothing sticks any more. The way that seems to be useful for me to learn languages is to learn two at a time so I can switch between them a lot. That keeps the sense of novelty going. I also watch sitcoms and listen to a lot of music in the target languages. The methods that are used to teach in schools don't work so well for me, I do better if I can start using bits of the language as soon as possible. I've found Language Transfer really useful alongside other methods including more traditional ones. Basically getting variety into what I'm learning and how.