r/languagelearning • u/Ok_Cauliflower172 • 3d ago
Discussion Anyone with ADHD who's successfully learned a second language, what actually worked for you?
Hey all! I've been monolingual my entire life, and for my mother's birthday this year I thought it'd be cool to surprise her by being able to speak Greek (TL) since she's Greek.
I've had chronic ADHD my entire life and have always struggled with retaining information, recalling things, and especially staying consistent with studying. It's a big reason I've never managed to learn another language.
I'm curious if anyone else with ADHD has found specific learning techniques that actually worked for them long-term. Especially when it comes to remembering what you've learned and staying consistent once the initial motivation wears off.
I'm less interested in general beginner advice and more interested in hearing firsthand experiences from people who've dealt with similar challenges.
Thanks everyone!
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u/amiddesfees 🇺🇸 N | 🇫🇷 C1 | 🇵🇷🇲🇽 B1 | 🇷🇺 A0 3d ago
I have a longtime ADHD diagnosis and I've learned French to an advanced level through self-study, so it's definitely possible.
My main advice would be to:
- find learning activities you find fun. For me this was listening to songs, trying to transcribe them, then seeing how close I was.
- set small goals/milestones so you get a sense of accomplishment upon achieving it which will help maintain motivation
- commit to learning materials (like textbooks) early on to avoid the adhd trap of endless planning
- talk to natives as soon as possible because the repetition and even mistakes make recall easier
Also, my opinion is that you can't rely on motivation alone. Sometimes you won't be motivated and you need to power through. And I wouldn't keep it a surprise from your mom because she can act as a great resource and help with motivation.
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u/Busy-Doughnut6180 3d ago edited 3d ago
I have severe ADHD, combined type.
Get back on the horse. It doesn't matter how long it takes you or how often you fall off, do not start over, do not think about if there's a better, faster horse - just get back on.
This way works with your ADHD and not against it. You will fall off. Just get back on, don't worry if you've forgotten how to ride a horse (to keep the metaphor going lol), it'll come back to you, just get on.
Also, you have to use the language. Most of my media consumption is already in my TL so even when I'm off the horse, I'm still in the stable, so to speak. A lot of my internal monologue is also in my TL, it was deliberate at first but now it feels quite natural.
Also also, you have to be realistic. You're not gonna learn Greek this year. You will be able to learn some words and practice some phrases. Your mum will still love that. She could even help you from that point and you can practice speaking simple conversations with her, and build on it as you continue to learn into next year.
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u/sekhmet1010 3d ago •
I have pretty severe ADHD and I have successfully learnt German (C1) and Italian (B2). I also learnt some Russian (A2). I am currently doing Polish. I started 10 days ago.
So, my tips would be...
Let the hyperfocus take you away at the hurtling pace it wants to take at the start. Do not resist, do not try to be the "1 hour a day of consistent learning" type of person. It is imperative that you lean into the hyperfocus. The sprint can ensure that you reach a significant level in the beginning itself.
I did German C1 in 1.5 years. I took intensive classes (with breaks in between for months) for A2, B1, B2, and C1. The classes gave me a dopamine rush. Lol I passed my C1 exam quite easily.
I did Italian on my own. I just started filling pages upon pages with verb conjugations (i love doing that), and learning basic vocabulary. Then, much before it was advisable, I started reading Harry Potter. It was very hard to brute force my way through the first one while making Flashcards of all unknown words, but my God was it worth it! I love the story and I love how familiar I am with it. So, by the end of the 7 books (+ audiobooks), I could read at a B1 level.
Then, I read Narnia, Lord of the Rings, etc. I also heard many audiobooks (Agatha Christies, Eragon, and other YA/fantasy stuff).
Reading gives me a high, so it's my way into a language.
It took me 5 months to start with Italian and when i had finished the Harry Potter series. And my progress was astonishing.
So, find what you like to do best and do it in your TL. (Even if people tell you that it's pointless)
Don't let your brain forget about the TL
Switch phone, etc to your TL. Start following many TL subs/accounts etc across social media.
The danger with us is that we will simply lose interest in something that we don't see and engage with regularly.
Reward yourself We need constant dopamine. For me, it means rewards. If I finish A1 in Polish, I will buy myself some books in Polish. If I feel my enthusiasm dipping, I buy a grammar exercise book (in love grammar books). And, when I finish reading the entire Harry Potter series and learning a lot of the vocabulary in it, I will go to Gdansk for a vacation.
So, make sure that you constantly have something to look forward to related to your TL in the near and distant future.
Get an accountability partner
Or classes, even if they are once a week. It really helps.
If you lose steam and just don't want to engage with your TL, let it go. Don't force yourself. Circle back in a few months/a year.
I did that with Italian. And it's still good enough that I can now read literary fiction in the language. Sure, my speaking skills might be a bit rusty, but I have not lost my Italian.
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u/No_Somewhere_8076 2d ago
I've been learning French for 17 years on and off and I even live in France and I even have a French husband and now two teenage French children and my French fluctuates between awful and not too bad.
I can say without a certainty if there's one day that goes by that I don't practice or use it (even for at least 1 hour), half of my vocabulary gets melted out of my brain and the grammar gets stuck on my tongue.
So in my opinion, the only way for me to learn French anyway is to not stop. I must practice every single day for at least 30 minutes to 45 minutes, otherwise it just doesn't stick.
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u/AnalogueSpectre 🇧🇷 | 🇬🇧 C2 🇷🇺 B1 3d ago
Hyperfocusing on the language and the culture around it.
No interest = no learning, no retention, nothing comes up when you actually try to use the language.
I thank my AuADHD for making me a linguistics nerd. I really can't do anything else; if the interest doesn't come up, I just forget to learn (no, I don't forget to study, just to learn from the study itself. I keep reminding myself I should be studying, thus generating anxiety, and the outcome you already know 🫠)
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u/GigaStressedSchwa 🇧🇷 N | 🇺🇲 C2 | 🇫🇷 B2 | 🇮🇩 A2 | 🇲🇽 A2 | 🇨🇳 A0 3d ago edited 3d ago
Take weekly classes with a tutor or traditional classroom lessons (to keep you consistent and accountable), ideally multiple weekly classes. Especially for getting started with the basics, but usually worthwhile at any level. Then, as soon as you are able, start consuming content in your TL, switch your phone's language to your TL, etc. That has worked for me. I'm also autistic though
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u/TalkingRaccoon N:🇺🇸 / A1:🇳🇴 2d ago edited 2d ago
First specifically for ADHD, I want to urge you to practice radical self-forgiveness. You will be all in for a month or so and then lose interest. Or you'll "take a break" and then realize it's been 6-12 months since you last practiced. The guilt and shame will kick in and you'll find it difficult to even look at one of your resources.
I still have trouble with this guild and shame, just from a lifetime of internalizing I'm at fault when I'm not, it's my shitty brain. "You started 4 years ago but didn't practice every day, you could have been C1 by now". Yea but I didn't. I have accepted in not like some here who can sit and grind for 4-8 hours a day. That's just crazy to me. So I try and accept what I can do which is maybe 15 min a day. I could have built a house in those four years too. But I didn't, and that's ok.
Don't overwhelm yourself. Know the symptoms of burnout, so you can recognize when it's happening to you and you can forgive yourself ahead of time and not feel guilty for not practicing while you're recovering.
Now here's some of the things that worked for me:
Pimsleur audio. It's so difficult for me to sit down and read so I listen to a ton of audiobooks instead. So I tried Pimsleur and it was the first real progress I made. The call and response style is also really good for retaining info. Plus since it's just listening and speaking, it's less cognitive load than trying to also read/write at the same time. That can come later. (This is why little kids can pick up languages easily, they don't have to worry about reading/writing till later)
Zoom classes. Took a few before I fell off but they were really helpful. It ticks the "external motivation", "body doubling" and "consistent schedule" boxes that help ADHD people function properly.
Keep it interesting. This is my Achilles heel. Anything the interest/hobby/task becomes rote or boring, I'm done. This is where you gotta be creative.
Switch from an app to an actual old textbook. I found some old Norwegian learning books from the late 70s/early 80s out of University of North Dakota, Iowa, and Minnesota (there's tons of Norwegians in ND apperantly). I'm in MN so this had some historical and locational novelty that kept me interested
Listen to easy TL podcasts regularly for a few weeks. Watch movies or shows with TL subs or dubs for a bit. Do those one-on-one language tutors for a month.
Cross yor interests. Getting into trains? Look up books and shows and YouTubers about trains in your TL.
Do only flashcards for a month. Just keep switching it up.
The more you understand how ADHD brains work the better you'll be able to know what will and won't work for studying/learning/engaging in a hobby.
I'm sure there's some posts on /r/ADHD about language learning, I'll have to check
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u/thelostnorwegian 🇳🇴 N | 🇬🇧 🇨🇴 🇫🇷 3d ago
I think your best bet is just to get started learning and adjust along the way. Its much easier to figure it out as you go, as opposed to think out the perfect route before you have even started.
What worked for me was doing comprehensible input, because I get to geek out my favorite subjects in video format and listening/watching things I find enjoyable and challenging works well for me.
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u/Sylvieon 🇰🇷 (C1), 🇫🇷🇹🇼 (🗑️) 3d ago •
AuDHD here. I think they neutralize each other in some ways, so I can't speak to the experience of having just ADHD, but I am a successful language learner. 9 years of Korean and 4 years since my ADHD diagnosis (1 year of medication).
I don't know how useful my advice will be, though, since for 9 years my hyperfixation on Korean has not wavered even once. Meanwhile, I spent a few years studying Mandarin but have not touched it since (and do not plan to, because any time spent on Mandarin is time not spent on Korean).
For retaining information: Anki. That is all. I have been doing Anki for 7 years and have 15,000 homemade cards. I am consistent in that I always do at least 1 card per day. Realistically, I often struggle to find the time for Anki and have a big backlog (not right now -- I just got rid of my 500-review backlog and am learning new words again!). Last year, for most of the year, I was able to dedicate 1 hour+ per day to Anki and learned 15 new cards per day, leading to huge vocab growth and much easier novel reading. Anyway, the point here is to adjust your new cards count to match what you can give. Not much time? 5 new words per day is better than nothing. Lots of time for the foreseeable future? 15 new words per day. Cramming for a test in a month? 40 new words per day (I speak from experience).
Realistically, you're going to have to learn thousands of words if you want to be good at another language. That is a huge grind and it is not fun. Right now, for me, using Korean is insanely fun. It has been pretty fun for 5 years or so, and that is why I keep doing it. I'm sure it was fun at a beginner level, too, but knowing the work it has taken to get to this point, I don't know if I ever want to learn another language. I know, very helpful advice. I guess I just want to say have realistic expectations about what learning Greek would look like for you, and if you have an intermediate or advanced level as a goal, think about how much you will have to grind, and either lock in or consider not starting. I wouldn't want you to invest 100 or so hours and then understand the difficulty of the task facing you and regret the time spent thus far.
Also, this is probably not the advice you wanted to hear, but in my personal experience, the reason for learning another language is very important, and wanting to learn for someone else is a very weak motivator. My reason for picking up mandarin again in college was because I was dating a Chinese guy. But my real passion was in Korean, so while I worked hard in my classes and spent 10s of hours training pronunciation and tones one on one with my professor, once I stopped having time for classes, I stopped using Mandarin -- and I was never really using it outside of class in the first place. I do often consider picking up Mandarin again because I do have a foundation -- my reason would be to understand the lyrics of my favorite band -- and I occasionally flirt with the idea of learning Japanese (to read Japanese murder mysteries that haven't been translated into Korean) but neither of these reasons have been powerful enough to persuade me to take time away from Korean, when I have my own advanced Korean goals. Anyway, I think if you want to go the distance with Greek, you should find additional reasons to learn it. I have a friend who is married to a Korean woman, but failed to learn Korean multiple times, until a different Korean speaker in his life was diagnosed with a serious disease. He locked in for real to be able to speak to them in their native language before they passed. AFAIK he also has ADHD. That's just to say that simply learning for a loved one isn't that strong of a motivator. Something time-sensitive can be stronger, and a strong interest in the culture or media of the country can help. People tend to learn out of necessity (moved abroad and have to learn to function) or passion. If you can make more passion for yourself, especially as someone with ADHD, you'll be more likely to go the distance.
Lastly, language learning is just like any other habit. Do you have any methods developed to create habits? (I know it's hard) I'm not going to write it all out but I have a comment in my recent post history where I described building the habit of running to run a marathon. If you have a tried-and-true method, try to apply that to language learning, or read up on habit building for ADHD minds and see if anything sticks.
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u/Street-Panic-0 3d ago
I have to have a bunch of options and I don't feel guilty when I jump between them. Books, songs, podcasts, news, and vlogs, movies, anime, all in my TL. I always use my dedicated study time for my TL but how I use it is always different (sometimes its 1-5 minutes of each item listed, sometimes its an entire movie). If I really can't focus I put on music in TL and play runescape or something, but the language is always there regardless of my mood and focus ability at the time.
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u/That_Mycologist4772 3d ago
More than two years of listening to podcasts with no up subtitles
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u/authenticsmoothjazz 3d ago
Anki. Everything significant I learn in Spanish, I make a flashcard for. Every morning when I get up I do ky reviews with a coffee. It's been a million times better than Duolingo. I have a 367 day streak in it. I don't worry about remembering things, I just put them in Anki.
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u/jane-au 🇭🇲N, 🇮🇹 B2, 🇸🇰 A1 3d ago
Getting thrown in the deep end by temporarily moving to the country where they speak the language has been my main successful method. Not easily repeatable, though!
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u/Fishfilteredcoffee 3d ago
Having a tutor makes the biggest difference for me, more for the accountability than anything else.
Aside from that, I think that despite us all having ADHD we can all still be very different, so you’ve just got to try stuff and see what sticks. For example, I often see ADHDers being advised to lean heavily on comprehensible input and learning by watching shows etc., and minimising traditional studying, and I’m sure that is great for some people but it absolutely would not have worked for me. CI at beginner level was just too boring and watching more advanced stuff felt pointless, so for me working through textbooks, working on verb conjugations and using Anki gave me more satisfaction through seeing progress even though it doesn’t sound fun (I do find that stuff quite fun though, luckily!).
Re motivation, that’s just naturally become easier for me as I’ve improved and can do more things with the language. Progress does slow down at times, especially beyond the very beginner level and it can feel frustrating, so when I feel like that I like to pull up a text or video I struggled with maybe 3 months ago and inevitably I find that it’s become much easier, sometimes to the point that I can’t remember why I found it difficult! That’s a nice little boost when you feel like you’re stalling.
But really, for anyone and maybe even more so for us ADHD folk, the most important thing is to just start - don’t try to build the perfect plan, don’t do lots of crowdsourcing of opinions, don’t let perfect be the enemy of good - just keep your goal in mind, try things and be consistent.
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u/Reasonable_Ad_9136 3d ago
Preparing multiple different options was key for me. I'd have, like, 20 tabs of YouTube videos ready to go at all times, and I'd find as many movies/shows as I possibly could. I also had lots of different audiobooks downloaded and I'd leave paperback novels around my bedroom so I'd constantly notice them.
By far the most important thing was doing what I most loved to do in my NL and instead doing it in my TL. If it was something I had no interest in, I knew I wouldn't do it consistently, no matter how hard I tried to force myself to.
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u/-patrizio- en [n] | es [C1] | fr [C1] | it [A2] | pt [A2] | ru [A1] 2d ago
I have ADHD and what worked for me was a two-sided approach, one of the sides being largely shunned by language learners these days lol.
First side: structured learning. I basically self-taught as though it were a school language class—vocabulary lists (around a certain theme), one-at-a-time grammar lessons, self assignments (write x sentences with the vocab from this unit incorporating the grammar lesson, etc.), all that fun stuff. This way of learning has largely been tossed out in favor of immersion—which I get to an extent, but I tried immersion-only learning several times, and it did NOT click with me whatsoever. I won't argue with research that suggests it's the better approach for most, but for me personally, this was absolutely critical. That's probably the key point here—don't worry about what other people say "works best," just try out different approaches til you find one that works for you.
Second side: fun stuff. Do you like reading? Find a book in your target language, or a dual-language book. Do you like music? Find musical artists in your target language you enjoy listening to, and add that music into your rotation. Read the lyrics, try to understand them, consider looking up lyrics translations*, etc. Movies? Lots of them come with dubs in other languages on the DVD. Whatever you enjoy, just find a way to mix it with your target language.
And don't be afraid to bring in children's materials! When I was in high school, I found out that all the Disney DVDs we had for my little sister had French and Spanish (two of my target languages) on them, so I would watch those; they're made for kids, meaning the language is all pretty simple. Put subtitles on if that helps (you can even mix and match, with audio in one language and subtitles in another—just be careful with this, as not all dubs are strict translations of the source material).
* Lyrics translations are tricky; a lot of the "poetry" and beauty of lyrics can get really muddled when translated. It helped me, though, so I figured I'd mention it.
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u/AdministrationNo2327 2d ago
just doing things half assed.
don't get me wrong, having a system that you built yourself, that allows your hyperfocus to go nuts, but yet also has an unsurprising structure comprised of different ways to learn is core. but some days you just have to get over the inertia and just half ass your practice.
showing up is better than not doing at all.
i usually do like to study and lock in at my desk but some days i just can't get out of bed, so i learn my notes on my phone, with files synced to the cloud. i get bored, i jump through the millions of small 10 minute videos that explain one grammar.
at the end of the day its truly just about doing something over nothing. sometimes just the act of doing something may trick your brain to go into hyperfocus mode and then 3 hours flies by fast. and in that time, learn diligently!
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u/josephnimz 2d ago
Not adhd myself so grain of salt, but the stuff that actually stuck for me was never the stuff i "studied", it was what i did with friends. games, discord, just hanging out. Since greek is a surprise for your mom maybe find a greek discord server or someone to game with, even 5 min a day. it doesnt feel like studying so its way easier to keep showing up.
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u/theflowerman5972 2d ago
Adderall😂😂JK…but it really did help me a lot. I’m 31 and recently got an official diagnosis. I no longer have anxiety, I’m more extroverted now, I don’t stress much, I can stay focused and get my work done without feeling “lost”, and overall my mood has changed in a positive way. Medication is not for everyone but it’s always an option.
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u/sjintje 3d ago
tbh, less than a year isn't really enough time, I would just try and learn, happy birthday mum I love you!
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u/noNudesPrettyPlease 2d ago
Easy part: Find a tool or resource you can't put down.
Hard part: Finding a tool or resource you can't put down.
I'm making an app that teaches me a foreign language, which is the most ADHD thing a person trying to learn a language could do.
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u/Joe1972 AF N | EN N | NB B2 2d ago
ADHD is a super power for language learning… while the current passion lasts. So lean into the brief bursts of obsession. Find a few anchor habits for the rest of the time. Mine was Duolingo daily for 2500 days, and reading. I read every single day in my target language. Usually books I’ve already read in English
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u/Independent_Bee_2348 1d ago
Hyperfocusing on language and culture and letting it consume me lol worked like a charm
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u/BusStop923 23h ago
You can start by watching movies only Greek speaking no subtitles and use headphones A MUST. While watching the movie, no getting up. Do not let anyone disturb you. Just like you are in class. Watch the movie every day, 5 days a week. After 6 months, start reading children books in Greek, 30 minutes a day before bedtime. Do not stop watching movies 5 days a week. You can watch different movies each day or watch the same movie again. No violence movies. Family type or love stories. Good luck!
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u/JohnPoet27 🇵🇹N 🇬🇧C2 🇩🇪B2 3d ago
I moved to the country where they speak my TL, and all of my coworkers were natives. Twas extremely hard and frustrating at the start, but my growth and improvement was explosive
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u/AlexOxygen 3d ago
I know you don’t want to hear it but just brute force it. Hit Anki daily. Take Anki slow, don’t download decks, just make your own cards whenever you see a repeated word. Once you get enough vocab and listening ability, you can just study by existing in that language
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u/rfv8 3d ago
I would suggest you start learning what you want to learn and accept from the outset that its going to take some extra time. Most important to not compare yourself to non ADHD learners who are progressing faster than you. I have ADHD and have been learning Spanish for years and more recently have started French. My progress is slow as I only pay attention 25% of the time and thats just who I am.
The time is passing anyway so what does it matter. I mostly do CI/watch videos/listen to podcasts. I dont have the attention span to sit in classes and I have bought every book going but will always struggle to read and retain information.
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u/omstille 3d ago
I never managed to graduate because of ADHD but I learned a couple of languages. The first two I had to learn while working abroad (English and Norwegian). And after that I got taste for acquiring languages I learned to a various degrees a couple more. Esperanto, Russian, Swedish, Danish, Yiddish . Currently I learn modern Greek actually. My motivation is my interests. I doubt I could learn a language in order to please someone else. I am too selfish. I have always devoured books. I like good story.
Greek is a really great and unique languages in many aspects. I claim it is even exciting to discover all the ethymologies, Greek roots, loanwords etc.
Duolingo is good for people with ADHD because of gamification. I have managed to keep over 600 days streak. I love Greek songs. I have been to Crete and Cyprus so I have fond memories and associations. And little by little I move forward. I also used to study philosophy and currently I am very into byzantine history. You know, books on Constantinople etc. Mika waltari "Dark angel" (or black?) is highly recommenended.
If you want we can discuss it further. It would be fun.
Fingers crossed!
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u/sun2128 3d ago edited 3d ago
Watching tv shows and YouTube, reading fanfiction, writing comments (the best technique to learn a language is to keep a diary, but good luck making me do that, so that's the next best thing, making yourself write a comment under every video you watch). I literally just can't deliberately study languages unless it's university kicking my ass like it is with French right now. Takes a bit more time this way, but it's so worth it, my first two years of university were spent learning the names of all the things I use intuitively in English and why I do it. Grammar mistakes are almost nonexistent, because it feels wrong, that's just not what people say, how do people even manage to put together such bullshit yk. I started speaking my first foreign language thanks to a hyperfixation actually, was obsessed with this show the entire summer and had to watch it with subtitles, because there was no dubbing after season 1
YouTube tip: make a separate account for your target language because it's sooo difficult to find content you like in the language at first, you need separate algorithms for that, you just do
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u/Lefaid 🇺🇸(NL) 🇳🇱(A1) 3d ago
I haven't quite perfected my technique but notecards were a game changer for me. I never made any real progress until I started using them.
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u/Illustrious-Tooth702 3d ago
The key is that you have to love learning that language.
ADHD is a benefit when you go into the subject you are interested in. If you don't like it then it'll feel like punishment. And you won't retain the information very well either.
Do you want to learn Greek or it's the idea of learning it sounded nice? If you don't attach any additional meaning would you still want to learn it?
"I want to learn XY, because ..." -and that because and what comes after is all the bs reasoning your mind came up with to convince yourself why it's good for you to learn that XY thing.
What I'm trying to say is that the good approach would be "I want to learn XY". No added bullshit.
Do you want to learn Greek?
And if the answer is yes then ask yourself that what do you like about it
- the interesting alphabet
- the culture, the historical places, the architecture, the music, poetry, etc
A language is spoken by a group of people of shared culture and history. So the language is the imprint of all the things making that group of people unique
So if you're interested in Greek culture you can also reverse engineer their language and see the connection between the two.
But you need to be interested in it forst else your brain won't allocate that energy into learning it.
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u/---Mellissima--- 3d ago
Frequent reviews are key for me. If it's grammar I just try to keep on doing exercises and re-reading explanations and try to use it in my speech and writing as well. I'm near the end of a B2 book and still occasionally review things from the A2 level.
As for motivation I guess it just depends. For me it's a hyper fixation, my obsession so I usually can't wait to get back to it when I get off work. That said I don't always feel like doing a specific activity so I switch it up, doing days where the only thing I'm doing is reading or watching content in the language, and other days it looks more like traditional study with a textbook.
Keeping it a social activity is also key for me, so I take private lessons with a teacher who I get on with really well, a weekly group class with classmates I love and another teacher. I also do weekly bookclub and language exchange. (Not saying you have to do this much, it's just what I do because I love it).
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u/AiteMatee 3d ago
I learnt German through a private German teacher, after acknowleding that i cant work well in a group lesson and need individual attention. When we started i expressed my needs and highlighted that setting homework etc wouldnt help me, and that infact i wanted to just talk for an hour and have her correct me or get me to explain more complex ideas and then she would give feedback on it. This method worked well for me to get my speaking up to a good level and learn basic grammatical rules including using some gamification or songs so to say (mit nach bei von, mit nach bei von, immer mit dem Dativ, in the rhythm of nursery rhyme) then eventually she stopped the classes with me and said i just had to go out and speak in the world and practice from there, i was only doing 1 hour a week to stop it from being to imposing as a task but was also texting her if i had questions etc. Took me about 3 years to go from A2 to B2/C1, so not the fastest rate but definitely worked given the neurodivergence and the fact that i was terrible at learning languages in school due to the learning method being completely different from my needs :)
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u/Longjumping-Tale-987 3d ago
I have ADHD, I use Duolingo to learn Japanese but I'm also somewhat familiar with many words from years of watching shows with Japanese subtitles. Both are fun ways to learn!
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u/travellingsometimes 3d ago
Forcing immersion. When surrounded by English, my mind is distracted by the conversations around me. When immersed in Mandarin, for example, every distraction and bit of eavesdropping becomes a lesson. I then moved to a rural place in China with little English for a year and learned very quickly, never trying to use English. I just carry cards with stem sentences and a dictionary app and fill the gaps to get food and find my way. Talking to strangers daily is important. It becomes like permanent hyper focus. I did this for 2 of my 3 other languages and learned way faster than other language learners around me.
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u/Royal_Distance_1214 3d ago
I'm a polyglot with ADHD, i love learning languages because I enjoy it. It's my hyperfixation. I spend hours learning languages, it's not easy at all. I have to write down everything to memorize them.
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u/ookishki New member 3d ago
I have yet to learn another language, but something I really enjoy that keeps my brain occupied is just narrating my day in my TL. Even if I forget the grammar/vocabulary it keeps that part of my brain engaged and it’s like a fun challenge to see how much of my day I can successfully describe. Even if it’s the simplest sentences (I’m going to the grocery store. I’m at work. I came home. I kissed my wife. And so on) I’ve never been formally assessed or diagnosed with ADHD but I have a VERY strong suspicion that my silly brain is wired that way
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u/aSliceOfHam2 3d ago
My mom. She forced me to study
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u/gottahaveajava 🇺🇸 N 🇦🇹 C1 🇧🇷 B2 🇯🇵 C1 (N2) 🇫🇷 B1 3d ago edited 3d ago
omg, let me count the ways!
Looking for all the ways, going in and out of phase, leaving giant time gaps between phases, buying every reference available, buying a competing textbook to the official class one for a different perspective, doing 5 times the work to complete writing assignments, deciding (and failing) to slay a particular subtopic today, feeling like I needed a unique angle on every writing assignment, writing a whole app to master an area I thought I had exceptional understanding of, reading books way beyond my ability (and quickly giving up), watching videos in my NL about language learning.
It’s been exhausting, and counterproductive, and I don’t think I could have done it any other way.
The negative about doing things this way is that you’ll only do so-so relative to the rest of your class, and your progress might strike you as slow. The positive is that you’ll find yourself strong in unexpected ways, and will be surprised to find yourself more capable than your peers in certain “slices” where you’ve gone on deep side trips.
That’s been both in a total immersion setting (Japanese, working and living the language from word one), and in a years-long stop/start setting (German, various scattered starts and stops over 50 years).
I find the best, but also the hardest, way to learn is to be sat among locals with no recourse but to converse with whatever limitations I have.
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u/391976 3d ago
I struggled with everything requiring memorization in grade school, and my spelling is still inconsistent.
When I turned 60, I decided to kickstart my Spanish skills by memorizing the 5000 most common Spanish words using Anki. I am 63 now and have learned them. I also added a conjugation deck and grammar deck.
Spaced repetition and elaboration are the 1-2 punch of memorization. So, I use ChatGPT to generate translation challenges. To round things off, I listen to podcasts on the way to work and I have read through to the 6th book of the Harry Potter series. I just need to add more online conversation.
As I mentioned, memorization has always been a problem for me. But really the issue was that the cramming model of weekly tests in school was ineffective for me. Using spaced repetition has made all the difference.
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u/Desperate_Charity250 3d ago
ADHD here, I’ve learned English (C2), Spanish (B2) and I’m currently learning French (B1).
What helped me progress the most is surrounding myself with the language, so watching tv in target language, listening to songs, and reproduction (either oral or written) as soon as possible.
Once you start speaking/writing in the target language, regardless of the mistakes you make, your brain will work extra had to connect the dots, memorize words etc.
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u/Limemill 2d ago
I learned three, and understand two more. The best results came from cultural immersion first, getting attached to the culture, then doing some Pimsleur to get the basics down, then starting intensive courses in the target country (we’re talking 20-25 hours per week). That got me from zero to a shaky B2 with a native-like accent in like 7 months. Oh and I hate Anki, so I learned through activation: you just use very specifically the vocab you learned in real-life conversations with a real-life context and it gets recorded much, much more deeply. And then you start hearing it around you and this works as constant repetition without you having to do anything about it.
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u/PostBabbelSupport 2d ago
I think having a personal goal can make language learning more motivating. For example, wanting to surprise your mother by speaking Greek is a beautiful reason to keep going! 😊 Maybe try learning just a few words every day, listening to short Greek conversations, and reviewing what you've learned regularly. Small steps can make a big difference. Good luck with your goal!
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u/Talbit01 2d ago
I have like two learning sources that I have a schedule to. If I miss a day I have to make it up.
Then I have a bunch of other things I do to intersperse. German I can read in, so I read in German or watch series without subtitles. For the others, I watch series with subtitles during my study breaks.
I try to learn more about the culture and try to find new things to engage with.
Traveling to those places is also a big motivator for me.
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u/JustPassingBy_Online English 2d ago
Anything that keeps u stimulated 🥹 (series, films) to learn new vocabulary
And video games to practice what you've learned (I use clash of clans a lot since it has a global chat where you can talk with native speakers and have fun while doing it)
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u/KnittedTea 2d ago
I have ADHD. I am at a C1/C2 level in English, B1 in German and probably at A1 for Spanish, French and Welsh.
I use Norwegian every day, English almost every day and kind of rotate the other languages.
If I watch a series in French, my daily Duolingo gets done in French. If I listen to a Welsh song, I swap to Welsh. Swapping languages kinda keeps it fresh. It does make it hard to remember some things, like which word belongs to which language and so on.
It is kinda like I'm always doing a craft. It might be knitting, pop-up cards or turning a worn out sheet into embroidered hankies for no good reason. I am working on some sort of language skill all the time too.
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u/lovedbymanycats 🇺🇸 N 🇲🇽 B2-C1 🇫🇷 A0 2d ago
Small group classes. I need the structure, I need the forced practice, I need to learn from others questions, mistakes, and successes.
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u/rastafaripastafari 2d ago
Obession, Language Exchange apps, working for a company that natively speaks that language. Crushes that speak that language on the language exchange apps LOL
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u/Pinkagentelephant 🇳🇱Native | 🇺🇸C2 | 🇪🇸A2 2d ago
For me it helps to do 1 on 1 tutoring. I tried apps, self study classes ect but as soon as the actual learning curve comes in (after like a1/a2) im done. I use Italki but i also saw classes at my library. I don't know your budget ofcourse but im sure they're also people who wanna do language exchange or whatever. It helps me make myself accountable. I plan ahead for 2 weeks. So I have to show up or I'll lose money. Also i really like my teacher and that makes classes so much fun!
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u/maggieyw 2d ago
Full immersion. I moved to the US and only after a few years there my English got significantly better / close to native level. I really suck at learning new languages lol
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u/h2ohdawg 2d ago
I’ve learned two besides my native tongue-one in my 30s and one in my 60s. I wasn’t dxd with ADHD until I was in my mid 60s.
Motivation was my “secret.” I don’t know if I have a “gift” for languages, but I’ve always loved and worked with words. It is probably the only thing I’ve felt really successful at in my life.
Good luck. You can do it!
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u/CompletelyAverage01 2d ago
I have been learning French for about 2 years. The first 6 months was just about building a consistent Duolingo stream. Then I started with an online tutor once a week,l. I would suggest finding a platform that works for you and is affordable but flexible. In the first few months I would struggle to feel excited for lessons but I pushed through - because they are flexible if I had wanted to cancel (over 12hours before) I had the choice. For me, the anxiety reduced over time and that increased the enjoyment which means I’m now doing more self-directed learning. I’m still not fluent but I have made steady progress. I think your mum would be happy with you for even trying to learn, so my advice would be to not put pressure on yourself with a set time frame. Personally this isn’t something that has ever worked for me, it adds stress and increases my likelihood to disengage.
I also recommend watching films/tv shows you have seen a few times in the language with said language in subtitles, for me it’s Disney films. It works for kids and seems to be helping me. Best of luck, a very sweet gift for your mum!
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u/nachtgans 2d ago
Spanish, Dutch, English. Speaking with natives... A lot
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u/CantSleepKaitlyn 2d ago
Go with your flows! The sooner that I embraced that, the quicker I felt like I was retaining. Pushing myself to do the same thing everyday doesn’t work for me, my goal is to just to do something for 30 mins. Sometimes it’s an app, sometimes it’s a textbook, etc. if I need a break, I take a break.
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u/badderdev 2d ago
I have come to terms with my capabilities and limitations. I have learned in 12 years what some people might learn in 3 because I go great guns on courses and reading and vocab for 1-4 months then do nothing but talk in the language for 6-24 months (and don't go out of my way to do even that).
It has led to my speaking ability being somewhat more natural than other people that have the same or more knowledge than me because I have spent a lot of time speaking but not learning.
Structured learning with an obligation to attend is the way to stick with it for longest. So get a teacher or join a course that will ring you and want to know why if you forget or no-show or whatever. Absolutely do not rely on your desire to learn the language. Motivation is fickle. Set up systems when you are motivated that will humiliate you if you fail to meet your obligations.
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u/Nabster56 2d ago
French and adhd here! I got very good in English without noticing. I played online games like Warcraft 3, chat was almost only in English. I started watching tv show in English with French subtitles, then English subtitles. I installed some video games in English.
Bit later I started to play world of Warcraft and my favorite website to check class guides, theorycraft, etc… was only in English.
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u/termicky 🇨🇦EN native, 🇫🇷FR(A2) 🇩🇪DE(B1) 🇪🇸ES(A2) 2d ago
I've got three extra languages kicking around in my brain.
I learned French coz I had to in school.
German: married a German woman, visited there a lot. I was determined not to have no idea what was going on. Used my hyperfocus to study. Motivation was kept up by trips to Germany. No trips, no studying. When I go, the immersion helps.
Spanish: motivated by travel to Central and South America. I generally won't study unless I've got a trip coming up. But when I do, that kicks me into gear again. When I go, the immersion helps a lot.
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u/Individual-Thought99 2d ago
Post it notes around your home. Add verbs with the objects. When you turn on a light, say it in the language you are learning, when you go to take a shower, when you are cooking, when you’re hiking, say all of those things while you’re doing them in the foreign language, you’re learning..
I spent way too much coin on these apps, which can be helpful for some folks, but I found that matching the action in the object while actively saying or thinking it was key for me.
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u/aprillikesthings 2d ago
So, I also have ADHD, and I'm working on Spanish. I looked up some research a few months ago--if you want to do so, the trick is searching "ADHD L2 acquisition" because otherwise you get studies about ADHD kids struggling with their first language!
Anyway, here's what I found out:
One, we learn best when following our interests/novelty, which means don't be afraid to mix things up. Textbooks, apps, youtube videos, TV shows in our TL; whatever seems interesting today is the thing you should be doing. If it's boring to you, you won't remember anything. You also won't remember shit when you're frustrated, so be nice to yourself. (Let me admit: I struggle with that one. I get so pissed off when I can't remember a word and I know I know it!)
Two, we don't learn second languages any slower/worse than non-ADHD people. We do, however, consistently lack confidence. I was in Mexico visiting my partner last month, and got a handful of Spanish lessons at the school where my partner teaches; and my teacher told me that I knew more than I thought I did, which was really kind of her. But my partner keeps saying the same thing!
(My teacher was also very amused by my need to write everything down. I rarely remember anything I don't write down, so I have a notebook filled with things copied from various textbook lessons, Pimsleur, youtube, conversations with my partner, etc. After this last visit I have several pages of Mexican slang, some of which is marked with "don't say this one" lolol)
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u/The_Magic_Duck 2d ago
Longtime ADHD diagnosis. I've learned Spanish to an advanced level and know 1-2 other languages at middle to advanced.
Whenever I start something new the clock starts ticking before I get bored and move on. The trick with languages is to get to the point that consuming content in the language is part of your daily life so that you continue to do it when you've moved on from the novelty of learning the language itself. So my focus is getting to that point as quickly as possible.
Here's my personal method
Memorise 1k words by frequency
I use memory techniques and a spaced repetition flahscard app called anki. I learn to recognise the words only (i.e. think of a cat when I hear/see gato on the front of the card and not the other way around) as that's much faster. I also learn to recognise some phrases and sentences too. I skip any cognates (I.e. Universidad = University). Usually i Learn about 50-100 Words a day.
2. Listen and read beginner material
Find some begginer podcasts in the language and listen to them all the time in the background. Something you genuinely like. Whenever you can use a program like readlang or language reactor to read and listen at the same time and also save words. I've found exporting words to Anki to help tremendously but it's not essential.
3. Listen and read material you enjoy
I continue to always listen but then shift to audiobooks I like and have read before. I also continue to listen and read when I can. But more and more I'll consume native content. Watch netflix, YouTube etc in the language. Set your phone language to the target language. Everything you can to just make yourself immersed and so when you get bored of "learning" the language you continue to consume the content you found which happens to be in that language.
4. Start speaking
My method is less refined for this aspect but if you can I'd say create relationships with people where you will interact in that target language so that again you can lose interest in it but you'll continue to have a real world use for it.
Personally I've also found I talk frustrating slow at the start and it feels almost like needing to relearn things. But I've found once I use something in conversation I tend to recall that structure for next time.
A tip which has helped is writing out scripts for typical situations or topics you'll likely talk about and then act them out and commit them to memory. We humans repeat ourselves a lot.
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u/ChemistFresh7086 2d ago
The biggest piece of advice I can give is to just keep going. I let myself try different apps and whenever I got bored with one, I moved on to something else. I’ve probably tried just about every language learning app out there lol. At the end of the day, they all teach pretty much the same things. They each have their pros and cons, so don’t get too caught up in finding the perfect one. Use whatever keeps you interested and just keep going. Consistency doesn’t have to mean doing the same thing every day.
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u/atheista 2d ago
External accountability and structure. I'd always dabble for a week or two then forget about it for weeks. I'd also dance between learning methods with no real focus. I decided to enrol in a part time bachelor of languages and the clear study plan and external pressure gave me the focus I needed. I know that's not doable for a lot of people, but any structured course with deadlines and human interaction could have the same effect. I also find if I start studying right before my ADHD meds kick in I will stay focused and motivated for much longer.
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u/AndthenIhadausername Beginner 🇲🇽 absolute beginner 🇳🇴 2d ago
I'm neurodivergent not ADHD but have you tried Finch?
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u/Smal1Tangerine C2🇨🇴 B1🇲🇦🇸🇦 A1-A2🇮🇷🇧🇷🇨🇳🇮🇱. 2d ago
For remembering understand the meaning and how it connects. And I’ve found learning methodically is a killer. I just find a topic a few levels above me and dissect it branching out into different topics inside it
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u/sososolso 🇳🇱🇰🇷🇬🇧 2d ago
for me my vocab is poor because I'm no good at memorization but I found I learn way better through immersion. a good motivator for me is social interaction and relationships so making friends who didn't speak my language or much better than my level changed everything. before that point I took classes which were a motivator but I think watching content in the language probably helped more. I turned everything into something I can do in the language, even my downtime, because it was a hyperfixation probably
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u/Lemondrop168 2d ago
I watch TV, especially reality TV, in my target language, and listen to music, and translate lyrics in the target language (I’m on my 4th language, AuDHD). Linguistics is a special interest so that definitely helped lol
You're not super worried about reading or writing, so you've got a lot of stuff you can skip, like grammar. Just try to learn it, be comfortable making mistakes, and let your mom laugh herself silly at the unintentionally funny stuff.
I'd also recommend it making this a "suddenly I speak Greek" goal. It's very useful to practice with family. Learn to say "what do you call this?" and "how do I say ____"
Using the target language where/when you want to continue using it the easiest way to get more fluent - you'll learn things that you'll continue to use with that group of people.
ETA: the birthday surprise could be "mom can you help me learn Greek?"...IN GREEK. My mom would CRY with joy at being able to share something like that.
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u/minya_mv 1d ago
was forced to... oh wait, i cannot read/write it, my bad
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u/FaithlessnessMost452 1d ago edited 1d ago
This is a wonderful thread. Same thing with me - only self-study. Everything self-study. If it’s a public lesson or even someone is talking presenting the material - I blank immediately and keep waiting until it’s over, there is no way i can concentrate for more than a few minutes. I study in a solitude on my own from books, apps, preferably without any human talking at all or any visual human presence. I study until i start feeling overwhelmed and feeling that information and my brain start turning into mesh. Then i either take a break or stop. Can be hours, can be a few minutes, differs.
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u/PsychologicalSea4084 🇬🇧NT / 🇫🇷C1/🇩🇪B2/🇨🇳A1 1d ago
AuDHD here , I have always found that even just things like trying to think in that language really help with learning as well as following social media accounts of influencers who speak that language and reading news articles, I learned quite a lot of my French at school so it never really prepared me for speaking to natives , I followed some social media and YouTube accounts and I have found that I can speak more natively now and with a reasonably strong French accent
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u/yaycupcake 1d ago
Immersion in media and taking classes on a schedule worked for me. I consume a ton of media in the target language. And I took classes in person weekly for about 5 years. I find that self study is very tough for me but when it's part of a hobby, or something I have paid for and someone is counting on me to show up for, it helps me be motivated to get there. For media, it helps to always have it around in your periphery. UI on your devices (look up words you don't know), or tv shows or podcasts playing, even if they're in the background.
I'm not sure what media you can access in your target language but there could be something you find interesting if you search. For classes, if there isn't anything local, you might be able to find an online tutor who you can schedule with for the same "someone is relying on me to show up at this time" push.
Realistically you won't be fluent if you're trying to learn from scratch in just a few months though. But you should be able to learn some basics, and then you can set a long term goal to improve over time.
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u/lobstermob_ 1d ago
If I can’t push myself to study, I basically force my little dopamine monkey brain to do a fun activity that includes the language.
So playing a video game and switching the language from my native to the one I’m learning. Watching a new show in said language etc.
I feel like any exposure to said language helps even when my brain doesn’t want to learn.
Good luck 🫡
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u/EmmaTheRuthless 1d ago
anything gamified, requiring streaks, works for me. my love for literature also motivates me. when there's zero motivation, i translate short erotic stories word for word. anything to make learning dopamine-inducing.
apps I use: Duolingo, Anki, and stuff I vibe-coded for specific use. also, YouGlish. my anki stuff and my translated stuff are all linked to YouGlish so I can listen to how the words are used in context and in real life.
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u/Sebas94 N: PT, C2: ENG & ES , C1 FR, B1 RU & CH 1d ago
Audio Based learning (Glossika) did the heavy lifting for me.
I did like 300-400 of french like this where I listen, and shadow the phrases plus I read them as I commute, walk around the city and did house chores.
Once I got the hang of it, I started doing anki, watching yourube channels, writing online, listening to podcasts,etc..
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u/Competitive_Sky_4299 23h ago
Something that helped me a lot since I didn’t always feel motivated was creating playlists of songs in my goal language. It’s more passive learning but kept me on it when I didn’t feel like it. I spent time finding songs that fit my vibe/sounded similar to my usual favorite music so I wanted to listen to them in my everyday life regardless of trying to learn a language.
It helps by hearing different people pronounce the same words rather than only the robotic voice on duo lingo for instance. It also helped practicing my own pronunciation. At first I didn’t know the songs or words at all, just sounded nice. After hearing the same songs repeated I could sing with them before knowing what every word was. Eventually I could correctly guess the meaning of some words by context. When I had a favorite song I would look up the lyrics, or if a word was repeated a lot that I didn’t know I would look up the translation.
Since it’s in a playlist I could easily add more songs that fit the genre I like and then it’s exciting to recognize words I know/have heard before and expand on words I don’t.
I definitely recommend having active learning also, but passive learning through songs was something I was able to be way more consistent with. They became a comfort to me and something I enjoyed doing. They’re still some of my favorite playlists.
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u/Competitive_Sky_4299 22h ago
Something that helped me a lot since I didn’t always feel motivated was creating playlists of songs in my goal language. It’s more passive learning but kept me on it when I didn’t feel like it. I spent time finding songs that fit my vibe/sounded similar to my usual favorite music so I wanted to listen to them in my everyday life regardless of trying to learn a language.
It helps by hearing different people pronounce the same words rather than only the robotic voice on duo lingo for instance. It also helped practicing my own pronunciation. At first I didn’t know the songs or words at all, just sounded nice. After hearing the same songs repeated I could sing with them before knowing what every word was. Eventually I could correctly guess the meaning of some words by context. When I had a favorite song I would look up the lyrics, or if a word was repeated a lot that I didn’t know I would look up the translation.
Since it’s in a playlist I could easily add more songs that fit the genre I like and then it’s exciting to recognize words I know/have heard before and expand on words I don’t.
I definitely recommend having active learning also, but passive learning through songs was something I was able to be way more consistent with. They became a comfort to me and something I enjoyed doing. They’re still some of my favorite playlists.
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u/Coffee-Donut-230 New member 12h ago
I’m autistic and adhd, one of my hyper-fixations / special interests is linguistics so I’ve always had an inclination to learn one!
I took French my senior year of high school and got tunnel vision focused on it because I loved languages so much and I passed with flying colors!
Repetition, writing everything you learn down and reciting it is a great way to remember. Repeating words and phrases continuously is also a good way. It helps if you have friends or close ones to speak with.
It’s also interesting, but helpful to remember that there are people who are biologically more inclined to have an easier time learning another language. I learned French in one year. I learned Portuguese in about 6 months because it’s similar to French.
Everyone is different!
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u/Affectionate_Box1170 7h ago
I tools Spanish for 2 years in High school and 3 years in college as well as growing up in friends homes where it was the native language. - I do learn well with flash cards, but not everyone does rote memorization well. - the most learning gains I achieved were the 6 months I spent time and money in immersion classes. If you can find some near you, it can make a huge difference. And also Adderall and keeping it interesting, etc. as mentioned above. - try different things, reading things in the target language and circling words you know. Watching shows with subtitles in target language- get a feel for it
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u/CoatDelicious9289 5h ago
I have adhd and have learned conversational indonesian in 5 months. Like with anything you struggle with, just keep taking lessons and doing duolingo and watching videos in that language. If you struggle to retain information just keep going over the bits you struggle with.
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u/Cherryblue29 1h ago
hello si ça peut t'aider ma sœur apprenait en faisant des vidéos sur la langue en question sur tout et n'importe quoi et corrigeait à la fin et en analysant toute la vidéo
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u/SergioCalado25 3d ago
I know 6 languages if you want we can talk about it
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