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Embrace the facts = save years of your life

Here’s a common scenario I've seen so many times:


A student is highly motivated and ready to dive into learning English.


At first, they go all out, doing way more than is sustainable. Soon after, motivation dwindles. Life gets in the way—work, family, health—and eventually, they quit.


Later, they get back to learning English, this time with more realistic expectations and a focus on discipline rather than just motivation. This time they realize the importance of building a sustainable routine, but getting to this point often takes years.


The sad reality is, it doesn’t have to be this way.


A street sign with two directional arrows pointing in opposite directions. The top arrow points to the right and says "One Way," while the bottom arrow points to the left and says "Another." This image represents the concept of different choices or paths in decision-making, symbolizing how learners can take different approaches or routes to achieve their goals.

Stop relying on wishful thinking. Embrace the facts:


  • It will likely take YEARS of deliberate, regular learning and practice to reach the level you want. 

    Language learning is a long-term commitment. It's physically impossible to become fluent fast. The brain just doesn't work like this. You cannot "learn" English in a few months.


A large snail slowly crawling on a wooden surface, wearing a black graduation cap with a golden tassel. The image humorously symbolizes the slow, yet steady and deliberate process of learning, especially when it comes to mastering a new skill or language. The snail represents the reality that learning takes time, effort, and persistence to reach a level of fluency or expertise.

  • You’re not a child—you can’t just “pick up” a language. 

    Unlike children, adults need structured and deliberate practice to achieve a confident and comfortable level.


  • Motivation comes and goes—it’s NOT to be relied on. 

    Consistency beats intensity. Small, regular efforts will carry you further than occasional bursts of enthusiasm.


  • Progress is slow and often hard to notice, but it’s there. 

    Focus on progress, not perfection. What feels like "plateaus" is a normal part of the learning process.


  • There are good and bad ways to practice. 

    If you don’t have a teacher, do your research before investing time in suboptimal methods.


  • Speaking is just one piece of the puzzle. 

    Balance it with working on your vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, listening, reading, writing, and understanding the culture.

A close-up image of an American flag made up of puzzle pieces. Some pieces are slightly out of place, symbolizing the concept of putting together parts to form a whole. This image could represent the complexity of learning, cultural understanding, or the process of piecing together knowledge step by step.
  • Grammar is non-negotiable. 

    You NEED it for fluency and accuracy, whether you like it or not.


    Many people have had a bad experience before where they mostly studied grammar. This sucks. So now they don’t want to do anything related to grammar.


    In my experience, most of these people still do not know grammar at a reasonable and necessary level though. So no way around it.


  • Mistakes are part of the process. 

    They’re learning opportunities, not setbacks. Don’t be discouraged by them—you’ll keep making mistakes, and that’s part of how you learn.


  • Cultural immersion accelerates learning. 

    It shouldn’t just be about “study as much as you can”. It should be about “what things do I enjoy doing and can also do in English?”


  • Set realistic goals. Break down your learning into small, achievable milestones. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.


There're no magic solutions. Just good evidence-based methods, feedback, hard work and time.


Teacher Tina from SpeakEnglish2day.com

Tina is a professional English Teacher with a Cambridge education and 10+ years of teaching English to adults in-person and online.


She wants you and English learners like you to develop a solid understanding of what you need to do to start speaking better English faster (and not fall for English-in-a-month scams).


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