Frustrated and not making progress with learning Arabic?

A high percentage of Arabic language students reach a plateau at 6 months. The early days are productive but progress wanes. This isn’t just restricted to learning Arabic; all language students experience this daunting phase. They are eager to use their new language but it seems the day when they will be able to use it as a communications tool will never arrive.

In our experience of teaching and learning Arabic, there is nothing quite like students’ frustration at reaching a plateau. In simple terms, a plateau is a mental block that occurs around six months into learning a foreign language. The early days were productive, yet somehow you’ve reached a point where progress slows and enthusiasm wanes. This isn’t restricted to learning Arabic; all language students experience this daunting phase. It’s frustrating, but can be overcome – so what can we do to remedy this?

In our experience of teaching and learning Arabic, there is nothing quite like students’ frustration at reaching a plateau. In simple terms, a plateau is a mental block that occurs around six months into learning a foreign language. The early days were productive, yet somehow you’ve reached a point where progress slows and enthusiasm wanes. This isn’t restricted to learning Arabic; all language students experience this daunting phase. It’s frustrating, but can be overcome – so what can we do to remedy this?

Sadly, many Arabic language students give up entirely at the plateau stage, underestimating themselves and thinking the language and pronunciation too complicated. Our role as language tutors is to dissuade the negative and encourage students to keep on pushing. According to studies, the reason for reaching a plateau is students using the same routines, habits and linguistic exercises. They become too familiar with the norm, and see new territory as overwhelming. Like any learning experience, what’s needed is a change in habit.

Just like school and higher education, learning a new language requires regular shuffling in your routines and discipline. At Nassra Arabic, our advice is completely change your strategy on a regular basis. Ideally, review it each month and tweak little parts to make things fresh and exciting.

Feedback is crucial. If possible, get support and critique from your peers – be they fellow students, your Arabic teacher or fluent Arabic speakers. They’ll provide a fresh set of ears to review your language studies and make amendments. The tendency is to stick to your strengths and avoid the parts where you’re falling behind. A second opinion will help even things out and point you in the right direction.

That being said, it’s not all about discipline. Language fluency is about being spontaneous with everyday activities. Busy students can forget this, and are often confined to their strategies mentioned above. Remember why you’re learning Arabic and treat yourself to the broader, day-to- day experiences we all enjoy. Why not watch a film in Arabic, or download and listen to radio shows, audiobooks and interviews? You might not understand everything, but you’ll be surprised by how much you’ve learned as you soak in the spoken discourse. Furthermore, you’ll find dialects, idioms and humour that cannot be learned from one-to-one tuition.

As language teachers we keep a close eye on new students to make sure they’re enjoying, learning and finding Arabic useful. In spite of this, a plateau is to be expected. You must embrace it and take it as a sign that things need shaking up. Months later, you’ll look back at the plateau and see it as important milestone in which you went from a beginner to an intermediate speaker.

We all experience things differently, and welcome a broad range of feedback from language students. Have you reached a language plateau, or have fresh ideas to overcome it? Let us know By leaving a comment below.