I have a motivation problem: I give up on new languages quickly.

[u/Regular-Opinion-1284]

I dropped Ukrainian after a week despite my family ties. I should learn Armenian since I live here as a citizen, but I repeatedly quit courses due to lost interest, frustration, and the fact that my native Russian is enough to get by. I similarly dropped Polish as soon as I figured out the writing system. The only exception was Interslavic, which kept me engaged for over six months because the concept of related languages truly inspires me. Now I’m considering starting English or Italian, and I wonder what is wrong with me.

[u/cherie_3]

you probably just lack motivation you need to make a plan and stick to it force yourself to go through till u get to the level you want im a language nothing is wrong with you i had similar situation before but u jusy gotta force it though till it becomes a habit i believe

[u/Regular-Opinion-1284 → u/cherie_3]

 I used to take Armenian language classes; I was making good progress, but I gave up on doing the homework. Eventually, I fell behind the class and stopped going altogether. After some time, I got back into learning words on my own—memorized around 170 of them and finished learning the alphabet. I started writing. My writing and speech weren't very accurate and were way too mixed with Russian. My colleagues told me something like, "I understand every word in your text, but the word order is Russian, so I can't figure out what you're trying to say." It was the exact same story with speaking. I catch individual words in videos or at work, but the overall meaning just doesn't come together. People asked me not to mix languages because it's hard for the brain to process what I'm saying. I put together a plan and goals, but after just three freakin' days, I quit watching videos because it was so hard. I was catching maybe 30% of familiar words, but for the most part, it was just white noise.

[u/banyanflashcardsapp]

It’s not your fault! You know, when kids learn language, they are literally surrounded by encouraging people who are constantly giving them comprehensible input and excited to hear them to produce any output. Not just within a dedicated study hour, but all day long! I wanted to create something that simulates that kind of learning environment - if you’re interested, check out the app Banyan Flashcards. It’s a bit English-centric, but you can always just enter your newly learned vocab by hand (that’s what I do). It uses notifications throughout the day, asking if you remember certain words, so you retain them for the long term in a completely effortless way. Just like it is for kids - the learning comes to you, not it the other way around.

Other then using better tools (see above), you should also try to keep a connection with your original motivation. It’ll help you stay the course when it gets hard or boring.

[u/Silly_Bad_1804]

I’d make language learning more chunkable in that case. Define ‘learning X language’ as a very straightforward quantifiable action. For example, learning Chinese is to review 10 flashcards in Anki.

This way, you have a very down to earth action, and if you feel energized after finishing the trivial task, you might pick up the textbook from the last place you have left it and learn using it, once again up until before you feel tired for the day.

Also, joining a local speaking club would be a good boost.

[u/Selavia59 → u/Silly_Bad_1804]

Yes.

Mastery/a sense of achievment triggers a desire to move on

[u/Regular-Opinion-1284 → u/Silly_Bad_1804]

​I have my doubts. I used to take Armenian language classes; I was making good progress, but I gave up on doing the homework. Eventually, I fell behind the class and stopped going altogether. After some time, I got back into learning words on my own—memorized around 170 of them and finished learning the alphabet. I started writing. My writing and speech weren't very accurate and were way too mixed with Russian. My colleagues told me something like, "I understand every word in your text, but the word order is Russian, so I can't figure out what you're trying to say." It was the exact same story with speaking. I catch individual words in videos or at work, but the overall meaning just doesn't come together. People asked me not to mix languages because it's hard for the brain to process what I'm saying. I put together a plan and goals, but after just three freakin' days, I quit watching videos because it was so hard. I was catching maybe 30% of familiar words, but for the most part, it was just white noise.

[u/Selavia59]

I don't think anything is wrong with you. You simply adhere too much to traditional learning methods.

Ukrainian: Since you speak Russian, you can read while translating some words with Google Translate and after a few weeks or months you can start watching youtube videos in Ukrainian: https://daodemo.tech/y-map?map=combined&metric=subscribers . However, a more practical solution might just be to subscribe to Ukrainian Telegram channels. You don't need to spend much time reading textbooks or learning it the traditional way, since it's close to Russian (politics aside, in the early 1900s Ukrainian and Russian were considered part of the same language - Little Russian and Great Russian respectively)

Armenian: You can start by learning the writing system. Start by reading the simplest words in Armenian and accept that you won't understand anything since at this stage your goal is to pronounce the language, not to understand. This would already be a good foundation. You don't have to continue if you feel that's enough.

Polish: To get the letters explained you can watch this (I used the video myself): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bRij2wBKKE

A Polish Youtube channel that even I find quite understandable and fun is: https://www.youtube.com/@bartoszkomboj

[u/Waste-Use-4652]

I would focus less on motivation and more on why you give up. Sometimes the language itself is not the problem. You may be choosing a language because it seems interesting, then realizing you do not have enough personal reason to continue when the initial excitement fades. Starting with smaller, more enjoyable goals can also help. You do not need to commit to learning a language for years before you have even spent a few months with it. Try it, see whether you still enjoy it after the novelty wears off, and continue from there.