You Don`t Have To Be Good At Languages To Be Good At Languages

When I tell people that I speak Spanish (when it comes up, I`m not that self-obsessed) they normally reply that they admire me for having managed to learn a foreign language, and then they tell me that they never could. They will tell me about how they always struggled with languages at school, how they never really "got it", and it soon becomes clear that they think that there are two people in this world: those who soak up languages like a sponge, and those who will never manage to pronounce paella. I just don`t think that`s true.

It`s definitely true that some students are more naturally able at certain subjects than others, and there will always be enviable whizz kids in every class, but if that isn`t you then don`t give up on languages yet. This is because what I always tell these self-deprecating fools is that if you really want to learn a language, you can.

Hard work is what counts when learning a foreign language, and little else. It`s the hours spent with vocab lists and verb tables that pay off and natural intelligence won`t help you if you haven`t put in the hours. Hiring an awesome tutor such as myself doesn`t hurt either.