A stack of study materials
特に大人になると、新しい言語を学ぶことは難しいものです！ 当講師のクリス先生が、イタリア語を学習中に助けとなったヒントを共有しますので、ご参考ください。
Need vs. Want
When I moved to Italy a year ago, it was with the intention of learning the language so that I could potentially make Italy my new home. When I first arrived, however, it was during a lockdown, so I had to spend two weeks in quarantine. To be productive with my time, I thought I’d study a few phrases so I could appear to know a little of the language before I started school. I learned enough to get me through a night at a restaurant. Or so I thought.
A few weeks into my language studies, we covered a lesson of common phrases to use when eating in a restaurant. I learned the phrase for “I would like…” as a way to ask for things. I had not heard nor seen this particular phrase before! I told my teacher the phrase I had been using, and he giggled. He told me that I had been telling waiters “I need…” when I wanted something. So, for two weeks or so, I’d been telling people I need French fries instead of I want them. My teacher told me that my phrase wasn’t wrong per se, but that it definitely gave an air of desperation that he was sure I didn’t want to convey. Imagine my shock! I returned to one of the restaurants where I’d been using the more insistent phrase and questioned the waiter. He gave me a really big smile and said, “You’re American, so I assumed you really needed them.” Pretty sure my cheeks were redder than a firetruck in that moment because, let’s face it, he wasn’t wrong. Haven’t you ever been a little desperate for fries?
What’s the point?
When learning a new language, it’s extremely important to have a clear goal in mind. A lot of people study languages out of curiosity or just as a way to pass the time. But without a clear goal in mind, they almost never achieve the coveted goal of fluency in that language. When I initially arrived in Italy, I went with the goal in mind of making Italy my new permanent home. I took that goal and hope into my class. I was an excellent student. I participated in class, I did my homework, I attempted to use the language when out in public. With the goal that this could be where I spent the rest of my days, I worked extra hard and went from a true beginner to level A2 in about 7 months.
Then things changed. I realized that while Italy is indeed as amazing and beautiful as you have heard, it wasn’t screaming "home" for me. I realized I still had 5 months of living there left to do that were now more like just a really long vacation. I lost my goal, so I lost my focus. I’ve spent these last five months sitting at about a B1 level with no clear progression to B2. I know I should continue forward, but my priorities have changed, and thus I’ve ended my studies. Let my story be a cautionary tale for you: stay focused and have a goal in mind. Let your journey into this new language keep moving forward to that fluent finish line!