No More Getting Tongue-Tied! | Everyday Life in Germany: Slow German Podcast

Hello and welcome to a new episode of the Eleos German Podcast. If you don't know me yet, hello! I am Eleo, I am a language teacher and this podcast is a way for German learners, to improve, practice, and learn about life in Germany or to learn about language learning and the German language. Today I'm talking about a topic that we probably all know. I know it, and many students in my language courses know it, and I'm sure you know it too. Today it's about the fear of making mistakes, about perfectionism in language learning. And precisely why this fear of making mistakes is often the greatest obstacle, the biggest problem in language learning. I would also like to talk about how I managed to overcome this obstacle, this problem. Also, let's go! As always, just a quick reminder: if you're watching on YouTube, you can turn on the subtitles. On Spotify or other podcast platforms, you can simply listen. Alright, I'll start by telling you a bit about myself, just in case you don't know me very well yet. I was raised bilingual in German and French, and later learned English and Spanish. And right now I am living in Germany and learning Portuguese. This means I know language learning from various perspectives. From the perspective of a language learner, from the perspective of a language teacher and also from the perspective of someone who grew up with multiple languages. I believe the most important experience I've gained through language learning was when I learned Spanish. I learned Spanish through immersion. That means I traveled to South America and I couldn't speak any Spanish at all. I then lived in South America and Spain for several years altogether, and I learned Spanish through living there. Also by talking with people, by working, and not in a classical language course. I learned Spanish immersively, and I still remember it quite well. when I arrived in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and didn't understand anything and couldn't say anything. Few people there could speak English with me, and I had thought earlier that French would have helped. And it did have a bit of that, but I had underestimated how little I could understand there. The good thing about my situation was that I had to speak. Because I couldn't speak to people in English, nor in French, nor in German, I had to somehow understand Spanish and somehow speak it. That also means I didn't have much time, didn't have much space, to be afraid of making mistakes. to think about whether what I'm saying right now is correct or not. I simply had to try to communicate using hands, feet, gestures, pointing And thus there was no way, no room, for me to dwell on mistakes and be overly perfectionistic. I must say that I was very lucky, because the people there were extremely patient with me and very kind. and took the time to somehow understand me, or for me to somehow understand them. And that is also very important; I will talk about it later. to be in an environment that is patient and also wants you to understand and learn. And I know that this isn't the case everywhere and that not everyone experiences it this way. speaking German right now in Germany, when you can't speak German much yet It's certainly much harder than speaking Spanish in Argentina for me. Those are different prerequisites, different privileges that I had. So I then immersed myself in learning Spanish, and I believe one of the most important aspects of this learning process not only the immersion, but also the moment when I eventually decided as if I could already speak Spanish. That means, after a few weeks, after a few months, I still couldn't speak well. Not speak much yet, I could barely manage tenses, I couldn't yet know many vocabulary words. When people spoke quickly, I understood nothing at all. Yes, I was perhaps at an A2 level back then, and that's when I decided to start thinking in my head. Yes, I speak Spanish. And when people have asked me there, "Do you speak Spanish?" I said yes, I speak Spanish. Because in this moment I understood that in this language learning process, it's very much about attitude, the ones we ourselves have when we speak a foreign language we are still learning. To the attitude, yes, to what we think, how we feel when we speak. And through my posture, through my thought, yes, I can speak, I had a positive learning spiral going upward. That means I didn't pay attention to my mistakes, I didn't focus on my mistakes. and to what I still cannot do and still do not understand, but I have seen it, what I was already able to do, and believed that I would soon be able to do much more. And precisely because of that, I gradually became better. I spoke, and thereby became more confident. As a result, I spoke more, and as a result, I learned more. And I think many people learning languages wait for the moment when they feel confident. If I feel safe, then I speak. But with me, it was exactly the opposite. And in my teaching hours, I often also notice that it works better the other way around. As I briefly mentioned a moment ago, I'm also learning Portuguese. And there, my learning process is entirely different. Because I live in Germany and in my everyday life I don't speak Portuguese at all. And I don't have to speak Portuguese either. That means I first learned a lot through input, and then I realized, when I once spoke Portuguese with someone, I was very unsure that I've also started to get a little afraid of making mistakes, because I wasn't used to speaking. This means that although we do make progress when we work alone with an app or with videos or learn with different learning input, but we cannot eliminate the fear of making mistakes through this. Overcoming perfectionism in speaking. We must talk about it. And I already said a moment ago that it's important to have a safe place. at which one can speak the target language that one can learn from people who are patient, understanding, and preferably also kind and that this is not the case everywhere. And I would now like to recommend a place where you can find exactly such people, such teachers. Well, it's Italki. On Italki, there are many teachers, native speakers, who offer language lessons. I used the filtering function on the page. I have indicated how much I can afford to pay for one hour, as well as my learning goal. and then had a few trial lessons with various teachers. Trial lessons are usually very affordable, allowing you to get to know the teacher. you can check whether it fits, whether you feel comfortable. I found my Portuguese teacher this way, with whom I'm learning in a one-on-one setting. a situation where I can make many mistakes and we can laugh about it, and through that, I can learn even more. Just scan the QR code or click the link in the description. You can sign up for it, and with the code ELEO7 you'll also get a 5 euro discount. and your first lesson from €10. Do it, believe in yourself, I wish you lots of fun! And yes, what I've noticed while learning Portuguese, It is that I must create these immersive situations myself. And so it is in my class as well. Also, through my Portuguese lessons, I keep experiencing small immersive moments. That means, in my class we actually speak Portuguese only. And if I don't know a word, I try to describe it in some way. As I said, there are many funny moments. And it's precisely from these funny mistakes that I actually learn the most. Also, I remember this best because we remember things best through emotions. That means, errors are actually our learning friends. They help us learn. And I think we must precisely achieve this, that if we do not live in that country, are not automatically surrounded by the language we learn We must seek out and create immersive islands. And if, for example, you live in Germany and still don't feel confident speaking German, Then try to find safe spaces to practice speaking German. you can do it with lessons on italki or also with people you meet Maybe they speak English with you. Please ask her to speak German with you. And I know that this is something that happens very frequently, that people here in Germany switch directly to English and that is why it is difficult for many German learners to get into speaking German here. Please ask the people. Of course, I know that many German learners in Germany face different pressures, Better to speak and not make many mistakes. Maybe it's about getting a job, getting an apartment, To run errands at government offices, to handle bureaucratic matters. And of course I understand that this is a different kind of pressure one then puts on oneself. It's not, oh yes, hihi, haha, Portuguese, I'm doing this for fun, but of course there are also completely different life situations in which one learns a language And from this language one learns, many things then depend, such as an apartment, a profession. and that you start searching for the right words, thinking hard under pressure, Whether the person understands you or not, yes, that's normal. But try not to focus the pressure on the mistakes, but on speaking. Because only when you speak will you become more confident, and only then will the pressure lessen a bit, yes. Focus on what you can do and dare to speak. And thus we come back again to the point I mentioned at the beginning. Learning languages means not only learning words and grammar, but this is also an attitude and also a way of dealing with pressure situations in the foreign language. I think that many people who make mistakes when speaking, Don't think the sentence was wrong, but rather that I'm bad at this language. That is a difference. Making a mistake in a foreign language doesn't mean you don't speak the language well. that you will never learn them. It simply means that you're learning a foreign language. And if you're learning German, then a very complicated foreign language. What else I also find interesting about this whole topic, What is the difference between children and adults? when it comes to perfectionism or the fear of making mistakes. I also work a lot with children, so I teach French to children. And rarely do children fear making mistakes. And it's not necessarily because the children are braver. You're just used to making mistakes. And we too, as adult language learners, must get used to that. that we make mistakes, that we cannot express ourselves as well as we do in our native language, that we might come across as less competent than we actually are that we might not come across as socially inclined as we actually are that we sometimes might feel a bit foolish. Because we cannot express what we are accustomed to expressing as adults. Alright, let's summarize once more. What specific actions can you take to overcome your fear of making mistakes? Number one. Speak. Speak, and thus you will gain security. And if you don't have anyone to practice German with, then find someone, for example on italki. Number two. Try to see mistakes as friends. Mistakes are normal; they are part of the process, and you learn from them. I would also be very interested now in what tips you have for German learners, for language learners. What helped you overcome the fear of making mistakes and perfectionism? Please write it down very gladly in the comments. I hope we can gather many tips so that we can all help one another. Maybe I'll make another special video with your experiences and tips. Feel free to vote in the poll if you're familiar with this fear of making mistakes, these blocks, this perfectionism. I am very excited about the result, and of course, I also had a vote for the previous episode. Last time, the topic was money and how we in Germany talk—or don't talk—about money. how we pay at the restaurant, what tipping is, and so on. And my question from last episode was, do you prefer to pay together or separately when dining at a restaurant with friends? Forty-five percent of you prefer to pay together, and 45 percent prefer to pay separately. That means it is very balanced. If we all go to the restaurant, it will be fun, then it will be very exciting. No, but thanks for voting. Thanks also for the exciting comments under the last podcast episode. I would also like to read a comment this time, and it is from Bas. Hi Bas. Hi there, Bas. Best wishes to you. Thank you for all your exciting and funny thoughts and for all the coffee donations. Coffee for me too. Many, many thanks. I am reading the comment aloud. Okay, Bas is writing. Hi, Eleo. I believe the Netherlands are internationally known for the fact that everyone pays for their own meal. I also see it as a positive sign of how much one truly values another person. when you go out to eat with him and are willing to pay the bill. Eating out in the Netherlands is also significantly more expensive than in Germany. That naturally plays a major role as well. Yes, I find it very interesting that you've brought in the aspect of appreciation. The appreciation, if you, well, not you, Bas, but someone else, doesn't know what that means. To appreciate someone means to show that person that you value them, that you like them. And yes, of course, this is naturally a major aspect, mutually inviting each other. I think so, even in Germany. And of course, the prices as well. And likewise in Germany, I don't know how it is in the Netherlands. but in Germany dining out is very expensive, and therefore naturally worth considering, whether one can afford it, yes, even if one would like to invite others. Of course, I look forward to your comments below this video. I hope the podcast has helped you with learning German, and perhaps you're taking away some tips.