Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Do you want to learn a language BETTER and FASTER? In this video, we talk about 10 common language-learning myths that many students believe. These ideas can make learning harder—but they are NOT true! I will tell you what these myths are, and then what the reality is, based on studies and my own, first-hand experience teaching thousands of language learners. You will find out: why adults can learn English well, how you can become fluent without living in an English-speaking country, why making mistakes is normal, why you don’t need a “perfect” accent, and more. This video will help you understand how language learning really works, so you can study smarter and feel better about your progress. engvid.com/top-10-myths-about-learning-english
More of my lessons about language learning:
youtu.be/bLksi7Wt0yE
youtu.be/X1Pl5QV8EHo
In this lesson:
0:00 10 MYTHS about Learning a Language
0:39 Do you have to be young to learn a language?
2:03 Do you have to live in an English-speaking country?
3:10 If you make mistakes, you're not good at English
4:13 You need to memorize a lot of grammar rules
6:05 Do you have to speak with a "native" accent to be fluent?
8:01 You must study English for many hours daily
9:43 You must learn fast
11:45 Can you learn a language in your sleep?
12:42 Can you learn with one app, like Duolingo?
14:18 Can you become fluent in 3 months?
Transcript:
Hello, my name is Emma. I am an English teacher. I also have a master's degree in learning languages. Today, I wanted to talk about 10 common myths people have about learning languages. So, first of all, what is a myth? A myth is something people believe might be real or true, but in fact, it's not true. So, we're going to look at 10 common myths about learning languages people have.
The first myth is you have to be young to learn a language successfully. Many people think only children can truly learn a language. Now, I've been an English teacher for many, many years. I have had students who were 60 years old, 70 years old, 80 years old, and even one person who was 90 years old. And what I can tell you is that it is possible for adults to successfully learn a language. Children learn languages more easily. So, for example, accents. It's easier for children to hear sounds in a language. They can pick up an accent easier than an adult can in general. But adults can learn a language well with consistent practice. Practice makes perfect. I think the hardest thing for many adults is finding the time to learn a language. If they practice enough and they have a good method for learning a language, adults can learn languages successfully.
So, now let's look at the second myth many people have when it comes to learning languages. If you are learning a language, you must live abroad to learn that language. So, you must live in an English-speaking country in order to learn English. And to become fluent. So, this is not true. It's a myth. You can learn a language in your own country as well. You might need to be more creative to find opportunities to practice, but it's possible to learn a language in your own country. I'm right now doing that with Mandarin. I'm learning how to read and write Mandarin in my own country, Canada, and I've learned a lot. The nice thing about nowadays is that there are so many online resources. There are so many materials. There are things you can read, watch, practice on. So, because of the internet, it has become a lot easier to learn a language without traveling. So, this is a myth.
The third myth is if you're making a lot of mistakes in a language, you're not good at it. So, for people learning English, they make lots of mistakes, they feel very bad, and they say, "Oh, my English is so terrible." This is a myth. Mistakes are how we learn. It's very important in the learning process that you make mistakes. It's also good to remember native speakers of a language make mistakes all the time. They make grammar mistakes, pronunciation mistakes, vocabulary mistakes. So, mistakes are common. The key is when you make a mistake, you learn from it. As long as you are looking for the mistakes you make, and then you figure out the correct way of doing things, and you learn from it, then you're doing the right thing. So, this is a myth. It's important to make mistakes when you're learning a language. It's a part of the process.
The next myth is that you need to memorize a lot of grammar rules first. So, your first step to learning a language is learn the grammar. So, this is a myth. Grammar is important, but communication comes first. So, what I noticed is a long time ago, learning a language was mainly about learning grammar. Students would go to class and spend the whole time practicing grammar. And a lot of these students, they learned the grammar rules, but they could not talk or communicate. To me, I believe that communication is the most important thing. […]
Do you want to learn a language BETTER and FASTER? In this video, we talk about 10 common language-learning myths that many students believe. These ideas can make learning harder—but they are NOT true! I will tell you what these myths are, and then what the reality is, based on studies and my own, first-hand experience teaching thousands of language learners. You will find out: why adults can learn English well, how you can become fluent without living in an English-speaking country, why making mistakes is normal, why you don’t need a “perfect” accent, and more. This video will help you understand how language learning really works, so you can study smarter and feel better about your progress. engvid.com/top-10-myths-about-learning-english
More of my lessons about language learning:
youtu.be/bLksi7Wt0yE
youtu.be/X1Pl5QV8EHo
In this lesson:
0:00 10 MYTHS about Learning a Language
0:39 Do you have to be young to learn a language?
2:03 Do you have to live in an English-speaking country?
3:10 If you make mistakes, you're not good at English
4:13 You need to memorize a lot of grammar rules
6:05 Do you have to speak with a "native" accent to be fluent?
8:01 You must study English for many hours daily
9:43 You must learn fast
11:45 Can you learn a language in your sleep?
12:42 Can you learn with one app, like Duolingo?
14:18 Can you become fluent in 3 months?
Transcript:
Hello, my name is Emma. I am an English teacher. I also have a master's degree in learning languages. Today, I wanted to talk about 10 common myths people have about learning languages. So, first of all, what is a myth? A myth is something people believe might be real or true, but in fact, it's not true. So, we're going to look at 10 common myths about learning languages people have.
The first myth is you have to be young to learn a language successfully. Many people think only children can truly learn a language. Now, I've been an English teacher for many, many years. I have had students who were 60 years old, 70 years old, 80 years old, and even one person who was 90 years old. And what I can tell you is that it is possible for adults to successfully learn a language. Children learn languages more easily. So, for example, accents. It's easier for children to hear sounds in a language. They can pick up an accent easier than an adult can in general. But adults can learn a language well with consistent practice. Practice makes perfect. I think the hardest thing for many adults is finding the time to learn a language. If they practice enough and they have a good method for learning a language, adults can learn languages successfully.
So, now let's look at the second myth many people have when it comes to learning languages. If you are learning a language, you must live abroad to learn that language. So, you must live in an English-speaking country in order to learn English. And to become fluent. So, this is not true. It's a myth. You can learn a language in your own country as well. You might need to be more creative to find opportunities to practice, but it's possible to learn a language in your own country. I'm right now doing that with Mandarin. I'm learning how to read and write Mandarin in my own country, Canada, and I've learned a lot. The nice thing about nowadays is that there are so many online resources. There are so many materials. There are things you can read, watch, practice on. So, because of the internet, it has become a lot easier to learn a language without traveling. So, this is a myth.
The third myth is if you're making a lot of mistakes in a language, you're not good at it. So, for people learning English, they make lots of mistakes, they feel very bad, and they say, "Oh, my English is so terrible." This is a myth. Mistakes are how we learn. It's very important in the learning process that you make mistakes. It's also good to remember native speakers of a language make mistakes all the time. They make grammar mistakes, pronunciation mistakes, vocabulary mistakes. So, mistakes are common. The key is when you make a mistake, you learn from it. As long as you are looking for the mistakes you make, and then you figure out the correct way of doing things, and you learn from it, then you're doing the right thing. So, this is a myth. It's important to make mistakes when you're learning a language. It's a part of the process.
The next myth is that you need to memorize a lot of grammar rules first. So, your first step to learning a language is learn the grammar. So, this is a myth. Grammar is important, but communication comes first. So, what I noticed is a long time ago, learning a language was mainly about learning grammar. Students would go to class and spend the whole time practicing grammar. And a lot of these students, they learned the grammar rules, but they could not talk or communicate. To me, I believe that communication is the most important thing. […]
