Today I want to answer a question I got from a recent survey I sent out.
It’s one I imagine you’ve asked yourself, too.
The question was this:
“Is it normal to understand things at a B2 or even C1 level but still make mistakes that are more basic?
Mistakes where I recognize and understand the correction immediately when my conversation partner provides it, and I might have gotten it right myself if writing or doing a practice exercise, but on the fly I still made the error speaking.”
In a nutshell, if I can recognize something as a mistake… why do I keep making it?
It’s a frustrating (and universal) experience.
But!
It’s actually a cause for celebration. It’s a sign of progress.
Let me explain.
Easy as ABC
Do you have any memories of learning to read in your first language?
Mine are limited to a few moments on the couch and in school (crazy how little we remember of so many early years!).
Mainly what I remember is that it wasn’t a fast process.
At first, each word was like a puzzle that had to be put together before I could say it.
But gradually, reading got easier and easier (my mom says I’m an excellent reader now).
Unsurprisingly, this is how it goes for most everyone. Here’s one way researchers describe the stages of learning to read:
- Emergent Pre-reader: listening to stories that build the foundation for reading skills
- Novice Reader: Starting to understand the relationships between letters and sounds; “sounding out” short words.
- Decoding Reader: reading familiar stories with more and more fluency, starting to be able to decode new words
- Fluent, Comprehending Reader: Reading comprehension happens automatically in most cases, and reading becomes a tool for learning new ideas
- Expert Reader: can engage with complex materials and synthesize ideas learned in their own writing
You can probably guess where I’m going with this:
In my experience, learning grammar happens in pretty much the same way.
Expecting to learn something new and be able to use it soon after… that breeds frustration.
Really, there’s a typical process, and we could divide it into the same 5 stages as for new readers:
- Emergent: you’re just hearing about it; maybe it’s been pointed out
- Novice: you’re starting to be able to recognize it in context
- Decoding: you’re starting to understand why it’s used in a given context when you see it. You try to use it, but make frequent mistakes.
- Fluent: you can understand it fluently (the grammar used doesn’t distract you from the meaning itself). You still make frequent mistakes, but may be able to recognize your mistakes in retrospect.
- Expert: you can use it fluently. It comes out intuitively and automatically and correctly, most of the time.
Earlier, I said it was good news that you’re noticing your mistakes. This is why!
It means you’ve gone through the first 3 stages already, and you’re closer to stage 5.
This whole process will be fast for some grammar rules, and slow for other, more complex ones.
Something like like present tense conjugation is easier to get used to than a conceptual difference like ser/estar, even though both are “basic” and taught early on.
And what’s complex or difficult can vary from person to person.
So what can you do when you can recognize your mistakes… but keep making them?
What can you do to push yourself from Stage 4 to Stage 5?
I’m a proponent of learning things “on the go”. Getting lots of exposure to the language, and studying things on an as-needed basis, rather than “in order”.
When you find yourself in step 4, here’s a combination of what some of the research says + what I’ve found helpful:
- Revisiting the basics of the concept. Once you’re at stage 4, those explanations will feel a lot clearer than they would have at stage 1. At this point, get specific instruction on said topic, or cherry pick a chapter of your grammar book, or get an AI explanation.
- Focus on noticing. When reading or listening, keep an ear out for the specific concept you’re trying to improve. This gives your brain a bigger bank of examples in context, and it promotes active listening, which helps your comprehension at the same time.
- Tackle it using different methods. If you’ve been trying to learn something using grammar books, try songs, short stories, podcasts, etc. By contrast, if you’ve yet to touch a grammar book or article, try one out to see if it helps clarify things, then go back to your preferred learning style. Point is, if what you’re doing has you stuck, seek out different ways of looking at the same thing.
Always more to learn
Learning Spanish is one of those things where the more you learn, the more you realize you don’t know.
But remember that if you’re noticing your mistakes, you’re nearly there.
Try the steps above.
Then leave it for a while, see how it goes, and come back to it if you need to.
Buen fin de semana,
Connor
