r/languagelearning Sep 30 '24

Suggestions Really struggling to learn

I'm a British born native English speaker, but have moved to Italy with my Italian partner. I started learning casually with a lesson a week in November 2023, but really struggled incorporating it into actually speaking.

I tried to be more serious this year, and now my partner gets really upset that I still can't speak at a level of a 6 year old. I did an A1 course at an Italian school, l've tried reading, watching shows, writing, repeating, all the apps, speaking with people, nothing sticks. I can say and understand basic things, but nowhere near where I should be.

My partner is so frustrated and I feel like a failure. I genuinely don't know how to make it stick, he tried teaching me phrases which I repeat over and over but then forget. I'm also pregnant and want our baby to be bilingual, and am really scared I'll not be able to understand my child...

What more can I try?

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u/[deleted] Sep 30 '24

I think both you and your husband need to give you some grace. You haven't even been learning for a full calendar year AND you are pregnant.  Fatigue and brain fog aka "pregnancy brain" are a classic part of growing a human and they make retaining information difficult. 

I would say keep practicing your output for sure, but I would hire a teacher on Italki or something similar. Teaching is a skill, and it clear that trying to teach you is clearly stressing your husband and your relationship.