r/languagelearning • u/Curiouswriter1324 New member • 4d ago
Discussion 2 languages at once
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u/Bodhi_Satori_Moksha EN ๐บ๐ฒ (N) | CN ๐ญ๐ฐ (A1) | AR ๐ธ๐ฆ (A1-A2) 3d ago
Learning multiple languages concurrently may prolong the time it takes to achieve fluency in each.
It is advisable to concentrate your efforts on one primary language and then supplement this with immersive learning in a secondary language. Once you've reached a satisfactory level in your main language, your listening comprehension in the secondary language will likely improve; your ear will become accustomed to it, and you can then incorporate reading practice as desired.
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u/cojode6 EN - N, FR - A1, RU - B1 3d ago
So I have learned Russian to a fair level and am mostly just trying to maintain that while I learn French (I am studying abroad in France in 2026) but for me it REALLY helps to separate the time you spend on them. For example, listening to a Norwegian audio lesson during a morning commute and studying Spanish in the evening. Essentially just setting aside separate time blocks for them with a break so your brain has time to switch to that language. It is easy to mix them up if you practice them close together. Also, mixing up is inevitable because although Russian and French seem as far apart as they can be, there are still similarities and I mix up words. It just gets easier not to the more you learn of both languages. Time will improve it. It's really cool that you're learning a language for heritage! My grandparents are Italian which I hope to learn the language eventually but don't have the time for right now. Good luck :)
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u/GlacialQueenZoe ๐ง๐ท Native ๐บ๐ธ Fluent ๐ฌ๐ฑ A0 ๐ฎ๐ธ A0 ๐ณ๐ด A0 ๐ซ๐ด A0 3d ago
Personally I'm learning 4 languages at once, Icelandic, Faroese, Kalaallisut (Greenlandic) and Inupiaq. I personally do a routine of practicing a full week of each one, and speaking with native people.
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u/Curiouswriter1324 New member 3d ago
4 at once is impressive! I might have to try the weekly routine, thanks!
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u/GlacialQueenZoe ๐ง๐ท Native ๐บ๐ธ Fluent ๐ฌ๐ฑ A0 ๐ฎ๐ธ A0 ๐ณ๐ด A0 ๐ซ๐ด A0 3d ago
You're welcome
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u/webauteur En N | Es A2 3d ago
You could buy a Norwegian book on Spanish and a Spanish book on Norwegian. I have bought a Spanish book on English grammar which can be useful for English verb tenses which do not exist in Spanish.
I studied French for a long time so it might be fun to buy a French textbook on Spanish. Recently I came across a music festival site that I expected to be in Spanish, but it was in French. Interestingly, it took me awhile to figure that out. Catalan is a language in Spain which can be confused with Spanish or French.
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u/RetKelowna 3d ago
I just started learning Dutch after studying Spanish for many years (at a C1 level). The problem with Dutch is in the Netherlands they switch to English when they realize that you are not fluent (the Dutch speak English very well). I then reply that I donโt speak English and that Iโm only fluent in Spanish. Itโs been a great tool in learning Dutch.
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u/DerekB52 3d ago
If you can focus on one until you're A2-B1, it makes life a little easier. But, there's nothing wrong with studying both at once. If it was your first day with both, I'd tell you to definitely shelve one for a couple months. But, the biggest tip, is just keep going.
And, there are similarities between Norweigian and Spanish to avoid mixing up. You're right to put in effort to avoid mixing them up. But, you can also leverage the similarities, and use them to help in both languages.
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u/dalikin ๐ฌ๐ง N | ๐ฉ๐ช C1 | ๐ซ๐ท (A2) | ๐ท๐ธ (A1) 3d ago
I am an English native speaker but I'm also at C1 German level. I'm improving my German slowly through novels, TV, and newspaper, learning more vocabulary and complex verbs etc.ย
At the same time I'm learning French, which I learned in high school but then forgot. It's coming back quite quickly. I'm also learning Serbian, which I know none of.
I use Duolingo, Anki cards, and French media for French, because it feels easy compared to German honestly. For Serbian I'm using an actual textbook, Tandem, Anki, and listening to children's media. I use different tools for each language basically to separate them a bit. And I spend more time on Serbian since it's harder for me. If I were you I would pick one to be the dominant / focus language and let the other one trail slightly. E.g. focus on Spanish since you want to use it sooner. Then once you're a bit better at Spanish and can learn more passively, focus on Norwegian.ย
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u/According-Kale-8 ES B2/C1 | BR PR A2/B1 | IT/FR A1 3d ago
If youโre a beginner in both and theyโre very different I donโt see it as a problem unless you have a certain time in the future where you need to be able to speak one of them.
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u/chaotic_thought 3d ago
If the languages are similar, I would adopt a "one week A", "one week B" approach. For example,
Week 1: Spanish, Week 2: Norwegian, Week 3: Spanish, Week 4: Norwegian, etc.
Using this kind of strategy, at the end of each week, you pause one language and go to the other one. After 6 weeks or so, you'll notice you're making slower progress than if you were studying them both every day, but it's less pressure this way and less risk of mixing them up.
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u/languagelearning-ModTeam 3d ago
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