Lately, I have been in a language-learning rut. I'm in the awkward-inbetween-like stage of learning Esperanto. Like my skills are to the point that I can express most of my thoughts, but with quite a few grammatical errors. And I have to have a dictionary on hand constantly. So I have felt pretty discouraged. It's almost like the feeling you get when you are running and you feel like you have been going at it for a good amount of time, and then soon find out you're at the halfway mark.

I really do want to learn Esperanto, but I just feel very discouraged. I don't feel really excited like I did when I was starting out. How do you think I can get through this? What are some ways to 'get excited' about learning the language again?

Thanks for the responses!

unfortunately I can't give you any advise about how to get interested in EO again. I'm personally still interested in EO but lack the motivation to keep up studying and also I'm majoring in another language that i have no background in and really need to work much more at, so now for me if I study EO it feels like I am sort of wasting my time, not because I think EO is a waist of time, but because I need to be giving my 100% effort in learning Spanish at this time, and not another language. But I'm not to discouraged, I keep up with a little reading here and there, and I don't seem to be losing much of my EO knowledge, so as long as I can keep what I have learned I believe after university I will continue on to EO fluency. But that is because my character doesn't allow me to give up when I've made up my stubborn mind (which is a good counter balance to my laziness and lack of motivation at times. although it takes me much longer to complete my goals then a properly disciplined person.)

If you could find a hobby or online game which allows you to associate with other EO learners/speakers, that might help you stay motivated, It helped me before to play WoW in EO unfortunately I now lack the time and for other reasons can't stand the sight of WoW. haha.

So anyways see if you can add Eo to another part of your life, with something you enjoy doing.

ops, sorry, it looks like I tried to give you advise (either helpful or not)even after saying I wouldn't.

I started to learn Esperanto last December, got through a couple of on-line courses in several weeks and then, I even did not look at Lernu! for 4 months, after which I started actively using this site again in July. This way or another, I do not - and didn't - feel myself discouraged not a bit (meanwhile, I just was so busy that I did not find any time for Esperanto). I also have to have a dictionary at hand constantly - or, if more precisely, not only one of them. In the beginning, PIV was completely useless for me - but gradually, I have started to use it more and more. The progress, though not very quick, keeps me excited about Esperanto indeed and I do use the language here in Eo forum - this is what keeps my interest alive.

Amike,
Harri.

That "awkward-in-between-like" stage happens with just about every new endeavor that we attempt. I think that perhaps the wisest words ever written about it were written back in the early 1700's by the great British poet Alexander Pope in his "Essay on Critcism":

A little learning is a dangerous thing;
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian Spring:
There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,
And drinking largely sobers us again.
Fired at first sight with what the muse imparts,
In fearless youth we tempt the heights of arts,
While from the bounded level of our mind,
Short views we take, nor see the lengths behind,
But more advanced, behold with strange surprize
New, distant scenes of endless science rise!
So pleased at first, the towering Alps we try,
Mount o'er the vales, and seem to tread the sky;
The eternal snows appear already past,
And the first clouds and mountains seem the last:
But those attained, we tremble to survey
The growing labours of the lengthened way,
The increasing prospect tires our wandering eyes,
Hills peep o'er hills, and Alps on Alps arise!

Dabbling is exciting, real learning takes a deeper commitment. The initial excitement of taking the first few tentative steps must be followed with more determined effort. To go from zero to one is infinite but the proportion of each additional step is increasingly less. At times, the giddiness felt after the first few steps is tempered by the realization that "the Alps" still lie ahead and you've barely got a foothold. I hope that you'll hang in there and keep working at it; the foothold grows ever stronger. In the end the rewards will be worth it. Remember, all of the Alps have now been conquered- each of them one step at a time! Mi deziras bonŝancon al vi! Daŭrigu vian lernadon!

I've been using Esperanto now, on pretty much a daily basis, for the last four years, and I still occasionally need to look up words when I'm reading. I look up words quite a lot when I'm writing.

Don't get discouraged by the need to look up words. There's something like 20,000* roots (official and unofficial) - it'll take a while to learn them all.
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* At least, I've seen dictionaries for sale that claim around that number.

RiotNrrd:Don't get discouraged by the need to look up words. There's something like 20,000* roots (official and unofficial) - it'll take a while to learn them all.een dictionaries for sale that claim around that number.

I agree - this goes for all languages. Take the oppurtunity to look up the words and learn them, and then while you're there, look up some other words or take note of words around the one you are looking up. Even if you're subconsciously reading these words and then forgetting them, if you ever see them again you'll likely go 'hey i know that word! Where is it from??' and then go and find it in the dictionary again only this time remembering it alot easier

Or look up ways to insult people, or eo equivalents of swear words in english. you learn a lot of useful words by accident this way - my example is with russian, where i learnt quite a few family member nouns by finding swear words with them in there ha ha.

jsewell94: What are some ways to 'get excited' about learning the language again?

Thanks for the responses!

Use the language. I've been feeling the same way you have lately. It ended the other week when I finally went to my first Esperanto meeting. I started off by apologizing to everyone for my poor language skills and asked them to speak slowly out of the fear of being ridiculed. Of course, that never was an issue. And then, at the end of the meeting, I realized that I understood about 80% of what they were talking about. I've never had that kind of success with a new language!

Anyway, that experience has definitely helped with the doldrums.

I have had the same problem at times. My interests come in passionate spurts which last a few months and then fade into the background. What that means is that I have A LOT of things that have faded into the background. This is not all bad though, because that means that the next time around I am not at square one, but already have a good foundation. That is how I started with Esperanto (and golf, and sailing, and paintball, etc.). I studied for a couple of hours every day for a few weeks. I learned basic grammar and enough of a vocabulary to complete a couple of online courses. Then I slumped. It was about a year before I came back to Esperanto, but I found that it was MUCH easier the second time around because I already had a good base.

Don't worry if your interest waxes and wanes. I thinks it's pretty normal. Just go with the flow and enjoy yourself. Learning (especially Esperanto) should be fun.

Great advice everyone ...

I think that one of my main problems is that I really do love learning..like to the point that I want to learn about everything I encounter. I'm the type of person who literally can't get enough knowledge. I especially have this problem when it comes to learning languages. All languages fascinate me in some way. I love spanish because of the culture, I love German because of how it sounds, I love Esperanto because of the simplicity and the ability it gives you to speak to people from all kinds of cultures.

The only thing that I love more than languages is probably science. It's great knowing how things work, and is very useful..

So basically, my point is that I feel discouraged because there are so many things that I want to learn right now. I just need to take it one step at a time, and not get too excited I guess.

I wold encourage you to memorise the Esperanto anthem La Espero and sing it if you get the chance to go to a national or international congress.

Another thing that should help maintain enthusiasm is to read suitable Esperanto books and magazines. Juna Amiko is good for beginners who are not adults, and at a later stage you will be ready for Monato. Not to mention listening to Esperanto broadcasts like Radio Poland. All in good time.