A Horror Story: Learning a Language As An Adult
Learning a language as an adult can feel humbling, frustrating – and deeply rewarding. In this post inspired by English and Beyond, we explore what it’s really like to return to the classroom later in life. Perfect for intermediate and advanced English learners, it’s a reflection on ego, patience, and progress – with useful natural vocabulary for anyone studying English or another language. A reminder that learning is about consistency, not perfection.
Remember your first day at school? The nerves, the pencil case, the feeling that you might sit in the wrong chair? Many of us thought we’d left that behind – until we find ourselves back in a classroom, learning a new language as adults.
In this week’s English and Beyond episode, Oliver talks about studying Arabic in Valencia. He expected it to be a challenge, but not such a humbling one. After years of teaching English, Spanish and Latin, he suddenly found himself at the other end of the classroom – lost, shy, and covering his notebook like a teenager hiding exam answers.
That’s the strange thing about learning as an adult: you’re competent in so many areas of life, yet a simple classroom task can reduce you to nervous silence. One moment you’re relaxed, the next your mind goes blank as the teacher turns to you. You remember what it feels like to blush, to freeze, to forget the simplest words.
But that discomfort is part of the value. Humiliation, in small doses, teaches humility. It reminds you what your students feel, what courage it takes simply to speak aloud. And that can make you a better learner, and a kinder teacher.
Adult learners are fascinating because they choose to be there. They’ve lived enough to know that knowledge doesn’t fall from the sky – and yet they still show up, despite jobs, families, fatigue, and fear. Their motivation isn’t school pressure but curiosity, travel, or the quiet wish to connect with the world differently.
Of course, it’s also easy to expect too much of yourself. As children we accept mistakes as part of the process. As adults we often treat them as evidence of failure. We forget that language learning is not a race. There is no perfect student. There is only the person who keeps going.
Technology helps, but it doesn’t replace patience. Apps, AI tools, digital flashcards – they’re useful assistants, not magic shortcuts. What truly counts is consistency: showing up, writing badly, improving slowly. As Oliver jokes, however bad your English pronunciation might be, it’s probably still better than his Arabic handwriting.
And maybe that’s the real lesson: the purpose of learning isn’t to protect your ego, but to stretch it. To accept that feeling foolish is temporary – and that every hesitant sentence, every awkward classroom moment, is a small act of courage.
So if you ever feel embarrassed or slow in your English lessons, imagine someone in Valencia trying to write the Arabic alphabet while sweating with concentration. You’re not behind; you’re just on the same road as everyone else who’s ever tried to speak differently, to think differently, to learn.
Think & Practise
Why does Oliver describe returning to the classroom as “humbling”?
What does he say is the main challenge for adult learners – memory, grammar, or perfectionism?
Have you ever felt embarrassed while learning something new? What helped you keep going?
Do you think adults or children make better students? Why?
Vocabulary challenge: Write a short paragraph using the expression “to show up” in your own context.