8+1 Ways to Break Through a Language Learning Plateau

I recently struggled to remember the passé composé of the verb pouvoir yet again. I wondered, “How can I, a C1 learner, forget what I learned in my first year of French?” After a quick self-blaming session, I realized I, too, had reached a dry, intermediate plateau in language learning.

It wasn’t my beloved French language that was at fault—though I’d prefer to blame the Gauls for my hindered learning progress. Actually, my brain wasn’t entirely at fault, either.

So, what was to blame? A well-known phenomenon is called the Language Learning Plateau. Let’s find out what it is, when it occurs, and how to overcome it.

What is the language learning plateau?

With the term “learning plateau,” we can describe the situation in which a learner feels that they are not making significant progress in the skill they are trying to master. Of course, this feeling is not limited to language; it can affect any skill, from learning the oboe to woodworking.

You can recognize that you have reached a learning plateau when you feel unable to progress in the same way that you did previously. In reality, you feel like you’re working much harder and achieving far less than you did at earlier levels of learning. This challenge is usually accompanied by a sense of disappointment, or at least the lack of enthusiasm you felt when you first began to learn the language.

At what level can you face a learning plateau, and why?

The language learning plateau is more typical when you have reached the intermediate levels and strive to climb to the advanced level—usually from B1 to B2 or from B2 to C1 in CEFR terms.

There are numerous reasons why you may fall into this intermediate plateau. For example, you might have lost your motivation if you just started learning the language for fun, or you might have already reached your goals at the current level and cannot find the motivation to advance to the next level.

Other reasons may also impede your progress. It is possible that you will begin to struggle due to boredom from repeating the same exercises or a lack of time to read and comprehend the more advanced and nuanced texts of the C level.

There are a few ways, though, to deal with and overcome this plateau, allowing you to gain confidence in your progress.

How can you break through the language learning plateau?

You can try a variety of strategies to overcome this slump. A kind of “plateau training,” if you will. Below, you will find a list of 8 ways to get yourself out of the plateau, as well as some personal advice that has helped me immensely every time I reach a learning plateau in any new skill.

Figure out what stalls you

Before you try new ways and methods to learn faster, you should first determine what is holding you back. Aside from the fact that almost everyone experiences a slump in their learning every now and then, there may be a few reasons why you feel like you’re not progressing.

For instance, you may realize that, at these advanced levels, you need the help of a tutor. Or that you don’t have enough time, and the time you devote to studying is not enough to learn 300 words per week anymore.

It can also be something entirely individual. Your current learning approach may be no longer effective. You may also realize that you would benefit from studying in the evening rather than early in the morning.

Figure out what drives you

Another important step in our series on how to overcome a plateau is finding out what moves you and what drives you to learn. The moment you start to realize that you’re at a standstill, try to remember what drew you to the language in the first place.

This will be more effortless if you have taken up a language for a particular reason, such as moving to another country or for academic purposes. For example, if you’ve decided to do your PhD in Canada, being fluent in English and/or French is essential. This is reason enough to convince yourself you need to give it your all.

But even if you decided to learn a language because you want to learn about other cultures, or because you want to read your favorite poems in the language in which they were written, or simply because you like the way the language sounds, these are all perfectly legitimate reasons. All you have to do is remind yourself of what you will be able to accomplish if you achieve your goals.

Build some studying discipline

When you’ve identified what holds you back and what motivates you and you’re ready to take the next step, it’s time to buckle up and start studying more efficiently. What does that mean exactly?

Moving on to the more advanced levels of a language requires perseverance and discipline. Studying for a few hours per week will no longer suffice. To stay on track, you should create a study plan and a consistent calendar of what you will study and/or revise every day.

After you’ve built on this plan, you can expand it with additional activities. Podcasts, for example, are an outstanding way to improve your language comprehension skills. The next step is to increase the number of hours you spend listening to podcasts or even set aside time specifically for this purpose.

But also some variety

There will be days when you are seriously bored of studying the same thing again and again. That’s also ok—you wouldn’t (probably) eat the same thing every day, right?

If you haven’t already been taking classes, now is a good time to find a tutor and receive a more personalized lesson to avoid the learning plateau. LiveXP tutors can assist you in creating a study plan catered exactly to your needs. You can learn with a tutor who shares your interests and values to have more fascinating lessons and discuss your favorite and important topics. If you’re an English learner who is stuck at an intermediate plateau, we have a complex solution for you— Personalized Learning Path at LiveXP. This is a unique learning plan that is based on your personal preferences and current English level. The system creates a “path” to your goal, which you need to follow. To ensure the most efficiency on your way, the plan consists of specific topics you should cover in 1-on-1 lessons with your English tutor on LiveXP. After the lessons, you’ll have some self-study exercises to do on your smartphone to consolidate your knowledge. These exercises are a mix of AI and our teaching methodology. You will be able to work on mistakes during your next private lesson. Learning English with a Personalized Path is the proven way to level up your English skills and overcome the learning plateau.

Aside from lessons, you can also incorporate other language-learning activities into your daily schedule:

• Watch videos, documentaries, movies, and other media in your target language.
• Read texts, from articles to blog posts to poetry.
• Use flashcards, language learning apps, games, or any other language techniques and exercises.
• Find podcasts done by native speakers in order to be accustomed to the language.
• Make the language a part of your everyday life, even by watching reels on social media in your target language.

Learning should not be overly strict. Having fun or learning interesting things in the language will make mastering it much easier.

Find and fill the gaps

On many occasions, the reasons why you are unable to progress to advanced language learning are gaps that haven’t been bridged. These grammar rules or a specific vocabulary set that you haven’t learned correctly or never seem to remember can be a major impediment to moving forward.

At this point, you need to identify your areas of weakness.

How to identify gaps

Start by thinking about what you are most comfortable with. If you had the opportunity to speak directly with a native speaker, what would you say without second-guessing yourself, and what would you avoid saying? Also, if someone asked you to conjugate a verb, which tenses would you rather skip?

This method of self-identifying your weaker areas is not limited to specific tenses or words. You can also use it to determine which aspects of language you are most comfortable with. Would you rather convey an idea orally or in writing? Would you rather have someone send you a message or call you?

Recognizing whether speaking is your strong suit or not can help you decide whether to continue practicing this skill. Finally, if you are unable to identify these gaps on your own, you can always rely on an experienced tutor to guide you or take a proficiency test.

How to fill the gaps

Unfortunately, there is no universal answer to this question. Depending on the area you need to improve, a different strategy should be implemented. However, you can take advantage of tools like LiveXP’s Personalized Path. This tool provides a highly customized learning plan and assigns specific tasks each day. This allows you to focus on the areas where you need to improve rather than getting bored of doing the same thing over and over, which can easily lead to fatigue.

Set realistic goals

This language learning intermediate plateau can also be caused by setting unattainable goals. Setting a new and clear goal can be difficult when you reach the upper intermediate levels and have already covered the majority of the grammatical rules and exceptions, as well as a strong understanding of vocabulary.

That also happens when you set unrealistic goals, such as reaching B2 and believing you can read Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit in German within two months. None of these are plausible, and they will most probably lead to fatigue and disappointment—like trying to read Hegel in your native language.

At this point, setting a more attainable goal will be very beneficial. You can pick, for example, a specific vocabulary (say, words related to cooking) and attempt to master it in two weeks. After that, pick a different set of specialized or technical vocabulary, and so on. This method will be far more effective than attempting to learn 300 words per week, for example.

With the Word Trainer feature in the LiveXP application, you can learn new words much faster and more effectively. Just add the words you want to memorize, and the system will remind you when you need to practice them according to a spaced repetition method. This method ensures that you learn the word at specific time intervals, helping you avoid overlearning and vice versa. With Word Trainer, you will learn pronunciation and spelling and use them in context.

If you are stuck, seek a tutor’s help

There might be some times when you feel stuck, no matter what you do. In these situations, we are more likely to be disappointed and make more mistakes, even in familiar areas.

In these cases, speaking with a native tutor may be just what you need. A professional tutor, especially a native one, will determine where you require additional assistance and will guide you toward fluency. At these levels, attempting to figure everything out on your own can be especially difficult.

Focus on real-world material

Finally, immersing yourself in a language is very important from day one to avoid potential learning plateaus. Modern educational approaches favor the communicative approach to learning a language over a monotonous study of words and rules.

While conversing with native speakers on a daily basis would be ideal, this is not always possible. Even if you take lessons with a native tutor on LiveXP or have friends who speak the language, you won’t always be able to communicate with them. This complete immersion can only occur when you live in a country where your target language is spoken.

Focusing on real-world materials, such as those mentioned earlier, can help to fill this immersion gap. Watch videos or listen to podcasts by native speakers, use apps to find native speakers, and stick to your target language if you visit a country that speaks it. Slowly try to change all of the programs you watch to your target language, focusing on patterns rather than exact meanings. All of these are excellent ways to avoid plateaus as you progress.

A last piece of advice on how to overcome a plateau

We discussed what language learning plateaus are, when and why they happen, as well as how we can combat them. This hurdle of the intermediate levels can indeed be overcome, and you’ll be back on track quickly.

A last piece of advice on my part: the worst thing you can do throughout this entire process is be hard on yourself. I know it sounds like a cliché, but it is true. Our mental health has a significant impact on how we learn. Being hard on ourselves when we can’t remember something, disciplining ourselves with more study when we fail an exercise—all of these can be harmful, especially when facing a plateau.

The best way to break through this language-learning plateau is to take a breather, if not a complete break, before diving more in-depth. Remember, you have already accomplished far more than you give yourself credit for. You will also be able to move forward. Maintain your motivation, and this language-learning plateau will quickly become a thing of the past!