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Writer's pictureFederica Lupis

Why is it easier to understand a language than to speak it?

Updated: Jul 29, 2023


Surprised man

Language trainer, interpreter and translator.


Have you ever met someone whose mother tongue is different from that of their parents?


Unless you live in North Sentinel Island, one of the few places on earth untouched by the modern world, I bet you have!


When I was living in London, for example, I met many people whose parents came from all over the world, and my first question was always the same: ‘Oh, so can you speak your parents’ language?’


At the time, I had never heard of passive bilingualism – the ability to understand a second language without being able to speak it – so it took me a lot of ‘No, I can understand what they say, but I can’t speak their language’ before I realised my assumption was wrong.


In some cases, parents refrain from speaking their language for fear of confusing their kids. In others, children stop learning or using the language for fear of being excluded by their peers.


But passive bilingualism is not just a thing of immigrant families. It can happen to someone who has lived in the same country all their life. For example, in Italy, where several dialects coexist with the national language, it is quite common for people to understand a dialect without being able to speak it.


Based on the above scenario, we can assume that a good understanding of a language is due to exposure. So, if we lived with a Mexican family – besides enjoying their amazing food – it would be easier to understand Spanish.


Why doesn’t the same apply to speaking a language?

In this article, we’ll explore the main reasons why. Enjoy!



The power of Science


The first reason we might be better at understanding a language than at speaking it is pretty simple. Language comprehension and reproduction are handled by two different areas of the brain.


This may explain why a good understanding of a foreign language doesn’t necessarily mean that we’ll be good at conversation.


When we start learning a language, we usually focus on exposure. We may read, watch movies and write in a foreign language, but we tend to put off speaking. We work hard on the ‘comprehension side’ of the brain while the ‘conversation side’ remains dormant.

For some reason, we believe that more grammar exercises, reading or watching movies will make us fluent, but this strategy never seems to work. Why? Let me explain with an example.


Imagine that you want to get good at public speaking. I doubt you’d just read hot tips on Reddit or watch the greatest public speakers of all time on YouTube. You would learn this skill by giving public speeches and improve through experience.


Likewise, if you want to get good at speaking a foreign language, you need to talk more and work on the ‘conversation side’ of your brain; there’s no way around it.



The power of Context


Suppose you’re in Bali visiting one of their magnificent temples. At some point, a group of tourists start speaking their language to you. They smile, pretend to click on a camera and point to you and then to them. What do they want?


As surprising as it may sound, they want to take a picture with you.


Don’t ask me why and how this tradition started – if you know, please message me, and solve this mystery – but I’m pretty sure my friend and I have taken more pictures with people from all over the world than we have taken of ourselves.


I think this little story can help us see the power of context when it comes to understanding a foreign language.


Let’s go back to the scenario above. This time, a group of Chinese tourists approach you and start speaking Mandarin to you.


As chance would have it, you are learning Mandarin and can understand ‘photo’ and ‘together’. Regardless of whether the Chinese tourists use their body language or not, you might look at them in surprise (‘Maybe I look like George Clooney?/Monica Bellucci?’), but you would probably understand what they want.


This is exactly what happens when we are learning a foreign language.


When we read something, watch something or talk to someone, we don’t have to understand every single word to decipher the message.


On the other hand, when we want to say something, we have to remember foreign words and know how to put them together – or move our body until the other speaker understands what we want or begins to question our mental wellbeing…


Based on this fact, I think it is fair to say that understanding a foreign language is way easier than speaking it.



The power of Emotions


Put your hand up if you’ve ever had a glass of wine and felt your speaking skills have improved in the blink of an eye.


Well, you’re not alone.


Science and context aside, emotions play a crucial role in our ability to speak a foreign language.


Before we even say something, our mind is clouded with a thousand thoughts: ‘What if I say something stupid?’, ‘Will they get my accent?’, ‘I’m totally going to make a fool of myself!’


This definitely has an impact on our ability to speak a language.


If we just spoke and cared less about making mistakes, we would see that they are necessary for learning. Mistakes help us improve, and most of the time, people can still understand what we’re saying.


Would you care if someone learning your language used the wrong tense or preposition? Or would you be amazed by their efforts and admire them?


I’m sure you would all opt for the latter.


So next time your thoughts try to get in the way, tell yourself:

‘I want to care less and talk more’.


At first, it will seem like a bit of a battle, but eventually, you will defeat your mind and speak the language as well as after having a glass of wine!


~ ~ ~


To sum up, we are usually better at understanding a language than speaking it because:

• We focus on activities that help us improve our comprehension skills and neglect speaking.

• Context and other clues make understanding a language easier.

• The fear of making mistakes when speaking can hinder our progress.


The best way to get better at speaking is to practise more and worry less about making mistakes. Fortunately, there is no need to knock back a bottle of wine every time we want to speak a language without difficulty!


Thanks for reading.

See you next month!


If you enjoyed my article, you can discover my tried and tested language learning strategies in my books:



How to learn a language fast

How to learn a language fast


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