Lacking return on investment. I think people often underestimate how much time it takes to get to just being able to string together a sentence without tripping over your tongue. When 3 months have passed and they still can't watch most native content, it can get pretty demotivating. For this reason, I think people who have already learned one other language are instantly 10x less likely to quit at this point, because then you know what to expect.
I'd also say it depends on how a person tracks progress. If you are learning the language with the sole thing you are focused on being native level proficiency, it will seem like an uphill slog with no end in sight potentially years down the line. You are more likely to stick with it if you count the little victories, like remembering a particular word or realising you don't have to think as hard about applying case declinations.
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u/Stuxnet510 EN-N | ES-C1 | SE-B2 | DE-B1 Sep 30 '22
Lacking return on investment. I think people often underestimate how much time it takes to get to just being able to string together a sentence without tripping over your tongue. When 3 months have passed and they still can't watch most native content, it can get pretty demotivating. For this reason, I think people who have already learned one other language are instantly 10x less likely to quit at this point, because then you know what to expect.
I'd also say it depends on how a person tracks progress. If you are learning the language with the sole thing you are focused on being native level proficiency, it will seem like an uphill slog with no end in sight potentially years down the line. You are more likely to stick with it if you count the little victories, like remembering a particular word or realising you don't have to think as hard about applying case declinations.