Learn English Over 50! There are many advantages to learning English after 50 years of age. Fifty years or older is a great time to learn English.
Now we see on the Internet and we hear in the media we have the idea that it’s best to learn English, it’s best to learn a language when young, but that simply is not true. In fact, people over 50 years old have many advantages that help them to learn English faster, to speak English fluently.
One huge advantage is attention span, the ability to concentrate.
Let’s be honest, most young people just don’t have the same level of concentration. They get bored more easily. They get distracted more quickly. Older people, especially people over 50 years of age often, usually, have better concentration. They’re more mature and they just have the ability to focus and concentrate for a longer time. This is a huge advantage when learning to speak English fluently.
Another big advantage for people over 50, life experience.
Life experience helps you to learn a language. See, because you have more experience, you have more images in your mind, you have more events in your mind, in your memory it’s easier for you to connect those to English, so when you’re learning English phrases, when you’re learning English idioms, vocabulary, etc. you can connect those to actual memories and experiences from your own life, that actually helps you to learn faster than someone who’s younger.
Another huge advantage for older learners is independence.
Younger learners are often prisoners of the school systems, of universities or high schools or other schools. They’re forced to use methods that don’t work, because they’re stuck in the school system. They’re forced to study things that will not actually help them speak English fluently, because they’re stuck in the school system. But you, as an older person, especially people over 50 are much more independent. You know what you want. You know why you want to learn English, so you can create an independent learning plan that fits your needs, what you want and that is much more effective.
I guess the last thing would be, greater self-discipline.
Life experience usually gives you more self-discipline. As you get older you realize that no one else is going to help you succeed or make you succeed. Yes, you can get teachers. Yes, you can get coaches. But in the end, you know that it comes from you, your own self-discipline is the key to your success. It has been the key to your success in life up till now in your job, in your career, with your family. Young people often don’t realize this. They think everything has to be easy. They think the teacher will do it for them. Older students know that’s not true, they have greater self-discipline.
So, if you are over 50 years of age or even over 40 years of age don’t worry about it. Don’t worry that you will have difficulty learning English or that learning English is best for young people, that’s simply not true! In fact, you have tremendous advantages as an older learner. So get working and enjoy your English learning, you will speak English fluently.
You can learn English over 50!
