Learning language like a child, as an adult
Discovering the power of comprehensible input for language acquisition
Dear parents,
If you're raising your child in a multilingual environment, it's likely for good reason.
Perhaps you live in a foreign country, have a partner who speaks a different language, or simply value utility of certain languages.
All three are true for me.
When we're in this position, we often find ourselves needing to understand languages we don't speak well enough.
This struggle reveals an important question: could there be a better way to learn languages as adults?
My journey with Mandarin
After traveling to China and enrolling my daughter in a Chinese playgroup, I decided to learn Mandarin myself.
It was incredibly challenging. Words wouldn't stick. Grammar patterns felt bizarre. Group classes were boring. I was convinced I would fail.
Then something unexpected happened.
I started attending a Mandarin baby singing class with my younger daughter, and suddenly I began recalling words and understanding my classroom teacher better. It felt like I was acquiring the language effortlessly—almost like a child.
This lead me to dig deeper — maybe there is a better way to learn a language than what I am doing.
Then I came across an interesting video on Youtube, about something called „comprehensible input“:
A different way to learn a language
How Adults Typically Learn Languages (And Why It Often Fails)
During a typical language course, you are spending a lot of time learning grammar and trying to learn words — which you are from day 1 „encouraged“ to use to help you practice.
That often feels frustrating, embarassing and leaves you with a feeling that you will never learn a language — this is especially true for languages that differ a lot from other languages you speak.
As a consequence you often give up on learning altogether, way too early to see any progress.
How does a child learn?
If your child is past the toddler stage, you've witnessed this natural process:
First, you talk to them when they have no idea what you're saying
Around age 1, they begin understanding simple commands and saying short words
Their comprehension grows faster than their speech production
With multiple languages, they initially mix them, using whatever words they know
What if we mimicked this process to enhance adult language acquisition?
There is a lot of scientific research supporting this idea, and many scientists advocate what is called a „comprehensible input hypothesis“.
What is comprehensible input?
Comprehensible input is language that a learner can understand even if they don't know all the words or grammar structures being used.
It's language that's just slightly above their current level—challenging enough to promote growth, but not so difficult that it becomes overwhelming.
This concept, developed by linguist Stephen Krashen, suggests that we acquire language when we're exposed to messages we can understand through context, gestures, visual cues, or simplified language.
This is what happens to children when they learn — parents naturally simplify their speech when talking to a young child, using shorter sentences, clearer pronunciation, and lots of context clues like pointing to objects.
How to use it in practice
For language learners, comprehensible input might come from:
Conversations with partners who adjust their speech
Stories with visual support
Videos with clear context
Simplified texts appropriate for your level
The key is exposure to meaningful, mostly understandable language that allows your brain to naturally extract patterns without explicit grammar instruction.
As an adult with superior learning tools compared to a toddler, you can supplement input (listening and reading) with deliberate study like flashcards and grammar review. But the primary focus should be on understanding through listening and reading.
For the sceptics
Many find it hard to believe you can learn grammar this way—but this is how you learned your first language! When schools started teaching you grammar rules, it suddenly felt difficult.
Some research suggests there's a "natural sequence" in which both children and adults acquire grammar. You'll start speaking correctly once you've had enough exposure to certain patterns that they begin to feel right.
The elephant in the room is the belief that only children can achieve native-like proficiency.
But scientists disagree on whether an age cut-off exists at all. While children may have advantages in language acquisition, adults can still achieve high proficiency levels with the right approach.
What kids are better at is accent and pronounciation, but as long as people understand you, you are good to go.
My own experience with comprehensible input
After discovering this approach, my learning completely changed:
I left classroom courses for a teacher who uses comprehensible input
I focus primarily on listening
I have weekly conversation classes discussing "easy" videos
I've largely abandoned formalized study
The results? I enjoy learning much more, Chinese has started to "click," and I no longer translate in my head before speaking. While I'm still around A2 level, I can naturally use simple language to communicate about common topics.
If you're struggling with understanding and speaking a language, make listening to easy material your priority. The emphasis is on "easy"—you should be able to understand unfamiliar words from context.
Your turn
📊 Quick Poll: What's your relationship with your family's languages?
💭 Reflection:
Have you considered learning a language your child is exposed to that you don't speak well?
How has living in a multilingual family influenced your own motivation to learn languages?
What language in your family's environment would make the biggest difference if you improved your skills in it?
Did you enjoy this topic?
This week‘s topic is a bit different, I would love to hear what you think!
Are you interested in more tips how you can improve your own language skills as a parent?
As always, if you have anything to share, please comment, I would love to read what you think!
Know anyone who might be interested in the topic?
Magda
P.S. Have you found unique ways to learn languages as an adult? I'd love to hear your experiences at multilingualfamilyplaybook@substack.com