Comments

Hi,Samantha!Maybe you're right.Self-discipline is more important than intelligence.There are many people around me learning English.Someone has gotton high grades in TOEFL,however others are still at the begining point.I think over the factors.In my viewpoint,self-discipling,good teacher and friends' support are all important!

Hi Samantha. I agree with you. I strongly believe that without self- discipline you can´t go much far in learning English procces. Actually I think you have to put some dedication in everything that you try to learn. Of course intelligence is important, however what´s the worth of a amazing intelligence that doesn´t have a self-discipline to learn English? Perhaps someone more self-disciplinated and dedicated will be more successful in his/ her learning than someone who is just intelligence. It´s pretty much how people usually say 99% hard working and 1% intelligence. Good night. Ana Paula.

Hi Samantha,haven't seen you for quite a long time,I tried to comment every day,but I am not self-discipline enough admitedly.I am quite agree with you that self-discipline is one of the dominant factor for achievement,not only for language learning,but everything,I think.There is a good saying in China:Easier said than done.I have heard of too many story of people get used to planning,and it comes to failure every time.Self-discipline is important but difficult,including to control your temper,to manage your time,especially to follow through your plan.The difficulty is always on the last step for me,how about you?

Good evening Samantha. I will reveal just for you (and the rest of the World) what would be my heart's greatest desire. It is a impossible dream. I'd like to be a doctor without borders going to different parts of the World helping people from regional areas and interacting with a team of people from different professions and cultures). I'd like to share my love not only with my relatives but I'd also like to work for poor populations. When I was child I helped the sisters at a catholic school in projects for the population and I wanted to be one of them in the future but then I knew my first boyfriend and I noticed I would not be a good sister at all. But I still think this desire of making good things for people is latent inside my heart. This was a description of my dream. Now, the reality is that it would be a great adventure but nearly impossible for me. So I replaced those remote dreams for one in which I can help people needing my expertise on one hand while receiving fees for that on the other hand to apply them in my son's education. It is not so difficult to do that because it's a pleasure to learn english. I like to study and I have self-discipline. Nevertheless, I am still deciding if I should fight against my own fear. I know that moving to any part of the World, there will be always a discrimination because I am brazilian and a woman. Any way, I wish you all have nice dreams and make your dreams come true. Good night!

Dear Samantha and all, Well, speaking of the main factor in language learning success, I think that motivation and desire are still more important for a person who decides to learn a foreign language. Then self-discipline (or the person’s will) becomes an obligatory tool to achieve it. But above all those there should be a dream or a goal, for example, to move to a foreign country. Of course, it happens more often, that we start learning a language without a particular aim, just thinking – I need to learn it just because it’s so popular or I will need it in the future… But I am very sure that if you have a strong and concrete motivation (say, I wanna understand what The Beatles or Pink sing about) then you will have to be self-disciplined to make it. Thanks for your attention. Luna, Russia

I totally agree with you. I'm not a very intelligent person. When I was at school very often failed in learning a foreign language. Very, very years after that, when I was 47 I decided to learn. I did want learning English mainly because I had read in a magazine that training your memory prevented Alzheimer disease, an because my mother died of Alzheimer, I thought that learning a second language was a good way of training my brain. Since then I have had studying English every single day, a little time but every day. By the way I am now 51, so I've been learning english for about three and a half years. Best wishes

I agree with your opinion that self-discipline is the most important factor of success. But I also understand and share the feeling of your students. Actually in their age, they don't pay attention on self-discipline. If they are a bit smart and easy to learn any lessons they can study very fast and don't worry about the time of the day. But if they are a kind of slow one, they have already had a tutors at home. After finishing school the tutors will instruct them or revise the knowledge they study at school. After that they just play games, have a dinner and go to bed, day after day. I am one of the tutors. I often told my student that I hoped he would be able to manage the time and study by himself but maybe he did't understand what he would do in your school work. So, self-discipline is very important but what do we instruct my children and my students know how to have a self-discipline attitude is more important?

Dear samantha,i agree with you opinion totally.Although intelligence and talent are necessary to success,the most important factor is self-discipline.As you say,when you want to realise your dream,you'd better make a long-term plan for yourself,planning your time properly each day,and stick to it.That is how you attain your goal.Rome is not built in a day.Taking me as a example,i want to be successful in my life,especially have a particular career.By the way,my major in college is English.So that i spend most of my time toward learning english.Of course i made a plan,and i do hope i can keep my word no matter how difficult it is.I enjoy conquering difficulties.Bye for now.Wish you all the best.

Hello all, it is almost impossible for me to say, what is my heart´s greatest desire, but I can quite easily to recognize, that I have plans to reach my goals in life. I agree with Samantha, that to learn a new language one needs a lot of self-discipline, an unbreakable perseverance - with no matter how humble talent - can bring results. The talent is naturally an added bonus, but it is not the main factor for learning. I would like to add one more aspect that in my mind is needed for learning, it is a method. Here I am sure that others agree with me, when I say, that we can thank Samantha for teaching us to study English methodically. Also I would like to mention, that it is important to push one self all the time to one´s limits, I mean that always try to do better than before. Lastly I would like to point out that seriousness is also needed. What I mean here is, that it is important to speak and write in a foreign language with the same earnestness as one would do with their mother tongue. Warm wishes to all...

Hi, Samantha. You're asking about our heart's greatest desire but you haven't said about yours. It's slightly dishonest. ;) Alrigth, nevermind. Anyway, I certainly agree with your point that self-discipline is the most important aspect in language success. I studied phisics & mathimatics in university and I made use my intelligence for it. Then I tried to practise the same approach for learning English. I found out it didn't work. The only thing that works in learning languages is everyday repetitions. Just a hard everyday work. In addition, as soon as you're the only english teacher available at the moment for me I'd like to ask you for an explanation for one particular moment. What is the difference between "was" and "has/had been"? When I should say, for instance, "The weather was fine" and when - "The weather has been fine". I'm looking forward to getting the answer from you. Bye.

Hello Samantha! I totally agree with you. Self-discipline is the most important aspect in language fluency, because learning a foreign language requires successive hard workwhich is not an intelligence

Hello Samantha , your today's blog is kind of confusing issue because I don't have certain answer , of course I agree with you Samantha that self-discipline is very important to make our dreams come true and here for example to learn a language but that's not enough and as long as we talk a bout learning a language so there are more important factors and one of them is intelligence and to make it easy to understand here is example about two students who learn English , they organise their time , they devote a certain amount of effort each day to learn English and they have the same material, in the end we will have one student who knows English better than other , now as we talk about learning a language , intelligence could have more than one meaning , it could be a good memory so we confidently can say that younger is able to learn any language faster than older and that's scientific fact , for me the more important factor leading to success is a real desire which drives you to do your best to reach your goal . Best wishes ,

Dear Samantha, this is my first comment I write to you. I like reading your entries, the way how easy, thougtfully and understandably you can explain your native language. I'm only in pre-intermediate level in English but reading your teacher blog helps me to make progress in learning English and to realise my dream. I'm writing you, because I share your opinion that self-discipline is the most important aspect to be succesful. Many people around me say that they can't speak languages because they have no talent for it. But it isn't true, because they give up too early. They forget, that they can attain it with willpower and self-discipline. And I think, the next important factor to reach a goal is, we should make a hobby of our aim, in this case of learning languages. I'm looking forward to reading your next entry. Have a nice day.

I love your writing style and word. The site is being my prefered site each day to improve my english. Thank you and we need more encouraging tips.

I partially agree with you, Samantha. I think that self-discipline is extremely important if you don't have a gift for learning languages. In this case, you really have to work hard and seriously if you want to speak a foreign language well. But there are some people who can learn a foreign language easily and without particular effort. They have a flair for it, like some people for playing music or understanding maths. For them self-discipline is not necessary. They only need to practice as much as possible. I also think that self-discipline must always be combined with an appropriate learning strategy. In particular, having fun while learning is the best way to learn a foreign language (and everything else subject). If you are able to create a stimulating and intriguing learning environment, you learn spontaneously, with no particular effort and without getting tired. For instance, learning by heart 20 words a day is often more tiring and less effective than meeting some native speakers on the web. Using software like Paltalk Messenger you can communicate about interesting subjects with British or American people for many hours a day, learning a lot of new words. And you have the advantage of learning new words in a real context, which make it easier to remember them for good. So, I believe that the best solution is being self-disciplined in having fun while learning. Good bye and have fun!

In my opinion, there is another major factor: ear. Thanks to my practice of music, I know that I 'm able to distinguish more things in a dialog than non-musicians. In fact the focusing is essential. But how manage to think english? For example when I'm listening to english people, I have to repeat the words in my head. I understand a amount of word more than a sequence, consequently when the order contributes to the meaning of the sentence , often I misunderstand. But I will make it. Step by step, daily labour... Bye. Antoon

I only partly agree with your opinion that self-discipline is the most important aspect in language success. I think that it is one out of two the most important aspect. The other one is a good memory. I had a friend who remembered every word she had ever heard only once. That's why she made a great progress without much effort. Now she is 21 and apart from Polish, which is her mother tongue, she also speaks fluent English and German. Now she is studying Japanese, which she speaks, maybe not fluently but very well.

Dear Samantha, thanks for your really interesting and useful blogs!!I think your style is magnificient and I'm sure everybody can learn a lot from reading them! As for me, I'm a language teacher too (German) and I have to say I entirely agree with your opinion on language-learning. I know several pupils who could have a flair for languages, they are really talented but they are totally lazy - so they are not more successful than other students, who happen to be less gifted but very hardworking and who have a lot of stamina!(a long sentence:) Again, thanks for your great effort you always make to help us!! I wish all the best for your family!

Hello, I am Fadoua from Morocco. I have been studying English for four years. First, it was a school subject but later it turned to be y favourite language. I am really eager to learn new words , new expressions ...etc... What I want to say now is that I think that learning a language isn't a question of intelligence or talent; You can be the smartest one in the world but you could never learn anything if you do not really want to do it. That's to say , you should be willing to learning it which means that you are ready to go on this way . Learning a language is a process; it needs time , perseverence and a great will . Thank you

Dear Samantha and virtual readers around the world, I am back to my digital community. I sincerely hundred percent agree with your opinion that self discipline is the most important aspect for success of any field. Without continuous efort and hard work, learning success is impossible. My husband always says if you are self discipline you can get your time for do things even in your busy schedule. My husband is a very self discipline person, some hoe he organizes his time do to his routine jobs in the morning such as yoga, meditation and physical exercise.He gets up early every day. My problem is I am not consistent. If I don't have time I will postpone things to do next day or later. It is not good attitude for success.It is very true that the most important factor leading to success is self discipline. Kind regards.

Of course!I agree with you. I think that the most important factor in learning a language is to be self-discipline and to be motivated. Obviously, for people who are intelligence and talent is easier to achieve "the language goal", but these factor don't guarantee the success.

Hi my dearest blog teacher and friends, Long time no seeing you! I had to be away for a couple of weeks but I must confess that I missed you a lot. Have you noticed my absence?If not,sniff, sniff. Anyway, it's so very nice to be back in touch with you again! The first thing I did was to catch up on all the gossip which took me some pleasant time.I read all your comments! First, I want to say to Jill that she should cheer up!! Always look on the bright side of things.When a door shuts, another one opens, that's for sure.So just concentrate your energy on things that make you feel good. Moreover,time is the best healer and soon you'll be laughing at yourself for having suffered so much. Samantha, I could sympathise with you while reading your account on parent's evening.My boy, Freddy used to be naughty and now he's changed for the better like your son. Maturity does wonders, doesn't it? Thanks for the useful tips you gave on improving our speaking and vocabulary. Speaking is also one of my weakest points and I always try to find ways to improve it. Recently, I've come across an interesting site to do this. It's called http://www.splendid-speaking.com/content/. All you need is a mic and skype programme. It's run by a teacher called Peter( forgot his surname).It's excellent for learners who want to take CPE and CAE and what's more,it's free of charge. There's also another one that prepares you for tests mentioned above called floe-joe.co.uk. For English lovers like us all, they are quite useful. Well, as for today's topic, I must say that I'm far from being that talented and intelligent woman, however I have a stubborn determination that keeps me moving. I remember hearing my mum always say that my sister, Astrid, was the one who had a flair for languages but this did not put me off.I proved to myself that I could also learn it and now here I'm talking to you in English. It wasn't a smooth process, I must confess since a lot of energy was required but I've managed and that's so rewarding. Once I read something interesting by Brecht that goes like this... " Some men fight for a day and are good, others fight for a year and are even better, the ones who fight for many years are excellent but the ones who fight throughout their lives... these ones are irreplaceable!" Cheerio

i think you are right , but pheysical mental and fast understanding are important factors which can make anyone going on without any proplems ,so that i think to turn a dream into reality you must be hard worker and have self discipline , finally some luck , i am pleased to give me this great oppurtunity from bbc to talk in english , thanks , bye

Hello to Samantha and all other virtual friends, My greatest desire is to be one of the “olol albab” .This phrase is used in our holy book “Quran”, and refers to those who have a deep understanding of the things round them. Two days ago was the “Norooz” , the start of our new year. Norooz is a combination of two words. ”No” which means new and “rooz” which means day. At the time of Norooz arrival ,I (and other Iranian people)decide to make a plan to fulfill our ambitious and decide to stick to that in the new year. In addition we ask god help us through this way. To be hopeful and never disappointed when facing obstacles .To make a great endeavor and to use the best out of possible, available facilities. And about the last question you asked, I believe that talent is nothing more than the hard work. It is not a gift distributed unfairly between people. It is something that human beings should gain themselves. Therefore success is a matter of both talent and self discipline. In order to become a talented person in a specific field you need to work hard. and to reach the best through your hard working hours ,having the ability to organize the time is necessary.

I totally agree with your opinion, Samantha. IT's all about seld-discipline, especially when you study on your own and in a place where there is very little exposure of that foreign language.You gotta find strategies and set up routines to get yourself study English regularly on your own. It's all about the ability of knowing yourself (what method works best for me,wheather it's gonna work for me, etc.) By the way, i've been reading this blog for quite a while,i love this place. Thanks, to all the people invovled in it.

Dear Samantha; yes, three times yes! The more important is self-discipline and hard work to receive success in language; I agree with Ana Paula too, 99% it is the matter of regularity and work. I suppose that I am a spacial case to study this problem - I am not systematic and do not learn English at home at all. And in spite I just have learnt English for twelve - fifteen years I am rather poor in speaking and in grammar too. But saying it honestly I hve changed a bit last time and I started to work harder! The Internet appears so useful and halpful to keep self-discipline. Thanks for God forein lenguages plus some home works are rather the exception... In my work I am known as a person who turns his dreams into reality and reaches goals fast (my colleagues say that). But everyone should have his/her weakness, shouldn't he/she? Goals must be pleasant, even though we hate the way to them. If we hated them we should combain our goals with other most delightful and put attention only to positive side of a combained goals. I did this once when a few years ago I went to special English course only for meeting fantastic people, but learnig language it was a disaster. To summarize it was nice course! Best wishes,

Hi,Smantha I could not agree more with you what you said. Self-discipline is the more important than intelligence and talent for learning launguages. I know some people who are not gifted including me but give themselves strict self-discipline and try hard to reach their targets. They might be reaching their goal at snail's pace but they'll success in the end,in addition to believing in yourself,being diligent and not forsaking. By the way,the weather's been wintry and horrible here.Some of my garden flowers are droopy and I feel such empathy for them. Thank you for sharing your time to read my masterpiece comment(you can imagine my cheeky smile), and have a great weekend! p.s:I am going to a parents meeting next week and I wish myself good luck.hyoshil

Hello Samantha. Thanks you have touched with important thing in educational process. I completely agree with you. Each person has some talent. But one who has more abilities can bury them and other who has less can with the help of self-discipline increase his abilities and reach heart’s greatest desire. Recently I have read one book (“How I learned foreign languages”) by Hungary author who know 16 languages. One of the principals is: you should spend at least 2 hours a day for learning foreign language if you want to reach some results. I told this in support of our theory about hard work to reach the goals. Now my aim is to learn English, also I want to have a good work that can give me real pleasure. But what about my heart’s greatest desire? Well, I think it’s to have a loved person near, have good family and to be a happy. Best wishes, Yuriy

Hello,Samantha.you are quite right.i am really agree with you.if a man who has the intelligence and talent but he don't work hard,he will fail.but,admittedly ,keeping self-disipline is difficult.i am a working mother.i have to work and look after my daughter. cooking ,washing, cleaning too much housework.so as you said how to organise the time is important for me.but i think i do well in arranging all this.everyday i will take some time to learn English with bbc.i really enjoy the time that i spend with it.i will stick to it and everyone around me will see my success one day.

hi samantha i definitely agree with you ... a friend of mine is realy intelligent: she can memorize 1oo diffent words in less than one hour but as she doesnt have a good plan for her life, she coldnt reach her goal,after 4 years studing english in different schools she isnt able to make a sentence without doing mistake... by the way ,in my opinion,practicing is realy usefull and speaking to your self in english can help too . and dont forget to have a diary which is usful for writting .

Yes Samantha! There are a combination of factors that drive success in language learning. I would like to say that passion is the number one factor. WE learn things from the first time if they are connected with great passion (fear, love, or excitement). Seeing a nake eating a whole tiger is something that will make an everlasting impression on your brain because of the passion that accompanies it. Learning English with passion will just do the same trick. Good luck everyone! With passsssion!

Self-discipline! It is the key-word in language learning experience. Thank you, Samantha. You're fundamental for my English studies.

I agree with your opinion, I think the self-discipline is very important to the success. I will divote some time to my english learning every day

I agree, but it´s true that intelligence and talent could be turn the project more easy. I don't know if i have intelligence or talent to be sucess, so i try to have self-discipline all the time.