Самый большой секрет в изучении языков состоит в...

The biggest secret in learning languages ​​is that language is not just words and grammar that allows them to be combined. Vocabulary and grammar is the simplest, although it takes a lot of time to master. But in fact, language is a set of ways of thinking that constitute the "common sense" of its speakers, and this is where the funniest problems begin. Fortunately, a certain part of new ways of thinking is absorbed along with grammar, you quickly get used to any “en” and “er”, if you exercise, and after a while you stop making silly mistakes. But unfortunately, we can almost never predict which of the typical mental constructions for us and our native language do not exist in the target language. And here is the main problem: we think in terms of the native language, we formulate thoughts in the same categories in the target language, and - fail, they do not understand us (nodding out of politeness, which further aggravates the problem). The hardest thing is to eliminate those habitual ways of thinking that are absent in the target language. It is very difficult, because some of them have become part of us. But this is a necessary part. And it is she who takes the most time. As said, "filter bazaar." And here we must not just “bazaar”, but forbid ourselves to think in the way that you cannot think in the target language. It is necessary to limit the width of thought to the width of thought of a native speaker. Those. the idea should be broad enough to absorb the constructs of all the languages ​​being studied, but it must be correctly projected onto the desired language, avoiding constructions that are unnecessary from his point of view. The first time I realized this, thinking about the French analogue "um + zu" and "om + te", and not finding it. And then I realized that "um + zu" and "om + te" are also different designs with different logic. The last time I finally understood it with "no one did anything", which in no case can not be literally translated into English. And the whole word “cancer” (it was about boiled ones), translated into English as “cancer” by someone, is typical our thinking figure, we have one word in our language and we don’t even think about what mistake we make , translating it on the machine first available analog. So - you need to throw out designs that have been sitting in our head for years. It is necessary to destroy the connections that exist in our language, but they are not found in others. It is very difficult. Therefore, good luck to all students, you need to change yourself, and if you can do it, then this is a heroic step. :)