Being a lazy language learner isn't bad!

How can the word "lazy" not be indicating a problem? It's one of the most negatively charged words in the entire language, and across multiple language. Whether you're called lazy, paresseux in France, perezosa in Spain, geeuleun in Korea, or landuo in China, all of them are somewhat pejorative.

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So how did we come up with the title for today's blog? Well, of course we thought it would grab your attention, but we're also here to make an interesting point. In the modern context of learning a new language, being "lazy" is no longer a problem.

Below we're going to characterize laziness using four specific traits of laziness, but then talk about how advancements in language education have made them somewhat irrelevant:

😋 Trait 1: Student Frequently Doesn't Come to Class

In the same way that having to be physically present in a gym is the main factor that puts a lot of people off keeping up their routine after a couple of weeks, having to show up at classrooms can have the same effect. A traditional "lazy" student is one who stops coming to class when it feels like it's all getting to be a bit much.

This no longer matters thanks to the advent of online classes. Moving classes to the online realm means they can happen anywhere, even in the convenience of your own home. You don't even have to get off the couch or out of bed in order to attend a session. That makes it a lot easier.

😴 Trait 2: Student is too Lazy to Put Extended Time into Learning

When learning a language in the more traditional method, it requires that a learner sit down, open books and focus for extended periods of time. To really master a new language, students should sit for at least an hour each time and get to grips with the content they are studying.

Once again, thanks to language learning apps, podcasts, YouTube videos and other rich content available through smartphones and tablets, this problem is of minimum concern. Learners can take 10 minutes to watch a short video, practice vocabulary flashcards, listen to a few songs in their target language and more. This is now a world of plentiful condensed content that means even the lazy learners can benefit greatly.

🧨 Trait 3: Student Only Does Whatever They Want

When language learning required students to suspend their own hobbies and desires and focus entirely on memorizing vocabulary, practicing grammar, finishing exercises and even taking tests, it meant that a great swathe of lazier citizens was never going to be able to truly master a second language --- or did it?

Right now, it's quite possible to be a fairly lazy learner and still incorporate language learning into the activities that you want to do. Do you want to spend time browsing through YouTube videos? Then find content in your target language. Do you want to play video games? Get onto channels with speakers of your target language and play together! In fact, these are incredibly efficient methods for learners to acquire language that is both relevant and useful to their everyday lives.

😜 Trait 4: Student Won't Take Things Seriously

In the old world, mastering any kind of skill required a degree of commitment and seriousness. Language learning was no exception to this rule. As our understanding of wider educational trends and facts becomes deeper and more pronounced, however, we are discovering that the typical lazy-person trait of not taking anything seriously is actually a major advantage in language learning.

One of the things that holds learners back in language is taking oneself far too seriously, thus not being willing to expose oneself to the humiliation of making public mistakes. This is what stops people trying their language skills with native speakers, and thus slows down their progress. The lazier learner who doesn't worry about these things can actually use that to roar ahead of others, generating a far more relaxed, authentic and native-sounding language skill.

🌎 It's a Lazy Learner's World

The good news is that if you don't put yourself into the lazy category of learner, there is still a huge amount of scope for you to continue succeeding and even flourishing in your language learning journey. The increasing range and selection of avenues through which to explore the study of a second or third language has made this skill more accessible than ever.