The infamous wall
Most of us here learning English and Spanish have "hit the wall" in the course of our studies at one time or another. I recall more than a few posts on the subject.
I am going to plagiarize Pesta again, and make the statement that learning a language , any language is a journey,not a destination.
Yes it takes time and patience, you will get past the difficult moments when you want to simply walk away from the books and the lessons. The best approach is to not to try to do too much at once. as more than one of us has done.
Everyone of us here in the forum and studying, regardless of our level, brings something to the table, each of us may take something from the table.
In this forum is a profound wealth of information, all that is needed to tap into that well is to ask.
10 Answers
-- Yes, we all "hit walls," but having been involved in music and music education, I have found it helpful to think in terms of a "plateaus" that exist between obstacles that I (or my students) have had to overcome; while crossing a plateau, it may seem no progress is being made, but in reality, it is.
-- Billy's point about review can't be over-emphasized. For one thing, review builds confidence by reminding you in a visceral way of how far you've come; for another, as it always did with my students, it provides for a running start at the next hurdle.
-- Even better, by reviewing and covering old ground, you may well find a hidden path up that next obstacle -- maybe even a ramp -- that you missed before.
-- It may help to remember that passive vocabulary (or understanding) , even in one's native language, always outstrips the active. The passive, though, if nourished by reading, is always ready to become active when it has a chance to be useful.
-- Paco says, "The best approach is to not to try to do too much at once. as more than one of us has done." To me, this means cramming -- or something close to it. Cramming is why, a little over a year ago, I barely retained anything from my high school Spanish efforts beyond "¿Que tal, Pablo?" and "¿Repita Usted mas despacio, por favor?" (As though a positive response from that latter plea would've ever helped me find the men's room.) Language needs to be worked into long-term, random-access memory and for most of us, I think, what is crammed, is forgotten.
-- Talking to natives? Well, now, that is a type of review, isn't it? A stressful, highly intensive review, perhaps, but review, nevertheless -- and again, as with music, there comes a time to get out of the practice room and perform, even if it means going to the streets.
When you hit the wall, the best thing to do is go have a beer and talk to some natives.
"Cerveza" was the very first word my husband learned in Spanish 
It took a long time to knock down the Berlin Wall!
I'm constantly hitting little walls lol, but 'brick by brick' they all come down. As you said Paco, learning a language is a journey not a destination. I think sometimes its good to actually review what you do know, then you realise that you are making progress.
Most of us here learning English and Spanish have "hit the wall" in the course of our studies at one time or another.
For me the problem isn't hitting the wall, actually l hope l hit it someday, my problem is l never actually study, l have no idea how l learn English, but l remember that l never read a book to study from it (maybe sometimes for fun or just because l was bored)!!! l hate studying!! that's why when l hit that wall l'll be very happy to know, l was actually studying & over-loaded it!!!!
Having hit this wall myself, I concur. So many people on this site gave me encouragement to press on. I am trying to think of each "plateau" as a thinner "wall". I will always remember the kind words from others that have been there. I want to strive to be someone who does the same. I Love ¡SpanishDict! and the people that are here. Well ,here comes another wall, I better practice.
Most of us here learning English and Spanish have "hit the wall" in the course of our studies at one time or another.
I would describe my "wall" as not being able to sound exactly like a native, but I have to confess that I am not even trying, so who knows? Another minor walls are silly mistakes that have become fossilised (using language teacher's jargon) and I keep making over and over again even if I know the rule by rote. I don't think I am doing anything to really correct this mistake either.
The moment my English level really began to improve dramatically is when I stopped seeing it as a subject and I started using it for other purposes, like enjoying movies, talking to people, reading books I was interested in... If I had done this from the beginning, my English would have been a lot better, but now I am not even trying hard enough (or at all).
The only walls are those you erect yourself.
Yeah, I like what Lorenzo said. Relax and actually talk to people. It will make you realize how rewarding it is to put forth so much effort.
I think the wall is a common obstacle in learning anything. When we start learning something new, if you look at a graph of the learning progress, the first part goes up rather steeply, and then it levels off as we reach a plateau. After some time spent at the plateau, the learning curve starts to become steeper once again.
So don´t dispair, the wall is a natural but temporary part of the learning process.
Well I don't know if I would say I hit a wall, I'm still going but it's more like
"swimming in Jello".
