A Multilingual Year in Review

Reflections on Learning, Losing, and Rebuilding Languages in 2025

Hello Language Learners,

Following Curlyrise ’s Recap of the Year 2025, I would like to take the time to reflect on my journey to becoming multilingual or a “Polyglot”.

Languages have always been a fascination for me since I made the realization that others exist that do not speak English.

My Multilingual Dream

I never liked the word polyglot. I have always felt that it was too gimmicky and lacked sophistication. It’s a term thrown around by any rando as a sort of a status symbol. I get it, it’s cool to tell people that we speak several languages…but is your goal just to brag? Can you even maintain bro?

Hence, I prefer the term Multilingual.

Over the years. I have toyed with many languages, learning the basics but never really spend enough time to let them germinate into something magical. I have touched over 20 languages including: Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Slovenian, Russian, Dutch, Igbo, Tswana, Swahili, Mandarin, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, German, Papiamento, Portuguese, Tagalog, Swedish, ..etc. These are just the ones I remember right now.

Why didn’t any of these languages germinate into anything that I could call fluency? This is because I was ignorant. Growing up, I did not know how to learn a language. I imagined it was as they taught us in school. Just learn the grammar and everything else will come after. My critical thinking skills were obviously non-existent at that time because it should have been obvious that the traditional approach needed a lot more support.

The Journey

I restarted my Language Learning journey in 2024 with French. Being compelled to learn the language, it reignited my passion for languages. I started 2025 with a myriad of grammar internalization issues in French, and deeply fragmented Spanish…almost as if French had blocked my access to the language.

2025, despite being a tough year for me, Linguistically, it has been one of my best years for language learning. I was able to reflect, triage and finally refine my choice of the final 8 languages I want to be learning over the next 8 - 10 years. I defined a strategy and set my plan in motion in hopes of the best results.

I also need to thank 🇮🇹 Katarzyna Ciszewska for her encouragement during a tough period in my life. This still isn’t enough to learn Polish though. :)

The Multilingual Experience

Throughout the year, I experienced what it truly means to live multilingually. I saw progression in some languages, stagnation in others, and even temporary regression in a few. I was also surprised to notice traces of different personas within my two native languages.

Reconstruction of Spanish

While I made progress across all of my languages in one form or another, what impressed me most was how Spanish reconstructed itself in just under 300 hours. At the beginning, the language felt familiar, as if I had lived inside it before. I started with TED Talks, but quickly grew frustrated by how many of them I could not follow. That led me back to older anime series I had watched years ago, such as The Legend of Korra, Overlord, and others.

Later, I made a conscious decision to pursue a Peruvian accent, which led me to the series Al Fondo Hay Sitio. During this process, I often felt as though I was hearing thousands of familiar sentences. They felt like empty shells. The words were there, but the meaning had not yet reattached itself. Over time, those meanings slowly returned as my brain began to rebuild broken or severely weakened connections.

I often notice that when I hear a rare or infrequent word, my brain seems to pause and take inventory. It is only now that I realize just how large my dormant Spanish vocabulary once was.

Refining French

French has also come a long way in 2025. I have watched my brain’s ability to handle the language evolve noticeably. Despite accumulating a large amount of input, I still felt as though the raw language was simply floating around in my mind, ready to be used, but without a properly refined release mechanism.

I understood the grammar. I completed grammar drills. Yet when it came to production, I mispronounced words, used incorrect verb conjugations, abused prepositions, and misused articles. My dyslexia certainly plays a role in this, but I refuse to use it as an excuse. It was only after apply the Mass Sentence Method, that my French output began to show real refinement.

I still smile when I think of an older French-speaking Arab gentleman on the train who asked me, after a two-minute conversation, whether French was my second language. I took this as a sign that I had absorbed some Parisian expressions. I attribute much of this to the soap opera Plus Belle La Vie and, admittedly, a considerable amount of scrolling on Instagram. While I do not claim fluency or high proficiency, I know I can comfortably manage most everyday situations in French.

The Remaining Six Languages

I often remind myself that I am in no rush to acquire the remaining 6 languages. Still, the temptation to start speaking or actively learning them constantly nags at me, as if I do not already have enough on my plate. Social media algorithms on YouTube and Instagram certainly do not help, with their endless micro-lessons and catchy songs.

Portuguese and German are the new arrivals. Fresh, young, and immensely attractive. I have to consciously play the bad-boy role and ignore them. I have learned that the pain of correcting fossilization far outweighs the discomfort of taking things slowly and acquiring accurate sounds from the start. For now, they remain mostly silent. My goal is to bring them to B1 as efficiently as possible, without rushing production.

Japanese has seen little movement, largely because it is not a current priority. Telugu, on the other hand, is a priority, yet remains discouraging due to limited resources. It is surprising that a language spoken by over 100 million people can still feel so under-resourced. Telugu, like Slovenian, requires grammar study before reaching meaningful comprehensible input. As a result, I have begun learning the script and applying the Mass Sentence Method to move toward that goal.

Mandarin and Slovenian have entered their priming phase. After priming German and Portuguese earlier this year, I noticed that a sense of familiarity tends to emerge after roughly 60 to 80 hours of passive listening. At one point, Portuguese even became disruptive, as comprehension gradually began to intrude unexpectedly into my attention.

Note: for Portuguese, I would love to see Natalia Furlan and Talita Souza publications grow quickly so I can enjoy the audio features of their publications. So everyone, please lend your support!

Hire Great Consultants

In the age of artificial intelligence, many believe that language teachers may eventually become obsolete. I understand the sentiment, but experienced language learners know better.

🇮🇹 Katarzyna Ciszewska shares her Predictions for 2026 in the language learning community.

One day, my mother, a physician, mentioned that a colleague needed to hire a consultant for a patient. I had never heard a physician referred to in that way, thus it triggered a realization. Physicians are consultants.

A consultant is someone who uses specialized expertise to evaluate a problem and recommend a course of action. The same is true for language teachers.

Language teachers are not just providers of information or grammar explanations. They are consultants, experts who diagnose gaps, anticipate challenges, design personalized strategies, and guide learners through complex, human processes like meaning, nuance, culture, and identity. AI cannot replace expert guidance.

Lisa embodies this perfectly in her article on being a Language Therapist Evridika Cuder is also consultant that helps to improve your communication

While many tools exist for beginners to reach A2 or even B1, language teachers are essential for guiding learners from intermediate levels to C1. In my own journey, I have struggled and continue to struggle with aspects of French, and soon, Spanish. I am increasingly convinced that hiring a language consultant is the most efficient and least painful way to bridge that gap.

Not A Language Teacher

I am not a language teacher, nor do I own a language school. I am simply someone who loves to experiment as well as being able to communicate with people I care about. My languages reflect my relationships. Every language carries its own worldview, and learning the language of a close friend deepens that bond. This reflected in Atia - your German Teacher article subtitled Speaking In Someone Else’s Language.

Language learning is definitely a personal and intimate journey. Once you are metacognitively aware and knowledgeable of how to learn a language, you will figure out what is the best method to grow your language.

Chiara Languagefreak shares some excellent Language Learning Tips in her new article for beginners and intermediate learners.

Closing

This reflection is not meant as a model to copy, but as an honest account of what sustained language learning actually looks like when stripped of shortcuts and spectacle. Progress is never linear, confidence arrives late, and clarity only emerges after long periods of uncertainty. Yet languages do grow, quietly and reliably, when given time, attention, and consistency. Learning to trust that rhythm has been one of the most valuable lessons of this year.

The year 2025 forced me to slow down and respect the time it takes for languages to settle into the mind. As I move into 2026, I intend to give each language the space it needs to grow on its own terms, while observing and documenting the process along the way.

P.S. I hope neena maiya knows that she cannot escape us doing portuguese together in 2026. Chiara Languagefreak and 🇮🇹 Katarzyna Ciszewska are reminded that they are still my rivals. Spanish Makes Sense I am still counting on your content to refresh myself. Atia - your German Teacher please don’t stop writing the best articles. Bianca González, I am still up for our sessions next year. Evridika Cuder remember that we have a language child to raise together (Slovenian) :) . Lisa I haven’t forgotten you. We will talk soon. El Boletín expect more conversations next year.

Thank you for reading and I have a wonderful 2026!

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You can see some of last Polyglot in Progress article here.

Polyglot In Progress Issue #10