Two languages to C1 concurrent or sequential?

[iguanamon]

My advice is to take one of the two to solid B2 or higher and then come back to the other one. I don't believe I could have taken both Spanish and Portuguese to high levels if I had been studying them at the same time. We have some amazing learners here who are very successful with language-learning. Almost everyone has a different approach, and they all work. Despite the differences in approach, there are certain factors in common: consistency, persistence, focus, desire, hard work and dogged determination to make it happen. These factors are not quantifiable but they seem to be necessary, at least in my observation.

[Systematiker]

I concur with what Tarvos has said. I've had similar experiences - dropping languages sometimes for years - and that B2 line makes the difference, especially when you come back to it.

She's also right about the eternal flip-flopping and lack of progress. I may look like the guy who does a bunch of stuff concurrently, but it's all either maintenance (or quickly got there because synergy), or it's not progressing at all. I've been working on Korean for over a decade, for crying out loud.

(I mean, it probably won't change my approach, but she's still right).

[Xenops]

I know the responses were geared towards readerman, but I have found them very helpful: recently I have pondered the alternating of languages to study, from month to month. As I'm finally figuring what study methods I will do consistently versus ones I don't enjoy, I'm feeling the momentum of grasping French, and I don't want to break the momentum in July to tackle Japanese again. And both, I am guessing, are in the A2 range, at best. I think my need of French will be more immediate than that of Japanese, too. I also see Italian as the next language in the line-up, so the faster I bring French to a B2, the better.

[rdearman]

Thanks everyone for the excellent advice. Now I just have to pick one to concentrate on.

Perhaps a coin flip...

[Cavesa]

My frustration is I feel if I had concentrated on a single language to C1 or C2 level, then there wouldn't be so much backsliding when I switched to learning the other. At the moment I seem to go to B2 then switch to the other language, it gets to B2 but the first has now slid back to B1, so I bring it back, but the other has slipped. Hence I seem to be eternally B1 or B2 but not progressing.

Doing both can cause a lot of code switching and problems for me personally.

Anyone dropped a B2 language for six months or a year? Difficult to return?

Also anyone stooped using a C1 or C2 language if so how hard to pickup where you left off?

I more or less agree with what has been said, especially by Tarvos. More or less.

I dropped B2 French years ago for approximately a year. Not that hard to come back, my troubles were mostly not caused by the gap but rather by the lack of order in my learning before the break (basically the chaos schools and teachers left).

I agree that if a language deteriorates so fast, than you are probably not at the B2 yet.

However, I must say I can't see any big trouble with learning concurrently, unless you have a deadline for either of the languages. The path to C1 is rather long. Therefore dropping the other language for that long could be quite harmful. And there is the question whether you will trully study the remaining langauge twice as much.

[PeterMollenburg]

Thanks everyone for the excellent advice. Now I just have to pick one to concentrate on.

Perhaps a coin flip...

Too easy! Flip a truck... with your bare hands! Then you'll have something to tell the young ones when you grow old. It will inspire them to... flip trucks? umm... as well

[rdearman]

Thanks everyone for the excellent advice. Now I just have to pick one to concentrate on.

Perhaps a coin flip...

Too easy! Flip a truck... with your bare hands! Then you'll have something to tell the young ones when you grow old. It will inspire them to... flip trucks? umm... as well

My father once said if you have a choice to make flip a coin, if you are disappointed with the result it was the other thing you really wanted so do that.

[PeterMollenburg]

Thanks everyone for the excellent advice. Now I just have to pick one to concentrate on.

Perhaps a coin flip...

Too easy! Flip a truck... with your bare hands! Then you'll have something to tell the young ones when you grow old. It will inspire them to... flip trucks? umm... as well

My father once said if you have a choice to make flip a coin, if you are disappointed with the result it was the other thing you really wanted so do that.

Just be sure not to overlook my advice rdearman... there's no other language learner on this entire forum as knowledgeable-ly good as me in the realm of knowledge, if you count me and let's say 10,000 other people who know nothing about languages and mainly talk to sharks and could even... no.. wait... actually most definitely are sharks themselves - literally not figuratively. I'm tellin' ya man, put me up against a shark and I'll scientifically prove I know more about languages than them any day of the week. You tell me? Ever seen a great white learning French or Swahili? You see? I must be for realz. I know my stuff man.

[leosmith]

Ever seen a great white learning French or Swahili?

No, but I saw a werewolf drinking a pina colada at Trader Vic's. His hair was perfect.

[Tillumadoguenirurm]

Thanks everyone for the excellent advice. Now I just have to pick one to concentrate on.

Perhaps a coin flip...

Too easy! Flip a truck... with your bare hands! Then you'll have something to tell the young ones when you grow old. It will inspire them to... flip trucks? umm... as well

My father once said if you have a choice to make flip a coin, if you are disappointed with the result it was the other thing you really wanted so do that.

I flipped a coin once and realised that what I really wanted was to spend it on a candy bar.