Many people have noticed that children learn second languages perfectly, and that adults almost never do. The conclusion that seems to have been drawn from this is that adults can’t learn like children; that somehow and for some reason, adults have lost the child’s magic!

We think that perhaps the reality lies in exactly the opposite direction and that adults have not lost some ability. but have rather gained an ability that children don’t yet have: the ability to reason, to translate, to memorize, and to analyze. This ability ‘naturally’ becomes the adult’s primary conscious method of ‘learning’. While it’s certainly invaluable for many things, this adult ability simply cannot match what a child, without it, is able to do.

So can adults do what children do? Does the ability to analyze the language mean that we can no longer learn as young children? The evidence seems to say no. Many of our students find that there are some things that the unconscious mind just does better – like learn a new language. The place for analysis is there – it just comes later, after the natural process has had the chance to do its work.