Did anyone else struggle more with listening than reading after moving abroad?
Posted by Alone-Location6027@reddit | expats | View on Reddit | 9 comments
Reading ended up being way easier for me than actual conversations.
I can follow text pretty well most of the time, but once people start talking quickly or multiple people talk at once, my brain just checks out completely.
Weirdly exhausting even when I technically understand the language.
Cultural-Intel@reddit
Honestly, that’s really common. Reading gives your brain time to process, rewind mentally, fill gaps, look at context. Real conversations are much more chaotic - speed, accents, overlapping voices, tone, slang, body language, all at once.
And from a cultural intelligence perspective, conversations are also carrying a lot of implicit meaning, not just vocabulary. Your brain isn’t only translating language - it’s trying to decode timing, humor, politeness, emotional cues, when to jump in, when to stay quiet, etc. That’s exhausting.
Also, the fact that you notice this so clearly probably means your brain is actually paying attention, not failing.
lost-bob-expat-coach@reddit
Yes, reading and writing happens at a much slower pace than listening and speaking. It's very normal.
Keep going, you'll pick it up quickly if you talk a lot...even if you make mistakes...don't overthink it, just talk a lot.
Keep listening to the TV and radio often.
You're doing just fine...
Fat_and_lazy_nomad@reddit
100%. I can read and write in 2 or 3 of my non- native languages but hearing I need them to go slower and enunciate. I think it’s because when I read I get to see the clear breaks between words, I see the word format, grammar, etc.
Sure in conversation I get context clues but reading and writing is just so much easier.
(The above applies only to latin based alphabet. It was the other way around when learning Arabic and Urdu.)
Subterraniate2@reddit
Watch television in the lingo. It’s astonishingly good at teaching your brain to hear and process new rhythms, to pounce on recognised words superfast so that context helps you with others, and so on.
Alone-Location6027@reddit (OP)
This was surprisingly true for me too. Reading gives you time to process, but listening feels like your brain is trying to decode rhythm, slang, tone, speed, and context all at once before the conversation moves on.
Watching local content helped me a lot more than textbooks ever did, though I tried TranslaBuddy recently while watching some foreign interviews and it made me realize how much easier comprehension becomes once your brain stops panicking about missing every single phrase in real time.
The exhaustion part feels very real though, especially in group conversations.
ellytic@reddit
It’s totally normal to find listening more challenging than reading, especially in a new language! Conversations can happen at a rapid pace, and the nuances of spoken language, like slang and accents, can make it even trickier. Here are a few tips that might help:
Remember, you’re not alone in this struggle, and many expats experience similar challenges.
Full disclosure: I work at Ellytic (ellytic.com), which helps with AFM registration and certified translations if you ever need assistance with official documents in Greece. Happy to answer any questions!
Baejax_the_Great@reddit
Reading is generally considered much easier to pick up than listening.
I've been watching local sitcoms, \~45min a day, and it's been helping.
owzleee@reddit
Still am 8 years later. Porteño Spanish is very unforgiving.
InspectorT3@reddit
Yea listening and speaking seem to be a lot harder than writing and reading.
Also in the real world people speak more slang in daily conversations and some of that is hard to capture when you just read formal textbooks