I am terrible at finding comprehensible compelling input in English

I am new to English thing.

I want to learn how to read and write in English.

And I see my English skills are gradually increasing. But I have a problem. I am too uninterested about reading anything. Though, I see myself getting better gradually…

Though, I want to read and write fluidly (I am not saying perfect), I can’t keep reading in English and also in my native Language. It’s not a language or content problem.

It’s me not finding the things that interest me problem. I have tried reading fiction, history, manga, comic books… None of them seemed to work for me.

I find myself in a stagnant position when it comes to finding interesting content. The only thing that is interesting nowadays is “How to find an interesting content topics” for me. Weird. I know.

It’s a weird situation. I couldn’t find an interesting content for me. (Don’t get me wrong. I have found trillions of content in English. I just can’t keep going. I can’t find my interest. It’s weird to be human…)

Have you experienced similar things? Like, you know you have good enough content to read, you know you can relax and enjoy the ride, but somehow can’t start because of lack of interest of context or content.

I don’t know. I probably couldn’t convey my problem. But at least this post is a good way to start.

Have you experienced similar things?

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You write English quite well, so I’d say you have a good start. I’m not sure where you will find your interest, but I will share something I have experienced.

I sometimes find myself drifting, especially when listening, and I lose the thread of the conversation. I used to interpret this as not being interested, but now I think it was challenging for me to get into and hold onto the thread due to my language ability not quite being there yet.

I’ve tried to deal with this by reading/listening to translations of books I liked in English, because it allows me to recover quickly if I lose the thread of the conversation. I also listen to podcasts with many episodes so I can become used to the speaker style and vocabulary over time and have less issue maintaining focus.

Not sure if this will help you, but it is something I have experienced. Good luck!

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I tried reading one chapter of Harry potter in my native language and then I read the same chapter in English. Since, I got the story in my native language, the English version was more fluid for me.

But I am still numb… It seems my only problem is interest. I am like a stone who has no interest lately. I am neutral to everything. I am not bored… I am just neutral.

Thanks for the reply.

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Fair enough. That makes it less of a “language” problem.

Why are you learning English? By requirement? Or do you have something you want to use it for? Many language learners talk about having a strong reason why they are learning, as a factor in their success. If you do have a compelling reason why, perhaps doing things specifically related to how you want to use it in the future?

Wish I had better advice! Good Luck!

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Fiction
Non-fiction
About your job
About your feelings
About relationships
About music
Jokes
Cooking
DIY / home repairs
Travel
Leadership
What do you think or feel?
There are probably books about how to find your passion.
Try very different things.

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@sp9999, do you have interests? What do you like to do typically? Could you read on those things that you like?

I personally am very picky about fiction which you mostly seem centered on for your content. (aside from history), but maybe something non-fiction on things you enjoy doing? Maybe you can read a self help book on how not to be bored and numb =) (just joking with you…but if it sound interesting, go for it! )

Do you enjoy movies or tv shows? Maybe there’s one you can find on Netflix and either import the transcript into LingQ, or watch it using Language Reactor extension on your browser (outside of LingQ).

I think at some point you’re going to be at a disadvantage if you don’t find something compelling to read. What level are you in English? Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced?

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Sure. Sometimes I want something interesting to do, watch, or read but when I do, watch, or read different things none of it is satisfying. I haven’t found any solution. I just keep trying stuff until eventually something finally feels worth doing.

@sp9999 : I’m gonna say something random just to shake your mind. Maybe you have an idea/thought/belief about what you should read to improve your language or blah blah blah.
But in reality, you would like to read something that you think it is very trivial and that you shouldn’t waste time on it. For example very stupid romantic stories, or very intricate conspiracy theories, or some other niche topic, you name it.
Eliminate your beliefs on what you should read and just go for what inspires you every day.
Or go to wikipedia, go random, and import random stuff every day, and if it’s boring, you drop it and import something new the next day BUT if you like it even if you consider it stupid, keep going.

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Sometimes using the language helps. It stimulates your mind and motivates you. Maybe have converstions with native teachers over italki. In my case, even though I could read stuff in German aimed at advanced learners, however, I have recently read all the graded readers aimed at A2 and B1 just for fun(could borrow them from a public library here in Germany). As I could speed read them so it was fun. Read short easy stuff in combination with reading Harry Potter books or other book series. Or you can even ask specific questions from ChatGPT based on your curiosity about certain things around you and import text into LingQ.

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I came to the exact same conclusion. For a long time, I was convinced it was a lack of interest and focus, but I eventually figured out that the stuff I was reading/listening to was just slightly too hard for me at that moment.

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I also found easier content in French which made it more enjoyable (mystery/police novels in my case.)
I once listened to a lecture by polyglot Judith Meyer who recommended reading thrillers. Her reasoning was you read slower in your second language. That means, if you have several pages of description, wheras you’d only spend a few minutes on them in the NL, in the TL it might take quite a long time . Then you will have spent a good time reading and nothing will have happened. In a thriller, however, something happens on every page so the experience is more satisfying.

Are you interested in reading in your native language ? Or are you having this problem just in English? That could help pinpoint the problem.

Try Steve’s book, it’s about language learning and you said that’s one of your interests now. It’s on LingQ.

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I am a beginner. Yes, I am a big beginner. LingQ is very difficult to me, you know, I didn’t understand its. Do you can help me, please?

I agree. I started with young adult crime novels. The plot and the evidence continually build holding my interest throughout the story. When I am done with one, I read another, then I come back to that last book and read it again. There’s always a bunch of clues I missed the first time through so the second reading is almost as interesting as the first read. I rarely reread other materials as they are boring the second time around, but crime novels hold my interest the second time. Reading a second time is very helpful for repetition of vocabulary so crime novels solve that problem as well.

I’ve since “graduated” to adult crime novels. They don’t tend to be any more complicated. There is just a lot more exposition. More in depth information about the characters and what they are thinking or more description of the surroundings, and more advanced vocabulary and sentence structure.

The other thing I do is stick with one author for 2 or 3 or more books. Authors tend to use the same vocabulary and idioms so, again, that means a lot of repetition to build a robust vocabulary.