[General] Why my listening is not improving?

[nininaz]

I have been practicing listening approximately for 2 years, 4-5 hours a day.
(TOEFL Books,Open forum,BBC,Tactics for listening, ...were my source for listening)
But why do I still have problems on this skill.I think after 2 years I should n't have any problem.
But most of the time that I listen to new context I could n't understand clearly.
what 's wrong with this?
I knew my listening is improving but I want to be perfect in this skill that I am not now.
I think my IQ is in the lowest level.

I started by A.J Hoge method.(http://effortlessenglishclub.com/)

 

[grey guy]

Language is complex since words can have different meanings depending on their context. Once you identify the idea, the meaning and purpose of the words become clearer. Can you provide an example of a "new context" that you "couldn't understand clearly?"

 

[sumitsssrt]

hello nininaz,
Actually ,this is not the problem of your IQ, this is so because you never pay attention to what everyone says.
You need to focus on the words of others.

 

[Tdol]

this is so because you never pay attention to what everyone says.
You need to focus on the words of others.

How can you possibly know this, especially when the person's post shows that they are clearly dedicated and do try hard?

 

[Tdol]

But most of the time that I listen to new context I could n't understand clearly.

Firstly, IQ has nothing to do with it. When you say you can't understand clearly, how much do you think you understand? Can you get the general idea?

 

[The apprentice]

Nininaz that was also happening to me. Since I started to study phonetics and phonology - by buying a book and online -, things changed because I learned to identify sounds, assimilation of sounds, elision of sounds, difference of sounds in a same word and the famous Schwa sound which is the sound used the most in English and consequently the most important one in spoken English.

I encourage you to start doing this; your listening as well as your pronunciation will significantly improve.

Regards.

 

[eclectik]

There are usually two reasons why listening causes problems.

1. Unsuitable material. You should choose material that reflects your level, or use graded listenings (e.g. from a textbook).There's no sense in trying to listen to, say, a UK academic radio discussion if you are only a pre-intermediate level student, for example. Also choose subject matter you are more familiar with. Films are not the best idea as the dialogue is often too fast and has too much slang.
Start with simpler material and work upwards whn you feel ready for more challenging things.
To make it easier, ensure you have good quality loudpeakers or headphones. Sadly today, many people put up with terrible audio quality on laptop computers and phones.

2. Poor technique. Remember, listening is a skill like any other. Most people just do it far too passively.

You can help comprehension by doing some pre-listening tasks such as establishing the context, who the speakers are/where they are, reason for speaking , etc.
The next step is during the listening process: note taking of key points may help focus your attention.
Finally, recap: play the audio again and listen for other things: new phrases, idioms, etc. and look these up in a dictionary. Ideally you should try to learn five new words or expressions each time. This will ensure that listening is not just developing a skill, but also a way of increasing your overall knowledge.

Hope that helps!

 

[esltutor]

"Listening" is a very difficult skill to acquire, in my opinion. This does not have to do with your intelligence!

I have had many students over the years who have studied A LOT, but then they come to the U.S. (where I live) and cannot follow a "simple" real-life conversation. I believe that this is because when we "study" a language, the resources we often use are not "real world." For example, if I listen to the news on television, or listen to the BBC, I might be able to understand it, but then when I go to the store, I might not be able to understand the cashier. This is because the newscaster is supposed to speak clearly and more "professionally," but that's not the way "real people" talk in everyday life situations.

In the U.S., we use a lot of "reductions" (the simplest are "gonna" and "wanna," but there are many more that get a lot more complicated). Most non-native speakers have a really difficult time understanding us!

My advice would be to get a native English speaker practice partner, if possible. Tell him or her NOT to talk slowly; tell him or her to talk as if he or she were talking to a native English-speaking friend. Get used to hearing people talk in real life situations. It will be hard and frustrating, but in time, you will understand more and more.

Another thing that has helped my students a lot (for American English) is watching sitcoms on television. ;-) It really works!

Good luck.

 

[emsr2d2]

I recommend having spoken English around you as much as possible. You don't have to "study" listening. Find an online English radio station (one which has more spoken content than music) which you can play at home all the time you're there. You don't need to sit and listen to it. Simply having people speaking English in the background will help you get used to the cadence and the rhythm of the language. Don't expect to understand everything. Don't expect to understand every single word of anything.

I lived in Spain for two years, surrounded by the language and I always had problems, regardless of whether I was speaking directly to someone, watching TV/films or listening to the radio.

In my opinion, to really understand everything you hear, you need to live somewhere amongst that language for a long time.

 

[Polyester]

I have been practicing listening approximately for 2 years, 4-5 hours a day.
(TOEFL Books,Open forum,BBC,Tactics for listening, ...were my source for listening)
But why do I still have problems on this skill.I think after 2 years I should n't have any problem.
But most of the time that I listen to new context I could n't understand clearly.
what 's wrong with this?
I knew my listening is improving but I want to be perfect in this skill that I am not now.
I think my IQ is in the lowest level.

I started by A.J Hoge method.(http://effortlessenglishclub.com/)

I have same problems with you. I have been studying English for 2 years. I have been listening BBC news for a year.
Also,I watched film in English and TV channels in English too. Now, my listening is improving and listening clearly. I understand their conversation in general. The progress was quite hard. But, the result was made me happy. Never give up.:up:

 

[Jackson65]

If I were you I would focus on using audio books. This has worked very well for me. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress!

 

[nininaz]

Firstly, IQ has nothing to do with it. When you say you can't understand clearly, how much do you think you understand? Can you get the general idea?

I try to understand every single words or phrase while listening.I think that is my problem.
when I was not able to understand completely I really get frustrated, and while listening I translated word by word to my native language , that would be a worst method but I couldn't give up it. furthermore I want to understand the whole lecture perfectly
And when I don't know the meaning of some word in listening I can't continue to listening but In the lecture which all the vocabulary will be familiar I understand completely.

 

[Tdol]

Native speakers would rarely catch every word in a lecture- we skip over bits when we don't get everything, but that is not a block to understanding- when we really don't understand, we will notice.