[wavetossed]

YES YES YES to number 3.

My theory is adults learn languages so slowly because they actually never try to learn. Two reasons for this. a) Adults typically do not know how to learn period. b) Adults have been conditioned to do the wrong things in attempting to learn and all books and courses are built around these wrong ideas.

Most important way to evaluate your learning is to ask yourself "Do I feel like a stupid idiot as I do this?" If the answer is YES, then you are learning. Keep it up and get to love your stupid idiot self. In time the clouds will clear and you will not be stupid anymore. Lots of people have warped adult egos which simply cannot accept these feelings of stupidity. Some people actually kill themselves because of this, others drop the studying entirely, and others soldier through and learn nothing because they have not accepted the feelings of stupidity and moved forward in spite of it.