Volodymyr Zelenskyy didn’t “learn English” via the cosy Duolingo and Netflix binge method. He’s had to sharpen it under extreme pressure – and the result is a very public reminder that adults can improve fast when the stakes and need for just-in-time practice are real.
It’s something that struck me this week as Zelenskyy addressed leaders at the Munich Security Conference. He’s a transformed figure on the international stage; back in early 2022, Zelenskyy still relied heavily on interpreters in international settings. That’s completely normal at such diplomatic levels, where precision matters and every word has consequences.
But something else was happening back then, too: he began using what you might call strategic English. He’d land short, high-impact English lines at exactly the moment they mattered most. This was picked up by Reuters, for example, where it was noted in the context of his address to the U.S. Congress. Speaking mostly through an interpreter, he closed with a direct, emotive appeal to President Biden in English.
As the years have gone on, reporting has increasingly described him switching into English in major media moments, even if much of the deeper exchange remains interpreted. One widely reported example is his use of English to directly invite Trump to visit Ukraine in the context of a 60 Minutes interview.
Now, is Zelenskyy fluent? Not in the polyglot dream, Instagram-ready sense of the word, perhaps. He lacks the slick, near-native turns of phrase Ursula von der Leyen boasts, perhaps. Some commentary even describes his English as just “mediocre”. But they also note that Zelenskyy and his team frequently switch to English in negotiations to save time. In other words: he doesn’t need perfection. He needs function.
And that’s a real lesson for adult language learners struggling with perfectionism.
What does research actually say about adults learning languages?
Yes, age is a factor in language learning. But not wholly negative, and certainly not in the melodramatic window slams shut at 12 way. Large-scale work suggests that while younger starters have an advantage for reaching native-like outcomes, the decline in underlying learning ability is gradual rather than catastrophic (see Hartshorne, Tenenbaum & Pinker, 2018). More recent reviews emphasise that adults can make substantial gains in grammar and vocabulary even if accent and ultimate nativeness are less predictable (e.g. Li, 2024).
Adults also have cognitive advantages: they’re better at using explicit knowledge and linking to previous learning, spotting patterns, and learning strategically. Research on older adults suggests aptitude and metalinguistic awareness meaningfully support later-life L2 learning (see Roehr-Brackin, 2023 and Roehr-Brackin & Pavleković, 2025). In other words, if you’re an adult who likes rules and structure, that’s not a flaw. It’s a tool.
And language learning remains biological learning. Reviews of bilingualism and ageing report measurable cognitive and neural changes associated with sustained second-language study (see Ware et al., 2021), with newer intervention studies showing behavioural and neural shifts even in later adulthood (e.g. Pliatsikas et al., 2024).
What adult learners can take from Zelenskyy
1) High-stakes practice beats “the window is closed” defeatism.
Practise what you actually need, repeatedly. Purposeful, goal-directed work consistently predicts improvement better than vague “exposure”.
2) Chunks are rocket fuel.
Learn moves, not just words: “Let me be clear…”, “What we need now is…”, “I want to address…”. Zelenskyy’s short, pointed and very effective English lines are essentially high-pressure chunking.
3) You can be ‘good enough’ and still be compelling.
Accent and minor grammar wobble don’t prevent communication. The goal isn’t to pass as native. It’s to do what you want to do in the language.
4) Improvement is visible before ‘fluency’ is.
Comfort under pressure, faster retrieval, fewer resets : that’s progress. Adults can absolutely achieve that trajectory.
The hopeful punchline
If you’ve ever thought, I’m too old; I’ve missed the magic window, remember: the window isn’t closed. It’s just a different window. One labelled purpose, repetition, and tactical bravery.
This week, try a ‘good enough’ week. Aim for clarity, not correctness. If you get your meaning across, you win. Leave perfection to the text books!
