Every Wednesday a food track with Mexican food comes to our neighborhood. And let me tell you, these guys are life savers for busy individuals who don’t have time to cook. A few months ago, when I was buying some dinner, I told the lively woman who took my order that I wanted to learn Spanish. She was kind enough to offer to help me out and she told me that I can try to order in Spanish. “Great,” I said, “next time I’ll try to order in Spanish.” But as soon as these words came out of my mouth, I thought, Why next time? Why not now? Then I asked the woman how to say “two shrimp tacos” and I’ve been ordering in Spanish ever since.
Last Wednesday, I realized that it’s been a few months and I wanted to say something more than just my usual dinner order. Right before I went to the food truck, I googled how to say in Spanish “It’s getting cold.” When I ordered the food that day, I waited for the right moment and said, “Se esta poniendo frio, no?” Now, I don’t know if this is the best way to say this in Spanish. According to Google, you can also say “Se esta haciendo frio.” While I don’t know which one sounds more natural, I didn’t spend much time contemplating. I just memorized the phrase and said it pretty fast. I also used intonation that I’d heard many Spanish speakers use.
The woman, quite surprised, said that, indeed, it is getting cold and asked me if I was taking Spanish classes because I sounded way more fluent. But I think my perceived fluency was a result of me being proactive, initiating a conversation, and saying what I knew smoothly and confidently.
See, in order to appear more fluent than you are at the moment, you don’t need to know many words. Nor do you need to drill grammar for countless hours. You just need to be willing to engage in a conversation, to know what you want to say, google it, memorize it, and say it at the right moment. And if you mess up, you shouldn’t beat yourself up. Yes, you might be a bit embarrassed, but above all, you should praise yourself for trying.
I hear many English learners complain that despite their effort, they still don’t feel fluent because they often get stuck.
Why you may feel that your English is still not good despite a lot of effort
Below are five possible reasons why you still don’t feel fluent enough despite learning English for years.
1. You might be too hard on yourself
You need to ask yourself this question: Is your English really not good or do you have unrealistic expectations? I’ve seen people whose language skills are impeccable. They never or almost never make mistakes, they use sophisticated vocabulary, and can express themselves quite well. However, they are still not satisfied because of their foreign accent.
But while correct and clear pronunciation is important, completely eliminating a foreign accent is an unattainable goal for most nonnative speakers. If working on your pronunciation is something that you enjoy, you should definitely do it. But if your nonnative accent causes you to constantly feel “less than” or if some native speakers occasionally laugh at you, you might need to re-evaluate your goals and the people you surround yourself with.
2. You might be too easy on yourself
You think you’ve put in a lot of effort, but have you really? In a world where everyone tells you left and right that you are too hard on yourself, you might actually not be too hard on yourself. You might be hosting your own pity party. For example, many people think that they put in more effort than they actually do. They constantly watch videos and listen to audiobooks in English, but they still can’t express their own ideas. Having a lot of input in English is great, but this is mostly passive learning. It gives you a false sense of accomplishment while in reality you haven’t accomplished much.
It’s true that in the beginning you need to listen to the language you want to learn. You need to get acquainted with its sounds, the rhythm, and the intonation. But at some point, you have to start experimenting and building your own sentences. Of course in the beginning it will be hard, even painful at times. But this is an inevitable step towards fluency that you have to take.
3. You don’t notice nuances in your native language
I often see people who complain that they can’t understand a particular grammar structure in English, but fail to notice that they have similar expressions in their native language. They might not be identical, but similar enough that there might be some association. Through my experience, I’ve come to realize that the better you know your native language, the easier it is to learn a foreign one.
But we often take the tongue we were born to for granted. Mind you, I am not talking about a constant translation from English to your native language and vice versa. This is a practice that you would want to eliminate if you want to start thinking in English. But using your native language and finding similarities in grammar might help you understand some grammatical nuances that you find difficult to grasp. Of course, some languages are very different and you might not be able to find similarities. But even the act of trying to understand how you would communicate the same concept in English and in your native tongue will help you put certain expressions into your long term memory.
4. Negative thoughts and excuses
Have you ever told yourself that you are too old to master a foreign language? Or maybe you’ve said to yourself that you are just not talented enough? To be honest, I’ve myself used the “talent” excuse for things that I don’t like doing. Although some people claim that it is only hard work that matters, let’s be honest, talent is indeed a thing. Some people are just born with certain predispositions and if they choose to follow their talent, hard work will only enhance it. For example, when it comes to learning foreign languages, some people are naturally better at hearing and distinguishing different sounds, and grasping grammar faster. So, while having a talent would certainly help, effort and persistence are the traits that will eventually help you succeed.
5. You suffer from perfectionism
Perfectionism is not a virtue, but a major impediment to your fluency. I often hear students say that they don’t allow themselves to speak because they know they are going to make a mistake. Of course, if you don’t say anything you will never make a mistake, but is this your goal? I must say that I’ve been there myself. Many years ago I would get so anxious when I had to speak with native speakers that I would sometimes just stay quiet. But now I know that I feel way more fulfilled when I choose self-expression over being perfect. So, please, don’t waste precious time and speak as much as you can.
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Which one of the points above speaks the most to you? Let me know in the comments or shoot me an email.
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