3 Reasons Why You Can’t Speak English and How to Change That

I was born and raised in Eastern Europe, Poland to be exact. As you can tell, I am not a native English speaker. It should be the main reason why I can’t speak English, right?

Well, I spent about 16 years learning that language in different schools, at different levels. I constantly keep bombarding myself with English movies, series, podcasts, books — you name it. I’ve written hundreds of English letters, emails, essays, or posts. I literally wrote a part of my master’s thesis in English.

But God forbid someone asks me what my favorite food is. Hmm, well, pancakes probably. Yeah. End of discussion. Too bad you didn’t text me that question; I’d hand you a whole dissertation on the history of pancakes plus a couple of recipes, both sweet and savory.

Why is that? How can I know the language so well, yet can’t communicate according to the knowledge? It took me a while, but here’s what I think.

1. You’re afraid

Of what, you may ask? Of the people you’re about to have a conversation with. What if they judge me for the grammar mistakes I make? What if I can’t find a word and sound like a broken record? What if I mispronounce something? What if they make fun of my accent? What if they can’t understand me?

You’re overthinking. Stop.

Take a deep breath.

Here’s some food for thought. You must have met at least one person from abroad trying to speak your native language. Maybe they wanted to ask for directions. You could hear they were struggling — taking long pauses between words, looking confused, making a lot of gestures to make up for the words they couldn’t think of.

Did you make fun of them? I doubt that.

A foreigner put in the effort to learn your native language and found the courage to speak up to you. It’s nice to hear someone’s trying to learn a skill you’ve mastered, isn’t it? It’s a sign worth admiration, and I can assure you, no one will make fun of you.

You need to change your mindset.

Your accent means you can speak more than one language. What are you ashamed of? Being smart? Come on.

2. You don’t practice

Now that’s the tricky part, isn’t it? How do I practice in a country where people don’t speak English? Who do I talk to?

If you don’t have anyone to talk to in English, talk to yourself.

Out loud — that’s the crucial part.

Don’t just think what you’d say; that is exactly what makes you bad at speaking.

You need to practice the skill to be good at it; what a golden advice, I know but let me finish.

Take a look around you and name all the things you can see. Out loud.

Are you reading an article on Medium? Do it out loud.

I know what you’re thinking; it won’t help me with having a conversation and putting my thoughts into words.

Last year, I took the TOEFL exam. For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, it’s an English proficiency exam with 4 sections — reading, listening, speaking, and writing.

From the moment I signed up for the exam until the very last second of the speaking section, I felt nauseous just thinking about it.

I don’t know what a heart attack feels like, but I’m pretty sure I almost had one the moment the timer started, and I had to speak in English.

The first question in the speaking section asks for your opinion; you’ve got 15 seconds to think and 30 seconds to speak. I did every available question on the internet, and it helped me a lot. I’ll give you an example.

Which study method do you prefer, online courses, or traditional classroom?

I’m standing right here before your eyes; don’t take 15 seconds.

Tell me now, which one do you prefer and why?

TST Prep TOEFL has tons of similar questions, or you can just google them up. Read at least one question a day and answer it right away, out loud.

3. You’re just starting out

Have you ever met a person who mastered a language in a month?

Me neither. It takes time.

You need to go through hundreds of pages covered in grammar rules and vocabulary to actually know how to build a sentence.

You’re going to struggle a lot, and that’s okay; it’s a part of the process.

First, you need to know how to write it down, so google the word you’re missing, and try to learn it by heart.

You can’t jump into practicing without knowing the theory first.

Learning a new language means polishing up 4 skills — reading, listening, writing, and speaking.

Do not wait long with speaking.

You know just how to introduce yourself? That’s enough; say it out loud. It doesn’t matter what language you’re learning, what level you’re at — please, always say it out loud.

Knowing how to pronounce it in your thoughts is not enough; this is what creates a barrier in your brain.

I know it’s hard; the learning process is never easy.

People are different, some of them are rude, and they may make you feel stupid or embarrassed. Remember that every nation has mean people; you are not responsible for their behaviour.

Do not let them discourage you. You’ve come such a long way to be where you are.

You’re smart enough to communicate in more than one language. Let the world know.

You’re not alone.

We all struggle.

Now take a deep breath. You know how to say it.

Just say it.