u/Physical-Tea-599

I start learning English and I feel the pronunciation is really hard for me. Reading is ok but when I try to speak it sounds very wrong.

The nasal sounds confuse me a lot, and the silent letters make it difficult because I always want to pronounce everything like I pronouce an Arabic word.

Is this normal at the beginning? How long it take for you to feel more comfortable speaking? What helped you the most?

I expected Brazilian Portuguese to be a lot harder, but it ended up feeling surprisingly manageable, especially because it seems to have fewer conjugations (in everyday use) than I anticipated. Once I got used to the rhythms and a handful of common verb patterns, it started to click way faster than I thought it would.

What language did you expect to be difficult, but turned out to be easier than expected, and why?

Right now everything still feels like effort for me 😅

Listening takes focus, reading isn’t smooth, and even forming simple sentences feels like work.

I’m definitely improving, but it still feels like I’m studying the language, not really using it.

I had a small shift recently when I started forcing myself to speak more (even with apps like Praktika), and it felt a bit more “real”… but still not fully natural.

I’m curious, did you have a moment where it just clicked?

Like it stopped feeling like study time and more like you were actually using the language in real life?

What changed for you?

I’ve been learning English for a while, and I’ve realized grammar isn’t the hardest part for me, it’s the cultural side that i need to know more.

I can have a normal conversation, like talking to my colleagues at work, it's easy. But in groups of friends who start joking or using slang, I feel completely lost. As a French/Arabic speaker, I find our sense of humor quite different. Sometimes I try to be funny in English, but I end up saying something inappropriate or my joke isn't culturally funny. Does anyone else feel fluent but still a bit “outside” the culture? And how do you get past that stage?

One unexpected thing language learning helped me with: job interviews.

Not because I became bilingual overnight, but because learning a language teaches me how to communication under pressure for example :

- Speak while nervous

- Recover after mistakes

-Explain ideas with limited vocabulary

- Stop panicking when my brain freezes

I used to overthink every answer in interviews the same way I overthought speaking practice.

Honestly, I didn't reach my current level overnight. It took time to acquire professional vocabulary and a neutral accent. At the beginning of my learning journey, my pronunciation was really bad, but the other day, I got 60/100 on the Praktika pronunciation test. Even though I was furious, it motivated me to improve.

The feedback on my pronunciation, the summaries of my contributions, and the rating system made it easier for me to identify patterns in my speaking style and my hesitations.

Seeing small improvements in my pronunciation over time gave me confidence and, surprisingly, made me less anxious about speaking in interviews.

Have others noticed commonalities between language learning and job interviews?

I’ve been thinking about this lately and it’s kinda weird.

I grew up with French and Darija, my English is pretty solid now, and I recently started learning German. But I don’t feel like the same person in each language. In Darija/French I’m fast, sarcastic, a bit blunt. In English, I’m way more chill and relaxed. And in German… I feel like a confused robot because I don’t have the words yet (and yeah, my pronunciation is probably off too 😅but I think that I found the best tutor who give me a pronouciation summary and score).

So now I’m wondering… is this actually a personality shift, or just the way language changes how we express ourselves? Do you feel like a different person in each language, or am I just struggling with German?

I swear every time I think I understand dans vs en, I see a sentence that confuses me again.

Is there actually a simple way to think about it, or is it just exposure over time?

What's your rule for not fucking this up?

You know those things where you’re like “yeah I learned this already”… but then you still mess it up when you speak? 😅

I have a few of those in French and it’s honestly so frustrating. Like I understand the rule, I’ve seen it so many times, but when I’m talking my brain just doesn’t cooperate.(like c’est vs il est, or dans vs en)

For me it’s stuff like c’est vs il est or dans vs en. If I slow down, I get it. But in real conversations? I hesitate or just say whatever and hope it’s right.

It’s weird because it makes me feel like I’m not improving, even though I probably am.

What’s that one thing you “know” but still get wrong?

I already speak Arabic and French, and my English is okay, but I just started German as a total beginner.

My brain is tired. 😭 Sometimes I try to find a German word, and my brain offers me the English one. Or I try to use French grammar with German words and I end up sounding like a broken robot.

Is there a trick to stopping the "interference" from your other languages? Or do I just have to accept that for the next 6 months, I’m going to sound like a walking translator error?

How do you guys keep your L3 and L4 from fighting each other in your head? Help a brother out! 🇩🇪

So I was watching some random German videos and kept hearing people say “Alter” in conversations…

At first I thought they were literally talking about age, but the way they used it felt more like “bro” or “dude” 😂

I’ve been learning German for a while now and mostly through structured lessons, so in my head it always sounded very formal. Hearing stuff like this completely changes the vibe.

Makes me realize there’s a whole everyday version of German we don’t really learn from textbooks.

What are some slang words or expressions you hear all the time in real life?

Most people talk about learning English for career, studies, or travel.

But honestly… I feel like I’m learning it to unlock a different version of myself 😂

I’ve noticed how people sound more confident, more expressive, even funnier in English. The way they joke, react, or tell stories just feels different.

I kinda want that. Like being able to switch between versions of myself depending on the language.

I’m curious… what’s your “unusual” reason for learning English?

The struggle of being French/Arabic and learning English is real. My brain is basically a permanent linguistic blender and sometimes it just glitches.

The other day, I was trying to tell my colleagues that I was "sensitive" to the cold in the office. Instead, I looked my boss dead in the eye and said, "I'm very sensible to the cold." They all started laughing because apparently, in English, being "sensible" means you have good judgment, not that you feel the temperature. My boss was like, "Well, at least you’re making smart choices about your frostbite?"

I was just standing there like... in French, sensible means sensitive! My brain just took the shortcut and made me look like a weirdo.

What’s the one word you translated literally that completely changed the meaning? Make me feel better about my "sensible" life

I know most people learn English for work, studies, or travel… but for me it’s a bit different.

I feel like when people speak English, their personality changes. They sound more confident, more expressive, sometimes even funnier.

I kinda want to experience that too… like having a “second version” of myself in another language 😂

Is that weird or does anyone else feel the same? What’s your reason for learning English?