u/Successful-Lie8500

hey everyone, quick question.

i was telling a coworker about my daily routine and said "i've been practicing speaking english every day".

immediately after saying it out loud, the double -ing (practicing speaking) felt super clunky on my tongue.

is "practicing speaking" actually natural to native speakers, or is there a better way to phrase this? like "practicing my spoken english" or "practicing speaking out loud"?

just want to make sure i don't sound weird when i talk about it haha. thanks!

every time i walk into an american store or go through a checkout line, the worker immediately hits me with "hey how’s it going!" or "find everything alright today?"

i know it’s just friendly customer service, but whenever it happens my mind completely blanks. i try to reply with something casual, but i end up stumbling over my words, butchering my pronunciation, and freezing up because im so self conscious about my heavy accent.

do americans actually care what u say back, or do u all just say "good how are u" on autopilot and move on? also how do non native speakers build confidence to handle fast, random small talk in public without overthinking every single word?

visited the us recently and almost everywhere i paid for a quick coffee or takeout, the iPad screen flipped around asking for 18%, 20%, or 25% tip before i even got my order.

every time that screen flipped around with the cashier standing right there watching me, my mind just blanked. i've even been doing private lessons with a native tutor named skye to work on my english, but practicing in a 1 on 1 session is SO different from real life. when the cashier was right in front of me, i stumbled over my words, butchered my pronunciation, and froze up because im super self conscious about my heavy accent.

do americans actually hit zero or custom tip on those counter screens or do u feel forced to tip? also how do non native speakers build confidence to talk to cashiers in high pressure moments without overthinking every single word?