I, at 24, struggle to speak English and rarely get past 'How are you?'

By Hoang March 15, 2025 | 04:00 am PT

I am 24 years old and have been working for two years. During that time, I have tried repeatedly to learn English, but I still struggle with it.

I have memorized a decent amount of vocabulary, yet when I try to speak, I freeze up. My mind overanalyzes sentence structure, verb tenses, and grammar, slowing me down and making my speech choppy. Whenever I meet foreigners, I want to start a conversation but rarely get past, "Hi, how are you? Where are you from?"

A woman is covering her face nervously. Illustration photo by Pexels

Listening is another challenge. I can follow simple sentences in movies or conversations, but when native speakers talk fast, I lose track and struggle to keep up.

I am not sure how to improve. If you have overcome similar struggles or have effective learning strategies, I would love to hear your advice. What should I focus on first? How can I speak more fluently?

Looking forward to your experiences and suggestions.

*The reader's statement was translated from Vietnamese.

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