Why is Speaking Such a Challenge in Learning English?

Reading, listening, writing, and speaking — the four pillars of any language. Reading and listening are all about soaking up info, while writing and speaking are about putting it out there.

The biggest challenge is speaking.

It’s more complicated than the rest of the three.

Reading

My reading habit only requires books and a dictionary, which is easy, and years of reading have made it so easy for me. In the first years, I was struggling, but as time went on, I got so much better that I hardly noticed I was reading.

By only reading books I love and on topics I’m curious about, I found the process to be easy, smooth, and enjoyable.

Listening

Listening is easy in that you can find anything online, like videos on YouTube, movies, and podcasts. Though for a beginner, this is also hard because they don’t know enough words and phrases, and natives speak fast, omitting some words, and connecting them to make speaking easier. This can confuse learners at first, but this problem fades away when you read a lot and expand your vocabulary. With enough listening, your ears get accustomed to the sounds and the way they speak, making it easier to recognize them.

Writing

Writing is relatively easy; you can transcribe from books you love, which is very beneficial and makes you a skilled writer over time (yes we were doing it in school). Alternatively, you can start writing with your limited knowledge and vocabulary and make mistakes, which is okay. You can use AI to correct them and even publish your writing. For more practice, you can, for instance, ask ChatGPT to guide you on your problems.

All of these three I called easy, but to be honest, it’s easy now, not when I just started out. Back then, it used to frustrate me when I couldn’t grasp the meaning of a word or catch all the words being said in podcasts or movies. Most of the problems solved themselves as I practiced more and more.

But I still have difficulty with these because there are still words and phrases I haven’t learned. If I don’t know them, chances are I won’t recognize them in movies or podcasts. If I do know them and still can’t recognize them, it means I haven’t listened enough. By ‘enough,’ I mean a lot.

SPEAKING

Now let’s talk about speaking — why it’s different and much more complicated. Because here, the equation needs a speaking partner. The other three elements don’t require this.

You know what’s even harder about this skill? Anything related to people is hard.

Some time ago, I tried to work on my speaking and installed the Hello Talk app. Finding someone there who shares similar interests is hard; some mean people are there. I remember messaging someone to start our conversations, and he replied with, ‘Do you like d*ck?’ Other times, I found people who only liked chatting, or maybe they didn’t like video or audio chatting.

But it was ’t always ending in disappointment. I found a guy who was willing to talk on a call. He was a nice guy and a filmmaker. But after some time of conversing, something happened, and our friendship ended. So it’s not as easy as picking someone and starting to speak. It took a lot of my time — chatting and then knowing they weren’t willing to chat further or talk on the call. There were some who we went into debates, which I still remember to this day. Whether it’s working with people, talking to them, or collaborating on anything, it’s really hard. I’m a very busy person and don’t have the time to wrestle with social media and people.

So, if I’m going to practice speaking, I’ll likely listen to a video or podcast and repeat what’s said aloud. This method helps improve my speaking skills. However, there’s another challenge — thinking on the spot. While this method could put me in a repetitive cycle, conversing with someone forces me to search for words and sentences, which is excellent practice.

Right now, I’m unsure which approach I’ll take to improve this skill, but my priority is honing my writing. Eventually, I’ll need to decide and take action, even if it means stepping out of my comfort zone.

I like helping people learn English, and that’s the main question people ask me: how did I do it on my own? I love answering these questions. Let me know if you have any questions or struggles you’re dealing with.

Happy Reading