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Don't trust myself when it comes to speaking/writing in English

4 replies

envi · 25/11/2020 15:44

As you could probably guess English is not my first language. I've been living in the UK for almost 2 years now and I still have lots of problems with the language (well, my husband said that all those problems are only in my head) and it drives my crazy! I'm so afraid of making mistakes and what other people might think of me that I rather choose to stay at home than going out and do something I need or have to do... For example, I really need to book a hospital appoitment, but even the thought of that scares the hell out of me... Same thing with looking for a new job. I feel like the fear of failure and misunderstanding holds me back from so many great things...

OP posts:
UsernameN0Tavailable · 25/11/2020 15:54

Well you English is perfectly alright in this post and I never would have guessed that English isn't your first language, but I know what it can be like when you build something up in your head.

Can you join a club where you will have to converse with new people in an informal setting to build your confidence? Alternatively you could look at doing an adult education course, i don't think by your writing here that you need an EFL type course but maybe something like creative writing to help you develop a deeper than average understanding?

British people are very spoilt when it comes to not having to learn another language because English is widely spoken. I'm certainly in awe of people who have learnt English near fluently and wouldn't ever judge someone if they did make a mistake or use the wrong word so I don't think it does matter if you do sometimes slip up. A lot of British people don't speak perfect English either!

WildHorsesRunInMe · 25/11/2020 21:46

You are not alone. I lived abroad years ago and looking back I missed out on so many opportunities because I was scared of looking stupid when speaking the language. In reality, most people don't care if you make mistakes or get tongue tied. Sometimes all it takes is those initial steps and once you get going you will wonder what all that worry was about. Good luck.

OneKeyAtATime · 25/11/2020 21:56

I am a foreigner in Britain. I felt like this at first but I have found Brits really laid back about it. Never had any comments made to me. I dont know if it s due to the fact that there are so many accents in the UK, or that people appreciate it when you have made an effort to learn the language or if they are just genuinely being nice but it s never been a problem.

housemdwaswrong · 25/11/2020 22:15

Good gosh. I'm a (new) proofreader and I've read things from native English speakers, in just the past few months that are nowhere near as legible as your post is. If your original post is typical of your normal writing I'd be inclined to agree with your husband. It's fine.

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