Any experiences? At home or abroad.
My recent experience:
Tried to talk to someone and it was going well until they said 2 sentences really fast and I had no clue what they said.
I must’ve looked confused, trying to mutter something, ANYTHING! What were the words I’m supposed to say?! I forgot the polite “sorry, could you repeat that” in every language I know.
They caught me off guard, damn it. Then came the killing blow: “English?”.
In my moment of weakness I submitted and gave them a nod. From there on we were talking as equals, but my pride had taken a hit. I was defeated. I must go back to my books and duolingo and hide until I have courage again.
(Sorry for the dramatic text, wanted to make a boring interaction sound bit more interesting)
Every interaction in your non native tongue is a positive. Period. The biggest hurdle learning a new language is dropping your self consciousness and speak. Keep it up and you’ll be comfortable in no time at all!
Thanks for the encouraging words! I’ll be sure to keep it up! :)