Firstly, if you want to practise key vocabulary and read this article using the Duocards app (where you can tap on a word you don’t understand and it will show you the meaning), you need to join my email list. I will share these links there. Join here.
Vital words for understanding
climb – a difficult process of making progress (improving your speaking skills)
at the mere thought of – just thinking about something is enough to make you nervous or uncomfortable
a living nightmare – a very unpleasant or stressful experience (like trying to speak English in the beginning)
gather – to collect or gain (information or experience)
frightening – making you feel scared or anxious
bother – to take the time and effort to do something
keep up – to stay at the same level or progress as something else
hang on – to keep hold; hold onto something
improve – to get better at something
rate – the speed or level at which something happens (like learning)
to fall behind – to not progress as quickly as others or as expected
a living nightmare – a very unpleasant or stressful experience (like trying to speak English in the beginning)
fluency – the ability to speak a language easily and naturally
predict – to guess or expect what’s going to happen next
pathway – a connection in the brain that helps you use or understand language
awareness – noticing or realising something (like a weakness in listening)
limping – not working smoothly or strongly (listening skills that are weaker than speaking)
When you first start learning English, speaking can feel like climbing a mountain. It’s something that scares you, makes you sick at the mere thought of it. You’re afraid of making mistakes, your mind goes blank and it’s hard to say even the simplest thing. When it’s around other people, it’s a living nightmare.
But then something changes. You gather your strength and start practising. You speak more and more, and slowly it gets easier. Now you’re not so uncomfortable, suddenly a mistake doesn’t bother you. Suddenly you don’t get stuck on a word, you just find your way. And then – boom – you’re talking to someone and you can’t follow. You find yourself not understanding every word. What is it, you ask yourself. A new challenge: you realise that your listening isn’t keeping up.
Even though you’re speaking more confidently, you don’t understand every word when someone replies. You listen to podcasts and feel lost. What’s wrong?
It’s not a problem. It’s a sign of progress. The fact that you’re finding your listening skills are weaker is actually a good thing. It means that your awareness of language has improved, that you’re no longer concentrating on what you’re saying, but noticing how others are speaking. This is a natural way of learning. Speaking and listening develop at different rates and it’s common for one to fall behind at times.
What’s happening in your brain?
Speaking builds up procedural memory. That’s the part of the brain used for skills like riding a bike or playing the piano. If you practise speaking regularly, the language becomes more automatic. Mistakes are less frightening and real fluency grows.
Your brain is faster. To understand spoken English, you have to decode sounds quickly, recognise connected words (gonna, wanna), predict meaning in real time, and deal with different accents, speeds and even background noise. That’s a lot to do! If your brain hasn’t had enough listening practice, it simply hasn’t built strong enough pathways. And to produce speech, you have to consume it first.
There’s a complication – you’re probably trying to catch every word. A common mistake is to think that you have to understand 100% of what you hear. But even native speakers don’t catch everything. True listening is about getting the main idea, not every single word. Imagine talking to your friend, do you hang on every word?
What do you have to do to get through this stage without stress?
- Let go of perfection. You don’t have to understand every word. Concentrate on the main message and ask yourself Who’s talking? What’s the topic? What do they want?
- Use short audio and video clips. Listen once, write down what you understand. Then listen again, write down more details. Read the transcript and repeat the process.
- You can try shadowing. Listen and speak at the same time. Sing. It’s like going to the gym for your brain.
- Don’t just listen passively. Ask yourself: What are three words I heard? What does the speaker like?
Bottom line: if you feel like your hearing is limping, it’s a sign of growth. You’ve improved, and now your brain is ready for the next level. It takes time, but every podcast, every sentence, every attempt makes a difference.
Your listening challenge for the week: I will listen to a short podcast clip (under 2 minutes), write down 3 things I understand and shadow a sentence out loud.
Share your results in the comments or send them to me. You’ve got it!
I think it’s a long way to understand what I hear in English, and I need to process it for further comprehension and communication. Before, I only learned vocabulary and read sentences, but throughout my life, I’ve preferred practical learning over just sitting and writing words and formulas. The current approach feels more natural to me, and when there’s a lesson, it’s not stressful for me, but fun. That alone is a reason to continue.
Of course, everything is connected, but when I use words and work with texts, it’s a more natural way of learning. Very often, I sit for a long time and do assignments. First, I actually figure out what’s being asked of me, and then I try to manage it with what I know and have available. I listen to audio and know very little, then I repeat it again and again. In the end, I might use subtitles to help myself, and then listen again. Suddenly, I hear that word, and it’s like „HURRAY!“ 🙂
Thank you so much for your honest and thoughtful comment!
What you describe is actually exactly how real progress happens — not in a straight line, but in waves. Sometimes you listen and feel lost… and then suddenly — HURRAY! — you catch a word you recognise, and it feels like a small miracle. That moment of „I heard it!“ is your brain connecting the dots. It’s proof that repetition works and that your brain is doing the hard work behind the scenes.
I really admire that you’ve found a way of learning that feels natural and fun for you — that’s huge. When learning stops being stressful, your brain is much more open to remembering and noticing patterns. And it makes such a difference when you actually enjoy the process.
Also, your habit of sitting with tasks, thinking them through, and trying again — that’s not a weakness, that’s powerful learning in action. You’re not just ticking boxes — you’re building awareness and learning how to learn. That’s something many people never figure out.
Keep doing what you’re doing. Slow learning is real learning — and everything you described (working with texts, listening again and again, using subtitles, feeling excited about small wins) is what builds strong, confident English step by step.
You’re on the right path. Keep going — and let me know when you get your next „HURRAY!“ moment! 💪🙂