Okay, so, I wanted to practice my English speaking, you know? Get better at chatting in English. I looked around the internet and found a bunch of places that said they could help.
First, I tried this one site. It had free live audio classes, I guess for practicing speaking. It said I would become “addicted” to speaking English, which sounded kind of intense, but okay. They also mentioned meeting “natives,” which I assume means native English speakers. Sounded alright, but there was no clear way to start, so I moved on.
Then, I stumbled upon something called “EnglishCentral.” It said it uses videos for lessons. I watched a couple, and they were okay. But I really wanted to actually talk to people, not just watch videos. So, that wasn’t exactly what I was looking for.
- There was another place that let you talk to random people one-on-one.
- Seemed a bit weird, talking to strangers, but hey, maybe it works?
- I gave it a shot, and it was kind of awkward.
- Lots of pauses, and it was hard to keep a conversation going.
I also found this other place that focused on conversational English. The website mentioned something about “native speakers” and “immersive learning” and building “vocabulary”. Honestly, that was not what I want. I just wanted to practice speaking, not get all technical with grammar and stuff. Plus, it seemed like you had to pay for it, and I was looking for something free to start with.
Then there was this thing called “Tandem.” It sounded promising! They said there were tons of English speakers on there, not just from the US and UK, but from everywhere. It sounded perfect – practice English without traveling or spending money on classes.
And guess what?
I’m still trying out different things, but Tandem seems to be working the best for me so far. I’ve chatted with a few people, and it’s actually been pretty fun. Still a bit nervous sometimes, but it’s getting easier. I also checked out those other options they mentioned, like Duolingo and Babbel, but they’re more about lessons and drills, not really for chatting with people. So, yeah, that’s my experience with trying to practice English online. It’s been a bit of a journey, but I think I’m finally making some progress!
