Learning English, a little every day

For years I treated English like a subject — grammar tables, vocabulary lists, exams to pass. I got better, slowly, and forgot most of it just as slowly.

What actually changed things was small and unglamorous: I let English into my day. I switched my phone’s language. I read the docs in English instead of waiting for a translation. I narrated my own thoughts in English while making coffee, mistakes and all.

The trick wasn’t studying harder — it was lowering the stakes. A language isn’t a test you pass once; it’s a tool you pick up a hundred times a day. Five imperfect minutes beat a perfect hour that never happens.

So I stopped trying to finish English. Now I just use it, badly and often, and let “badly” turn into “fine” on its own time.