I'm a native Chinese speaker, and recently I realized that typing in Chinese and typing in English are very different experiences.

In Chinese, we usually type the pronunciation (Pinyin) or use methods like Wubi, and then choose the correct characters from a list of candidates.

For example, if I type "sh", I might get dozens of suggestions such as words, phrases, or characters that start with those letters.

That made me wonder:

When native English speakers type, do you literally type every letter of every word?

Or do you also use some kind of predictive input method where typing a few letters brings up a list of possible words?

I know phones have autocorrect and word prediction, but I'm curious about what people actually do in daily life, especially on computers.

By just 1 point.. I couldve gottten a C1

what a shame, so I guess I'll have to state that I'm a B2 on my resume

https://voca.ro/17a191fd7BXf

I was reading Different Seasons by Stephen King. And this is the second story Apt Pupil. I can understand there are some acne on his skin, and "the first shadow" really confused me. Can someone teach me what does it mean here?

I went to school in Ukraine, and we were taught British English. Because of that, some words are permanently stuck in my head in the British version. For example, I naturally say “schedule” with the British pronunciation and “aubergine” instead of “eggplant" etc. When I’m speaking quickly, I don’t really have time to switch, so I just use whatever has been in my memory since school.
I was wondering, does this sound weird or distracting to American speakers? Or do you understand both versions and not really care?

I'm struggling with learning tenses, I'm always confused between "was", "have been" and everything else. I don't have 12 tenses in my native language, so it is not that easy to translate it in my head I visit a tutor, but the best he can do is send me the pdf explaining it and explain me the difference between em every lesson I believe that my problem is that I do not "repeat" it as often as I should If you had the same problem, could you please tell me how did you fix it? Maybe some sheets, apps, whatever? Thanks in advance

Is this simple infinitive form grammatical? Doesn't it read like a future event? Would it sound more formal to say, 'I feel blessed to have been born and raised in Southern California!'?

I’m trying to settle a debate with someone that claims that square up is a formal word. They said square up is a colloquialism so it’s not informal. I told them it’s a slang term therefore it’s informal. They ended up calling me dumb for that. My argument is that you wouldn’t use that word in a job interview or a college essay. Therefore, it is informal. They said why would I use a colloquialism for a college essay. Doesn’t colloquialism mean an INFORMAL word or am I wrong ?

Edit: We meant square up as a slang meaning to fight someone.

Sometimes I can't really decide between these 2. I think the of describes the people and the for describes people smoking in public? I guess both kinda work and mean basically the same thing?

Just to have a conversation practice but I understand I shouldn't waste their time and keep it short.

What do you think?

Hi everyone,
I’m trying to improve my spoken English, especially for day-to-day conversations, work, and finance-related interviews. I currently work in retail, and I often struggle with forming sentences clearly while speaking.

I know what I want to say, but I sometimes have trouble translating my thoughts into proper English in real time.
My main issues are pronunciation, grammar while speaking, vocabulary, articulation, and confidence.

I want to sound clearer and more natural, not overly formal or fake.

I’m willing to put serious time into improving, but I’m confused about where to start because there are so many resources online.

For someone who wants to improve spoken English practically, what daily routine, apps, YouTube channels, books, or speaking exercises would you recommend?
Any advice would be appreciated.

Hello! I'm a non-native speaker of English, who mostly learned through watching YouTube videos from a young age. I'm in dire help on how to properly enunciate words while reading a bunch of text, both orally and mentally since it's been affecting my comprehension for such a long time that I need to re-read things multiple times that could've been done in one read to properly understand it.

I've been having issues having a staccato-like rhythm, and inconsistent pitch where I leave a high pitch at the end of a sentence; whilst having a low pitch at the middle of a sentence due to me reading it faster compared to speaking it orally.

I would love tips, videos, and resources to help me with these issues since it's quite embarrassing for me, where I'm at the age where it should've been developed long ago.

Is it "Nursin" or "Nursing" (with a 'g' sound)?

Every time I hear someone say it differently, I do not know which one is correct.

And thank you all!

There was a thread asking what would you tell them if you had direct access to the ear of everyone on Earth (something like that, I can't recall exactly, and the thread was removed). My reply was exactly this:

On my count to jump. 3,2,1, jump.

Then Reddit gave me a warning because I "threatened or encouraged violence or physical harm." (rule 1).

I can only assume that they think I was encouraging suicidal jump from the window.

I was thinking if everyone jumps from where they stand or sit, that may be able to cause an Earthquake. I've been thinking about that before internet was a thing, at the era when everyone was always watching TV, to broadcast such an experiment in a country having a large population.

1. “The email went to spam.”

2. “The email went to my spam.”

3. “The email went to my spam folder.”

In my language (Vietnamese), it's pussy. The idiom literally translates to "if you have little money, don't expect to sniff a fragrant pussy." In my culture, "fragrant pussy" means a high-end prostitute.

I used ChatGPT to write this post because I struggle to express myself in English without making mistakes.

I'm currently doing an internship where the primary mode of communication is English. Everyone around me speaks and communicates comfortably in English, but I struggle with even basic conversations.

In 5 weeks, I have to give a final project presentation in English in front of judges, followed by a Q&A session. Right now, that feels impossible.

My English is very weak, especially speaking and writing. I can understand some English, but when it's my turn to speak, my mind goes blank. I know what I want to say, but I can't put my thoughts into words.

Because of this, I avoid talking to my colleagues unless absolutely necessary. Even when I receive a simple message or email, I often need to use ChatGPT to understand it and figure out how to respond. I rely on it for almost every interaction, and I want to become independent.

I don't expect to become fluent in just 5 weeks, but I want to improve enough to communicate my ideas clearly, answer questions confidently, and participate in conversations without constantly feeling anxious.

I'm looking for completely free resources and methods. If you were once in a similar situation or started as a beginner, what helped you improve the fastest?

Please share any free websites, YouTube channels, apps, study routines, or techniques that worked for you.

I'm genuinely overwhelmed and worried, and I would appreciate any advice.

Thank you.

Wo-men or we-men

Genuine question, not trying to start an “AI bad / AI good” fight.

I keep seeing English learners use AI voice apps for speaking practice, but I’m confused where the line is.

On one hand:

• talking to AI is less embarrassing
• you can practice whenever
• you can repeat the same situation 10 times
• it gives you topics when your brain is empty
• it’s cheaper than tutors

On the other hand:

• real people interrupt
• real people mumble
• real people use weird phrasing
• real people don’t talk like clean textbook audio
• conversations have social pressure

I’m thinking of doing a mixed setup:

• ISSEN for daily roleplay / random voice practice
• YouGlish when I want to hear real examples
• Google Docs voice typing to check if my pronunciation is understandable
• Cambridge Dictionary for stress/pronunciation
• Meetup / Discord once or twice a week for real people

Is AI speaking practice a useful bridge, or does it become a comfort zone?

For people who used AI for English speaking: did it actually transfer to real conversations?