My english not improving and my cousin looks up to me,what to do?

Question

Hi all . 26 male here.American born of mexican parents. living here 26 years and being an adult now, supposedly i would be good at speaking like many of you out there. but i'm not, I'm not because 1.do't have friends, don't talk since was child 2. i still don't 3. my mind seems slow to process language. Perhaps too ,i'm not good english, because i'm not good at spanish. spanish was my mother tongue, but i don't even speak it well. So, i'm trying to improve my english by learning words and idioms, i really don't know alot of stuff that other people my age know. But thing is, my parents and my cousin, keep saying "Stop saying that, YOU"RE GOOD AT ENGLISH AND SPANISH".. I feel i'm not, and when my cusin who just came from mexico asks me things about english.. i'm to the point now that i just shrug my shoulders and say " i don't know ,ask my sister's husband( he's white american)" My english keeps being simple and that's about all i can speak, even though i've been here for years.

Ok people are misunderstanding my question.

1. I'm not a beginner of english, 26 years in usa and am educated. I'm not a like a kid. i just don't have lot of idioms, or vocab cause I never talk .

2. By saying i dont have friends, i mean i don't have friends at all. No engliish speaking friends, no spanish speaking friends. and i don't talk with my parents much. SO, my spanish is bad too. In fact, if you think my english is bad, my spanish is even worse.

Answer 1

I am 32 years old and have moved to the US in 2002. My American friends think that my English is excellent, but I do not. Why? Because my expectation of myself is too high and unrealistic.

It is unrealistic because, while my American friends compare my English with other people who speak English as a second language, I compare it with people who speak English as their mother language.

I think I am being too hard on myself and feel like you are, too. What do you think?

I think writting is a great way of sharpening ones mind and vocabulary. Please Keep writting, reading, listening, speaking and finding healthy ways to relate to other people. When you do not know the answer(s) to certain questions: rather than saying, ' I do not know' say, 'why do not us find the answer together.

Do not give up there. You are trying to improve your English and life is offering you chances to do so. So benefit from what life offers you. Just be patient and remember to choose some usefull words and phrases to learn everyday and put yourself in different life situtations where you can use what you learn that day so that you can memorize it in your long term memory.

Good luck!

Answer 2

aww don't be too harsh on yourself! i think you're doing a great job already! and you're bilingual, which is really good. a lot of mexicans i know can't even speak in simple english! and a lot of americans aren't bilingual either. english is not my mother tongue either and i've been through a similar situation. i think you've made an important step in realizing that you really want to learn english well. do you read in english a lot? reading definitely helps. and memorizing phrases from books is a big plus. i'd say you can also start with watching sesame street and simple english books. you'd also need a lot of memorization, probably memorize a word or two a day. after you've mastered easier english such as those from sesame street, move up to other cartoons like batman or something, and watch sitcoms. what i also did was listen to the way people speak and mimick it word for word, paying much attention to the tone and sound. also writing diaries will help.
also ask your sister's husband for help if he's willing to.
good luck to you!

Answer 3

First of all, keep a positive attitude. Don't worry too much. Look for English courses around your community. If you know how to use computers well, find an English self-teaching cd from a store. Write essays and ask your family to correct them and the more you practice the better you'll get. According to your question, it seems like you know English but you might have grammar problems. Go to the store and buy grammar books. Read books and using them you're also practicing. Don't feel bad, your wrote your question pretty well with some grammatical errors. Work hard in life and you'll suceed!

Answer 4

You are pretty good at english from what I read. But it sounds like you want to be better. Do not get down on yourself because you have difficulty. English is really hard. I had a much easier time learning spanish grammar than english grammar. And English is my first language!

The only way to improve is to practice. You can read books, magazines and newspapers. Watching TV is good, too. Que tenga buena suerte.

Answer 5

Try taking some ESL (English as a second language) classes. Read and practice practice practice. By the way...your post seems ok...maybe you're just being too hard on yourself. Ive met many "white Americans" who don't speak good english.

Answer 6

In my experience, people who say that they don't speak English well often speak English much better than they give themselves credit for.

You also said that you don't have friends. I'm assuming you're saying that you don't interact on a regular basis with people who speak English. Why don't you try to meet some people that you could practice with? That would probably help you with your English skills and also with your confidence.

Answer 7

Do not give up. If your cousin looks up to you he/she will see that quitting is okay when things do not go your way. Hey you can speak two languages. I can only speak one. I would take an ESL class; I think it will really help you reach your goals of becoming a better English speaker. Good Luck

Answer 8

well you seem to type good enough...but why don't you try taking some English as a Second Language classes at your local communtiy college. That should help you with you english and since you can already speak it you will be a step ahead of everyone else.

Answer 9

If I were you I would talk more to people to who speak English to learn more or watch tv. Si necesitas ayuda mandame un email y yo te ayudo. Spanish is my first language and I learned English by going to school. Now that I have become better at speaking it I lost my fluency in Spanish. Ahora miro las telenovelas para aprender de nuevo. Buena suerte!!

Answer 10

Practice more, by talking with a person in english! I took basic info on tv from cartoon network and tv1000!