Nothing to loose

The other day I was chatting with a friend and, knowing he had lived abroad, I suggested talking in English to practice. He cheerfully agreed. So I started speaking English, and when it was his turn to speak, he answered in Portuguese. He said he would do it until he felt comfortable enough to risk speaking English.

This reminded me of when I was studying English in my teens at a regular English course. The teacher would divide the class into groups, assign a task, and afterward each group would choose one member to present it to the class. I was generally the one chosen, and in most cases I happily accepted. It was both a challenge and an opportunity to speak English.

I also remember going back home from class and, during my bus commute, practicing a silent conversation in English with myself. I wasn't sure if that was a solid practice, but that's what I did when I had no one to practice with.

I can definitely relate to my friend's fear of exposing himself. But there is also a silver lining: he is improving his exposure to the language and refining his listening skills. Who knows? Maybe next time he feels more comfortable and starts answering in English too? That would be awesome.