Finding My Voice in English

When I started learning English seriously, I thought grammar rules would be the hardest part. I was wrong. The real challenge turned out to be sounding natural — using the right collocations, understanding idioms, and mastering phrasal verbs that native speakers use without even thinking about it.

During the first few weeks, I focused mainly on vocabulary lists and grammar exercises. I could read academic texts fairly well, but as soon as I tried to have a casual conversation, I got stuck. Native speakers would say things like "I need to catch up on my emails" or "Let's touch base tomorrow," and I had no idea what they meant, even though I knew every individual word.

That's when I realized fluency isn't just about knowing words — it's about knowing how words work together. Idioms carry cultural meaning that can't be translated literally. Phrasal verbs often replace more formal single verbs in everyday speech. And collocations, the natural word partnerships like "make a decision" or "take a break," are what make sentences sound authentic instead of awkward.

Over the following weeks, I started keeping a notebook. Every time I heard an unfamiliar expression in a podcast or a TV show, I wrote it down along with an example sentence. Slowly, my speaking became more relaxed. I stopped translating in my head and started thinking in chunks of language instead of isolated words.

Of course, progress wasn't always steady. Some weeks felt like I was going backwards, especially when I tried to use new expressions in real conversations and got them wrong. But each mistake taught me something. Reaching a strong B2 level, I now understand, is less about perfection and more about consistency — showing up every day, listening carefully, and being brave enough to make mistakes out loud.

My Journey Towards Fluent English

Include:

• your progress from Weeks 37 to 39;
• the importance of idioms, phrasal verbs and collocations;
• your biggest challenges;
• your strategy for reaching B2;
• a motivating conclusion.