Learning English

Jack

Sept. 4, 2025

I first learned English in my first year of middle school. When I studied at a technical secondary school, English was also taught, but I didn’t study it diligently.
After I started working, I stopped learning English because I no longer needed to use it.
Around 2000, I bought a personal computer. The computer used English as its system language. Whenever it had something wrong, I had no idea because I had forgotten everything I learned in school.
I found it difficult to use the computer, so I decided to learn some simple words or phrases related to computers.
In September 2019, I was no longer the head of a department, which meant I didn’t have so many things to deal with. As a result, I had a lot of free time.
I didn’t want to waste my spare time. After much thought, I decided that the only thing I could do safely was to learn English (government employees are not allowed to engage in personal activities during work hours).
My goal in learning English this time was to speak it fluently, unlike in school, where I only studied to pass exams.
In the first year, I had no experience. I still learned English the same way as I did in school. I quickly realized that it was ineffective for improving my speaking.
In the second year, I focused on writing, believing that if I could write well, I could speak well. I wrote hundreds of essays, but I still felt that my speaking had not made any progress.
Thus, I booked online classes to talk to English speakers. I knew this approach from the very beginning when I decided to learn English, but I was reluctant to spend money—I just wanted to speak English through willpower and hard work. Unfortunately, I failed.
Now, I write in English from time to time and take online classes regularly. I also listen to English podcasts and watch short English videos. As a result, I feel that my English has made significant progress.

en 1

Correct

Corrections

pshedron

Learning English

I first learned English in my first year of middle school.

When I studied at a technical secondary school, English was also taught, but I didn’t study it diligently.

After I started working, I stopped learning English because I no longer needed to use it.

Around 2000, I bought a personal computer.

The computer used English as its system language.

Whenever ~~it had~~ something went wrong, I had no idea (what happened) because I had forgotten everything I learned in school.

I found it difficult to use the computer, so I decided to learn some simple words orand phrases related to computers.

In September 2019, I was no longer the head of a department, which meant I didn’t have so many things to deal with.

As a result, I had a lot of free time.

I didn’t want to waste my spare time.

After much thought, I decided that the only thing I could do safely was to learn English (government employees are not allowed to engage in personal activities during work hours).

My goal in learning English this time was to speak it fluently, unlike in school, where I only studied to pass exams.

In the first year, I had no experience.

I still learned English the same way as I did in school.

I quickly realized that it was ineffective for improving my speaking.

In the second year, I focused on writing, believing that if I could write well, I could speak well.

I wrote hundreds of essays, but I still felt that my speaking had not made any progress.

Thus, I booked online classes to talk to English speakers.

I knew this approach from the very beginning when I decided to learn English, but I was reluctant to spend money—I just wanted to speak English through willpower and hard work.

Unfortunately, I failed.

Now, I write in English from time to time and take online classes regularly.

I also listen to English podcasts and watch short English videos.

As a result, I feel that my English has made significant progress.

Feedback

I should probably book classes with native speakers of my own target language as well...

Learning English