People who studied in Korea and then came to America have, in fact, spent over 10 years learning English.

However, when I first arrived in America and a stranger suddenly spoke to me, I found it strangely difficult to respond and my mouth didn't work as I expected.

But living here, I realized that the English learned in Korea and the English used in America have slightly different purposes.

In Korea, we learned a lot of English for exams. We solved grammar problems, memorized vocabulary, and interpreted long sentences.

So when I see an English sentence, I generally understand its meaning.

The problem is speaking.

When an American speaks, I need to listen, understand the meaning, come up with what I want to say, and then say it right away.

All of this has to happen in a matter of seconds.

"I went there yesterday."

"Since it's in the past, it must be in the past tense, right? It's not 'go,' it's 'went.' Does 'to' go before 'there'?"

The moment I think about this, the timing for the conversation has passed.

Americans don't really care if our grammar is a bit off because they know we're not taking an English test.

But we end up closing our mouths for fear of making mistakes.

The same goes for pronunciation. In Korea, we practice reading each English word relatively accurately.

But when I came to America, people don't speak words as clearly as in textbooks.

"Did you eat yet?"

In actual conversation, the words blend together, and I wonder if the English I learned is correct.

On top of that, accents vary by region, young people mix in slang, and in workplaces, there are expressions they use among themselves.

Another issue is the absolute lack of time spent speaking English.

Even if I studied English for 10 years in Korea, how much time have I actually spent talking to someone in English all day?

I attended a few hours of English classes each week, and most of that time was spent listening to the teacher explain.

Studying for the written driving test for 10 years doesn't mean I can drive well.

In the end, I need to get on the road and grab the wheel. English is similar.

The moment when my English starts to improve while living in America is surprisingly unremarkable.

It improves as I order food at restaurants, call the bank, explain things at the auto repair shop, and even argue with Americans at work.

Especially, speaking on the phone is really difficult at first. Without seeing faces or using gestures, it's a struggle.

In the past, even saying "Could you say that again?" made me nervous.

I often pretended to understand just to avoid the embarrassment of not comprehending what the other person said.

Now, if the other person misunderstands me, I find myself saying, "Sorry to interrupt you, but that's not what I'm saying."

Ultimately, the reason English is particularly difficult isn't because I'm not smart or because I learned it incorrectly in Korea.

We have spent a long time studying to 'understand' English, but we haven't trained enough to respond immediately in English.

In America, speaking English fluently doesn't suddenly happen just by memorizing a few more words.

You have to keep speaking even if you make mistakes, ask again if you don't understand, and go through embarrassing experiences dozens of times.

Then one day, while speaking in English, I suddenly realize that I am thinking in English and speaking in English right away.

From that moment on, it seems like real English begins to start little by little.