Learning English Conversations Beating Speaking Anxiety: 3. I’m scared I won’t understand people
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Feb 2, 2026 Erhan Aslan, Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics at the University of Reading, shares research-based perspectives on why learners struggle to understand real-life speech. The conversation covers accents and limited exposure, the shock of fast natural speech, and practical ways to practice with unscripted listening and handle not-understanding in conversation.
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Shock Of Real-World English
- Lenka describes arriving in London and finding real-life English much harder than classroom English.
- She nearly cried at the airport after missing a connecting flight because she couldn't understand staff.
Misreading Everyday Phrases
- Hanan shares how native everyday phrases surprised her when she first moved to London.
- She often had to guess meanings when people spoke quickly, and guesses were frequently wrong.
Proficiency Limits Real-Life Use
- Erhan explains that insufficient proficiency blocks performing real-life tasks in English.
- He links fast natural speech and listening anxiety to reduced real-world language use.