It's Not Your English That's Poor; You're Just a 'Pseudo-Chef' Who Hoards Recipes

Does this sound like you?

You've studied English for over a decade, gone through countless vocabulary books, and can recite grammar rules backwards and forwards. But the moment you actually need to speak, your mind goes blank, and after struggling for ages, you can only manage to squeeze out, "Fine, thank you, and you?"

We always assume it's because our vocabulary is insufficient, our pronunciation is poor, or our grammar is terrible. But the truth might be completely different.

Today, I want to offer you a fresh perspective: learning English is actually like learning to cook.

Why Do You Always Find Yourself Tongue-Tied?

Imagine you want to become a master chef. So, you buy all the world's top recipes. You know 'The French Cuisine Bible' by heart, you have a perfect grasp of the definitions of 'blanching' and 'confit', and you can even draw the molecular structure of spices with your eyes closed.

But you have one problem: you've never actually stepped into a kitchen.

This is the predicament of most English learners. We are "recipe collectors," not real "chefs."

• Hoarding recipes, but never acting on them: We frantically memorise words and cram grammar, much like collecting recipes. But language is meant to be used, not just looked at. Not speaking is like locking precious ingredients (vocabulary) and exquisite utensils (grammar) in a cupboard, letting them gather dust.
• Afraid of messing up, afraid to light the stove: Afraid of making mistakes, of mispronouncing, of the other person not understanding... Just like a novice chef, always worried about burning the food or adding too much salt, so they don't even dare to light the stove. But which master chef didn't start by burning a few dishes? Making mistakes is part of cooking (and speaking).
• Monotonous dishes, bland expressions: Even if you pluck up the courage to speak, it's always those few phrases: "It's good." "It's interesting." Just like a chef who, no matter what they cook, only seasons it with salt. Your conversations are dull and tasteless, not because you lack ideas, but because you haven't learned to use richer "seasonings" (vivid vocabulary and sentence structures) to present your thoughts.

Look, the issue isn't that you don't have enough "recipes"; it's that you've never truly stepped into the kitchen to cook a dish with your own hands, for yourself or for others.

How to Transform From a 'Recipe Collector' to a 'Kitchen Maestro'?

Stop just observing without practicing. Real growth happens in every instance of lighting the stove, every stir, every taste.

Step One: Start with the simplest dish – Talk to yourself

No one expects you to make Buddha Jumps Over the Wall on day one. Start with the simplest "fried egg."

Spend a few minutes every day describing in English what you're doing, what you see, and how you feel.

"Okay, I’m making coffee now. The water is hot. I love the smell."

This might sound a bit silly, but this is your "kitchen simulator." It allows you, in a zero-pressure environment, to familiarise yourself with your utensils (grammar), use your ingredients (vocabulary), and get your brain accustomed to thinking with this new "cooking logic" – English.

Step Two: Enter a real kitchen – Chat with real people

After practicing alone for a while, you'll want to know how your dish tastes. You need to find a friend willing to "taste" your cooking.

This might have been difficult in the past, but now, the world is your kitchen.

Find a language partner, or join an online community. The key is to find a real environment that allows you to practice consistently. Here, you might encounter a challenge: What if, mid-conversation, you suddenly can't recall a crucial "ingredient" (word)? The atmosphere instantly turns awkward, and the conversation grinds to a halt.

This is like realising you're missing a seasoning while cooking. What would a smart chef do? They'd use a tool.

This is why we recommend tools like Intent. It's like an AI master chef whispering in your ear. When you get stuck, it can translate for you in real-time, allowing you to seamlessly find that word and keep the conversation flowing. You no longer have to ruin an entire precious "cooking" experience because of a small vocabulary issue. It lets you focus on the joy of communication, not the pain of looking up words in a dictionary.

Step Three: Enjoy the joy of creation, not the pursuit of perfection

Remember, the goal of learning English isn't to utter grammatically 100% perfect sentences, just as the goal of cooking isn't to replicate Michelin-star restaurants.

The goal is to create and to share.

It's about using your language to share an interesting story, to express a unique perspective, and to form a real connection with someone from a different cultural background.

When you shift your focus from "I mustn't make mistakes" to "I want to connect," you'll find that speaking suddenly becomes easy and natural. The other person isn't concerned about whether your tenses are correct, but about the sincerity in your eyes and the enthusiasm in your words.

So, stop being that "pseudo-chef" trembling with a recipe book in hand.

Step into your kitchen, light the stove, and boldly "cook" your thoughts into language. Even if the first dish is a bit salty, and the second a bit bland, as long as you keep doing it, one day, you'll create a delicacy that will amaze the world.

What will be your first dish?