my first thought when i saw the gif was “duguna lagaan dena padega”, although sucha lovely piece, the trials and tribulations of grasping a language especially in a country which has it on a pedestal, very succinct writing and props to you for making that effort! i am sure it wasn't easy
Will I be laughed at if I say I find English more comfortable than any other language? I’ve had great English teachers since first grade, which is why English never felt like a chore. My teacher would politely correct me whenever I added a past tense after “did” back in middle school.
When it comes to Hindi, I’m good at it too (let’s just not talk about Hindi as a subject--I can’t deal with the matras). But the problem that arises is with tu/tum/aap, bolo/batao/bataiye, etc, the specific word you use matters a lot, helping verbs too. But in English, it’s mostly the tone that does the job, since “you” stays “you” and “say/tell” stays “say/tell.” It’s just easier.
And yes, I’ve gotten into trouble before because of tu/tum/aap.
And it's not just Hindi, every other language has this tu/tum/aap issue except English.
When I initiate conversations, I do it in English. And if the other person speaks to me in any other language, I become more conscious of what comes out of my mouth.
Also, I love your writing. It flows perfectly--it’s the kind that keeps my attention locked into the story. You're a natural.
it is fine to be more fluent or comfortable in English. It is different for everyone. and you're correct about the point you raised about tu/tum/aap. English is a simple yet confusing for me while for the same reason it is easy for you since you understand it.
But these are languages, a means to communicate. Use them with respect and it is fine. :)
And a big thank you for the kind words you added at the end. It means a lot when someone reads you work and tells you about how it made them feel. This comment made my day. Thank you :)
Once someone said “It was nice meeting you” and I replied “Same to you!” 🫣Over the years my English improved but I still have to keep finding the meaning of new words. Google replaced the good old dictionary though.
Not too proud to admit but the last word I googled was “Skibidi” 😅 Keeping up with GenZ!
Some of this is relatable. We'd wait for minutes before we asked simple questions like, May I go to have a drink of water' coz we wanted to be sure that we were grammatically correct. One kinda sad memory is during a math test ---walked up to the teacher and said, 'I can add and subtract but if you only explain the word problem to me in hindi, I will solve the question.' Third grade. Sadly, for many years one felt dumb. Today though (also sadly) English has opened doors. Lovely post. thanks for sharing your journey.
Most people with English as second language have a similar story. I feel happy every time a non-native English speaker learns that English after all is just a language. Thank you for sharing your struggle with English.
I remember your fear of English well. Be it your will or power of your subconscious to go where you struggle; your consistency paid off damn well bro! 👍🏻
Waah. I could have never guessed you struggled with the language. But i guess that's the case with many students in India. I have always found that people who are proficient in their mother tongue end up being better in english once they get a hold of it. I knew a friend who studied in a marathi medium school till 10th. He has impressive interpretation skills and he writes so well in english now.
I think we need to embrace our own language alongside a foreign one.
Also, thanks for the mention! You unintentionally manifested lol
I enjoyed this piece immensely. In this regard, I’m your opposite ,I’ve always been good at (only) this one subject. Every English teacher I had became a driving force in my growth, which ultimately led me to pursue it further. But to be honest, I use Hindi more often because, why should I sound condescending? (I wasn’t like this before.) There’s so much I want to write, but this piece brought back memories and rekindled my love for the language.
And love the realization that just cos someone is talking in English doesn’t mean you gotta respond in it! (Or Hindi or any other language)
The issue with me is that English has been the language that I’m the most comfortable in and people used to feel pressured to respond in English when speaking with me but I was perfectly OK with them responding in Hindi (the only other language I was properly fluent in).
They thought I’d look down upon them/judge them and in turn ended up harshly judging me for no fault of mine.
Met only a few people over the years who were okay with them speaking in Hindi and me speaking in English without A. Shaming me for not speaking in Hindi B. Accusing me of being pompous for speaking in English
and yes, yours is a similar case though for a different language -- just because someone is more comfortable in English, doesn't mean they are being arrogant / they look down upon other non-English speakers. Sadly though, I found such people lesser than I would've expected.
Considering English as a language above all has affected every person who was humble enough to consider language as a medium only. ones who were comfortable wit English were considered arrogant while the ones who weren't had to feel bad about it.
I'm just happy that I'm over it now (mostly) and I hope others overcome it too :)
And the day everyone starts considering English (and all other languages) simply as a medium of communication, the world will be a lighter place. I understand the diverse range of emotions attached to language and I know it’s not as simple, but oh well. One can hope, right?
Believe me when I say this, we all have faced our issues with English language! Reading this took me to the time when I also read Chetan Bhagat's novels. Coming from English medium, I was confident enough to judge the book and writing of the author. But I lacked public speaking, which I overcame with practice like you did. I too had trouble placing orders! I really Enjoyed the article!
thank you for the appreciation Nikita. English medium added to the pressure, since students around me were better. But glad we all overcame these hardships :)
I completely agree! Everytime I want to refresh, the first thing to read is something which can be done quickly and faster. I ain't concerned with the quantity and quality of language at that moment, but from which I can gain an insightful depth as soon as possible!
I wish this article gets more reach for us(indians) to understand and relate that we all struggle with English at some point and ITS OKAY.
And ya that chetan bhagat part has to be true for most of us.
I've no idea how I missed your comment!
And I hope for the same Mamta -- I just hope we get out of this English hangover soon
I guess you could have achieved your avocado dream much earlier if McD didn't rob you...
Hahahah. Possible
my first thought when i saw the gif was “duguna lagaan dena padega”, although sucha lovely piece, the trials and tribulations of grasping a language especially in a country which has it on a pedestal, very succinct writing and props to you for making that effort! i am sure it wasn't easy
thank you for reading this Janvi! glad you liked it :)
Will I be laughed at if I say I find English more comfortable than any other language? I’ve had great English teachers since first grade, which is why English never felt like a chore. My teacher would politely correct me whenever I added a past tense after “did” back in middle school.
When it comes to Hindi, I’m good at it too (let’s just not talk about Hindi as a subject--I can’t deal with the matras). But the problem that arises is with tu/tum/aap, bolo/batao/bataiye, etc, the specific word you use matters a lot, helping verbs too. But in English, it’s mostly the tone that does the job, since “you” stays “you” and “say/tell” stays “say/tell.” It’s just easier.
And yes, I’ve gotten into trouble before because of tu/tum/aap.
And it's not just Hindi, every other language has this tu/tum/aap issue except English.
When I initiate conversations, I do it in English. And if the other person speaks to me in any other language, I become more conscious of what comes out of my mouth.
Also, I love your writing. It flows perfectly--it’s the kind that keeps my attention locked into the story. You're a natural.
it is fine to be more fluent or comfortable in English. It is different for everyone. and you're correct about the point you raised about tu/tum/aap. English is a simple yet confusing for me while for the same reason it is easy for you since you understand it.
But these are languages, a means to communicate. Use them with respect and it is fine. :)
And a big thank you for the kind words you added at the end. It means a lot when someone reads you work and tells you about how it made them feel. This comment made my day. Thank you :)
Once someone said “It was nice meeting you” and I replied “Same to you!” 🫣Over the years my English improved but I still have to keep finding the meaning of new words. Google replaced the good old dictionary though.
Not too proud to admit but the last word I googled was “Skibidi” 😅 Keeping up with GenZ!
I still don't know what Skibidi means. So you're definitely ahead of me 😁
Some of this is relatable. We'd wait for minutes before we asked simple questions like, May I go to have a drink of water' coz we wanted to be sure that we were grammatically correct. One kinda sad memory is during a math test ---walked up to the teacher and said, 'I can add and subtract but if you only explain the word problem to me in hindi, I will solve the question.' Third grade. Sadly, for many years one felt dumb. Today though (also sadly) English has opened doors. Lovely post. thanks for sharing your journey.
Most people with English as second language have a similar story. I feel happy every time a non-native English speaker learns that English after all is just a language. Thank you for sharing your struggle with English.
My biggest coping mechanism was
I speak more fluently than Pakistani cricket team
Hahahahaha. That's so true
I remember your fear of English well. Be it your will or power of your subconscious to go where you struggle; your consistency paid off damn well bro! 👍🏻
Couldn't have it without you being on my side bhai ❤️
Waah. I could have never guessed you struggled with the language. But i guess that's the case with many students in India. I have always found that people who are proficient in their mother tongue end up being better in english once they get a hold of it. I knew a friend who studied in a marathi medium school till 10th. He has impressive interpretation skills and he writes so well in english now.
I think we need to embrace our own language alongside a foreign one.
Also, thanks for the mention! You unintentionally manifested lol
I think we need to embrace our own language alongside a foreign one. -- so true!
haha. thank you for the compliment!
I didn't manifest unintentionally -- you should write more😁
I enjoyed this piece immensely. In this regard, I’m your opposite ,I’ve always been good at (only) this one subject. Every English teacher I had became a driving force in my growth, which ultimately led me to pursue it further. But to be honest, I use Hindi more often because, why should I sound condescending? (I wasn’t like this before.) There’s so much I want to write, but this piece brought back memories and rekindled my love for the language.
Ah! On the opposite spectrum. I've always envied folks who were good in English. But now I'm good xP
So happy to see that you enjoyed the piece Gargi. Thank you for reading :)
Sir, I'm learning alot from you. 🙏
Thank you for the kind words 🙏🏻
Love the rawness in this piece.
And love the realization that just cos someone is talking in English doesn’t mean you gotta respond in it! (Or Hindi or any other language)
The issue with me is that English has been the language that I’m the most comfortable in and people used to feel pressured to respond in English when speaking with me but I was perfectly OK with them responding in Hindi (the only other language I was properly fluent in).
They thought I’d look down upon them/judge them and in turn ended up harshly judging me for no fault of mine.
Met only a few people over the years who were okay with them speaking in Hindi and me speaking in English without A. Shaming me for not speaking in Hindi B. Accusing me of being pompous for speaking in English
thank you for the appreciation Hargun :)
and yes, yours is a similar case though for a different language -- just because someone is more comfortable in English, doesn't mean they are being arrogant / they look down upon other non-English speakers. Sadly though, I found such people lesser than I would've expected.
Considering English as a language above all has affected every person who was humble enough to consider language as a medium only. ones who were comfortable wit English were considered arrogant while the ones who weren't had to feel bad about it.
I'm just happy that I'm over it now (mostly) and I hope others overcome it too :)
thank you for reading it Hargun :)
Yes, totally agree with you on all points!
And the day everyone starts considering English (and all other languages) simply as a medium of communication, the world will be a lighter place. I understand the diverse range of emotions attached to language and I know it’s not as simple, but oh well. One can hope, right?
Hope is a good thing :)
I haven't understood the joke
Which one?
Believe me when I say this, we all have faced our issues with English language! Reading this took me to the time when I also read Chetan Bhagat's novels. Coming from English medium, I was confident enough to judge the book and writing of the author. But I lacked public speaking, which I overcame with practice like you did. I too had trouble placing orders! I really Enjoyed the article!
thank you for the appreciation Nikita. English medium added to the pressure, since students around me were better. But glad we all overcame these hardships :)
Yeah right! Life seems easy when we are able to place order easily in correct English 😄
hahaha. true!
Love your honesty❤️For me I always think of the word/emotion in Gujrati and then try and find the English word for it.
I wish I could convey what I am trying to say as well as you! Fantastic writing Abhishek!
Thank you so much for the appreciation Aditi, you've been really kind with the words. :)
Funny yet poignant. I feel you and you are motivating me to write about my own struggle with languages.
thank you! I would love to read those :)
I completely agree! Everytime I want to refresh, the first thing to read is something which can be done quickly and faster. I ain't concerned with the quantity and quality of language at that moment, but from which I can gain an insightful depth as soon as possible!
on point Lavina! We've judged them a little too much. They're not that bad.