Hello! I need advice on how to improve my korean urgently because I've tried so many things and nothing seems to work for me, maybe its just me lol
So I have been studying korean for like 5 years, I came to korea 4 years ago and I work and live here. I have TOPIK 5, and my listening and reading are really good. When it comes to work meetings I struggle a lot to understand because they just talk too fast and they use so many weird vocabulary but I am trying and slowly learning the vocabulary so maybe with time the meetings will be easier
Now, the real problem is when it comes to output. I struggle a lot with writing and speaking. I studied most of the grammar forms, I know how to use them and what they mean, when they are spoken to me I get it, but when it comes to me having to use it, it just feels like I dont know anything.
When writting I can manage if I am given time but by far the worst is my speaking. Simple day to day things are ok but forming complex sentences and explaining long things even if they are easy concepts I struggle a lot. I feel like I speak like a kindergartener lol
So I feel stuck, I've tried personal tutors, I have tried language exchange with my friends, I've tried studying by myself but I end up just going over the grammar and like studying for TOPIK all over again. And not improving.
I need advice, recommendations, hope, witchcraft lol anything that you think might help me get out of this level I am stuck at.
Please if any of you guys can help me out I would be eternally grateful.
I would recommend putting yourself in situations where you can’t speak anything but English. I went to the local culture center and took a calligraphy class. I was with a ton of old ladies and men, and maybe one 35-year-old who knew no English. After class, we’d go to the pub and talk and drink, I’d meet her friends, we went on weekend trips. My sentences were short at first, but they got longer. I worked harder to communicate. You can look up words and sentences in Korean while talking, it’s okay. You will get exhausted after an hour or two. Power through it. Don’t stop. Keep putting yourself in those situations. It 100% helps.
Don’t you mean Korean?😅
After work, think of one or two situations from your day where you wish you had responded more smoothly. Write down an ideal response that you wish you had given, and practice saying it out loud several times. The goal is to build your mouth's muscle memory so you can use those words and grammar forms automatically, so they come out more naturally at work.
Pick a few grammar point per week or day then intentionally try to use them in both written and spoken communication. Once you’re comfortable writing it fast without overthinking its usage, speaking will become a lot easier. This is a bit easier said than done since some grammar points feel so niche
If you have a language exchange friend (preferably one with low/no English ability) I would also pick a subject daily and force yourself to talk in depth about it. Ask eachother questions that force you to expand on your points, ask your friend how they would reword what you said. Personally I hate doing this and get a migraine every time, but it definitely works
The only thing that ever worked for me, regarding any of the 6 languages I speak, was to isolate myself with non-English speakers. Some languages, I had anacademic background in, others I just picked up along the way, but the only road to fluent SPEAKING is speaking. Speak it to yourself at home. Speak it to your friends and fam who don't know a word your saying. Just answer everything in Korean first, then English. Best of luck.
I'm in Australia, and I always tell incoming international uni students to always start speaking English with their classmates/friends they meet. For people who start speaking their native language with their classmates/friends immediately, they find it incredibly difficult/awkward to try to switch to English afterwards. I'd imagine it would be the same in Korean.
So I'd recommend starting in Korean with any new people you meet, and persevere through the struggles. That's the only way you'd get regular, real-world speaking practice. Language exchange, tutors, etc., can be quite artificial and not reflect how people speak in everyday situations.
That said, you mentioned simple day-to-day things are fine, but complex sentences are difficult. I like /u/SluggyMoon's idea of writing down your ideal response and practising it. Perhaps you can also just try to express in Korean things you've said using your native language... though try to avoid "translating" it to Korean, rather, use the base ideas and try to form the Korean sentences "directly".
I wonder, though, how much of it is because professional/work language is different from everyday language. I grew up speaking Mandarin Chinese, but all my uni/professional education is in English. When I worked in Taiwan for a couple of years, I felt like a total expat Chinese learner. I can speak about everyday things, but I struggled with business/professional language for quite a while... so there's a chance you need to pick up more of the professional language that's not used in everyday context.
Topik 5 is solid, you've got the foundation for sure. I bet your passive vocab and grammar is massive but the active side is way smaller. More grammar books or topik prep won't fix it, that just stacks the passive pile higher. Since tutors burned you out, try retrospective scripting. After a meeting or chat where you got stuck, write down exactly what you wanted to say. Look up the phrasing for that situation, then practice saying it out loud till it's automatic. You gotta train your mouth to use all that grammar you already know in your head. Don't stress the work meetings too much either. Business Korean has all that jargon, like hanja-based terms you miss in regular study. Learn the 50-100 words your company repeats a ton, and it'll click way faster.