I knew the words. I just couldn't say it.
Standing in front of the bingsu cafe, I could read every word in the menu. 딸기, 애플망고, 초코악마 — no problem.
But when it came time to actually order out loud? My brain just... stalled.
This isn't new for me. It happened with French too, the first time I spoke to a native speaker.
Years of studying and suddenly I couldn't get a single sentence out. My Korean friend had to push me to actually speak and take our orders, just so I could get the practice in.
Here's the thing nobody tells you: knowing vocabulary and being ABLE to speak are two completely different skills. One lives in your head. The other lives in your mouth, your nerves, your confidence.
The only way through it? Speaking anyway. Messy, awkward, mistake-filled speaking. Every single time.
So if you're stuck in that same freeze — you're not bad at the language. You're just missing reps of actually opening your mouth.
Order the bingsu. Say the wrong word. Get corrected. Try again. Speak over and over, until it isn’t scary anymore.