Yes -- I think everyone who has attempted to learn a foreign language can identify with you. I think this is a natural stage in the process of language learning. Think about children when they are learning their native language -- you start by understanding. Most small children cannot speak their own native language clearly or rapidly, yet they grow up to do so with ease. The brain must spend a significant amount of time categorizing the sounds of the new language, then the meanings of those new sounds. Finally, it must learn to use the rules it has learned in reverse, to produce new meanings -- all the while refining the rules to that language when it makes mistakes. I believe that given enough exposure, and in relation to the desire of the learner, the brain will do these things for us automatically. I think people can get into trouble when putting pressure on themselves to learn or speak to quickly. Remember, native speakers take upwards of 5-6 years in a language rich environment before they can speak and understand fluently, so give yourself some time.

yes , I also have the same problem. what you said is my concern too. I think you'd better to talk with others more often in the language which you want to learn! so do I . Don't give up, good luck to you ~!

Hello Melody, don't worry pal, i'm having the same problem too. I must admit that I'm neither good at oral and written english but I really try my best to improve it.... sometimes, I find it hard to answer questions but just to share my thoughts to others, I uses simple yet meaningful english. as an english learner, we can't deny the fact that sometimes, we're constructing a 'too cloudy' sentence (i.e. too much vocab, sentence form, etc.) and in the end, we're not actually hitting what the asker want to know from us. A simple english sentence will do as long as you're able to express your true feelings. one of my method is leaning from other answers and try to figure out how the sentence was constructed and look for the definition of the 'unfamiliar' vocabularies. 加油！！！ :)

I'm pretty sure everyone has this problem. When trying to express an issue, take your time at it. How would you express it in Chinese? Then all you need to do is changed it to English. With practice, you'll get the hang of it.

Hi Melody. I have a similar problem learning Italian but this is my advice as an English teacher. To begin, I think that it is very important that you listen to and practise spoken English as often as possible to improve your English pronunciation. You can also click onto Language Partners and Language Teachers at the top of this page and email native speakers to set up a time to practise oral English. Click onto Groups and join one that you like to practise your pronunciation. These sites are also good for listening and pronunciation practice that Italki members recommend. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/
 http://www.elllo.org/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/ http://news.bbc.co.uk/ http://www.usingenglish.com/
 http://www.englishpage.com/
 http://www.sharedtalk.com http://www.tolearnenglish.com/
 http://www.oup.com/elt/global/products/headway/
 http://www.flo-joe.co.uk/
 http://wordweb.info/free