Speaking Part 1 · Languages You Speak 5 題 Band 7+ 範答 + 語言詞庫

Q1. What languages can you speak?

My main language is Mandarin, which is what I grew up with at school and at home. I also understand Hokkien — Taiwanese, basically — fairly well, although my speaking is a bit rusty because we mostly used it with my grandparents. English I've been learning for years, obviously, and I picked up a little Japanese in university because I was watching too much anime at the time.

Q2. Did you find learning English difficult?

Some parts genuinely, yeah — grammar I was always reasonably comfortable with, since the Taiwanese school system drills it into you. The killer was confidence in speaking. For years I knew the words but froze the moment I had to actually use them, which I think is a really common Taiwanese problem. The fluency only came when I forced myself into messy real conversations.

Q3. Do you think it's important to learn a foreign language?

Increasingly so, in my opinion — even with translation apps getting frighteningly good. Speaking another language genuinely changes how you think; certain ideas just don't translate cleanly, and you only notice that when you've struggled with them. It's also still the fastest way to make foreign friends, which translation tools don't really replicate.

Q4. What's the best way to learn a foreign language?

Honestly, regular small doses beat the heroic six-hour weekend session every time. Twenty minutes a day of something you actually enjoy — a podcast, a Netflix show with subtitles, a chat with a tutor — outperforms a thick textbook you only open in a panic. The trick is making the language part of your normal week, not a separate project.

Q5. Would you like to learn another language in the future?

Probably Spanish, if I had the time — it opens up huge chunks of the world, from Latin America to Spain itself, and the grammar isn't as terrifying as people make out. I've also flirted with the idea of brushing up on my Hokkien properly, which feels embarrassing for a Taiwanese person to say, but it's true.

Band 6: I can speak Chinese and English. Chinese is my mother tongue. English is my second language and I have been learning it for many years.

Band 7+: My main language is Mandarin, which is what I grew up with at school and at home. I also understand Hokkien — Taiwanese, basically — fairly well, although my speaking is a bit rusty because we mostly used it with my grandparents. English I've been learning for years, obviously, and I picked up a little Japanese in university.