r/ENGLISH • u/thslightofmine • 6d ago
Problems with Accents
I have an online friend from Scotland. She’s one of the sweetest people I’ve ever had in my life, I love her with all of my heart. But in all of honesty, I’m having hard times, I may only understand like >75% of what she’s saying whenever we have phone/video calls, due to her thick Scottish accent
English is not my first language, I still have a very long way to learn. I have communicated my difficulty with her, and she took it very lightheartedly, telling me to not hesitate to ask her repeat her words if I didn’t catch something. I’m learning to accustom myself with Scottish accent and I’m getting better and better. But it still pains me to this day, knowing that if I may have another friend with accent, I may not understand them right away
Dear native English-speaking people, what do you think / how do you feel when a non-native frequently ask you to repeat the things you said because they didn’t catch it?
And to those who might have similar experience, how do I get better at understanding different accents?
Thank you in advance
12
u/learningENGdaily 6d ago
Even many native English speakers struggle with strong Scottish accents sometimes, so I really wouldn’t take this as a sign that your English is bad.
Accents are a completely separate challenge from general language ability. You can understand English very well overall and still need time to adapt to a specific accent, especially one with different pronunciation patterns or rhythm.
And most native speakers really don’t mind repeating themselves when talking to non-native speakers, especially when they see the other person is making an effort. Your friend’s reaction actually sounds very positive and normal.
The best way to improve is probably exactly what you’re already doing: regular exposure to a real person. Over time, your brain starts recognizing their pronunciation patterns automatically, and things that sounded impossible at first slowly become easier.
Even native speakers sometimes need time to adjust to unfamiliar regional accents, so this is much more common than you think.