Accept. Except.

Curse. Course.

Affect. Effect.

Perfect. Prefect.

Bird. Beard.

Bare. Bear. Bore.

Be thankful English is your first language.

When it comes down to it, I’m thankful I was taught English from birth. With words like the ones above, I still have trouble sometimes telling them apart at 20, but at least it’s my first language. Of course, I didn’t realize this was important until I started to learn a second language.

In high school, we are all required to take a second language for at least two years. Most of the time, people take French or Spanish, learn how to say ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye,’ maybe a few expressions here and there, and then by the end of the two years we forget it all because we have no need for such a thing. Everyone speaks English, and if they don’t speak English, then they either want to or they are French and expect you to speak French.

Either way, Americans end up with the advantage. We learn the language with the phrasal verbs, the homophones, and with the rules that almost always have an exception.

For example:

1. I before E except after C. Weird, right?

2. Phrases like this: The door is too close to the table to close.

3. And if teachers taught, why don’t preachers praught?

Exactly.

I didn’t realize how confusing English could be until I left the comfort of the United States for the semester to study abroad in Bilbao, Spain. It is no question that studying abroad is one of the most incredible experiences a student can have. It teaches you independence, how to live in another country immersed in another culture, and, in my case, how to speak another language. For me, the language barrier has been one of the greatest challenges I’ve had to overcome. Because no one speaks English here, including my host mother.

I never understood what it felt like to have a language barrier until I left the U.S. to move to Spain. I never understood how terrifying it could be to be lost in a foreign city and not know the right questions to ask or have the vocabulary to find your way back home. And I never understood how humbling it could be to find yourself in a country where you are no longer the one in control, where you are the one with the disadvantage.

Let me put this in perspective.

Every week my friend goes to meet with one or two of the local girls in order to practice her Spanish. They sit and they chat for hours, switching back and forth between English and Spanish that way the two local girls have a chance to practice as well. After class one day, I decided that I was going to join them.

I sat down on the steps of one of the theaters in the old city and jumped into the conversation. All of our sentences would start in one language and end in another, the best version of Spanglish. We found ourselves talking about education and studying abroad, and one of the girls asked my why I was learning Spanish.

I told her because I love the language and honestly, I just enjoy speaking and learning. It’s fun. She chuckled, so I asked her the same question. She told me it was because she had to, because she didn’t have a choice. Everyone speaks English and if she didn’t learn she was limited. If she wanted to go to Germany, she wasn’t going to learn German, she was going to learn English because most people speak English as a second language.

In our world today, Spanish keeps her limited. English gives her freedom.

We as Americans seem to have this idea that if someone comes to the United States, they should know English if they expect to get around. We have little patience for those who can’t speak as quickly as we can and we get frustrated when we can’t understand them.

Well, my friends, English is quite possibly one of the most confusing languages spoken today. And we expect those who come to the United States to learn our language because, well, they should. I think the problem found with that mindset is the lack of patience we have for those who are trying to learn our language. We don’t give them a chance to learn and therefore gain confidence without criticizing them or getting frustrated.

In the United States, we are the ones with the advantage because we have been taught English from birth. But I believe that because we are born advantaged, we are at a disadvantage. We have lost the desire to learn another language, and for that, we are limited.

So the next time you see someone struggling to speak our language, put yourself in their shoes. Imagine if you were the one who couldn't think about how to ask for the price of something (I've been there) or if you struggled to communicate because English is the worst and have a little patience. Remember that you could have just as easily been in their position.

And be thankful that English is your first language.