Many intermediate English learners reach a frustrating point where their English doesn’t feel as strong as it used to. You understand most conversations, but speaking feels slower, and words don’t come as easily. You might even start wondering if your English is actually getting worse.

In most cases, this isn’t about ability; it’s about lack of practice.

In this lesson, you’ll learn 8 natural English idioms that native speakers use to talk about losing practice, confidence, or fluency. These expressions will help you describe how you feel more accurately and naturally, without saying “my English is bad.”

More importantly, this lesson serves as a reminder that language skills don’t disappear; they simply need to be used. With consistent practice, even for just a few minutes a day, your confidence and fluency can return faster than you think.

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8 Idioms for Weakening Skills

Here are 8 natural expressions you can use to talk about losing fluency, confidence, or skill in English. These range from common phrases to idioms that will help you sound more natural and accurate when explaining how you feel.

1. 🛠️ To be rusty

Definition: To have lost some ability because you haven’t practiced in a while.
Example: “I can understand English well, but I’m a bit rusty when I speak.”

2. 🏃‍♂️ To be out of practice

Definition: To no longer perform a skill well because you haven’t used it recently.
Example: “I used to speak English every day, but now I’m out of practice.”

3. 📉 To be slipping

Definition: To slowly lose ability or performance over time.
Example: “I feel like my English is slipping because I don’t practice regularly.”

4. 🧠 Not as sharp as (you used to be)

Definition: To feel mentally slower or less confident than before.
Example: My English isn't as sharp as it used to be because I don't use English at my work anymore.

5. 🔁 If you don’t use it, you lose it

Definition: A common saying meaning skills disappear without regular practice.
Example: I stopped listening to English podcasts, and now my vocabulary is decreasing. If you don’t use it, you lose it.”

6. ⏳ To be past my prime

Definition: To feel like your best performance was in the past (often emotional or exaggerated).
Example: Sometimes I feel like I’m past my prime with English, because I feel too old to learn new vocabulary.

7. 💪 To be out of shape

Definition: To feel unprepared or weak because of a lack of use or training.
Example: Speaking English for an hour feels exhausting now because my skills are a bit out of shape.

8. 📚 A lack of practice

Definition: Not practicing enough to maintain or improve a skill.
Example: My pronunciation problems come from a lack of practice, not from a lack of ability.

Watch the 8 Idioms in Action

Now that you’ve learned 8 new idioms, it’s time to see how they sound in real-life situations!
Watch the short skit below to hear how native speakers use these expressions naturally in conversation.

🌟 To Wrap Things Up

Feeling like your English is getting weaker can be frustrating, especially when you know you’ve reached an intermediate level. But as you’ve seen in this lesson, these feelings usually come from a lack of practice — not a lack of ability. Your English isn’t “bad”; it’s just a little out of shape.

Now you have 8 natural idioms that native speakers use to describe this exact experience. Use them to talk about your English or other skills more accurately and confidently, without putting yourself down. Review the expressions, rewatch the skit, and try using one or two of these idioms in your next conversation or writing task.

Remember: language skills don’t disappear — they wake back up when you use them. With small, consistent practice, your confidence and fluency can come back faster than you think. 🍑

Ready to Master Using English Idioms?

If you’d like more support practicing these idioms — and many more — I’d love to invite you to join my English Fluency Community. Inside the community, you’ll get full access to my English Idioms Course, along with tools to help you actually use what you learn.

📘 What Does the Idioms Course Include?

💡 Clear, in-depth explanations of each idiom
💬 More examples used in real-life contexts
🧩 Interactive quizzes to check your understanding
🗣️ Speaking and writing activities with Peach, my AI Chatbot — so you can practice using these idioms and prepare for real conversations

🍑 The English Fluency Community Also Includes:

✔️ Access to all my English courses (updated regularly)
✔️ Daily English practice activities (listening, reading, writing, and speaking)
✔️ Unlimited access to the Peach AI Chatbot
✔️ A FREE Ticket to all premium events

💸 Unlock all of this for just $5 a month.
👉 Join the Fluency Community here

📩 Have Questions?

If you’d like to learn more about the fluency community or my English classes, feel free to reach out:

📧 Email: [email protected]
📱 WhatsApp: +57 324-200-7291

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