How do I retain my English level?

Do you speak English at your job? Perhaps start a podcast.

We have a discord for language learners. Of course you might not need it that much at your level to learn vocabulary, but you could keep your English sharp among other learners and natives. We communicate via games or just banter. Maybe interested?

My fucking god, C2. Good job there, fucking hell is that even possible?

I can 100% relate to this tbh. For the last two years I was in an environment where I practiced my English skills every day, both in terms of communication and grammar, so I always was being challenged and my English was at its most fluent. Then I noticed that almost as soon as I left that environment those skills started to rust. Suddenly I'm using awkward expressions that when I re-read them seem off, I use a "to" where a "for" is needed, an "in" where a "on" is grammatical, etc. I also noticed my accent isn’t as "natural" either, certainly not as natural as when I practiced my speaking skills everyday. Overall I try not to worry too much about this tho, because I don't have an external pressure to communicate at my best now. Some things might fade but I think language proficiency is like riding a bike, once you really understand it you never really forget it, even if you lose practice. I wouldn't worry too much if I were you either since C2 is the highest certification and it shows your skills are already at a very high level, most jobs or colleges will ask for a B2 level if they ask at all, so your level is more than enough. If for personal reasons you really feel you need to keep pushing yourself, maybe you could try joining environment where your skills are always being challenged? Discord servers, VC on online games, joining writting projects, etc. The internet is very American-centric so most English speaking communities will be full of natives. You could also give lessons if you have the time, both tutoring or in a classroom setting. You'll keep your skills sharp and make some money too! All in all, as others have pointed out, I wouldn't overthink it too much, English in its entirety will not evaporate from your head if you don't use it everyday.

Just use Reddit or some other networks to speak Americano from time to time and you'll be fine

Joy

Everything is in English these days even if you try to forget it you won't be able to

You can just move to an English speaking country and speak English daily with native speakers. I am obviously kidding - I do understand that it’s not that easy. When I needed to sort of keep my French in shape and I had no access to native speakers, I listened to podcasts and songs in French - it definitely wasn’t enough.

I agree with Hueyris. Additionally, though, I would say that if you're really worried about keeping your English language proficiency up, maybe writing a short story in English, or just conversing with English speakers online is the best way to go (outside of consuming content in the language or going on holiday to an English speaking country). Or if you're just looking for a new "goal", how about taking a look at different accents and improving your ability to understand those, if some cause trouble for you?

Just use it. Write in it, only listen to stuff in English, and most of all try and speak it every day.

Visit the UK for a holiday? Watch Black Butler dubbed?

Exposure. You just need to keep using the language. There are so many ways to do this and I don't know what works for you specifically, so I can't really recommend any one way. That said, spending time on Reddit may degrade your English proficiency 🤣

Uae the language to do what you always wanted to do.

Music and poetry. Seek out songs in English you enjoy, and learn all of the words. Then, start using phrases from those songs in conversation. My guess is that you don't want to just speak *perfect* English, you want to speak _natural_ English. The true masters of a language are not the C2 certificate holders, but the poets.

Hey pal, congratulations for your efforts! I got B2 level in 2021 (Cambridge certification too), but I really hope that I could improve my English in C1. I am currently unable to afford for an advanced English course, so I am forced to fall back on self-study for now.

You have to use it.

Why did you get it in the first place? What's your end goal? As long as you practice it every day you will never lose it. English has become my native language so to say. I don't speak my native language anymore. Make that your goal.

English is such a common language that is spoken that it's not just something you'll lose. Try to speak it daily, maybe to yourself, read anything (like news) in English, and of course, your favorite videos in English.

I also just passed the exam but I've yet to go to the Cambridge center to get the physical certificate. One mildly frustrating thing is that I was one point short of getting an A, but I'm still pretty happy with a B (I mean, it's still C2 hehe). Anyways, congrats on reaching C2! I also struggle with finding the right words, especially when I'm nervous or stressed, but I'm pretty sure even natives experience this so I wouldn't sweat it too much. Just keep reading books and talking to people in English and I doubt you'll ever lose your fluency.

Why did you learn English to begin with? Did you just learn it to pass an exam? I’m inclined to believe that this isn’t the case; you must have had a more practical goal in mind. Books you’d like to read? Cultures you’d like to explore? A program you were hoping to enroll in?

I seriously doubt language proficiency is something that can be lost, just like learning how to ride a bicycle. If you're still concerned, I suggest using the language on a daily basis in order to retain the proficiency.

How to get this certificate? I'd like to get it

The phrase “use it or lose it” comes to mind.

Take up another language. This will reset your goals. Pick something difficult, like mandarin.

Yes you can lose a language and practice practice practice practice 

The only way to not lose it is to use it. Speaking, writing, communicating however you can is all helpful. Rather than getting 'better' at it, you'll become more comfortable and pick up more dialect and slang words to sound like a natural.

The only way to stay proficient at a language is to use it every day.

> I have no goal and am just mindlessly consuming content in English Congrats, you are a true native speaker now!

Use the internet! A lot of it is in English.

I have recently experienced the same dilemma. I reckon it’s because of Dopamine deficit. While trying to attain a target our and making progressive everyday our brain releases dopamine. And once you attain the target, your brain will start feeling the adverse effect of lack of dopamine. This will take atleast 2-3 weeks for your brain to reset and rewire, then your brain will come back to nominal levels. Again the hunt begins, once it’s back to normal levels, you need to find your next target and focus all your energies on that, not only the End result even the journey of ups and downs can trigger dopamine levels.

I’m sorry, *C2*? That’s wonderful, you’re operating on a level comparable to a well-spoken native! My recommendation is to constantly consume media and speak with others using English. Language proficiency is akin to a muscle and it can get weaker if you don’t use it. Once again, congratulations!

Like other folks noted, yes, you can lose fluency, vocabulary and confidence speaking the acquired language. If you move abroad to a country where English is king, mind your command of your native language, as it will suffer too! Trust me, I speak from experience.

Everything will be alright Practice makes everything perfect Don't pay much attention to that

First off good job. That test is likely one of the most difficult second language tests in the world(I haven’t had to take it for obvious reasons) and you passed it. Welcome to the Anglo-sphere. Secondly, do not worry too much about language fading, if you speak it enough, and you’ve had enough exposure to take and pass a test like this, such that you’re C2 you’re not gonna just forget shit. It’ll always be there. Because while you can unlearn things it depends on how much you’ve used them and for things like language that is… very hard. Very very very hard. Possible, but hard. Don’t sweat your accent, people will just be who they are and if they notice it whatever, it’s fine. On the topic of consuming information, just enjoy the chaos that is the modern gen z English speaking internet. It’s pretty chaotic and you might find things you like(like gaming communities, funny memes and art) things you really really don’t(like politics, or ragebait, or just twitter.). You don’t need to direct your attention anymore you can just exist on the English speaking internet, as much as you do your native language’s internet vibing.

How does one take such a language certificate test or whatever it is called??

As someone who also passed the CPE test, my experience is that the English needed to pass that exam won't probably be the one you use the most. It's unlikely you'll be using any fancy words or figuring out the order of a text from cohesive devices only anytime soon, so just have fun with the language! I'm a translation student and the things needed to pass that exam aren't even that relevant, the syllabus for the Cambridge exams isn't representative at all of what speaking a language really is imo. My way of engaging with the language outside formal studies is using reddit tbh, the communities are fun and there's always some good tea available. You can read books, watch videos, change the language of your favorite videogame and see how the experience changes for you, basically anything you usually enjoy but in English! It is one of the most spoken languages after all so the vast majority of entertainment available is just around the corner, if you know where to look :>

Hwo much is this cost bro?

Congratulations 🎉

I envy you. I am only at b2..but with bit of formal education like cram school i think i can get a c1. If i may, how did you practice your speaking and wiriting? I am 7 at listening and 7.5 reading but lower at other two.

Can you just fucking vibe for some time. What scares me is reaching you level and not being able to enjoy it. Please do it lol

I mean, I don't think you could lose a language. Language attrition usually takes years upon years, and even then, it is never complete, and you never lose anything that couldn't be gained back with a bit of exposure. Once you speak a language, generally, you speak it for life. It is like learning to skate or ride a bike. You don't lose the ability to do it. C2, I believe, is the highest level of proficiency you can attain in any language, congratulations. > been having troubles with my accent slipping up Unless you are on an undercover mission or if you're an actor, I don't see how this is a problem? > am just mindlessly consuming content in English Me too brother, me too

Keep praticing and if you have a chance Go pratice abroad, that Will help a lot

live like a english native. speak in english to your children. watch all the movies in english without subtitles and read books in english

Its pretty hard to lose a language, but if you wanna improve passively make some friends that only speak english and play games with them, you're also more likely to learn slang this way as slang is usually more organic in form and hard to teach in schools!

C2, nice, mad respect for that... any loss you may experience comes at a very slow rate so don't worry too much. Even native speakers don't ever stop learning their own language. It's a journey there's no real finish line here. There are a couple of very obvious yet effective ways to make sure you don't become rusty: 1) Do some creative writing. Even Reddit itself goes a long way in that respect. It's a forum you can write a long-form reply to anyone on whatever topic. Dive into whatever you're interested in and hang around discussion forums. You'll be fine. 2) Read literature. It could be fiction, non-fiction, whatever. Audiobooks help too. 3) If you have friends who are native speakers of English just talk to them once in a while. It could be just chit-chat or deeper topics. 4) If you come across something you're not sure of while reading or listening to something in English always look it up. I do it constantly myself, it's a force of habit. I hate ambiguity in comprehension. That's the best you can do, unless you have a job that's connected with knowing English then that's even better. Good luck on your future endeavors.

Oh wow the certificate looks so much cooler, I did my C2 in June 2019 and instead of having that greenish tint it’s red. Honestly in the last 6 years my level hasn’t diminished a single bit, it’s all about reading and just doing everything in English lol

I got my C2 8 years ago, and I can honestly say that I've lost a lot of fluency and vocabulary. That's even while working in english and consuming 95% of media content in english. The thing is, I think we'll never go to a B2 level again even if we don't say a single word of english ever again. Our baseline is too high. The only way to retain that level is to keep practicing as you were doing leading up to the exam, but the truth is that there is 0 reason you should have such a high english level unless you're a teacher or something.

>feels as though I'm putting in too much thought and effort into finding words to express my thoughts I've been speaking English for most of my life, and I still feel like this all the time. I was looking for a word today for a few minutes and couldn't find what I wanted, so I had to resort to French. And I don't even speak French.

Master, how to break b1 plato?