Why I Built the Learn English Practice Tracker

The Problem Nobody Talks About

I know English. I can read documentation. I can write code. I can understand movies (mostly).

But when it comes to speaking at work — expressing my ideas, explaining my opinions, sounding professional — I freeze.

It's not that I don't know what to say. I know exactly what I want to say. The problem is I don't have the words. The right words. The professional words.

My sentences come out boring. Simple. Not confident.

"I think we should... um... do that thing... the feature... you know?"

When what I actually meant was:

"I'd suggest we prioritize this feature in the next sprint since it directly impacts user retention."

Same idea. Completely different impact.

What I Tried (And Why It Failed)

Like everyone, I tried the popular apps.

Duolingo 🦉

Fun. Gamified. Perfect for beginners.

But I'm not a beginner. I don't need to learn "The cat is on the table." I need to learn "Let me walk you through the implementation details."

Duolingo couldn't help me with real work sentences.

ELSA Speak 🗣️

Great for pronunciation. I paid for premium.

But pronunciation wasn't my main problem. I could say words clearly enough. I just didn't know WHICH words to say.

IELTS & TOEIC Prep 📚

I even tried exam preparation materials. Vocabulary lists. Grammar drills.

But here's the thing: I don't need to pass an exam. I need to survive my next team meeting.

IELTS taught me academic words I'll never use. My work doesn't need "paradigm shifts" — it needs "Can we push this to next week?"

The Real Problem

Every tool I tried had the same issue: They taught me what THEY wanted me to learn, not what I actually needed.

I didn't need:

❌ Generic vocabulary
❌ Academic grammar
❌ Exam strategies
❌ Cartoon exercises

I needed:

✅ Real sentences from my actual work
✅ Professional phrases I hear in meetings
✅ Alternative ways to express my ideas
✅ A way to practice and remember them

No tool like that existed.

The Moment I Decided to Build It Myself

One day, I was in a meeting. My manager asked for my opinion on something.

I knew EXACTLY what I thought. I had the analysis in my head. I could have explained it perfectly in Vietnamese.

But in English? I mumbled something. Short. Unclear. Not convincing.

After that meeting, I thought: "This is ridiculous. I'm a developer. If no tool exists, I'll build one."

What I Built (In 1 Week)

I started about 3 months ago. But here's the thing — the actual building took maybe one week.

I didn't need a beautiful app. I didn't need fancy features. I didn't need gamification.

I just needed a simple system:

Save sentences I encounter (from work emails, meetings, documents)
Add multiple versions (formal, casual, alternatives)
Practice them regularly (click a button, track progress)
See my improvement (statistics, history)

That's it. The core function. Nothing fancy.

I built the first version in about 3 months. It was ugly. It worked.

The Three Modes

Work & Life — For real sentences from my day:

"Let me circle back on this"
"Can you walk me through the requirements?"
"I'll follow up by end of day"

Translation — For Vietnamese → English practice:

When I think in Vietnamese but need to speak in English
Multiple English versions for the same idea
Learning that there's always more than one way to say something

Fixing — For correcting my mistakes:

Before: "I am going to home"
After: "I'm heading home"
Learning from my own errors

My Secret Weapon: AI + Practice Tracker

Here's something I didn't expect: AI made this 10x more useful.

When I encounter a situation and don't know how to express it, I ask ChatGPT for variations. Then I save those variations in my Practice Tracker.

Here are the actual prompts I use:

Prompt 1: Vietnamese → English

"Here is my Vietnamese sentence. Please provide several English sentences that express the same meaning. Give me a few versions."

Prompt 2: English → Better English

"Here is my English sentence. Give me a few similar versions — first the closest to the original meaning, then variations in different styles (professional, teamwork, casual, friendly). Reply in English only."

Prompt 3: Situational Phrases

"Give me some sentences that express approval in teamwork, politely."

Then I copy the best versions into my Practice Tracker and practice them until they become natural.

The workflow:

I face a situation where I don't know what to say
I ask AI for variations
I save 3-5 best versions in my tracker
I practice them repeatedly
Next time that situation comes up → I'm ready

This combination — AI for generation, Practice Tracker for retention — changed everything.

Why I Made It Free

This tool was built for myself. For my own struggle. For my own improvement.

But I realized: I'm not the only one with this problem.

There are millions of developers, professionals, and workers who:

Know English grammar (kind of)
Can read and write (at basic level)
But struggle to speak professionally
Can't find the right words in meetings
Feel frustrated that apps don't match their needs

They're everywhere. Vietnam. China. Japan. Brazil. Indonesia.

Working at international companies. Attending English meetings. Feeling exactly what I felt.

If this tool helped me, maybe it can help them too.

So I made it free. Completely free. No premium tier for the English learning features. No "upgrade to unlock."

Just a tool that actually works for what we actually need.

Is It Working?

Yes.

Not because of magic AI or fancy algorithms. But because of something simpler:

I'm finally practicing the sentences I actually need.

When I add a sentence I heard in a meeting, I remember it better. When I practice it 5 times, it sticks. When I see my statistics going up, I feel motivated.

My last few meetings? Better. Not perfect. But better.

I can express ideas more clearly. I have more phrases ready. I sound more professional.

That's all I wanted.

What's Next

The Learn English Practice Tracker is still simple. Still focused on core function.

But I'm thinking about:

AI-powered sentence suggestions — Help generate alternative versions
Spaced repetition reminders — Tell you when to practice
Community sentence library — Learn from what others practice
Audio practice — Hear native pronunciation

But honestly? Even if I never add these features, the core tool already solves my original problem.

And that's enough.

Try It Yourself

If my story sounds familiar — if you struggle with the same things I struggled with — maybe this tool can help you too.

It's free. No credit card. No trial period. Just sign in and start adding sentences.

👉 Start practicing at kairoxbuild.com/learn-english

Add 5 sentences from your last meeting. Practice them. See how it feels.

If it helps, great. If not, you lost nothing but 5 minutes.

Thank You

Thank you for reading my story.

Building in public means sharing the real journey — the frustrations, the failures, and the small wins.

This tool started as a solution for my own problem. If it helps even one other person speak more confidently at work, that's already a success.

Happy learning.

— Leonardo

P.S. If you have suggestions or feedback, email me at [email protected]. I read everything.

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