What a Street Vendor Knows About Confidence That English Learners Don’t
Every time I travel to cities like Manali, Delhi, or Mumbai, I notice something that English learners rarely talk about.
Street vendors.
Tea sellers, fruit vendors, souvenir sellers, taxi drivers, auto drivers, small shop owners — people who never went to English-speaking schools, never joined confidence-building workshops, never watched “How to Speak Fluent English” videos.
And yet, when foreigners walk up to them, they show up with absolute confidence.
A street vendor in Manali doesn’t panic when a tourist asks, “How much is this?”
He doesn’t apologise for his accent.
He doesn’t say, “Sorry my English is weak.”
He just responds.
“Hundred rupees.”
“Very good quality.”
“You come, I show you.”
“No problem, tomorrow also open.”
That’s it.
Taxi drivers do the same.
“Where you go?”
“I take you.”
“Twenty minutes.”
“Good place, very famous.”
No grammar anxiety.
No fear of judgment.
No overthinking.
They speak functional English, not perfect English.
They speak with purpose, not permission.
And here’s the amusing part.
Most English learners I meet are more educated than these vendors.
They know tenses.
They know vocabulary.
They can explain grammar rules.
But they hesitate.
They wait until their English becomes “good enough.”
They rehearse sentences in their head.
They fear mistakes.
Street vendors don’t.
Because they’re not trying to impress.
They’re trying to communicate.
They don’t think, “Will this work?”
They think, “Let me try.”
And it works — every single day.
Tourists understand them.
Money is exchanged.
Conversations happen.
Life moves on.
That’s the lesson.
Confidence doesn’t come from polishing English in private.
It comes from using imperfect English in real life.
If it works for a fruit seller talking to foreigners from five countries,
it will work for you in an interview, a meeting, or a conversation.
Stop asking whether it will work.
Street vendors already answered that question for you.
It works — when you show up.
