Do you actually want to “speak from day one,” or does that advice only work after a certain level?

I keep seeing two different camps in language learning:

One says you should speak from day one, even if you sound terrible, because speaking is a skill and you only improve by doing it.

The other says early speaking can be frustrating or even counterproductive because you don’t have enough vocabulary/input yet, so you should build a base first through listening, reading, Anki, grammar, etc.

I’m curious what people here have actually experienced.

For those of you who reached conversational ability in a language:

Did speaking early help you, or did it just make you feel stuck?

And at what point did speaking practice start becoming genuinely useful?

Personally, I’m starting to think the issue isn’t “speak early vs don’t speak early” but whether the speaking practice is scaffolded enough. Like, beginners might need tiny 2-4 word exchanges with lots of support, while intermediate learners need freer conversation.

Would love to hear what worked for you.

submitted by /u/Alarming-Source7457
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