Learning English one TikTok at a time
Mary Gomes’s 220,000 followers are now her teachers.
Embedded is your essential guide to what’s good on the internet, written by Kate Lindsay and edited by Nick Catucci.
We should ban TikTok just for the people being mean in Mary’s DMs. —Kate
I’ve learned a lot of things from TikTok: how to use the Revlon One Step Volumizer, a recipe for restaurant-quality brussel sprouts, and to tuck my shirt into a sports bra for an instant crop. Mary Gomes, on the other hand, is learning English.
The 36-year-old moved from Brazil to America with her family eight years ago, and while she was taught the basics of English in school, she found that wasn’t enough for her new life in Florida. So, on February 29, she opened TikTok.
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“I’m going to start recording myself speaking to track my progress and stay motivated,” she says in the video she made that day. Since she wasn’t getting many views on her previous videos, which documented her daily life, she felt safe being vulnerable in this way. In just a few days, however, viewers—or “teachers,” as Mary now calls them—started flooding the comments with compliments and suggestions, such as that words like “could” are pronounced like “kud.”
Less than a month later, Mary has earned over 220,000 followers and regularly gets hundreds of thousands of views on her videos. Every few days, she’ll hop on TikTok, giddy with updates and questions: Is the phrase “holy moly” is polite or rude? What does “by the way” mean? As she’s improved, she’s brought TikTok along for the journey. She’s gone live on the platform to test her progress, and used the app to prepare for social gatherings (“If I say, ‘Could you please speak a little slower,’ would I be being rude?” she asked in a viral video).
When I first reached out to Mary, I offered an email interview to help with the language barrier, but she insisted we get on Zoom.
“That way I’ll have a live class hahahah,” she said.
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Over Zoom, Mary is just as bubbly and enthusiastic as her TikTok persona, and praised the platform for helping make a sometimes frustrating process more fun. In this interview, we talk about how social media helps with learning a language, her goals for TikTok, and the language app that’s better than Duolingo.
When and why did you start learning English?
I have very basic English, which I learned in school. And the fact that I live in the USA and don't speak English, I feel very embarrassed. Plus I needed to communicate with my kids' friends. English is crucial.
So you're using TikTok. Are you teaching yourself or are you also taking classes?
I am self taught, also with my TikTok teachers, and it's been amazing. When I have a question [TikTok] is so nice to me. This helps me with memorizing, because I read a lot of comments.
Is that why you joined TikTok?
At first it was only to record my journey. When we start a new language, it is very, very frustrating. TikTok wasn't [showing] my videos. I felt safe when I started. If somebody sees? Okay. But I didn't expect this. Suddenly I started receiving comments, teachings, tips, and more and more people started coming out. It's so amazing.
Who are the people who comment? Are they also from Brazil or are they English speakers?
They basically are American. But it [also] has been Brazil, England. I sometimes confuse them because the English [from England] speak one way.
Their English is a little bit different from [American] English.
Yes. But I prefer American English.
Have you made any friends on TikTok?
Only friends from comments on the videos. Because in the DMs, people say bad words.
They say bad words?
Yeah. They say for me bad words. I don't read the DMs because I'm really upset when I see that. I stay in the comments.
Good idea. Are there any other apps or websites that help with English?
Yes. Actually I use Duolingo, but it is not very good. Because now Duolingo teaches me "water." Water I know. It's so boring. But I find Busuu is very, very good.
Oh, what's that?
Is an app like Duolingo, but much better. I use Busuu and practice my writing, my listening, my reading every day.
Are there any English movies or TV shows that you watch that help?
Yes. Friends is helping me. It's perfect, Friends. And now I start reading a book from my children's school.
Do apps like TikTok and Instagram make it easier to learn English?
It doesn't make it easier, but it certainly makes it light. I practice every day, I am making an effort, but it's frustrating for me. But with TikTok, it becomes lighter. Americans are so nice.
Once you've learned English, which you're already very good at, what do you want to do next on TikTok?
My biggest goal is to one day record a video without the help of a translator and without reading from paper. And perhaps after I learn English, I will dedicate myself to Spanish, because I live in Florida and Florida has a lot of Spanish.
Your first language is Portuguese, right?
Portuguese. Portuguese is hard, but English is so hard.
English is, I've heard, the hardest language to learn. So you're doing a very good job.
Thank you so much.
so heartwarming 🥹