<doc.id=2045.a1>
In order to describe my English language competence, one thing has to be made clear, namely what is meant by competence. I have used the definition1 "the ability to do what is needed". With this as a starting-point I will treat each of the four skills, listening, reading, speaking and writing, separately, assessing my strengths and weaknesses. In the end I summarize my concluded competence of the English language.
Hearing the English language goes as far back as I can remember. Even though I wasn't able to understand the sounds or identify them as a foreign language, I think that this early stage of contact with English sounds should be taking into account. After all I was able to imitate and repeat (although not perfectly) the lyrics from my ABBA records. I had no idea what I was singing but I knew how it was suppose to sound. It wasn't really until I started studying English at school that I actually started listening for the words. My point is that the early contact with English sounds was important for the development of my listening competence. 

At this point in my life I don't feel I have any trouble following a lecture held in English or a movie without subtitle. However, when it comes to conversation it gets more complicated. Considering facts like dialects, e.g. Scottish, or unfamiliar topics I would definitely have difficulties to follow the conversation. 

Reading English was introduced at an older age than listening. Obviously this has to do with the fact that we usually don't know how to read or write until we start school. 
Reading in itself can be tricky, and reading English certainly doesn't make it easier. When I first started reading English I realized that the sounds didn't always (in fact in most cases) correspond to the letters in the alphabet. I remember the first novel I had to read in school, it felt like an unattainable task. 

Nowadays I feel that my reading skills are fairly good. During my year in the United States I took literature courses that involved a lot of reading. The texts were fiction and poetry, so my feeling is that my weakness is reading non-fiction. Furthermore one could argue that even fiction varies in complexity. Another weakness of mine is that I'm usually too lazy to look up unfamiliar words in the text. 

The skill of speaking English is a very hard one to define. Most Swedes can cope with speaking English and make themselves understood. Nonetheless, when talking about my competence, thus my ability to do what is needed at this point in life, more than making myself understood is probably expected. 

My strength in this skill is that I've learned not to be afraid of trying to speak English. One year in the United States forced me to constantly speak English and I learned a lot of useful expressions, of the kind that make you sound less like a foreigner. On the other hand, in many cases I have trouble finding the right words. I need to enlarge my vocabulary and practice using them. The key to eloquence is a varied speech.

Writing in English requires a lot. The most difficult part in learning the English language has to be spelling. Even today I can get furious about the illogical spelling of some words. It has struck me that pupils in English speaking countries must spend an enormous amount of time in learning how to spell. English spelling is definitely one of my weaknesses. However, at this level that problem is quite easy to get around, since we usually are asked to write on word processors.

Setting aside the spelling, the skill of writing English still involves difficulties. Just like speaking, writing requires a large vocabulary and variety of expressions. Creativity is another important requirement for a good writer. My competence when dealing with these difficulties is unsatisfactory. I need more training. 

In conclusion, I would say that my English language competence is far from complete. Each skill needs refinement and I ask myself if a non-native speaker ever can be fully trained in English.

1 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (1987)
</doc>