You have practiced guitar for a few weeks, but changing chords still feels awkward. Your friend asks whether you will stop. You want to continue, even though you are not pleased with your progress yet.
An accurate answer separates your decision about continuing from your current skill. “I’m going to stick with it” expresses persistence. It does not announce that you have mastered the guitar or that your approach must remain exactly the same.
“Stick with”: continue rather than leave or change
“I’m going to stick with my guitar practice, even though progress is slow.”
Stick with means continue an activity, plan, or choice rather than stop or change to something else. It is useful when the conversation presents an alternative: quitting, choosing another activity, or trying a different option.
The object makes your commitment clear. “I’ll stick with guitar” names the activity. “I’ll stick with this practice routine” names a particular approach. Those commitments are different: you can continue the instrument while changing your routine.
Use stick with it, with the pronoun after “with.” The ordinary past tense is “stuck with”: “I stuck with the routine for a month.” Do not confuse this choice with be stuck with, which can suggest having something you cannot easily escape.
“Give up”: stop trying or continuing
“I don’t want to give up learning guitar.”
In this context, give up means stop the activity or stop trying. “I gave up guitar” can describe leaving the instrument behind. “I gave up trying that chord tonight” has a much narrower scope.
A break is not necessarily abandonment. If you are resting today and intend to practice tomorrow, “I’m taking a break tonight” reports your decision more directly than “I’ve given up.” The time and object prevent your friend from drawing the wrong conclusion.
Practice everyday English in context
Explore situations and examples in the General English hub.
Explore General English →“Switch to”: change the activity or approach
“I’m sticking with guitar, but I’m switching to a shorter daily routine.”
Switch to identifies the new option. It does not itself tell the listener that you are abandoning the larger goal. You might switch teachers, practice times, or exercises while continuing to learn the same instrument.
These phrases can appear together because they describe different parts of the decision. Explain what stays and what changes. “I’m switching” without an object leaves your friend guessing whether you mean the instrument, the teacher, or the time of day.
Bad vs. better: say what you are continuing
Facts: you will continue guitar; you will replace one long weekly session with shorter daily sessions.
Bad for these facts: “I’m giving up guitar and sticking with my old routine.”
Better: “I’m sticking with guitar, but I’m switching to shorter daily sessions.”
The first reverses both decisions. The second preserves the continuing activity and identifies the changed approach. This is a language distinction, not advice about which practice schedule produces better results.
A short dialogue
Rafi: Are you going to give up guitar?
You: No. I’m going to stick with it. Changing chords is still difficult, though.
Rafi: Will you keep the same routine?
You: I’m switching to shorter sessions during the week. I’ll still practice the same chords.
Rafi: So you’re changing the routine, rather than stopping altogether.
You: Exactly.
Check the distinction
You will continue learning guitar but replace your current teacher with a new one. Which sentence describes both decisions?
A. “I’m sticking with guitar, but switching to a different teacher.”
B. “I’m giving up guitar completely.”
Show the answer
A. The activity continues while the teacher changes. B says that you will stop the activity, which contradicts the scenario.
Practice a precise progress update
Choose a real activity you intend to continue. Write what you will stick with, what you might change, and what remains difficult. Keep persistence separate from claims about improvement: you can be committed while progress is slow.
Practice Persisting With Habits. For describing growing practical familiarity, read Learning a Practical Skill. If you are reconsidering the activity itself, explore Changing Your Mind.
Browse the General English guides or return to the General English hub.