3. 1. Think in English.
If you think in your native language and then try to speak
English, you’ll always have to translate between languages.
Translating isn’t an easy thing to do! Even people fluent in two
or more languages have trouble switching between languages.
You can do this anywhere, anytime. Try to use English when you’re
thinking about your day, or when you’re trying to decide what food to order.
Even try to use an English to English dictionary to look up words. That way
you never have to use your native language and translate words. You’ll
notice that when you think in English, it’s easier for you to speak in
English.
4. 2. Talk to yourself.
Whenever you’re at home (or alone somewhere else) you can
practice your English with your favourite person: yourself.
If you’re already thinking in English, try speaking your thoughts
out loud. Read out loud, too. Practice is practice, and even if
you don’t have anyone to correct your mistakes, just the act of
speaking out loud will help you become more comfortable
speaking English.
5. 3. Use a mirror.
Whenever you can, take a few minutes out of your day to stand
in front of the mirror and speak. Choose a topic, set a timer for 2
or 3 minutes and just talk.
Talk for the full 2 or 3 minutes. Don’t stop! If you get stuck on a
word you don’t know, try expressing your idea in a different way.
You can always look up how to say that word after the 2-3
minutes end. This will definitely help you find out what kinds of
words or sentences you have trouble with
6. 4. Focus on fluency, not grammar.
The more you stop, the less confident you sound and the less
comfortable you become. Try the mirror exercise above, but
challenge yourself to speak without stopping or stammering
(taking pauses between your words) the entire time.
This might mean that your sentences won’t be grammatically
perfect, and that’s okay! If you focus on speaking fluently
instead of correctly, you’ll still be understood and you’ll sound
better. You can fill in the correct grammar and word rules as you
learn them better.
7. 5. Try some tongue twisters.
Tongue twisters are series of words that are difficult to say
quickly. One example is: “The thirty-three thieves thought that
they thrilled the throne throughout Thursday.” Try saying this a
few times! It’s not easy.
Word games like this will help you find the right placement for
your mouth and tongue, and can even help your pronunciation.
You can find a list of great tongue twisters here.
8. 6. Listen and repeat.
Choose a short part of a show and repeat it line by line. Try to
match the tone, speed and even the accent (if you can). It
doesn’t matter if you miss a few words, the important thing is to
keep talking. Try to sound just like the native speakers on the
show.
At FluentU, you can decide how you learn. You’ll have the
freedom to choose which videos are most
interesting to your personal learning experience.
The more you listen to this authentic English, the better you will
understand how to speak English naturally.
9. 7. Pay attention to stressed sounds.
Listen to where native speakers place the emphasis when they
speak. Try to repeat it the same way.
This won’t only help you speak well, it might even reduce
misunderstandings. Sometimes the placing the stress on the
wrong syllable completely changes the word. The word
ADdress, for instance, isn’t the same as the word adDRESS.
ADdress refers to a physical location where someone lives, and
adDRESS means to formally speak to a group of people.
10. 8. Sing along to English songs.
Rap is a great way to practice English because often the words
are spoken like regular sentences. However, the rapper uses a
stronger rhythm and faster speed. Some of the words might not
make sense, but if you can keep up with the rapper then you’re
on your way to becoming fluent!
11. 9. Learn word forms with new words.
Some practice comes before you even open your mouth. Make
speaking easier by learning the different forms of any words you
learn. You should do this when you’re Learning new vocabulary.
For example, if you just learned the word write, you should also
learn some other forms like wrote and written.
Knowing the correct way to use a word in any kind of sentence
is important. This knowledge will help you while speaking. You
won’t have to stop and think of different words—you’ll know
exactly when you need to use that word while speaking.
12. 10. Learn phrases, not words.
You might be using correct grammar and vocabulary, but it’s still
not how a native speaker would say it.
For example, you can say “how do you feel today?” but a native
speaker might say “how’re you doing?” or “what’s up?” instead.
Phrases and expressions can be helpful for sounding more
natural when you speak.
13. 11. Learn your most common sayings.
Take some time to really notice how you speak in your native
language.
Learn how to say your most commonly used phrases and
words in English. Knowing them in English will help you speak
as well in English as you do in your native language.
14. 12. Prepare for specific situations.
Take some time to really notice how you speak in your native
language.
Before you go to a place where you have to speak English, you
can practice what you might have to say. If you’re preparing to
go to a restaurant, what might conversations in a restaurant
sound like? Answer the questions a waiter might ask you. Try
talking about food and menus.
15. 13. Relax!
You can be your best helper or your worst enemy when learning
to speak fluently! We know it’s hard, but you should try not to
worry about how you sound when you speak. Just relax!
If you get stuck or confused, just take a big breath and start
over. Speak slower if you have to. Take time to pause and think
about your next sentence.
16. 14. Tell a story from your language in English.
Remember to think in English as you’re telling your story. Focus
on speaking fluently instead of correctly. Say every sentence
out loud to yourself.
Even if you have nobody to talk to in English, you can still build
confidence and master fluency on your own time.
In some ways, practicing speaking is even easier by yourself!
