Conversational English is precisely the skill that most language learners lack. Today we will look at how to learn to speak English.

Many students complain that they know grammar well and can accurately determine when to use what tense, can write good essays and even understand English by ear - but they find it difficult to express their thoughts in English.

Let's figure out how to finally learn to speak English fluently and competently.

We competently approach the issue of vocabulary replenishment

It is worth understanding that there are countless words in English. Even “natives” don’t know everything English words. First of all, you should concentrate on learning the vocabulary that is used most often.

For example, when reading a book or watching a movie, write down for study those words and phrases that you often use in Russian.

Learn vocabulary from textbooks, special dictionaries aimed specifically at expanding your vocabulary - these manuals, as a rule, provide exactly the vocabulary that those who learn English as a foreign language need to know. The fact is that if we learn words that we do not use, they will be forgotten very quickly. It turns out that we will simply waste our time studying them.

Having reached a solid level Upper-Intermediate, or better yet, Advanced, you should begin to learn those words that are not used too often. At these levels, frequently used vocabulary will have already been practiced and you are unlikely to forget it. Then you need to move on to the next stage, delving deeper into the language.

Be sure to learn colloquial expressions

Most polyglots advise: in order to learn to speak quickly in the target language, you should first learn frequently used cliché phrases, phrasal verbs and idioms that are used in colloquial speech. There is logic to this advice. After all, if we try to select words to say something verbatim, it will take us a lot of time. As a result, our speech will sound very unnatural. Besides, learning one phrase is much easier than a large number of words These phrases will help you speak fluently and competently.

Bring passive vocabulary into active vocabulary

In order to be able to speak beautifully, you need not only to know vocabulary and recognize it in someone else’s speech, but also to be able to use it when expressing your own thoughts. To do this, you need to not only learn phrases and words, but also use them as often as possible. See examples of using the vocabulary you are studying and come up with your own. Learn more about how to activate lexicon, we looked at in this article: .

Study with a special allowance

There are special textbooks for developing spoken English. They provide various conversation topics, useful conversational vocabulary, and exercises to hone your communication skills.

Work on your pronunciation

Read aloud

By reading aloud, you subconsciously remember how to pronounce phrases, as well as useful expressions will stick in your memory. Most importantly, do not forget to do preliminary work by looking at the text for the presence of unfamiliar vocabulary, as well as its meaning and transcription. Reading aloud helps you develop a sense of speech, so you can speak automatically and even “give” to your interlocutor phrases that you didn’t expect from yourself.

Find yourself a speech proofreader

Often, even those who can write quite competently in English make mistakes during live communication. What does it have to do with those that would not have been allowed when written. The reason for the problem is very banal - the lack of practice that would help bring the speaking skill to automaticity. While writing, a person has time to think about how to express himself better, how to say something correctly. There is practically no time for communication. To quickly get rid of this problem, ask a teacher or someone you know to help you. Let your “proofreader” listen to what you say and note your mistakes. When you finish your thought, let him tell you where you went wrong. Then try to repeat the same thing, but this time correctly.

Talk as often as possible

Of course, if you don't practice, you won't learn. This truth is very banal. However, you should not forget about it. Talk a little every day and don't wait until you learn a hundred more words or a few more grammar structures. You need to start speaking from the very first lessons. If you can’t talk to someone, talk to yourself (no matter how strange it may sound). Try, when you come home, talk in English about your day, or express your thoughts about the movie you watched. You can also try to think in English, for example, on the way to work, think about your plans for the day.

Record your voice

Say something in English and record it on a tape recorder. Then listen to the recording and try to catch what mistakes you made: grammatical errors, errors in the use of words, errors in pronunciation, etc. Try to repeat the same thing, but this time correctly.

If you are still wondering how to learn to speak English, do not be lazy to put these tips into practice. After all, only with regular practice can you enjoy achieving success. Knowing the theory is good, but being able to speak is even more important. This is why you learn a language, isn’t it? 🙂

Beginners often find it difficult to speak English. Written assignments are given without any problems, everything is clear by ear, it’s possible to read, but talking to a living person is for the life of me. Words don't come out and that's it. How to overcome this psychological the language barrier?

1. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Mistakes are not only inevitable, they are necessary.

In wrestling, before teaching how to knock an opponent down, one learns how to fall correctly. Falling is an integral part of wrestling, so an athlete must be able to fall without getting injured. In learning a language, you have to “fall”, that is, make mistakes, no less often. This is a required part of the study. It cannot be avoided. Moreover, without mistakes you cannot improve your language proficiency.

It goes something like this.

• You need to express some idea, for example, say the time in English.
• The first time you say it wrong.
• In the second one too.
• But in the third or tenth it will be correct.

Errors in oral speech are one of the tools for learning a language. Having made a mistake, we notice it and mentally correct it, the likelihood of stepping on the same rake becomes less. The more we make mistakes, the better we speak.

2. Don’t try to speak perfectly correctly

You may be thinking that if, while ordering a hamburger at a diner, you construct a phrase incorrectly, the waiter will drop the tray in horror, and all the visitors will immediately stop chewing and stare at you with reproachful glances. Don’t worry, this won’t happen! From school, we are accustomed to the idea that mistakes are something bad, shameful, and that they are punished for them. But in life everything is different.

Firstly, native speakers themselves speak, making mistakes that would get you a bad mark in an English lesson at school, secondly, you can see a foreigner a mile away, so no one will be surprised by your accent or roughness of speech, and thirdly, It is impossible to achieve the ideal in language learning. If you assign someone to you who will write down everything you say in Russian all day, you will be very surprised when you read the notes. On native language we speak carelessly and with mistakes.

If you think about every word, translate phrases in your mind, remembering, and carefully follow, it will be difficult to speak, and your speech will turn out to be slow, with frequent pauses and “escapes.”

3. Correspondence in English is a great form of practice

Corresponding in English is a great practice that is often neglected. Unlike oral speech, when correspondence there is time to think, choose words, look into. There is no difficulty in understanding spoken language, because in a conversation sometimes it is not so much difficult to say something as to understand the interlocutor.

In addition, starting to correspond with foreigners is psychologically easier than talking. If you feel terrified at the thought of speaking even to stranger in English, try to correspond first, and then move on to more personal oral contact.

By texting, you will expand your active vocabulary, better learn to compose sentences, and learn to express thoughts in English simply and briefly. All this will help in oral speech, but you need to understand that the skill of free fluent speech is developed only with speaking practice.

4. Speak English using language social networks

Writing practice, watching films in English, reading indirectly help to learn to speak, as they contribute to the expansion of vocabulary and understanding of speech. But for the most part, speaking skills are developed through speaking practice.

Conversation practice cannot be replaced by anything. It cannot be replaced by translation or listening exercises. It's like learning to play tennis by watching matches on TV. Of course, watching and analyzing other people's games is useful, but skills are developed only when you pick up a racket and go out onto the court.

Finding a foreign interlocutor is very easy with the help of language social networks, like . In general, the Internet has brought many conveniences to learning languages, but the ability to communicate via video with foreigners is the most significant. For many this is the only possible way speak English.

5. Express yourself more simply

In our native language, we communicate in writing more “smartly” than orally: we select beautiful phrases, not the most obvious epithets, we introduce witticisms and sayings. But oral speech is spontaneous: words roll off the tongue faster than we have time to think about them. If you start speaking with prettiness, carefully choosing words and using graceful turns of phrase, your speech will come out strained, with pauses.

On foreign language Also, don’t be too clever in the conversation. The simpler you express your thoughts, the easier, freer, and often more understandable your speech will be.

Go on your own the simple way:

• Choose simpler words. Knowledge of synonyms makes speech richer, but words large, huge, enormous in conversation can be replaced with a simple big, especially if you remember them uncertainly.
• Speak in simple sentences. It's better to say three without any problems short phrases than to get confused in one long one.

In other words, take words and constructions that lie on the surface of memory, are in the most active part of the active vocabulary. With practice, this asset will become more and more, and speech will become richer.

6. Don’t be shy to ask again.

Many find it more difficult than with a Russian-speaking teacher who speaks English. Indeed, at first, even a simple “Good morning” may seem like a jumble of inarticulate sounds - this goes away with practice in listening and communication. But what to do if you don’t understand certain remarks or words of your interlocutor?

There are two options:

• Pretend that you understand everything and continue talking as if nothing happened.
• Ask again.

I admit that I myself sinned with the first option. As a result, firstly, I still did not understand the essence of the missed phrase, and secondly, the interlocutor, seeing that I “understood him perfectly,” continued to speak, without making allowances for the fact that I was not a native speaker, complicating everything and complicating it speech.

It’s much better to ask again. Don't worry about showing your incompetence or looking stupid. English has many pronunciation options, so the situation when the interlocutor did not hear or misunderstood something is normal even among native speakers. And if you are interested in the meaning of some incomprehensible words, you only demonstrate curiosity and concern for language.

7. Take the initiative

When you are, he structures the lesson in such a way that you talk more: ask questions, retell cases from life, express an opinion, argue. At first, your speech is difficult, but then you warm up and become so carried away by the conversation that you stop paying attention to mistakes and noticing that you are speaking a foreign language. Such free, casual and enthusiastic chatting in English greatly helps to develop speaking skills.

But if you are just communicating with a foreigner on Skype, you may come across a talkative interlocutor, and you will be tempted to turn into a listener and answer in monosyllables, like: Yes, No, Wow! Really? Such “talks” are of little use. Don't let this happen, try to actively participate in the conversation.

Conclusion

Since childhood, we have become accustomed to treating English as a school subject; in our minds, it is inextricably linked with good and bad grades, punishments and tests. But language is primarily a means of communication, and not notebooks, diaries and lessons. Feel free to speak English. Talk, converse for your own pleasure, without worrying about mistakes, and with practice you will notice that your speech becomes more and more relaxed and correct.

Life hack or how to start speaking English

It's no secret that even those who know grammar very well feel awkward when they need to switch to English and speak. For everyone else, a fair amount of alcohol is generally required, equivalent to three whiskeys.

1) First, a little theory
(this is a little tedious, but necessary)

Speaking (or Speaking) is a separate skill in using language, which is characterized by two main parameters: Fluency and Accuracy.

Fluency is how quickly, clearly, consistently you can arrange words into sentences, and sentences into text, how long your statements are and how short the pauses between them are (i.e. the absence of “uh”, “be”, “meh” etc).

Accuracy is how grammatically correct your statements are, whether they contain all the necessary articles, endings, suffixes, prefixes, and how justified the use of tenses, actives, passives and auxiliary verbs is.

And here is the most interesting thing: while speaking, it is IMPOSSIBLE (!!!) to concentrate attention on two parameters at the same time. That is, you either strive to speak fluently (Fluency) and make a lot of mistakes, or watch for correctness (Accuracy) and speak very slowly. Both are completely normal.

Fluency and accuracy are trained separately (!!!), and with constant training, the result will be fast and correct speech.

And now about how to train speaking skills.

FLUENCY (smoothness, fluency)

1) Speak (speak)
In order to speak, you need to speak, so try to “put in your two cents” in a foreign language as often as possible. Do not remain silent on the sidelines, next to a more experienced friend, but on the contrary, join the dialogue and express your point of view.

Do you think you look like an idiot? Congratulations, this is an illusion. A person who tries to express a thought in a foreign language, even if clumsily, is like a figure skater who gets up again and again after falling. Believe me, there’s not even a hint of ridicule here.

2) Watch & Repeat (watch and repeat)
At school, we were all forced to learn incredibly boring texts a la 'Let me introduce myself...' and 'London is the capital of Great Britain', and although the main thing that a generation of schoolchildren took away from endless cramming was a hatred of English, the goal was completely not this. The purpose of the texts was to provide the student with as many useful words and phrases as possible in a related text.

Obviously, now there is no point in opening old textbooks and memorizing texts, but you can go the other way. Watch films, TV series or cartoons in the original (necessarily those where there are dialogues between the characters), and repeat individual phrases of the characters. This incredibly develops both vocabulary and self-confidence.

3) Do mistakes (make mistakes)
Tune yourself that mistakes are not “shame and disgrace,” but “little fairies.” If you say something and are corrected, you are much more likely to say it correctly next time. Learn from your mistakes, write them down and work on them. Everyone makes mistakes, sometimes even native speakers, so what's the point of worrying about them?

Do exercises (do exercises)
In order for this or that rule to be remembered and become the norm, it is necessary to do (a lot!) a lot of the same type of exercises. The principle is as follows: understand - practice - use. This requires some time and patience.

2) Speak - Record - Listen (speak - record - listen)
The moment when you speak a foreign language can be compared to a flight into space: all systems are working at the limit, a siren is howling in your head, your brain is frantically looking for the necessary words, and at the same time you put on a stone face and try not to show how scared you are. It is almost impossible to hear yourself in such a panic. Therefore, at the very beginning, speaking a foreign language resembles the principle “what I see is what I sing.”

Solution? - Record yourself! It doesn’t matter where: phone, voice recorder or video camera. Record and listen back later. I'm sure that you can hear half of your mistakes on your own. And then think about what could have been said better and when, where to use which synonym, and what not to say at all. Over time, speech will become clearer, more structured and understandable.

3) Observe others mistakes (notice the mistakes of others)
This does not mean that you should correct them or make comments. The skill of paying attention to the mistakes of your colleagues will make you more attentive not only to how others speak, but also to how you speak yourself.

CONCLUSION
There is no need to think that one of the characteristics is more important: both fluency and accuracy are equally important for the correct and beautiful speech, but the trick is that you need to train them separately, concentrating on one thing each time, then it will give results without unnecessary fuss and panic.

Good practice everyone!))))

Every person studying or planning to study English language, dreams of speaking it fluently. No one wants to limit their skills only to reading and translation, because we learn a language precisely in order to communicate in it.

Knowing how to speak English, you can easily resolve any questions and problems while traveling, make new friends around the world, expand the boundaries of your business, find new job and much more. Spoken English opens up many opportunities and prospects for a person.

But, despite their desires, most people study the language for more than 10 years from school, but they cannot speak English that way. So how do you learn to speak?

How to learn to speak English from scratch

Let's look at what you need to do to speak the language.

Tip #1: Start speaking from the very beginning of your studies.

If you want to learn to speak a language, then you need to start speaking from the very beginning. English is a skill that can only be acquired by practicing it.

Imagine that you are learning to play the guitar. You learn the notes, see how to place your fingers correctly to play them. But you'll never be able to play music until you pick up a guitar and start practicing and hitting the right strings.

Over time, if you practice a lot, you will no longer have to think about which string to pinch and where to place your fingers. Your hands will remember how to do it.

It's the same with the English language. You need train the “speaking” skill from the very beginning, so that later you can construct sentences and pronounce words automatically, without thinking about how exactly they need to be said.

There is no point in learning theory, “building up a base” in order to one day speak the language. We teach theory precisely in order to learn how to apply it in practice. And this needs to be done from the very beginning of training.

Attention: Learn English for a long time but can't speak? Find out how to speak after 1 month of ESL lessons.

“But how can I speak the language if I don’t know anything?” - you ask. We start learning any language with words. Let's see how to do it correctly.

Tip No. 2: Learn words correctly, stop memorizing

Remember where little children start when they learn to talk? Of course, from individual words.

When starting to learn a language that is unfamiliar to us, we also first memorize individual words and learn to pronounce them.

I’ll say right away that Memorizing words is useless. This method should be abandoned from the very beginning.

Rote learning- repeated repetition of a word within a short period of time.

Why this is ineffective:

• You simply learn the letters that make up a word, but you don't learn how to use it.
• Words learned in this way are forgotten very quickly, as we forget everything we don’t use.
• You learn to translate, but not to think in the language.

How to learn words correctly? To remember a word, you need to start using it in your speech. Agree, in Russian we cannot remember words that we usually do not use in conversation. So the only way to remember something is to use it.

Let's look at an example of how to learn words correctly. Let's take the word cup.

1. To you need to look up the translation of this word. It is best to look not only at the translation, but also at the meaning of the word. Since sometimes a person cannot correctly use a word in his speech, simply because he does not know exactly what meaning it carries. By looking up the meaning, you will know what the word means and in what situations it is better to use it.

Translation: cup - cup

Meaning: cup is a small round container, usually with a handle, that you use to drink tea, coffee, etc.

2. Look and listen to how the word sounds.

If you know the transcription (the symbols that indicate sounds), then read it correctly. But even if you know the transcription signs and are confident in yourself, The best way learn pronunciation - listen to it.

Now there are many electronic dictionaries, which have a word listening function. By clicking on a special icon, it is usually located next to the transcription, you can hear how this word is pronounced.

Moreover, many resources offer to listen to even 2 options: British and American. In this case, you choose which pronunciation you want to use, and then listen to it many times to get an accurate grasp of how the word sounds.

3. Now that you know how to pronounce the word, say this word out loud several times to remember what it sounds like. This must, of course, be done clearly and loudly. This way you will get used to the pronunciation of the word and will not be afraid to say it.

4. Now is the time start using this word. You can do this by making sentences with it. But how to make sentences if you don’t know anything except one word?

We simply say a sentence in Russian, replacing the familiar word “cup” with the new “cup”. In this case, there is no need to make long, complex sentences. And one more important point: Your sentences must be relevant to your life! It is then that you will remember this word and be able to “implement” it into your life.

Here's what we get:

In our family, everyone has their own cup.
I like to drink from a big cup.
I wouldn't mind a cup of coffee.

Make sentences like this until you can confidently use the word. Typically, you need to make from 3 to 10 sentences.

After that, try to use this word in your speech in normal conditions. Repeat it every time you see cup. You can also teach your family, help you and learn the language together. For example, ask your family to bring a cup of coffee/tea.

By repeating these words in your sentences, you get used to not translating from Russian into English, but immediately thinking in it. Looking at a cup, cup immediately appears in your head.

But in order to talk, we need not only to know words, but also to be able to construct sentences.

Tip #3: Learn material from simple to complex

You need to start learning English from the very beginning simple rules. You shouldn’t immediately jump to complex material and learn, for example, tenses. Otherwise you will have a mess in your head.

Learn to first compose the most simple sentences. For example, with the verb to be:

I am - I am
You are - You/you are
He is - He is
She is - She is
It is - He/she/it exists (for inanimate objects, such as a table/window, etc.)
We are - We are
They are - They are

In order to immediately start using the rule, you need to:

1. Disassemble the theory: understand in what cases this rule is used and how all types of sentences are constructed.

2. Compose and speak your own sentences. If you want to say a word, but don't know it in English, say it in Russian. Now we are training exactly the theory that we have analyzed, and are not trying to learn new words. Your sentences might look like this:

I am a teacher.
She is beautiful.
We are smart.

Then you can move on to the revolutions: this is, that is, these are, there are and so on.

When you learn the material by understanding the simplest things, it will be much easier to understand more complex material later. All information will be sorted into shelves in your head.

Over time, your offerings will become more complex and varied. You will have more knowledge that you can use in your speech.

Tip #4: Bring every piece of theory to perfection

No need to chase quantity and try to learn as much as possible more rules in a short time.

It is much more useful to bring each rule to automaticity.

As you practice the theory, make as many sentences as possible until you feel you can confidently form sentences without having to think about how to do it.

Learn from the very beginning not to translate from Russian into English, but to think in the language. This can only be done if you carefully practice each rule and practice making many sentences using it.

Also, you can not just make sentences, but talk about your life. Practice talking about yourself, your family, work, hobbies, using your knowledge. Each time you will be able to say more and more, using new rules and words.

Such exercises will allow you to learn to express your thoughts freely, thinking in English, and not translating Russian sentences. Agree, it is much more pleasant to communicate with a person who can carry on a conversation and answer you quickly, and will not think for 15 minutes about how to correctly construct a sentence.

Starting to learn a language from scratch is not easy: you need to get used to using new words, sort out the rules, get used to the pronunciation of words and sentences.

In addition, everything that seems simple and understandable now has to be disassembled and worked out again the next day.

When you're just starting to learn a language, long gaps between classes are very bad for your progress. If you take a break at the very beginning of learning, then you will not have to restore your knowledge, but start learning the language from the very beginning.

Why waste your time and money and then start from scratch again?

So, by following these tips, you will be able to speak the language from the very beginning of your learning. Yes, it will be simple English, but the more you practice, the more varied and richer your speech will become. And very soon expressing your thoughts in English will not be difficult for you.

Have you ever been jealous of chameleons?

Well, you understand what we’re talking about – these colorful reptiles that know how to blend into any background.

The chameleon just changes its colors, and oppa! - he is absolutely indistinguishable from the tree he just climbed, or the stone where he sits.

Wouldn't it be nice to become a lingua chameleon?

Life would be much simpler if we could easily change our accent, vocabulary and grammar and speak just like native English speakers.

Well, there's no harm in dreaming...

In fact, if you want to be indistinguishable from native English speakers in conversation, you will have to put in a lot of effort. But it may not be as difficult as you think.

There are specific practical steps, which you can do so that your speech flows freely, as if native, both in pronunciation and in the vocabulary used.

By applying these tips and adding patience and practice, you'll quickly become a lingua chameleon.

4 Tricks to Help You Speak English Like Your Own Language

1. Learn different English accents

There are many accents among native English speakers. A New Yorker speaks very differently than a Texas native.

And, you've probably heard the Queen's English (British English). Let me tell you the truth: not everyone in Britain speaks like the Queen. There are also Scots, Welsh and Irish, all with their own unique accents.

Here's a fun activity for you: look on YouTube for videos of people trying to imitate different accents of English.

2. Imitate natives in pronunciation

Well, now you have a general idea of ​​the differences in English accents. But in which direction should you go to achieve the desired pronunciation?

A great place to start is to watch authentic videos in English and imitate everything they say. This will reveal to you truly original pronunciation, speech structures and style.

Also, you can watch facial expressions and speech apparatus and copy them.

There are educational videos (such as BBC Pronunciation or ) and programs (such as Tell Me More) that demonstrate the position of the lips and tongue when pronouncing each letter English alphabet and all their combinations.

I know that such activities are tedious, but they will help you pronounce words correctly, especially with those sounds that do not exist in Russian.

Therefore, memorize them and practice in front of the mirror. Rehearse again and again, bringing everything to automaticity. You can even try recording yourself on video so you can measure your progress!

Our site is an excellent source of authentic videos that can be used to learn correct pronunciation. This innovative platform transforms real-life videos like movie trailers, funny YouTube clips, news stories and more into interactive language courses.

3. Use slang in conversation

“Slang” is informal (and sometimes even vulgar) words and expressions. Slang is more common in spoken language than in written language.

Slang tends to be common to different communities, so the slang used in the southern United States is very different from the slang you'll hear among the English. (To understand just how much, watch this funny interview “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” featuring actor Hugh Laurie.)

But there are slang expressions that are used almost everywhere, and you need to know them. For example:

Wanna(Want to – want, want)

Hang out(Spend time together - hang out, hang out)

In a friendly atmosphere, an Englishman or an American would say: “Do you wanna hang out? instead of the formal “Do you want to spend some time together?”

The best way to remember slang expressions is to actively use them in conversation. But be sure to take into account the context, since slang is only appropriate in an informal setting.

4. Learn idioms

An idiom in English is a set expression whose meaning is not obvious when translated literally.

The use of idioms is not as common as slang in informal settings. However, there are times when native speakers use idioms that confuse you.

For example, if a colleague tells you: “you can’t see the forest for the trees,” – this may even be a little confusing. After all, your conversation had nothing to do with the forest and trees at all!

And all because of the use of a common idiom. “You can’t see the forest for the trees” means that you go too deep into the details and do not perceive the situation more broadly, as a whole.

Also quite useful keep an idiom diary that you have come across and (possible) equivalents in your native language. This will help you remember them better.

In the end, don’t be afraid to use such allegories! You may not hit the mark right away, but a good native speaker will help you use the appropriate idiom, and you will remember it faster.

It is not an easy task to master English at a native level. To tell the truth, it is even extremely complex.

However, you can start today by improving your pronunciation and practicing speaking at ease.

Don't let slang and idioms slow down your progress. Dive in.

And one day, when you least expect it, you will suddenly speak like a native English speaker.