How to Speak Fluent English?
I am a non-native English speaker, but I have lived in Canada for less than a year, and my English is not very good yet. I am very bad at taking the initiative to talk to other people, so it is a vicious cycle. So are there any apps suitable specifically for speaking?
24 comments
Completely personal anecdote.
I lived in China for a couple of years and worked really hard to learn Mandarin. The turning point for me was in the shape of my mouth. When speaking Mandarin, I had to close/tighten my mouth more than if I was speaking English. I think a lot of the tonal languages require you to close your mouth down, whereas English is spoken more with an open mouth. That can be tough and weird for people to do.
So my advice honestly is to try talking like a Texan. Talk with a big voice, amplify your voice, and open your mouth up.
I lived in China for a couple of years and worked really hard to learn Mandarin. The turning point for me was in the shape of my mouth. When speaking Mandarin, I had to close/tighten my mouth more than if I was speaking English. I think a lot of the tonal languages require you to close your mouth down, whereas English is spoken more with an open mouth. That can be tough and weird for people to do.
So my advice honestly is to try talking like a Texan. Talk with a big voice, amplify your voice, and open your mouth up.
Another thing to do is to binge lots of media in English at a level you can handle or slightly beyond that. It's the idea behind something known as Comprehensible Input.
Combined with things like using frequency lists in Anki and working exercises, and practicing speaking out loud, you can make a lot of progress.
So consider watching cartoons and other TV shows, movies, music, etc.
Combined with things like using frequency lists in Anki and working exercises, and practicing speaking out loud, you can make a lot of progress.
So consider watching cartoons and other TV shows, movies, music, etc.
There's a lot of apps for vocab, topics, flashcards, language partners, and AI conversation. I think you should focus on your weaknesses. If you are bad at talking to others, you could try to find a language exchange partner with i.e tandem.
I also recommend shadowing: listen and repeat English phrases frequently, literally say them out loud. This builds up the muscle memory needed to speak and think in another language quickly. You can do it with podcasts or tv shows too.
I also recommend shadowing: listen and repeat English phrases frequently, literally say them out loud. This builds up the muscle memory needed to speak and think in another language quickly. You can do it with podcasts or tv shows too.
Try the Anki system…there was someone who learned over 10 languages with that method:
https://apps.ankiweb.net/
https://apps.ankiweb.net/
I'm actually working on a chrome extension for reviewing emails/other written language for fluency and giving suggestions and feedback if you'd like to give it a try when I deploy it. (It's of course an LLM backed thing lol). I've been using it for my written French while working on it and I've found it helpful.
I am French originally and on my side what worked well was to speak to myself in English all the time. At home I would actually speak English out loud and it helped a lot with practicing my pronunciation and also to learn new words.
Also reading books in English out loud can be really helpful.
Also reading books in English out loud can be really helpful.
Consider doing a LINC class, which is free if you are a PR or refugee in Canada.
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/se... I know three people who have done this, and they have all gotten a lot out of it.
Also find a local group doing an activity you like. Walking in the woods, or knitting, or whatever. Join and use it as a chance to talk lots with the other people in the group.
The best way is to speak with people whenever you have a chance.
Also find a local group doing an activity you like. Walking in the woods, or knitting, or whatever. Join and use it as a chance to talk lots with the other people in the group.
The best way is to speak with people whenever you have a chance.
Take the initiative to talk to other people. That's honestly the best way to improve. You just have to work out of that zone. Go to your local library or go to your local college/university that has an ESL (English as a second language) option. Ask for help finding a group to practice English with. They'll often have free or inexpensive ways to speak English with others. The discomfort you feel when speaking a second language is because you don't feel confident speaking. Building that confidence usually requires speaking with others. If you are in an environment where others in the group are learning as well, it should be easier to get over that initial discomfort.
*Edited - I was using pointlessly long sentences.
*Edited - I was using pointlessly long sentences.
> Take the initiative to talk to other people. That's honestly the best way to improve.
Yup.
If your goal is gaining native/near-native fluency then there is no other option but to talk/write to people.
Lots of people will try to tell you "just use Anki", just use some AI-gimmick, just read books or just listen to lots of podcasts. But they are wrong.
The problem with the one-sided immersion as I listed above is that you will become very good at comprehension. You will be able to perfectly understand what people are saying, you will be able to perfectly understand complex written documents, or documents with lots of native slang and abbreviations.
But comprehension != fluency.
If you want to be able to speak and write like a native, then there's no shortcut. You have to get off your backside and interact with the natives in live bi-directional form.
AI will NOT help you with this. AI is very good at being very confident at being very wrong, that is not what you want. You want humans, real life humans, the more the better (then you get exposed to different dialects, different age groups etc. etc.).
If you absolutely must have an app, then look at something like HelloTalk which is basically 21st century pen-pals, find a human language partner and chat with them.
But really, just join a sports club, do some hobbies, go down the pub .. whatever gets you in the room with humans.
Yup.
If your goal is gaining native/near-native fluency then there is no other option but to talk/write to people.
Lots of people will try to tell you "just use Anki", just use some AI-gimmick, just read books or just listen to lots of podcasts. But they are wrong.
The problem with the one-sided immersion as I listed above is that you will become very good at comprehension. You will be able to perfectly understand what people are saying, you will be able to perfectly understand complex written documents, or documents with lots of native slang and abbreviations.
But comprehension != fluency.
If you want to be able to speak and write like a native, then there's no shortcut. You have to get off your backside and interact with the natives in live bi-directional form.
AI will NOT help you with this. AI is very good at being very confident at being very wrong, that is not what you want. You want humans, real life humans, the more the better (then you get exposed to different dialects, different age groups etc. etc.).
If you absolutely must have an app, then look at something like HelloTalk which is basically 21st century pen-pals, find a human language partner and chat with them.
But really, just join a sports club, do some hobbies, go down the pub .. whatever gets you in the room with humans.
* Try talking to ChatGPT via the voice interface.
* Spend time listening to yourself either directly or via recording. Repeat words and sentences which don't quite sound right. Train your ear to attend to the difference between what you say and how it is/would be said by others.
I would recommend seeking out other people in your same situation to talk to. Non-native speakers who are eager to learn but aren't yet fully fluent. You feel more emboldened to correct each other, you feel much more comfortable asking questions, and there's just no substitute for opening your mouth and speaking a language for hundreds of hours (even if it's a very basic version of that language).
You're gonna do great!
You're gonna do great!
As a native Canadian English speaker who has interacted with many non-native English speakers from a wide variety of backgrounds in Canada, I can't see how that approach would work out well.
That sounds like a way to acquire an unusual dialect that might even be more confusing to both native and non-native English speakers, especially those outside of the major cities who aren't already used to talking with non-native speakers.
If somebody wants to become fluent in Canadian English, they'll need to directly interact with native Canadian English speakers (or certain native American English speakers) for a prolonged period of time.
Even then, I know many non-native English speakers in Canada who can get by well enough day-to-day, but even after many decades of daily practice, daily use, and daily exposure in Canada, they're still quite far off from fluency in many ways.
That sounds like a way to acquire an unusual dialect that might even be more confusing to both native and non-native English speakers, especially those outside of the major cities who aren't already used to talking with non-native speakers.
If somebody wants to become fluent in Canadian English, they'll need to directly interact with native Canadian English speakers (or certain native American English speakers) for a prolonged period of time.
Even then, I know many non-native English speakers in Canada who can get by well enough day-to-day, but even after many decades of daily practice, daily use, and daily exposure in Canada, they're still quite far off from fluency in many ways.
Try this YC startup: https://speak.com/
But nothing beats in-person. Find language meetups, social events, etc. The people who I know who get fluent fastest don't care about making mistakes and getting out there, most important thing is just to try and talk any chance you get!
But nothing beats in-person. Find language meetups, social events, etc. The people who I know who get fluent fastest don't care about making mistakes and getting out there, most important thing is just to try and talk any chance you get!
I'm not a native English speaker either, I've been in the US for 15 years now.
What worked very well (from my point of view) for me, was binge watching American movies/shows. I would watch maybe 3 hours each day before going to bed, and I feel like my brain worked a lot on that while I was asleep.
As for what seems to be your introvert temperament, not sure what would work best. Maybe finding groups around you that do something you like.
What worked very well (from my point of view) for me, was binge watching American movies/shows. I would watch maybe 3 hours each day before going to bed, and I feel like my brain worked a lot on that while I was asleep.
As for what seems to be your introvert temperament, not sure what would work best. Maybe finding groups around you that do something you like.
One piece of advice is be brave and try things out in your interactions with real humans. People will generally be empathetic and patient if you pick your moments to try to talk, but you need to practice with real humans. For example when ordering your daily coffee or whatever, if the place isn't too busy ask the barista how their day is. Listen to what they say. If they ask you how you're doing, prep something short to say ahead of time (like "I'm doing fine thanks"). Then in private practice saying what the barista said to you. Make sure you understand it. If you like it, wait for an opportunity when someone asks you how you're doing and try out the thing that the barista said. So now you don't just know how to said "I'm doing fine" you how to say "Pretty darn awesome" or whatever. Then the next day try a quick conversation with someone else.
Like "canadaandback" suggested, more talking is the way!
Just out of curiosity, what is your native language?
One of the things that came to mind when considering your question… your struggles are likely common to other folks who share the same native language as you.
For example, certain sounds may be hard to make, and you're accustomed to saying certain letter combinations in one way for your native language that may be different for English.
If you can find others locally, who also share the same first language as you, they may be able to give you pointers to help with the same challenges.
Just out of curiosity, what is your native language?
One of the things that came to mind when considering your question… your struggles are likely common to other folks who share the same native language as you.
For example, certain sounds may be hard to make, and you're accustomed to saying certain letter combinations in one way for your native language that may be different for English.
If you can find others locally, who also share the same first language as you, they may be able to give you pointers to help with the same challenges.
There are live events on meetup com for people to meet and learn new languages
There are live events on meetup.com where people meet to learn new languages
What everyone else says about talking with people is the best advice. But if you don't already do this, try watching your local nightly news in English. It'll give you examples of vocabulary, grammar, and things to talk about with people.
To converse with somebody you need to improve your vocabulary. So make it a habit to daily read a good English newspaper (you can also read the BBC online daily at https://www.bbc.com). When you come across a word you do not know, use a dictionary to find out what it means. Write it down in a notebook. Also ask others who you meet that day what the word means. This will help you remember it better, and also give you a topic for conversation.
Move on to reading books - you can start with simple comic books like Tintin, Asterix, Archies etc. if you find reading "boring" at first. And later move on to kids / teens novels (I'd recommend British authors like Enid Blyton and JK Rowling). These will also give you an immersive experience to western culture.
Another enjoyable way to build up your vocabulary is to watch English TV series with English subtitles.
Finally, you do not need to be embarrassed about trying to talk with someone in broken english. You are trying to learn a new language and you should be proud of that. There are so many people in the world who can speak only one language, and they don't realise how much it limits the way they view the world. People are often unkind because of their narrow worldview. It has nothing to do with you because you are actually expanding your worldview, and it makes such people uncomfortable because they have never tried to do so. Just find somebody else to talk to - there are kind people everywhere.
Move on to reading books - you can start with simple comic books like Tintin, Asterix, Archies etc. if you find reading "boring" at first. And later move on to kids / teens novels (I'd recommend British authors like Enid Blyton and JK Rowling). These will also give you an immersive experience to western culture.
Another enjoyable way to build up your vocabulary is to watch English TV series with English subtitles.
Finally, you do not need to be embarrassed about trying to talk with someone in broken english. You are trying to learn a new language and you should be proud of that. There are so many people in the world who can speak only one language, and they don't realise how much it limits the way they view the world. People are often unkind because of their narrow worldview. It has nothing to do with you because you are actually expanding your worldview, and it makes such people uncomfortable because they have never tried to do so. Just find somebody else to talk to - there are kind people everywhere.
Try italki (real people) or Speak.com (AI).
Check out BoldVoice (YC S21) - I'm biased as a cofounder :) We built this for immigrants who want to improve their spoken English, with a focus on pronunciation. You will get videos from speech/accent coaches + feedback from AI as you speak. The inspiration was my own experience as an immigrant in the US - I was struggling with speaking confidently, even though on paper my English was good. BoldVoice is what I wish I had back then - hope it can be helpful to you too.
Other than that - practice speaking as much as you can! Also, watch native speakers and focus on how they move their mouths to make sounds. Try to copy their speech cadence and repeat the phrases in their pronunciation and musicality. This is called shadowing and can be very effective (and free!)
Other than that - practice speaking as much as you can! Also, watch native speakers and focus on how they move their mouths to make sounds. Try to copy their speech cadence and repeat the phrases in their pronunciation and musicality. This is called shadowing and can be very effective (and free!)