[Music] hey everyone welcome back to English conversations for beginners I'm Alex your host and today we're tackling a big issue that many English Learners face I can understand English but I can't speak it that's right Alex if you can watch English movies follow conversations and understand songs but freeze up when it's time to speak that's totally normal you're definitely not alone and today we'll explain why this happens and how you can overcome it exactly by the end of this episode you'll have practical tips and strategies that will help you start speaking English with more confidence
so let's Dive Right In if this sounds like a challenge you're facing keep listening we've got some great advice coming your way all right let's get started okay let's jump right into it why is it that many Learners understand English just fine but when it comes to speaking nothing comes out good question Alex it's actually pretty common one of the main reasons for this is that we usually spend more time Listening to English than actually speaking it we watch movies listen to podcasts or talk to people in English but it's passive we're not actively forming
sentences in real time like we would in a conversation exactly listening is is a passive skill you just absorb the information speaking on the other hand is active you have to create thoughts and sentences on the spot if you don't practice that it can feel difficult and overwhelming when you try to speak and let's not forget the fear of making mistakes a lot of Learners are afraid of saying something wrong so they hold back from speaking they think what if I say the wrong word what if my grammar is wrong and this fear stops them
from even trying right but here's the thing everyone makes mistakes when learning a new language and that's totally okay the important part is to speak anyway mistakes are part of the process in fact making mistakes is one of the fastest ways to learn yes and another reason for the struggle is overthinking a lot of Learners translate from their native language into English and that takes time it's like trying to translate a book one word at a time by the time you're ready to speak the conversation has already moved on so true and the solution to
that is to start thinking directly in English the more you practice the easier it becomes to think in English without translating in your head but it takes time so don't worry if it's difficult at first and here's something else some Learners get stuck because they're trying to speak in perfect English they want to sound like a native speaker so they get discouraged when their sentences aren't perfect yeah but that's not the goal is it the goal is to be understood you don't need to speak with perfect grammar or vocabulary just focus on communicating if you
get the message across you're doing great exactly so let's sum it up one you understand English because you've been listening to it but speaking requires active practice two fear of mistakes can stop you from speaking at all three translating from your native language can slow you down the pressure to speak perfectly can make you hesitate but don't worry this is all part of the learning process and in the next part of the episode we'll share some simple strategies to help you get past these struggles and start speaking confidently yep don't go anywhere because now we're
moving on to the fun part where we'll share tips to help you start speaking right now now that we've talked about some of the reasons why you might struggle with speaking let's get into some practical tips that will help you start speaking English with confidence Sarah what's the first tip we can share all right the first tip is shadowing this is a fantastic technique where you repeat what you hear as soon as you hear it so if you're watching a show or listening to a podcast pause and immediately repeat what the person said try to
copy their pronunciation tone and Rhythm exactly yes it's like becoming a language Shadow you're mimicking everything they say and it helps you get used to the sounds of English and how sentences are naturally put together don't worry if you can't say it perfectly the first time just focus on getting the flow and sound right exactly and the great thing is you can practice shadowing with real native conversations for example you might repeat sentences from a movie or a conversation in a YouTube video it's fun and it's an easy way to get better at speaking great
tip now let's move on to the second one speak every day this is huge even if you don't have a conversation partner it's important to speak out loud every single day yes even even talking to yourself is powerful you can narrate your day I'm making coffee now or I'm going to the store the idea is to get used to producing words in English regularly so it becomes more natural you could also try using language exchange apps where you can connect with other Learners or native speakers or even if you're alone you can talk to your
phone or computer just practice speaking even if it's just to an empty room and speaking every day really helps build that confidence you'll start to realize that you're making progress even when you're just talking to yourself exactly now tip three think in English this is one of those tips that sounds simple but it's so powerful the more you can think in English the easier it will be to speak it right if you're constantly translating from your native language to English it's going to slow you down instead try to start thinking in English in your everyday
life for example when you wake up in the morning think in English about what you're going to do today yes and when you're out and about try to label things in your mind for example this is a tree I'm sitting at a table this is a red car the more you can think in English the quicker you'll be able to speak without hesitation exactly and remember you don't need to think in super complex sentences at first start small even if you're thinking simple things like I'm eating lunch or this is my favorite book it helps
your brain get used to processing in English exactly simple thoughts are key now tip four use simple sentences we all want to sound impressive but when you're learning it's better to focus on basic clear sentences the more you practice simple sentences the easier it is to speak right don't worry about using big words or complex grammar start with the basics I like this I don't understand this is my dog these are perfect for building a foundation and helping you feel confident in your speech Yes and when you feel more comfortable you can start adding more
details to your sentences but don't rush build your confidence with those simple sentences first and you'll get there so to recap our top tips one shadowing repeat what you hear from native speakers to improve pronunciation two speak every day talk to yourself apps or even your pets three think in English start with simple thoughts and build up four use simple sentences focus on clear easy communication and remember speaking English is all about practice the more you speak the easier it becomes so don't worry about being perfect just keep practicing and you'll see huge progress exactly
and now Alex and I are going to do a quick roleplay to show you how easy it can be to start speaking in real conversations now let's put everything we've talked about into practice with a little role playing we're going to show you how even simple sentences can help you start speaking confidently exactly in this role play we're going to keep things simple just a friendly conversation and I want you The Listener to try repeating after us don't worry about being perfect just focus on speaking all right let's say we're meeting each other at a
coffee shop for the first time here we go hi Sarah how are you today hi Alex I'm good thanks how about you I'm great thanks for asking what are you doing this weekend this weekend I'm going to the the park I'm going to walk my dog what about you that sounds fun I'm going to visit my family I haven't seen them in a while nice how long has it been since you last saw them it's been about 2 months I'm excited to catch up that's awesome I'm sure you'll have a great time thanks so do
you go to the park often yes I try to go every weekend it's a nice way to relax and enjoy the fresh air sounds perfect maybe I should start going to the park more you definitely should it's a great way to clear your mind all right that was our quick conversation notice how we use simple sentences and kept it relaxed Sarah and I didn't worry about using complex grammar or perfect vocabulary we just focused on being understood exactly and now we want you to try this find a partner or even talk to yourself and practice
some simple questions and answers you can use sentences like how are you what are you doing or where are you going it doesn't have to be complicated that's right remember the more you practice the easier it becomes keep it simple and don't be afraid to make mistakes absolutely so go ahead and try roleplaying this with a friend or even in front of the mirror it's a great way to build your speaking confidence all right as we wrap up today's episode I want to take a moment to remind you of something really important learning to speak
English takes time but you are making progress every day exactly Alex it's easy to get frustrated when things don't feel perfect but every time you practice you're getting better even if you're just having small conversations or thinking in English for a few minutes a day that's a step forward and remember it's okay to make mistakes mistakes don't mean you're not learning they mean you're trying and that's the key to improving if you're speaking you're doing it right that's right and you don't need to compare yourself to others everyone learns at their own pace the important
thing is that you keep practicing keep speaking and celebrate every little win every sentence you say in English is a victory exactly so take it one step at a time don't stress about sounding perfect just focus on getting better little by little you're doing amazing and we believe in you keep practicing keep speaking and soon you'll be speaking English with the confidence you've always wanted thank you so much for listening today we hope this episode gave you some practical tips and motivation to start speaking English more confidently keep up the great work and we'll see
you next time on English conversations for beginners yes keep it up you've got this take care and happy learning all right everyone we've come to the end of today's episode we really hope you found some useful tips to help you speak English with more confidence remember it's all about practice patience and not being afraid to make mistakes exactly keep practicing every day and don't forget to use the tips we shared shadowing speaking daily thinking in English and using simple sentences the more you do it the easier it will become and if you enjoyed this episode
please make sure to subscribe to English conversations for beginners so you don't miss any future episodes we've got a lot more content coming to help you on your language learning Journey yes and we'd love to hear from you if you have any questions or topics you'd like us to cover feel free to leave a comment or message us we're always happy to help also if you know someone else who's learning English share this episode with them the more the merrier and the more we can all learn together thanks again for listening everyone keep practicing stay
motivated and we'll see you in the next episode take care and happy speaking
