How to Improve Speaking a Language

There is no doubt that languages require a lot of time to master; however, what you should know how to do well is how to speak a language with ease. This does not mean that you should expect perfection, or that you should expect to not say any mistakes when speaking, but it does mean that speaking should ultimately be your start and your end goal. You may be asking yourself: why is that the case? As Benny Lewis has said, languages are used to communicate ideas with others. Languages are not a passive activity, but rather an activity that is constantly used.

If you have been struggling finding a starting point on how to improve in a language, or have felt frustrated with your progress, I hope that you realize that there are many solutions that can help you get back on track. In other words, there are many ways in which you can get better at language learning. Below, I will give you 4 tips that Alex Rawlings, a famous hyperpolyglot, talks about in the video above, and will expand on his points.

1. Get a Language Partner

Not surprisingly, it has become more and more easy to find native speakers and other languages partners with whom to practice languages thanks to the internet. Now that we have Skype, meetup groups, and websites that are designed for languages speakers to find language partners, there is no reason to say that you simply cannot practice speaking. If you type up “language learning websites, “language learning chat-rooms”, or type up other key words that have to do with practicing your conversational skills, hundreds of results will pop. I personally recommend iTalki, and will eventually devote an entire post to this amazing language learning website.

What I have done this school-year is become friends with other international students and friends who are native speakers of my target languages. As we have strengthened our friendships, I have slowly become more comfortable talking to them in English, and eventually ask them if I can practice my target languages with them. I cannot remember of a single time in which my friends have said no, which has been very reassuring for me. 

If you think that this is too unrealistic for you, you can ask your friend if you can have a meal, or do something together and speak English for half of the time and then your target language. That way, you both get to practice speaking both languages. You can also ask your friends, or classmates who are looking for someone with whom to practice, and ask him/her if you can do so whenever you have free time, or whenever you go somewhere together. All it takes is asking someone once, and, if it goes well, you will be assured to have a language partner for many years to come.

2. Talk to Yourself

As weird as this tip may sound, what I have found most helpful and most reliable is talking to myself in my target languages when nobody else is around. I have been doing this for several years now, and have found that I have drastically improved my vocabulary and my confidence in speaking by using a powerful tool: repetition. By talking about my day, or about what is going on around me, I pinpoint what I am comfortable talking about, and on what I need to improve. 

Whenever a word, or a phrase comes up that I do not know, or that I learned at some point, but can no longer remember its meaning or its translation, I write it down in a notebook. That way, I can make myself read all of the new vocabulary that I learn every time that I decide to talk to myself. Even though it may take something get used to, it will eventually become second nature, and can even help you step out of your comfort zone, especially if you are shy, or are a perfectionist when speaking.

3. Learn Vocabulary in Phrases

This tip is very helpful, especially when you are first starting out in a language. Instead of learning a word out of context, you can learn it through a song, or through a particular phrase that you read often. That way, whenever you are in a situation in which you can use that word, you can say it in a phrase without having to translate it from one language to another in your head.

For example, when you first start out learning the basics in French, you learn how to say “I would like”, which translates to “Je voudrais”. For years, you know how to comfortably use this phrase, and know what it means, but do not know that it is in the conditional. As you progress in the language, you will eventually realize that you had always known the endings for the conditional mood without even knowing it. Phrases like these are what will help you get out of confusing or uncomfortable situations, and can help you master survival skills, as well as help know how to say more complex sentences.

4. Imagine How You Will Use the Language

The last tip that Benny Lewis gives us in the above is to think about how you will use the language in your everyday life. Another way to think about it is coming up with scenarios in which you can say certain phrases, or talk about your day in various realistic situations. Some could include: being at a restaurant in a foreign country that speaks your target language, having a conversation about your academic and personal goals with your friend, or asking where the restroom is. What is important to remember is that are endless situations in which you could put your languages to use. Constantly reminding yourself why and for what you are going to use them is going to help you stay motivated to continue learning them (Feel free to read my post titled "How To Stay Motivated When Learning a Language" if you want to get some tips on how you can stay on track when learning languages).

No matter how comfortable you currently feel speaking your target language, I hope that you learned that there are endless ways in which you can continue to improve in them. There is no doubt that there are thousands of individuals around the world who want to be more confident in, and who want to practice what they have learned over the years. Deciding how and with whom you are going to practice them is what is ultimately your choice.