The only way to speak fluent english is.... Talk to different english people, Oxford University english is a good benchmark, but with so much slang, regional variants and foreign language influence, the language is all over the place
I was a former Online English Tutor for Koreans so I'm aware at how difficult it can be to actually learn the ropes of speaking fluent english. But don't worry because it's not the end of the world for you if that is your current status as an English speaker. So let me give you some tips on how you could improve your english:
1. Watch American movies at least twice a week. Observe their accent. Try to imitate the way they speak. You can even try speaking in front of the mirror as if your communicating to an English speaking person afterwards.
2. Read English articles, magazines, novels etc. ALOUD. Notice your voice--how it sounds, if it needs improvement.. You can record your own voice so you could just play it back afterwards.
3. DON'T HESITATE to speak in a "slang" way. Sometimes, it's just a matter of setting our minds. Strip off inhibitions for they could be the reason for your uneasiness.
Whew. Hope I was able to hell you out, even just a little. If you want, I could speak to you through SKYPE. Just search for me using my ID, greendaysky0612.
Ciao!
1. Watch American movies at least twice a week. Observe their accent. Try to imitate the way they speak. You can even try speaking in front of the mirror as if your communicating to an English speaking person afterwards.
2. Read English articles, magazines, novels etc. ALOUD. Notice your voice--how it sounds, if it needs improvement.. You can record your own voice so you could just play it back afterwards.
3. DON'T HESITATE to speak in a "slang" way. Sometimes, it's just a matter of setting our minds. Strip off inhibitions for they could be the reason for your uneasiness.
Whew. Hope I was able to hell you out, even just a little. If you want, I could speak to you through SKYPE. Just search for me using my ID, greendaysky0612.
Ciao!
In order to speak English fluently you need to practice saying some sentences. You don't have to do this with other people there but maybe you could practice with friends or family? It may boost your confidence.
I have foreign-born friends who say they learned English by watching American movies!! But of course you would have to make sure you were watching movies where they spoke really decent English!! But they said hearing phrases, wording, etc., helped them a lot......
If I were you, I would try speaking more out loud. From what you have written, the main problem that I have identified is you are nervous and panic or hesitate greatly before you say something. And then when it comes out, you stammer, as if you are still rethinking it. You need to boost your confidence with speaking English. So do more of it, and you should get more confident and more fluent. Hope this helps. :)
supahstah
supahstah
I would say start off by watching television and repeating the words...Look them up in a spanish/english dictionary...My mom is from Venezuela and that is how she learned.....
‘Fluency’ is a controversial term. To some it means just being able to ‘chat’ fast and mindlessly. To me it means being able to speak correctly, without a prominent foreign accent, and having almost no problems with the proper vocabulary, so it’s necessary to understand the culture and logic of the language (I mean the right way of using vocabulary, sounding natural, etc.).
Fluency is a practical characteristic of a very high level of English. So if you’re a beginner or an intermediate speaker, then saying like you can speak English fluently would have been an exaggeration.
Learning a language stands for mastering several capabilities. These are grammar, vocabulary, accent and pronunciation, and listening comprehension. To be fluent your grammar is supposed to be advanced, and you have to know and understand all the possible grammatical structures natives use. Your vocabulary is supposed to be as rich as of a native holding a degree, not like of a kid or hillbilly. You won’t be able to read and watch everything to build your vocabulary (though these activities are crucial for practicing). You need to force yourself to open up a dictionary (better be an online one with an audio pronunciation option) and learn every word you need, plus not forget about idioms and colloquialisms. My strategy is to learn first only those words and phrases which I see as equivalents of what I use when speak my native language. This way I can make up the same ‘proficiency’ as I have in my native language to be able to express myself as effectively. However it won’t be enough to understand all the native speech for they can have their own specific terminology that doesn't exist as an equivalent in other languages.
Even if you have proper vocabulary you’ll need to speak correctly pronouncing words. My advice, don’t use transcription, simply ‘cause’ you won’t be able to figure out how exactly to pronounce those printed symbols. Instead use an audio dictionary which you can find online. And additionally use some videos or courses for accent reduction (but remember you’ll need to make up your mind which accent you want to learn).
One thing that most English-learners ignore is understanding the logic of using vocabulary. They can think that they speak it fluently, but when it comes to speaking or writing English they show that they still use their native logic and simply interpret/translate from their native language word by word. That’s one of those major things that will never lead them to speaking English fluently. You just need to overcome thinking the way you think when use your native language. What will help are reading native’s forums or blogs (where you can learn to understand how to speak Spoken English naturally), watching movies (with checking scripts along), watching and reading mass media materials, reading various books (from classics to dime a dozen today’s books) and (if you can) singing along authentic songs (don’t use very international artists, and make sure those who you pick up are natives). The latter will helps you to both understand the logic of English and practice accent.
To conclude I want to mention that the most terrific thing about learning English (at least to me) is listening comprehension! It takes a lot of efforts to understand speech even if you watch a lot of movies and listen to a lot of songs. That’s the area about which I can’t give you an advice how to deal with it. I guess practice makes perfect. Good luck!
PS. Stupid me forgot that for you to help yourself understand English logic you need to more use English-English dictionaries rather than bilingual ones!
Fluency is a practical characteristic of a very high level of English. So if you’re a beginner or an intermediate speaker, then saying like you can speak English fluently would have been an exaggeration.
Learning a language stands for mastering several capabilities. These are grammar, vocabulary, accent and pronunciation, and listening comprehension. To be fluent your grammar is supposed to be advanced, and you have to know and understand all the possible grammatical structures natives use. Your vocabulary is supposed to be as rich as of a native holding a degree, not like of a kid or hillbilly. You won’t be able to read and watch everything to build your vocabulary (though these activities are crucial for practicing). You need to force yourself to open up a dictionary (better be an online one with an audio pronunciation option) and learn every word you need, plus not forget about idioms and colloquialisms. My strategy is to learn first only those words and phrases which I see as equivalents of what I use when speak my native language. This way I can make up the same ‘proficiency’ as I have in my native language to be able to express myself as effectively. However it won’t be enough to understand all the native speech for they can have their own specific terminology that doesn't exist as an equivalent in other languages.
Even if you have proper vocabulary you’ll need to speak correctly pronouncing words. My advice, don’t use transcription, simply ‘cause’ you won’t be able to figure out how exactly to pronounce those printed symbols. Instead use an audio dictionary which you can find online. And additionally use some videos or courses for accent reduction (but remember you’ll need to make up your mind which accent you want to learn).
One thing that most English-learners ignore is understanding the logic of using vocabulary. They can think that they speak it fluently, but when it comes to speaking or writing English they show that they still use their native logic and simply interpret/translate from their native language word by word. That’s one of those major things that will never lead them to speaking English fluently. You just need to overcome thinking the way you think when use your native language. What will help are reading native’s forums or blogs (where you can learn to understand how to speak Spoken English naturally), watching movies (with checking scripts along), watching and reading mass media materials, reading various books (from classics to dime a dozen today’s books) and (if you can) singing along authentic songs (don’t use very international artists, and make sure those who you pick up are natives). The latter will helps you to both understand the logic of English and practice accent.
To conclude I want to mention that the most terrific thing about learning English (at least to me) is listening comprehension! It takes a lot of efforts to understand speech even if you watch a lot of movies and listen to a lot of songs. That’s the area about which I can’t give you an advice how to deal with it. I guess practice makes perfect. Good luck!
PS. Stupid me forgot that for you to help yourself understand English logic you need to more use English-English dictionaries rather than bilingual ones!