How to Speak Like a Native English Speaker in 5 Simple Steps
How to speak like a native American or British person
There are a few sure-fire ways to improve your English speaking skills, although some may be better suited to your learning style than others. Try out different methods to find the one that you like, and keep practicing every day until you’re fluent. While grammar is an important part of learning a language, your reading and writing skills shouldn’t take precedence over real-life speaking and listening practice.
1. Watch and learn
If you want to speak English then you’re going to have to work on your listening skills too. Watching TV series and movies in English will help you to not only pick up words and improve your vocabulary but also will drastically improve your understanding, which is one of the hardest things about conversing in English. Choosing a series with the accent you would like to understand or imitate will really help you to focus on that particular region and its way of speaking.
2. Repetition, repetition
Repeating everything you hear out loud will train your brain to memorize words more easily. What’s more, any opportunity to speak out loud will help your pronunciation. To check how well you’re doing, you could record yourself on your phone and play it back, so that you can listen to your own pronunciation. Another key factor in speaking is intonation, which goes hand in hand with pronunciation practice.
3. Down with the kids
If you want to truly sound like a native, then you’re going to have to put down the textbooks and try to use some colloquial terms. Different English slang words are used in different areas, but acquiring a variety of slang terms will help you fit in with the locals wherever you go. You won’t find slang terms in newspapers, on the news, or in period dramas. Instead, turn to reality TV, comedy shows, or social media to hear how people truly speak. Better yet, when visiting an English-speaking country, try listening to how native speakers talk in the real world, in cafés, bars, or even in the street.
4. Idioms and expressions
You may not want to start using cockney rhyming slang or expressions used solely in small corners of the world, however, you may want to expand your English knowledge with some common idioms. You can learn these on websites, in books, or via videos, and once you’ve grasped how to use them in context, you’ll quickly start sounding like a native.
5. Hire an English speaking teacher
The best way to learn English and sound like a native is to learn from and speak to a native English speaker. There are various platforms online where you can have one-to-one lessons to improve your pronunciation, grammar, or just for general conversation practice. Examples of websites and mobile apps where you can find your perfect teacher are LiveXP, Preply, Italki, and Verbling. Private tutors and English teachers can be found at a range of different prices, so you’re bound to find something to suit your budget.
Where to learn English online
As well as online lessons, there are many other ways in which the internet can help you learn English. You can find game-centered apps, live videos, and even a huge number of online courses. English courses are available for free or for a small fee on websites such as LiveXP, or for a subscription on platforms such as Babbel.
Become fluent in English day by day
Learning English to a point where you sound like a native speaker doesn’t just happen overnight. It must be worked at every day. With as little as 10 minutes of practice in the morning or evening, you can drastically improve your conversational skills. Concentrate on your specific needs, if you have a strong accent, focus on pronunciation, yet if you struggle to understand others, prioritize listening to native speakers. A selection of different techniques is the best way to improve your overall skills and start speaking like a native as soon as possible.