Whether you’re practicing your speaking skills alone or are ready to improve your English speaking with a partner or group, you’re in the right place! Find an exercise you like and get started.

Tools you need to practice English speaking

Chances are, you already have these resources or can arrange them easily.

Phone and recording app

Many smartphones come automatically with a recording app that you can use to record and play back voice recordings. Look for Voice Memos on iPhone and Voice Recorder on Android. You don’t need anything fancy, though you can find recording apps with more features on your app store.

Audio and video streaming app or service

If you want to practice your listening skills and speaking skills in one, you can try practicing what you hear on your favorite podcast, YouTube video, or streaming app with the help of embedded captions and transcripts.

Text aids and other reading material

If you’re using audio or video to practice speaking, you’ll want to have relevant texts handy (= available). Podcasts often publish audio transcripts online (check the podcast episode description); for example, all Plain English audio lessons have transcripts. A quick web search can help you find scripts for your favorite TV shows and movies. You can also practice by reading other material, like a book or article, out loud.

Computer headset

Many people play video games or take online courses to improve their English speaking skills. It can be helpful to have a headset with a good microphone to help you record and stream clear audio.

A conversation partner or group

Ask for conversation help from a family member, friend, or group of fellow English language learners. You can plan to practice speaking one-on-one, share a meal together, or have a game night. Joining a vibrant online community, like Plain English’s community of 11,500+ English learners, can also help.

A pinch of confidence

This can sometimes be the hardest part, but it’s also the most important. Practicing your speaking helps you build more confidence. Pretty soon, you’ll be speaking English without hesitation.

Speaking activities for English language learners

You can use any or all of the following speaking activities. All have worked for Plain English teachers and students in real life. We’ll also recommend any resources you need to do the exercise.

Speaking exercises you can do alone

Want to practice your English speaking from the comfort of your bedroom? These speaking exercises are perfect for you.

Read out loud

Do you love to read books, magazines, and/or web content in English? Reading out loud is a great way to practice speaking English. Find a text that works for your level of English, and read. Notice what words are easy for you to pronounce and which ones you struggle with. When you have trouble with a phrase, read slowly and repeat it until you feel more comfortable. Write down words that give you a lot of trouble, and look up their pronunciation.

You’ll need reading material, whether physical or digital.

Pro tip: You can use Plain English Plus+ to record yourself reading texts about current events and play it back to practice alongside a native speaker.

Memorize a scene from movie or TV

Search for the script of a movie or TV show episode that you can access through a streaming app, and practice reading the script. You can use different voices for different characters. Play the audio/video to help you practice your lines. Then practice while playing to see how well you can match the original pronunciation.

Tell a story

Storytelling is important to all human cultures. Whether you know it or not, you tell stories every day. 

One way to stimulate your creative juices (= creativity) is to use story dice with random pictures that prompt you to make up a crazy story. Try the phone app Rory’s Story Cubes or buy the cubes to play at game nights. 

You can also try getting inspired by the adult bedtime podcast Dreamful, which uses bedtime stories from all over the world to help people sleep. What fairy tales or legends from your country could you tell someone in English? Try telling it out loud and recording it for feedback once you’ve practiced.

You’ll need a phone to use apps and potentially a conversation partner, but this activity can be done successfully alone.

Make a presentation

You don’t need to be a business person to make a presentation. What are you really good at that you might want to one day share with other people? This can be anything from your career journey to your family vacation to how to make the best pancakes on planet Earth. 

You’ll need an electronic device with a presentation program, like Microsoft Powerpoint or Google Slides. You can practice the presentation alone and try presenting to a family member or friend when you feel confident.

Attend a virtual or in-person event

It can be easier to practice speaking with strangers. Thankfully, there are a lot of great options to meet strangers in a formal setting where you can relax, learn something, and practice your English speaking skills, too.

• Join a free Creative Mornings webinar with breakout rooms. The event description says whether the event is interactive or not. 
• Search for virtual talks on Eventbrite. You can attend anonymously, practice your listening skills, and ask questions at the end.
• Ready to take it to the next level? Book a museum tour or walking tour in your town, and ask questions about the art, history, or architecture.

You’ll need a computer or phone and a pinch of confidence.

Exercises for one-on-one conversation

Often, speaking is more fun and useful when done with a partner. Here are some speaking activities you can use.

Teach someone a new skill or fact

Some people believe you don’t really know something until you can explain it to someone else. In this case, you can get confidence from teaching something you already know how to do well to someone who is a beginner. For example:

• Teach a coworker how to use a new digital tool
• Teach a family member or friend how to make your favorite recipe
• Tutor someone, who is less advanced than you, English (yes, you can do it!)

Also see our listening exercises for ways to use explanation as a great English listening and speaking activity at the same time.

You may need a phone or laptop, or pen and paper, but this activity can be done without any extra tools.

Practice your description skills

When you’re in the middle of a conversation but forget a word or phrase, it can be tempting to stop the conversation and use your phone to look it up. A great way to practice your speaking skills is to stay in English and describe the word you’re looking for instead. You’ll continue practicing, plus you’ll gain flexibility in your speaking. 

The board game Taboo (play online) is a great example of this. You have a list of words that you have to describe, but not use, while your partner guesses. 

You’ll need just a conversation partner for this one!

Interview an English-speaking friend

What better way to practice your English speaking skills and get to know someone better, than to interview them? You’ll have the chance to write down and ask questions and improve your speaking skills through improvisation during your conversation. If you need inspiration, try these questions.

You’ll need pen and paper or a word processor to write down questions, an interviewee, and potentially a recording app.

Group speaking exercises

When it comes to practicing your English speaking with a group, the possibilities are endless! Here are some of our favorite games and exercises.

Easy speaking games for groups

• Find someone who… This is a list or bingo game that has questions on a piece of paper. Your goal is to walk around the room and ask questions like, “Do you have a birthday in December?” and check off the questions on your paper once you complete them.
• Heads up! is a game where people are assigned a role (an elephant? A doctor? Elvis Presley?) that they don’t know about because it’s on their forehead. Your job is to answer their questions and explain traits of the character so they can guess. This is available as a phone app but can be done with pen, paper, and tape.
• Guess who is a game where people get assigned a famous personality and you ask questions to find out who they are.

Intermediate speaking games for groups

• Story Cube. In addition to being a great storytelling game for individuals, it can be hilarious in groups.
• 20 questions. Think of any person, place, or thing. The group has only 20 questions to narrow down the possibilities and guess what you’re thinking of. 
• Trivia games. There are an endless number of trivia board games and online games to choose from. Best of all, it makes use of both your language and general knowledge skills.
• This or that. A great way to start debates and get to know people better, this game involves people taking a side and arguing for it. Dogs or cats? Breakfast or dinner? Mountain or beach?
• Two truths and a lie. All participants make up three statements, two true and one untrue. When it’s your turn, read the statements out loud and let people ask you questions for 2-3 minutes before they guess.

Advanced speaking games for groups

• Would you rather. Similar to this or that, this game forces people to choose between two bad scenarios, like, “Would you rather eat dirt or drink toilet water?” It’s a great opportunity to be creative, argue for your choice, and laugh over what people say.
• Mafia. This speaking-only party game has many names and variations, but the main idea is that people are taking part in a mystery game where they are slowly killed off. The group has to discuss and find the killers before there is no one left.
• Dungeons and Dragons. This popular roleplaying game requires you to create and act out characters while a “Dungeon Master” narrates the story. It takes place over multiple sessions.

You’ll need some advance preparation, including pen and paper, and a large group, for some games.

Start improving your English speaking today

Getting the repetitions you need doesn’t have to be scary or boring. You can practice your English speaking skills anywhere, at any time, whether you’re alone or have a conversation partner or group handy.

Plus, the beauty of having so many English speaking exercises is that you can try a new one every week. So tell us, what exercise will you choose first?

The post 24+ activities to practice your English speaking skills today appeared first on Plain English.

Though many English learners aim to become fluent as fast as possible, you don’t need to be “fluent” to have successful conversations in English. With hard work and consistency, you can build conversational skills that help you speak English naturally within months.

Let’s talk about what it takes to speak English without hesitation.

How fast can you become fluent?

It takes a beginner approximately one year to learn English fluently – if you spend 5 hours a day studying.

Of course, this time commitment isn’t always possible. For many people, true fluency is a journey that takes years (and that’s okay). The time required also depends on your current English level, your environment, the quality of your studies, your motivation level, and your native tongue. 

Have you heard of New Year’s resolutions? These are commitments we make to ourselves at the end of the year. The most common New Year’s resolution is a promise to start going to the gym. However, it takes most resolution-makers only one month to break their resolution (=stop doing the action they committed to). 

Many English language learners put pressure on themselves to speak English fluently faster than is realistic. Like with resolutions, it’s difficult to reach our goals when we don’t have a clear plan with milestones. That’s why a focus on fluency when you are not getting regular practice can be discouraging and actually hold you back from making progress. 

So, while quick fixes won’t help, daily committed practice, even 15 minutes a day, will.

How often should you practice your speaking skills?

In short, as often as possible.

Sometimes it seems counterintuitive to speak when you are worried about your English speaking skills. But we can practice things that make us uncomfortable.

The fact is, the more you speak English, the better you will get. There’s no other “fluency life hack.”

This is because conversation is a type of active learning. You have to apply your skills, think on your toes (= without much preparation), and process feedback quickly. Plus, the more you do it, the more fun it gets. There are so many things we can talk about and learn from other people.

Remember: It’s possible to find people who are willing to speak English with you on and offline. Your conversation partner doesn’t need to be a native speaker. (Check out our tips on practicing speaking from home.)

How do I learn to speak English naturally?

Building strong English speaking skills requires other skills, including the ability to read, listen, and comprehend in English. 

There are many ways to learn how to speak English without hesitation. You might think you need to travel to places where you don’t share a language with the locals in order to practice, but you don’t have to leave your country. Try pretending to be a tourist in a neighboring town or joining an international club. If you want to welcome travelers into your home, consider setting up an Airbnb or hosting students or volunteers.

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Practice your English listening skills. We consider listening to be the gateway to speaking, so you shouldn’t ignore your listening. It helps you understand pronunciation and build a passive vocabulary that you can turn into an active vocabulary with regular practice. Remember, active listening is better.
• Start conversations constantly. Look for opportunities to practice your English speaking at every opportunity. It can be easier to talk with strangers you will never see again.
• “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” This English phrase means that you should expect to make mistakes. Don’t be afraid – you will make mistakes no matter what you do, but they will help you learn.
• Praise all progress, big and small. Fluency doesn’t happen without many small milestones in between. When you have an interaction you feel great about, treat yourself to encourage repetition.
• Practice speaking at home. You don’t need to live with a native speaker to practice your English speaking. You’re your own natural buddy! Find the transcript from a Youtube video or content from a streaming service, try recording yourself while reading it, and compare. Once you get good at this, you can practice speaking confidently in front of the mirror. Don’t worry, it will get less awkward over time.

Read more in our blogs about the top English speaking exercises and how to practice English speaking from home. 

Take the first steps towards speaking without hesitation

It’s 100% possible to speak English communicatively and understandably. 1 billion people already do!

Remember that many English speakers are not native, perfect, or fluent, but they still get their point across and speak with confidence. 

Consider your current level. Who can you hold a conversation with – a waiter, a train conductor, your neighbor, a coworker? 

Identify what you want to improve about your English speaking. Do you want to speak more? Do you want to speak in a way that is more grammatically correct? Do you want to add elements that make you sound like a native speaker, like phrasal verbs and idioms? 

To take it to the next level, create a realistic plan to practice your English skills consistently. This means working on all the little things that move you closer to mastery, from pronunciation to prepositions to helpful conversational phrases.

How Plain English can help you speak English more fluently

We produce engaging biweekly lessons on current events that include audio with two speeds, full transcripts, translations into 9 languages, review quizzes, a Facebook group, and much more. 

This content is designed to help you improve your reading, listening, comprehension, and writing. You receive in-depth explainers of conversational phrases and take fun quizzes that help you keep what you’ve learned while you fix your most common mistakes. The combination of these exercises sets a strong foundation for you to practice your English speaking skills.

With a free account, you can unlock 400+ current events lessons with transcripts and review quizzes, plus 400+ English expressions to help you make daily progress and speak English more fluently in a fun, engaging way.

Start for free today.

In case you’re interested, the popular Plus+ membership has a stronger focus on speaking than our free tier. You can record yourself reading a passage from every lesson and compare it with audio from a native speaker. We also host 3 conference calls with fellow learners and native speakers every month, but you have the opportunity to get personalized feedback from our native speakers every week.

The post How to speak English more fluently and without hesitation appeared first on Plain English.

But there is some good news: you can recognize and avoid these errors. Whether your mother tongue is Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, German, or Brazilian Portuguese, it’s possible to avoid mistakes and improve your spoken English. 

Keep reading for 5 mistakes non-native speakers make when speaking English, from confusing verbs to pronunciation mistakes. We’ll also share exercises you can use to improve your English speaking skills.

False cognates

False cognates are examples where a word in English appears like a word in your own language, but it means something different (“false friends”). Sometimes the meaning can be very different; other times, the meaning is related, but not exactly the same.

Examples:

For example, the word embarazada means “pregnant” in Spanish; you wouldn’t want to confuse it with “embarrassed” in English. Even if the difference is not as risky, like how German bekommen actually means to “receive” in English, it’s still important to be aware of how you’re using a word so you can choose correctly the next time around.

How to avoid this mistake:

Research the most common false cognates in your language and write down sentences you might use in real life that highlight the differences. For example, “I’m so embarrassed that I asked if you were pregnant” or “I became much happier when I received your letter.”

Confusing verb pairs

Some verbs spell trouble (= are challenging) for many non-native English speakers. English learners often struggle with the difference, for example, between teach and learn, do and make, and lend and borrow. 

We may confuse a verb pair in English when it is covered by the same or similar verb in our native language. We might also not know what verb to choose when we don’t use a verb pair in the same way, or if a particular verb does not exist in our language. Let’s give an example of each. 

Examples:

Two verbs are covered by the same or similar word in our native language.

Although teachers and students do opposite actions – teachers teach and students learn – not all languages have such clear differences. In Polish, the difference between “teach” (uczyć) and “learn” (uczyć się) is a reflexive verb form. In Turkish, the words for “teach” (öğretmek) and “learn” (öğrenmek) are also very similar. 

The verb isn’t used in exactly the same way.

As with superpower words hacer in Spanish and faire in French, there is overlap with the English direct translation “do,” but it’s not perfect. Although the direct translation often works, it won’t work all of the time. In English, we use “do” for some expressions (like “do the dishes/your homework”) and make for others (like “make dinner”).

The verb doesn’t exist, and we talk around it.

Every language has its own structure for how we express an idea. This is why translating word for word often doesn’t work. For example, Spanish prestar means “lend”, but unlike English, Spanish does not have a unique verb for “borrow” (pedir prestado).

How to avoid this mistake:

Make a list of the most common verbs that you confuse. Pay special attention to how you and others use them during situational conversations, like a parent-teacher conference for teach/learn or a dinner party or game night for do/make. 

Since these verbs are often related to our most common actions and conversational phrases, you can create opportunities to practice in real life. For example, plan a conversation with your neighbor about borrowing their lawn mower, or your classmate about borrowing their highlighter.

Word order

Word order varies between languages. One of the most common mistakes that English learners make when speaking is with the word order of questions versus statements. 

Example:

If you need directions, you might say, “Do you know where is the train station?” In English, the words are ordered in the form of a sentence. For this reason, your conversation partner might be confused about what you are asking, or if you are asking at all – and you risk missing your train. The correct question form means shifting the verb to the end of the question: “Do you know where the train station IS?”

How to avoid this mistake:

Practice writing down questions for situations you will or hope to experience. If you’re traveling soon, what might you ask a desk agent at the airport? If you’re going for coffee with a new friend, what will you ask them about themselves? If you were interviewing your favorite celebrity, what would you ask them about their lives? 

Prepositions

The use of prepositions (to, in, on…) are specific to each language. The prepositions you use in your own language are not (unfortunately!) a great guide to the corresponding prepositions in English. That’s why misusing prepositions is a common mistake when speaking in English.

Learning how prepositions are used in English takes memorization and practice, and all English language learners are bound to (= will) make mistakes sometimes. 

Examples:

For English speakers, the idea that someone is riding “on the bus” (on top of the bus) or that someone is “in the toilet” (inside of the toilet) can result in giggles. 

How to avoid this mistake:

Wrong preposition use can give you good feedback: If one of your mistakes has made people laugh, use that feedback to correct the mistake next time. Consistent reading and listening practice is also a great way to get exposure to English preposition use. The children’s book Green Eggs and Ham shows how many prepositions can be used in different situations.

“Not on a train! Not in a tree!

Not in a car! Sam! Let me be!

I would not, could not, in a box.

I could not, would not, with a fox.

I will not eat them with a mouse

I will not eat them in a house.

I will not eat them here or there.

I will not eat them anywhere.”

Challenging pronunciation

If you struggle to pronounce certain English-language sounds, you’re not alone! Some languages don’t have certain sounds, the way that most English learners struggle with words like “think” and “this.” Even languages with the same alphabet, like Romance languages Spanish and Italian or the many dialects of Chinese, have pronunciation differences. Some are small, like Polish “rz” and Czech “ř.” And some are big, like the way a Mandarin and Cantonese speaker can read a headline very differently. 

Examples:

All English learners make pronunciation mistakes based on the sounds present in their mother tongue. For example, Portuguese speakers have trouble pronouncing “h” while Chinese and Japanese speakers struggle with “r” and “l,” and speakers of Slavic and Nordic languages often pronounce “w” as “v” (and vice versa). 

Sometimes, these differences are harmless, like how Portuguese speakers may say “ahah” (which may sound like they are hurt) when they mean “haha” (which means they find something funny). Sometimes, they can cause embarrassing or uncomfortable situations, the way that confusing short and long “i” sounds can make it seem like you said a curse word when you meant “beach” or “sheet.”

How to avoid this mistake:

As you practice English, you will quickly become aware of the pronunciation mistakes you’re most likely to make; for example, when people have difficulty understanding a certain word you need to say often, or you realize you cannot pronounce a word like a speaker you’ve heard. It helps to know which sound you want to say versus the one you tend to say. 

Improving your pronunciation requires lots of practice. If you have access to a teacher, tutor, or native speaker, you can ask them to help you practice minimal pairs (like “l” and “r”) or tongue twisters (“I rarely like rolling down the hill”). You can also record yourself reading a text and compare your pronunciation to a native speaker’s, then record and practice again for just 15 minutes a day. With Plain English Plus+, you get this opportunity in every biweekly lesson.

Take the next step towards improving your English speaking

If you enjoyed this blog, you’ll also enjoy our blogs about how to improve your English speaking skills from home and how to speak English without hesitation.
P.S. Ready to level up with real-life conversation and discussion? Plain English Plus+ members can take part in conference calls to practice their English speaking. These are supportive group calls three times a month. Sign up today and join our next call!

The post How not to make these 5 common mistakes when speaking in English appeared first on Plain English.

When you practice English consistently, you’ll be able to speak more fluently and without hesitation in no time. Below, we’ll explain how you can set clear milestones, use practice methods that work for you, and stay confident speaking English even when it feels difficult.

Proven tips to practice English speaking skills

Set clear milestones

“Speak English fluently” is a common goal of many English language learners. However, this can be frustrating when you feel you are not accomplishing your goal as fast as you would like. 

In order to keep a positive mindset, it helps to set smaller, realistic milestones. For example, if your goal is to be able to network comfortably at an event, you can outline these milestones:

• Practice one-on-one conversation with someone you know
• Practice conversation with a group of people you know
• Seek out a relaxed, one-on-one conversation with a stranger
• Attend a speed-networking event (to introduce time pressure)
• Seek out a conversation with a small group of strangers (at a meetup group, for example)
• Attend a business networking event

Repeat each step as often as possible until it feels comfortable before you move on to the next milestone.

Come prepared, culturally

There are many activities that can help you improve your English speaking skills, but you’ll want to come prepared. If you know you’ll be visiting a museum or restaurant, staying in a hotel, or attending a business meeting, be sure to research keywords and key phrases, like “exhibit,” “check-out time,” or “conference call” beforehand.

Remember that these phrases may vary between different dialects of English, the way “parking lot” (U.S. English) and “car park” (U.K. English) both refer to the public, outdoor place where you park your car.

Deepen your practice by attending cultural events where you need specialized vocabulary. Ordering at a fast food restaurant, going to a baseball game, or taking your kids trick-or-treating are all great ways to connect with U.S. English.

Note: Plain English is a great place to start because you can practice vocabulary you learn from our topical articles on live, weekly conference calls with other English language learners (available for Plus+ members).

Start out slowly, clearly, and simply

Native English speakers and people who speak English as a second language are often used to communicating with non-native English speakers. Gather your thoughts, take your time and speak slowly and clearly to get your point across. 

When you have a specific purpose in mind, like finding out which platform your train is on or how to make an appointment, it’s okay to keep it simple and build from there. Remember, everyone improves at their own pace! 

Ask questions, repeat the answers

Of course, you’ll have many questions when learning English. (Why do we say it this way and not that way? Is there a word to describe when this happens?) Asking questions helps you practice pronunciation, build confidence, and ultimately improve your English speaking skills. 

It can also help to repeat what people say. For example:

• New words. When someone says a word you’ve never heard before, repeat it to make sure you are saying it correctly and ask for clarification.
• Practicing sentence structure. When you want to practice question/statement structure, repeat the answer. “Where is the bathroom?” “Okay, so the bathroom is over there, thank you.”
• Comprehension check. When you want to check you’ve understood, you can say, “So you’re saying that…” or “If I understand correctly…” This can also lead to new conversation topics and longer conversations.

Describe things

When you’re practicing speaking English, it’s natural to get stuck sometimes. If you can’t find the right word, describe it instead. For example, 

“I’m stressed out and I need…what do you call it when you take a break from work to go somewhere nice?”

“A vacation?”

“Exactly. So we’re planning a trip to Tuscany next year…”

Describing can keep the conversation flowing and help you practice speaking around words you don’t know.

Practice everywhere you can

Start to look at everything you do as an opportunity to practice your English speaking skills. Whether you go out or stay in, there are many ways to connect with other English speakers:

• Go online. You can interact in English online by playing games, taking a course, or attending an online event. Find more tips in our blog about improving your English speaking from home.
• Bring English to you. Organize a dinner party or game night, host a volunteer or student in your home, or sign up for Couchsurfing or Airbnb and host regular travelers.
• Go where the English speakers are. Find local expat groups where members might love to interact with a local. Take a skills-based class like painting, improv, or programming where you need to give feedback to your classmates. Join an international book club or debate society where the goal is to communicate and interact with others.
• Become a tourist, temporarily. Visit tourist areas in your country and speak English at hotels, restaurants, and attractions with people who serve tourists daily. 
• Go somewhere no one knows you. If you’re a nervous speaker, go somewhere you don’t have to worry that people will remember your mistakes. Whether you take a day trip or an extended vacation, practicing with strangers helps take the pressure off.

Consciously stay in English

Do you often practice with conversation partners who also speak a shared language? 

If someone switches into your shared language to help you, you don’t need to take the bait (= accept the easy solution). Actively stay in English to prompt that person to continue practicing with you. This takes persistence, but it pays off.

Use feedback in a positive way

People give feedback in different ways. Sometimes it’s verbal, like correcting your pronunciation or laughing, or visual, like looking confused or turning away if they can’t understand you.

Did you know that when a child hurts themselves, they mirror the reaction of their caregiver? For example, children are more likely to cry when they see their caregiver react with panic, and more likely to brush it off (= react calmly) when the caregiver stays calm. When someone gives you feedback, you are both the caregiver and the child. Though it can be difficult to accept feedback, you can choose to panic or use it to improve.

Try this: When someone shows you confusion, tell yourself, “They didn’t understand me this time, but I will keep trying.” If someone corrects your pronunciation, say “Thank you,” repeat the word, and continue speaking. Sometimes, like when you confuse two similar words, it can even help to acknowledge mistakes and laugh off confusion so that you are part of the joke.

Final lesson? Don’t give up

Everyone feels embarrassed or uncertain sometimes when practicing speaking skills in English. You remember how we said the only way out is through? Always remember that speaking consistently is the only way to improve. 

And if you don’t have time to go out and speak, remember, you can always practice speaking English right from the comfort of your own home. The important thing is to do something.

So, take every opportunity you can to speak: Give your coworker a compliment, tell the waiter how much you enjoyed the food, and ask the shopkeeper a question that you know the answer to. When you’re working to improve your spoken English, every bit of practice counts!

The post 9 ways to improve your English speaking skills appeared first on Plain English.

It’s more than possible to get plenty of English speaking practice right from your own home, anytime, without traveling.

Let’s go over why it makes sense to practice your English speaking at home, tips to learn English speaking skills, and resources for further study. Keep these tips in mind and you’ll be speaking English without hesitation in no time.

Why practice speaking English from home?

Learning how to speak English doesn’t have to require time or travel – and nowadays, there are a lot of reasons to practice your English speaking skills from home. For example, travel might not be possible at the moment, or you might have work and family obligations. It doesn’t help that popular English-speaking destinations can be expensive for many learners.

Practicing speaking from home is convenient for busy people. If you set aside time to practice regularly, it can be an efficient way to learn, and may not require any extra costs. It’s also a fun and productive way to spend your free time.

Ways to practice English speaking at home

It’s more than possible to learn English speaking skills without leaving your desk, couch, or backyard. Here are a few great ways, whether you prefer to practice alone, with others, online, or in person.

Sing song lyrics

Music is a great way to practice your English speaking and listening skills at the same time. Singing in English may not only improve your mood, it will help your pronunciation and pacing. 

It also doesn’t require a lot of resources. You can find lyrics, lyric videos, and music videos with any Internet-connected device or streaming app. There are also karaoke apps that you can use to prompt you with paced lyrics and make practicing a fun, hands-free activity with your partner, friends, or kids. Once you have the words down (= memorized), all you need is your voice!

Start with our guide to using music to help you learn English.

Read out loud

Like singing, reading out loud is a low-pressure activity that uses your voice to give you feedback about your pronunciation and pacing. Make sure you have reading material on your level, and try to read a short passage at a consistent pace. Notice what words you stumble on and repeat the words, phrases, and sentences until you’ve mastered them. You can use the pronunciation function in any translation app to make sure you’re saying the word correctly.

Talk with a conversation partner

“Pen pals,” people matched to write letters to each other, are an age-old tool to make friends and communicate regularly about common interests. When you want to practice speaking, a “phone pal” may be just the thing you need.

There are many ways to find a conversation partner: 

• Ask around in your social circle,
• Post your request on social media, 
• Research language meetups or language exchange apps, 
• Try an online dating or friend-matching app like Bumble,
• Use online tools like the Reddit language community or Conversation Exchange, or
• Find an online tutor.

Conduct interviews

If you like the idea of making your English speaking practice into a project, here’s an idea. You can interview people in your social circle, at work, or even strangers you find interesting, then turn your interviews into a written or video blog project. 

First, decide on your theme. Do you want to conduct an oral history of your family or friend group? Introduce your coworkers to your customer base on social media? Learn more about a subject area or career path? 

Then, write down a series of relevant questions and reach out to the people you want to interview. Recording your interviews will help give you personal speaking feedback. Repeating your questions with different people will help you perfect your delivery, and eventually, you will feel more comfortable letting the questions evolve with your interview.

Chat with people online

We know that even networking in your native language might give you anxiety, but hear us out. There are many ways to meet people online, especially now that our worlds, including many traditionally real-world events, are more online than ever.

Here are a few ways to meet people online:

• English-language learning sites like Coeffee allow you to meet people while solving puzzles and practicing your English speaking and comprehension together.
• If you’re adventurous, you can try a roulette-style chat website that matches you with random conversation partners, like ChatRoulette. 
• For a creative learning experience with other professionals, look into free, virtual, one-off sessions like international CreativeMornings meetings.

Teach something

There is a saying that you don’t truly understand something until you can teach it to someone else. The same idea works with practicing English speaking skills! 

Think about what you’re good at. You can teach an exercise class on social media, tutor someone at a lower level of English than you, or even apply to host a CreativeMornings session.

Gaming

The possibilities are endless to learn English speaking online. Many virtual games involve in-built speaking partners, and you must use a headset to communicate with teammates or other players around the world. 

• Massive multiplayer online games (MMOGs) like EverQuest, World of Warcraft, and Final Fantasy involve world-building and collaboration. They’re a great way to communicate with people with different accents and practice your English speaking. 
• Online games like Among Us, Code Names, and Jackbox are fun ways to practice speaking. All require you to be creative by describing words, giving clues, or convincing others.

Keep in mind that you won’t always hear perfect grammar online and some chats will involve bad words. However, gaming is a great idea for shy speakers because you can focus on quick thinking rather than mistakes and don’t need to talk to people you meet virtually again if you don’t want to. 

Invite someone over

A great way to practice speaking without leaving your house is to have your conversation partner(s) come to you! 

Consider having someone over for coffee or hosting an English-language dinner. In these cases, it’s ideal to speak with people who don’t have your native language in common, but it’s not necessary. 

You can also host a game night with friends – whether virtual or in-person – with the online games above or speaking-focused board games like Monopoly, Apples to Apples, Taboo, or Balderdash.

If you want to go to the next level, you can open your home to a volunteer through ICYE, Workaway, or WWOOF, or work with local schools to find an exchange student or au pair. You can even consider becoming an AirBnb host! Hosting travelers in your home means many  and varied opportunities to talk about your culture, communicate house rules, and advise them on the best local sights.

Take a course with a strong focus on speaking

For people who want consistent, motivating practice, one of the most traditional ways to learn English speaking from home is to take an online course.

Blurb about Plain English speaking

Many great ways to practice speaking English

At home, people feel more in their element (= comfortable), which can help you get more regular English speaking practice in a relaxed environment. It’s easy to work at your own pace, and there is no pressure to leave your comfort zone before you’re more prepared to speak without hesitation in real-world situations. 

Speaking is also related to listening. See how many of these speaking exercises you can combine with our best listening exercises.

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