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Tips for getting fluent in English |
1. Why do you want to learn English? You should try to answer this question first. If you don’t know why you’re learning you won’t know what to study. If you don’t know what to study, you can’t learn efficiently. Maybe you want to pass a test, or get a high TOEIC score. This is an OK reason but think about why you want to pass that test and be clear about your motivation. 2. Know you can. Never start learning a language thinking “This is hard. I can’t do this”. If you start with that sort of thought in mind, you’ll probably finish feeling the same. Tell yourself everyday “I am someone who can speak English easily”. You have to take responsibility and know that if you find English difficult only you can make it easy. 3. Make mistakes. “失敗は成功の元”－“failure is the root of success”. If you’re not making any mistakes, you’re probably not trying hard enough. Making mistakes is good in language learning because we learn from them! If small children were embarrassed about making mistakes with language, nobody would be able to speak at all. It’s said that it takes 10,000 honest mistakes to gain fluency in a language. With that in mind, start making those mistakes now, and start learning from them! 4. English is playtime, not work time. It’s a proven fact that we all learn better when we enjoy ourselves. You need to get out of the “this is just something I have to do ….” Mindset and get into thinking “this is something I want to do!” Make learning fun. Do you like movies? Watch them in English if you do. How about reading fiction? Read it in English! The point is, don’t do something you wouldn’t do in your own language! If you don’t read newspapers in your own language, don’t read them in English! 5. Get an iPod and fill it with podcasts and audio lessons. Other than for reading skills, learn with your ears, not your eyes. Listening to English will let your brain absorb it much faster than reading will. I recommend EnglishClass101.com or Effortless English for some really great readymade audio designed for English students. EnglishClass101.com is especially good because of the extras you get on the webpage (+ it also has a week completely free!). Using an iPod will let you make good use of otherwise wasted travel and “hidden moments”. I’ve heard it said many times that we all have enough wasted minuets to learn one new language a year. Use those hidden moments, and remember – listening for a few minutes several times a day is much, much more effective than an hour all in one go or reading from a textbook. 6. Listen to your audio again and again Once you’ve learned something well enough to understand it, it’s very easy to just move on to something new. This is natural and fine. But repetition is the key to keeping language. Remember that understanding isn’t the goal – fluency is. The best way to learn to speak fluently is to listen to your audio dialogs and stories over and over and over again so that you can recall it instantly when you’re using English. When you move on, don’t stop listening to what you’ve already learned! Repeated listening will make sure language sticks in your mind so deeply that I’ll become a part of you in the same way that a child’s first language becomes a part of them. 7. Choose the right materials. There are hundreds of textbooks and other study materials designed for Students of English out there. Some of them are pretty good, however be clear about your motivation for learning English. If they don’t interest or inspire you those textbooks aren’t going to do you much good. If you don’t wantto pick up the books you’re using day after day, you’re setting yourself up to fail. Much better is to find something that interests you more even if it seems not so good for English students. When I need to learn Japanese for my Masters I don’t use a textbook from the “Learn Japanese” shelf – I use books about English theory or history written in Japanese! I didn’t learn any Japanese conversation from textbooks books either – I learned what I know by watching Japanese drama DVDs, reading manga and listing to Audio books and podcasts from JapanesePod101.com on my iPod! As I’ve already mentioned, EnglishClass101.com is an excellent source of audio for those who want something specially made. 8. Get a private tutor, but don’t rely on Classes. For some people classes are the way to go, however one or two hours of classes a week probably isn’t going to help you learn much by its self. If you’re serious about getting fluent in English I recommend self study so that you can move at your own speed. As long you have confidence and know English is easy “learning at your own speed” will be much faster than a class. Classes generally only go as fast as the weakest student. Instead of classes I recommend getting a private lesson with a native teacher once a week to help with pronunciation and conversation skills. You’ll be amazed how much faster you learn and how much money you save!
For other tips, check out my blog!
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