I am a non-native English speaker, but I have lived in Canada for less than a year, and my English is not very good yet. I am very bad at taking the initiative to talk to other people, so it is a vicious cycle. So are there any apps suitable specifically for speaking?
How to Speak Fluent English?
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Re: How to Speak Fluent English?
#2There's a lot of apps for vocab, topics, flashcards, language partners, and AI conversation. I think you should focus on your weaknesses. If you are bad at talking to others, you could try to find a language exchange partner with i.e tandem.
I also recommend shadowing: listen and repeat English phrases frequently, literally say them out loud. This builds up the muscle memory needed to speak and think in another language quickly. You can do it with podcasts or tv shows too.
Re: How to Speak Fluent English?
#3Try the Anki system…there was someone who learned over 10 languages with that method:
Re: How to Speak Fluent English?
#4I'm actually working on a chrome extension for reviewing emails/other written language for fluency and giving suggestions and feedback if you'd like to give it a try when I deploy it. (It's of course an LLM backed thing lol). I've been using it for my written French while working on it and I've found it helpful.
Re: How to Speak Fluent English?
#5Re: How to Speak Fluent English?
#6I am French originally and on my side what worked well was to speak to myself in English all the time. At home I would actually speak English out loud and it helped a lot with practicing my pronunciation and also to learn new words.
Also reading books in English out loud can be really helpful.
Re: How to Speak Fluent English?
#7Consider doing a LINC class, which is free if you are a PR or refugee in Canada.
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/se... I know three people who have done this, and they have all gotten a lot out of it.
Also find a local group doing an activity you like. Walking in the woods, or knitting, or whatever. Join and use it as a chance to talk lots with the other people in the group.
The best way is to speak with people whenever you have a chance.
Re: How to Speak Fluent English?
#8Take the initiative to talk to other people. That's honestly the best way to improve. You just have to work out of that zone. Go to your local library or go to your local college/university that has an ESL (English as a second language) option. Ask for help finding a group to practice English with. They'll often have free or inexpensive ways to speak English with others. The discomfort you feel when speaking a second language is because you don't feel confident speaking. Building that confidence usually requires speaking with others. If you are in an environment where others in the group are learning as well, it should be easier to get over that initial discomfort.
*Edited - I was using pointlessly long sentences.
Re: How to Speak Fluent English?
#9* Try talking to ChatGPT via the voice interface.
* Spend time listening to yourself either directly or via recording. Repeat words and sentences which don't quite sound right. Train your ear to attend to the difference between what you say and how it is/would be said by others.
Re: How to Speak Fluent English?
#10I would recommend seeking out other people in your same situation to talk to. Non-native speakers who are eager to learn but aren't yet fully fluent. You feel more emboldened to correct each other, you feel much more comfortable asking questions, and there's just no substitute for opening your mouth and speaking a language for hundreds of hours (even if it's a very basic version of that language).
You're gonna do great!