10 powerful tips to speak in english

1) Understand that there is no “magic bullet.”

That means there is NO secret and super-effective way to guarantee fluency very fast.

Yes, there are different methods, and some are more effective than others. For example, a good English course should balance all the areas of language (speaking, listening, vocabulary, grammar, reading, and writing). If any of those elements are missing, then you will have difficulty becoming fluent.

Also, different methods will appeal to different people. I personally do very well with memorization; other people hate memorization. Some students can pick up English easily from informal conversations; other students prefer a more organized and structured method.

Still, becoming fluent in English – or any language – is a long-term process. 

If anyone says they have “the secret” to instant fluency… don’t believe them!

2) Use English in your daily life as much as possible.

It’s more important to have frequent contact with English than to have hours and hours of study. Using English for 10 minutes a day, every day, is better than studying for 1 hour only once a week.

Even if you don’t live in an English-speaking country, there are still many ways to do this!

Here are just a few suggestions for making English part of your daily life:

§  Listen to English as you drive to work.

§  Read the news online in English instead of in your native language.

§  Practice thinking in English while you are doing housework or exercise.

§  Read articles, listen to podcasts, and watch videos in English about topics you enjoy (this is important! You will make much more progress if you are having fun during the process).

3) Balance the areas of language learning.

§  Reading

§  Writing

§  Speaking

§  Listening

§  Grammar

§  Vocabulary

Many students make the error of focusing too much on one or two areas, and they end up being weak in the other areas. One tip is to dedicate one day per week to studying and practicing each area.

4) Get a regular speaking partner through a “conversation exchange” website.

You can’t just study English… you need to USE your English!

If you have nobody to speak with in daily life, you can find a speaking partner online through a “conversation exchange” website. On these websites, you can meet native English speakers who want to learn your native language – this way, you can both help each other learn and practice.

Try to speak with your partner at least once a week. This is so important for practicing as well as building your confidence!

5) Read, watch and listen to English in many different contexts.

If you only watch news programs in English, then you will be able to understand a more “formal” style of English, but not a typical conversation between two native speakers, which is often filled with idioms and slang.

On the other hand, if you only watch movies and listen to songs in English, then you might not be able to understand (or write) a more academic article. And if you only use, then it will be hard to talk about other topics because you won’t have the vocabulary.

So make sure to diversify your English input:

§  fiction and non-fiction

§  formal and informal

§  lectures and conversations

§  serious subjects and comedy

§  etc.

6) Learn to think in English.

This is one of the biggest keys to English fluency – but how can you learn it?

There’s a step-by-step process you can follow:

1.    First, beginning to think with individual English words

2.    Then progressing to thinking in English sentences

3.    Finally imagining entire conversations and stories in your head in English

This is one of the best ways to practice English, because if you make a “mistake,” nobody knows about it!

Also, you can practice thinking in English anytime, anywhere. No need for a textbook or classroom. The earlier you begin the habit of thinking in English, the easier it will be to speak fast.

7) Say things with different words – be creative!

Two big obstacles to English fluency are lack of vocabulary and pauses / hesitations. This usually happens because you have an idea, but you can’t express it in English. It can be really frustrating. However, if you don’t know a particular word, try to think of alternative ways to express your idea.

Here’s an example: in a conversation about cooking, my student didn’t know the word “onion,” so instead he said, “the white vegetable that when you cut it you cry” – it was a perfect description, and I understood exactly what he wanted to say!

This is also important for English sentences. Sometimes you want to say something a certain way because you are translating directly from your native language, but you don’t know how to construct the phrase in English.

Of course, learning to think directly in English will help you avoid this problem – but also try to be open-minded and flexible in thinking of different ways to say the same message.

Native English speakers also have many ways to say the same thing

8) Practice talking to yourself.

This is REALLY an excellent way to develop your fluency and build your confidence. There is no pressure to be perfect, and nobody else will hear your mistakes.

For speaking idea. Imagine somebody is asking you the question. Then practice answering it by talking to yourself out loud.

Yes… it feels a little bit silly. But you can do it alone where no one will hear you, and it’s a great step to putting your English into practice.

9) Don’t think too much about grammar, and don’t worry about mistakes.

One of the biggest “mental blocks” for English learners is being nervous or afraid to make a mistake – or embarrassed if they don’t speak perfectly. But remember: Communication is MUCH more important than perfection!

Here’s an example:

§  Imagine someone says, “Yesterday I go to party in beach.”

§  This sentence is incorrect; it should be:
“Yesterday I went to a party on the beach.”

However, even with the errors, it still communicates the message SUCCESSFULLY!

Of course with time you will want to correct your mistakes – but for everyday speaking in general, RELAX and remember that mistakes are not fatal; the important thing is to communicate.

10) Don’t give up… never stop learning!

I’ve had a lot of students who study for a few years, then stop… then start again, then stop for a long time, then re-start… maybe you have done this, too.

The problem is that you often lose the progress you made before, and then becoming fluent takes much, much longer.

But the good news is that you don’t need to be a genius to become fluent in English – you just need to have dedication and practice consistently.

50 most common idioms in english

1.             "Two wrongs don't make a right."

When someone has done something bad to you, trying to get revenge will only make things worse.

2.             "The pen is mightier than the sword."

Trying to convince people with ideas and words is more effective than trying to force people to do what you want.

3.             "When in Rome, do as the Romans."

 .Act the way that the people around you are acting. This phrase might come in handy when you're traveling abroad notice that people do things differently than you're used to.

4.             "The squeaky wheel gets the grease."

 .You can get better service if you complain about something. If you wait patiently, no one's going to help you.

5.             "When the going gets tough, the tough get going."

 .Strong people don't give up when they come across challenges. They just work harder.

6.             "No man is an island."

 .You can't live completely independently. Everyone needs help from other people.

7.             "Fortune favors the bold."

 .People who bravely go after what they want are more successful than people who try to live safely.

8.             "People who live in glass houses should not throw stones."

 .Don't criticize other people if you're not perfect yourself.

9.             "Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst."

 .Bad things might happen, so be prepared.

10.          "Better late than never."

 .It's best to do something on time. But if you can't do it on time, do it late.

11.          "Birds of a feather flock together."

 .People like to spend time with others who are similar to them.

12.          "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer."

 .If you have an enemy, pretend to be friends with them instead of openly fighting with them. That way you can watch them carefully and figure out what they're planning.

13.          "A picture is worth a thousand words."

 .Pictures convey emotions and messages better than written or spoken explanations. That's why PhraseMix has illustrations :)

14.          "There's no such thing as a free lunch."

 .Things that are offered for free always have a hidden cost.

15.          "There's no place like home."

 .Your own home is the most comfortable place to be.

16.          "Discretion is the greater part of valor."

 .Sometimes it's important to know when to give up and run away, instead of always acting brave and maybe getting hurt.

17.          "The early bird catches the worm."

 .You should wake up and start work early if you want to succeed.

18.          "Never look a gift horse in the mouth."

 .If someone offers you a gift, don't question it.

19.          "You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs."

 .When you try to do something great, you'll probably make a few people annoyed or angry. Don't worry about those people; just focus on the good results.

20.          "God helps those who help themselves."

 .Don't just wait for good things to happen to you. Work hard to achieve your goals.

21.          "You can't always get what you want."

 .Don't whine and complain if you don't get what you wanted.

22.          "Cleanliness is next to godliness."

 .Be clean. God likes that.

23.          "A watched pot never boils."

 .If something takes time to finish, don't watch it too closely because it will seem like it's taking forever.

24.          "Beggars can't be choosers."

 .If you're asking for a favor from someone else, you have to take whatever they give you.

25.          "Actions speak louder than words."

 .Just saying that you'll do something doesn't mean much. Actually doing it is harder and more meaningful.

26.          "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

 .Don't try to improve something that already works fairly well. You'll probably end up causing new problems.

27.          "Practice makes perfect."

 .You have to practice a skill a lot to become good at it.

28.          "Too many cooks spoil the broth."

 .When there are too many people trying to lead and give their opinions, it's confusing and leads to bad results. Jobs and projects should have one or two strong leaders.

29.          "Easy come, easy go."

 .When you get money quickly, like by winning it, it's easy to spend it or lose it quickly as well.

30.          "Don't bite the hand that feeds you."

 .If someone's paying you or helping you out, you have to be careful not to make them angry or say bad things about them. 

31.          "All good things must come to an end."

 .You can't keep having good luck or fun forever; eventually it will stop.

32.          "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em."

 .When you try to change someone's behavior and it doesn't work, you might have to change instead. For example, if you're trying to get your classmates to focus on studying but they want to party, maybe you should just party with them.

33.          "One man's trash is another man's treasure."

 .Different people have different ideas about what's valuable.

34.          "There's no time like the present."

 .If you need to do something, don't wait until later. Do it now.

35.          "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

 .Different people have different ideas about what's beautiful.

36.          "Necessity is the mother of invention."

 .When you're really in need, you think of creative solutions to your problems.

37.          "A penny saved is a penny earned."

 .Save your money. Saving money is just like making money.

38.          "Familiarity breeds contempt."

 .When you're around someone for too long, you get tired of them and annoyed by them.

39.          "You can't judge a book by its cover."

 .Things sometimes look different than they really are. A restaurant that looks old and small might have amazing food, for example.

40.          "Good things come to those who wait."

 .Be patient. Eventually something good will happen to you.

41.          "Don't put all your eggs in one basket."

 .Have a backup plan. Don't risk all of your money or time in one plan.

42.          "Two heads are better than one."

 .When two people cooperate with each other, they come up with better ideas.

43.          "The grass is always greener on the other side of the hill."

 .People tend to want whatever they don't have.

44.          "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

 .Don't do mean things to people.

45.          "A chain is only as strong as its weakest link."

 .If one member of a team doesn't perform well, the whole team will fail.

46.          "Honesty is the best policy."

 .Don't lie.

47.          "Absence makes the heart grow fonder."

 .Sometimes it's good to be away from your partner, because it makes you want to see each other again.

48.          "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink."

 .If you try to help someone, but they don't take your advice or offers, give up. You can't force someone to accept your help.

49.          "Don't count your chickens before they hatch."

 .Your plans might not work out, so don't start thinking about what you'll do after you succeed. Wait until you've already succeeded, and then you can think about what to do next.

50.          "If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself."

 .Don't trust other people to do important things for you. You have to do things yourself to control the quality of the results.