👍 3 Incredible Methods

We all want to know how to improve spoken English. But for some of us, there’s a big obstacle. To improve English speaking, the best thing to do is to talk with a native speaker. 😒 But not all of us have that option!

What if you don’t know anyone who speaks English? What if you don’t have time? What if you simply don’t feel confident enough yet to practice with a native?

How can you practice speaking English without anybody else to help you?

😃 Don’t worry. You can still improve your spoken English, even without a speaking partner.

I am going to explain how.

No speaking partner? No problem!

1. Think in English

Sometimes the difficult thing about English speaking isn’t the language itself, but how you think about it.

If you think in your native language and then try to speak English, you’ll always have to translate between languages. Translating isn’t an easy thing to do! Even people fluent in two or more languages have trouble switching between languages.

✅ The solution is to think in English.

You can do this anywhere, anytime. Try to use English when you’re thinking about your day, or when you’re trying to decide what food to order. Even try to use an English-to-English dictionary to look up words. That way you never have to use your native language and translate words. You’ll notice that when you think in English, it’s easier for you to speak in English.

2. Talk to Yourself

Whenever you’re at home (or alone somewhere else) you can improve English speaking with your favorite person: yourself.

✅ If you’re already thinking in English, try speaking your thoughts out loud. Read out loud, too. Practice is practice, and even if you don’t have anyone to correct your mistakes, just the act of speaking out loud will help you become more comfortable speaking English.

3. Use a Mirror

Whenever you can, take a few minutes out of your day to stand in front of the mirror and speak. Choose a topic, set a timer for two or three minutes and just talk.

The point of this exercise is to watch your mouth, face and body language as you speak. It also makes you feel like you’re talking to someone, so you can pretend you’re having a discussion with a study buddy.

✅ Talk for the full two or three minutes. Don’t stop! If you get stuck on a word you don’t know, try expressing your idea in a different way. You can always look up how to say that word after the two to three minutes end. This will definitely help you find out what kinds of words or sentences you have trouble with.