5 Ways To Speak English

Take what you know. For example, “How are you?” That uses the verb “to be. " What are other questions just like this? Take what you know and expand it! How is she?How is your father?How are your children?How is the weather? Start memorizing verbs. The top ten most common verbs in English are the following: “be,” “have,” “do,” “say,” “get,” “make,” “go,” “know,” “take,” and “see. “[1] X Research source Just knowing these verbs can get you through a lot of basic conversations. English is subject-verb-object, in that order. Your subject pronouns are: “I,” “you,” “he”/“she”/“it,” “we,” “you,” “they. " Object pronouns in English are: “me,” “you,” “him”/“her”/“it,” “us,” “you,” “them. " With those verbs and knowing English is SVO, what sentences can you come up with? I know her. She makes it. He takes us.

Questions often open with “who,” “what,” “when,” “where,” “why,” and “how. " “Who” indicates a person; “what” indicates a thing; “when” indicates a time; “where” indicates a place; “why” indicates a reason; “how” indicates a manner. Say you know the subjects, some basic nouns, those ten verbs, and these question starters. What are some things you could ask an English speaker? What is your name?What do you do?When is your birthday?Where is she?Why do you have it?How do you know?

Present simple is used for facts and habits. If you are describing something that is true or something that happens often, opt for the present simple. I go to work every day. She eats breakfast at 7. China is a big country. Present continuous is used for things that are happening right now. There are two verbs: a helper and a main verb. The helper is “am”/“is”/“are” (depending on the subject) and the main verb is any verb with -ing: You are reading. I am typing. He is watching TV.

Use the past simple for any event that happened in the past at a specific time. I saw that movie last year. She died on a plane. We went to the bank yesterday. For the future, let’s keep it simple. Add a future time marker, and just use the present continuous! It can double as a future tense, too. They are making a cake tomorrow. You are leaving in May. I am going at 6 pm.

There are eight basic types of adjectives: opinion, size, age, shape, color, origin, material, and purpose. If you have more than one, they go in that order[2] X Research source . So, it’s a “huge, round, metal bowl” or a “small, red sleeping bag. "

When you’ve labeled everything and find yourself thinking, “Where is my blanket?” try to think of the word (or sentence) in English. When you find your blanket, were you right? Don’t write on the objects–grab a slip of paper and tape it on sturdily.

Always say the last sounds in the word. Certain Asian dialects find this rather difficult. If you know you’re guilty of this, keep it in mind. “Streets” is not pronounced stree. The “ts” is very important in retaining meaning. Take the sentence “I project the project will end soon. " Confusing, huh? Isn’t English SVO? Yes, and this sentence is too. The first “project” (verb) is pronounced pro-JECT; the second (noun) is pronounced PRO-ject. The same is true for all verb-noun pairs: nouns stress the first syllable, verbs the second. Though there are definite exceptions, most nouns in English have the first syllable stressed. Think of the nouns in your house: “BED-room,” “BATH-room,” “KITCH-en,” “TA-ble,” “WIN-dow,” “SO-fa,” “WA-ter,” “JACK-et,” “TOI-let,” etc.

Get a pocket-sized version for when you’re on the go and that pesky word you keep forgetting comes up.

Hire a tutor or private teacher. Make sure they’re native and have the accent you want. Choose someone with teaching experience–just because you can speak a language does not mean you can teach it. If a teacher isn’t up your alley, get a penpal!

Such resources can be found at Simple English Wikipedia[3] X Research source , the British Council[4] X Research source , and English Club[5] X Research source , among many others. YouTube doesn’t have to be about funny animals and popular music. Tap into its educational resources as well.

Start with children’s books and TV shows. The language is simpler and will go slower. Eventually, move to channels catered to your interests. If you enjoy cooking, graduate to the Food Network and see what you can pick up on. Try not to turn on the captions! If you have a DVR, record the shows. That way you can go back and work through the dialogue and conversations at your own pace. Listen to English music! Ballads go quite slowly and the refrains can be rather repetitive. Your vocabulary will naturally expand, too.

Think out loud if helps. Explain to your roommates or family what you’re trying to do; maybe they’ll want to catch on, too! Eventually, simple phrases will become par for the course.