How do I learn conversational English?

Linguistic scientists have been trying to find such a way for years, studying the connections between language and thinking and how our brain perceives and learns new languages. Especially children's ability to learn languages is often investigated, because it is much easier and faster in childhood.

In reality, the only correct way to learn a language simply does not exist, because all people are different. A lot in learning a foreign language will depend on your age, where you live, past experience, the time you devote to language learning, creativity and various other factors.

Perhaps you learn a foreign language best by listening to audio books. And someone prefers the traditional classroom lessons. Some learn best from textbooks, and some absorb new words from movies without translation. 

To learn spoken English, you need a lot of practice.

Watch movies and listen to audio books in English

With their help, you:

• learn modern, lively vocabulary;
• listen to native speakers speaking, where they pause in speech, and how they accentuate words;
• learn to understand different accents;
• understand the context in which to use words, idioms, etc.

You should choose a movie or TV series according to your level of English. If you are learning it from scratch, it is better not to grab the series with complex specialized vocabulary, even if you watch them with subtitles. 

Start with something easier, like children's movies or cartoons.

Find a foreign pen pal

Try to find someone with similar interests with whom you can correspond regularly and then contact by phone. Real communication will help you strengthen your skills and meet interesting people.

There are apps - special language exchange services that can help you find a partner to practice spoken English. Online brief conversations with native English speaking teachers from around the world are available for all language levels. 

With English language apps you can:

• Meet interesting people;
• Learn new words and idioms;
• hear live speech of a native speaker;
• Practice your English on topics that interest you;
• get feedback: correct grammatical mistakes in speech and pronunciation.

Study with a Tutor

This way you can practice all the skills you need to speak English. You can find online schools and private tutors online to fit your needs and finances. 

One of the most important perks of taking a class with a teacher is the feedback. The teacher will help you to form correct pronunciation and teach you to understand lively speech. The communicative method of English teachers will help you overcome shyness and start communicating even with a low level. This is the key to fluent, competent speaking. 

Read books in English

Reading is an excellent way to learn a language, because when you read an interesting book, it doesn't feel like studying. Reading greatly improves spoken English. There is a lot of dialogue in fiction, most of it is very similar to "real" and full of useful turns and expressions. You enjoy good literature and your knowledge of English grows automatically.

By reading English books, you get used to typical grammatical constructions. Being able to read English is a very useful practical skill, especially if you plan to live in an English-speaking country. 

Read English literature regularly and you will have no trouble understanding signposts, announcements, emails, and even academic texts in English.