Why Speaking English Feels So Hard
Many English learners can read and write well, but freeze when they need to speak. This is completely normal! Speaking requires you to think and produce language in real-time, which is a different skill than reading or writing.
The good news? Speaking fluency can be developed with the right practice. Here are 5 tips that actually work:
1. Talk to Yourself Daily
This might sound strange, but it works! Every day, spend 10-15 minutes talking to yourself in English. Describe what you're doing, narrate your thoughts, or explain something you learned.
Try this: While cooking, describe each step in English. "Now I'm chopping the onions. The oil is heating up in the pan..."
2. Record and Listen to Yourself
Use your phone to record yourself speaking for 2-3 minutes about any topic. Listen back and notice:
Don't be too critical—the goal is awareness, not perfection.
3. Learn Phrases, Not Just Words
Native speakers use chunks of language together. Instead of learning individual words, learn common phrases:
4. Shadow Native Speakers
Find a YouTube video or podcast in English. Listen to a sentence, pause, and repeat it exactly as you heard it—same rhythm, same intonation. This trains your mouth to produce natural English sounds.
5. Embrace Mistakes
Every mistake is a learning opportunity. The fear of making mistakes stops more people than actual mistakes do. Set a goal to make at least 5 mistakes today—it means you're trying!
Ready for Real Practice?
These tips are great for self-study, but nothing replaces real conversation practice with a patient teacher who can guide you. At TAKALAM, we focus 80% of each lesson on speaking—because that's how you actually improve.