You can speak English but not fluently. You can understand the majority of texts you read, and you can understand what people say but you can’t speak fluent English. Here you can find why this happens and most importantly how to change that RIGHT NOW!
You Can Speak English!
You’ve been learning English as an additional language for some time. You can understand almost everything you read. You can also understand what people say but you can’t speak English fluently.
You’ve been thinking about this for a long time and you want to find a quick solution to this problem but you have no idea about what to do. Right?
If you have answered affirmatively to this question, I have some good news. You’ll finish reading this article with the answer you’ve been looking for!
If you follow the tips given in this article, you’ll soon be a fluent English speaker!
Why Can I Speak English but I’m Not Fluent Yet?
First things first.
What does it mean to be a fluent English speaker?
Being a fluent English speaker means that you are able to speak English without hesitating (a lot). This means that when you talk to people you don’t need to spend a lot of time looking for the words you need, or looking for the correct grammar to express the ideas you want to convey.
A lot of people confuse two different ideas: being fluent in English and being proficient in English.
Being proficient in English means that you have achieved the highest level of proficiency in this language, known as C2 in the Common Framework of Reference for Languages.
Being fluent, on the other hand, means that you can talk about what you want in a natural way. So you don’t need to pause a lot to look for words and the grammar you need to express your ideas.
Therefore, you can talk about being fluent in English even if you have a basic level of proficiency in this language.
But the question is: whether you are a beginner or an advanced English speaker, how can you become fluent in English? In other words, how can you speak English without having to think a lot before actually speaking? How can you talk to people in a rhythm that sounds natural?
A lot of learners, for example, think that if they study a lot of grammar they will automatically reach the fluency in English they dream of. But that’s not the case. So…
How to Become Fluent in English?
Let’s be extremely direct and clear: you will be fluent in English if you use the language to an extent that it will become natural.
Let’s think about a metaphor here that will help you get this.
Imagine that you are learning how to drive. When you start your driving lessons, you need to pay attention to a lot of different things. At first, it seems extremely difficult to master all of those things. But as time goes by and you practice a lot it becomes natural. You drive without even realizing the steps you are following to do so.
Got it?
As the saying goes, “practice makes perfect”.
If you want to be fluent in English, that is, if you want to speak fluent English you must practice talking to people in English on a daily basis.
By doing so, even if you find it difficult at first, you will progressively find it less hard and will eventually do it naturally, without even thinking about the vocabulary and the grammar that you need to say what you want to.
So, the “secret” (that is actually not a secret at all) is practicing.
Practice English when you talk to your friends or family members who are English speakers.
If you don’t have any friends or family members who speak English, make friends all around the world using free online tools such as Free4Talk.
There is no other way.
Schedule as much time as you can to do that.
You will notice how much and how fast you will improve your fluency in English once you start practicing it.
Never forget: practice makes perfect.
Now go and do it!
