Do you want to speak English effortlessly with extraordinary fluency? Are you a busy person and have very little time to practice? I have 5 secrets that can perfect your English, as long as you can dedicate 10 minutes a day every day to improving your English.  Why don’t you give it a try? It only costs you 10 minutes a day, and it will get you a lifetime of confidence!

1. Practice with anyone and everyone

You don’t have to only learn English from books and teachers. You can practice speaking from anybody who speaks English. Just imagine if someone asked you, in your native language, how to pronounce a word. You will be happy to help them, right? Because you’ll be proud that you know your native language, and it feels good to help someone out. So if you know any English speakers, like a friend or coworker, then every time you interact with them becomes an opportunity to improve your English. Don’t hesitate to ask them how to p

ronounce a word – they’ll be glad you did!

2. Make mistakes, they are good for you

Harvard University researchers documented that when you make a mistake, your brain is actually processing your mistake in the background and learning from it. Your brain actually processes your experiences more when it’s a mistake than when it’s successful. So when you mispronounce a word, your brain actually benefits from the mistake. Isn’t that pretty cool? Perhaps you thought that when you make a mistake, the only thing you get is that you get to feel embarrassed about it. But in reality, your brain is learning from every mistake you make!

3. Learn phrases, not words

Communicating with others is all about being able to express your thoughts and feelings. Communicating with people in your everyday life requires that you know a basic set of phrases and can say those phrases in the right situation. Suppose you want to be able to express yourself when you feel excited about something. Rather than learning just the word “excited” why not learn the full phrase “I am so excited about this!”  Knowing this phrase will make it easier to express yourself when the situation arises. Go ahead and try saying it the next time you feel excited.

4. Listen and watch native speakers

When students listen to a native English speaker, if they are able to notice the little things about how the speaker spoke, it will be a lot more valuable to improve their speaking skills. Two great ways to listen and watch native speakers is to use the Elsa Dictionary and to watch Elsa Videos. Suppose you want to learn the phrase “Like father like son.” On Elsa, go to the Dictionary tab, and type in this phrase. Elsa will then show you videos (retrieved from YouTube) of native English speakers saying this phrase. Just click on the link “watch people speak this” to begin watching videos. Elsa also shows you videos of professional English teachers speaking the words. On Elsa, go to the “Topics” tab and scroll to “Practice with Dan Hauer.” All the lessons here contain tutorial videos of Dan teaching you how to speak the words. Note: Currently,  videos are in Vietnamese only and available only when you set your Display Language to Vietnamese.

5. Use it early and often

In English, there is a popular saying “Use it or lose it.” It means that if you don’t practice a phrase, you will forget how to say that phrase, and you will lose your ability to use that phrase. The best way to be skillful at speaking English is to speak a lot of English. When you learn a new phrase, the best way to retain your new knowledge is to practice it immediately. Suppose you learned the phrase “Thanks a lot, I appreciate it.” Begin saying it at every situation you can. Did your coworker just invite you to a party? Respond with “Thanks a lot, I appreciate it.”  Did the barista just hand you your cup of coffee? Tell them  “Thanks a lot, I appreciate it.” Did a stranger just hold the door for you? Smile and say “Thanks a lot, I appreciate it.”  Did you enjoy reading this blog post? Type into the comment box below “Thanks a lot, I appreciate it.”