Practicing speaking is one of the most fun parts of learning English. Once you can speak even a little English, there are so many ways to improve your skills quickly while having alot of fun too. Here are ten top tips for improving your spoken English and having a great time while you do it!

Speak, speak, speak!

Speak as often as possible to as many people as you possibly can! Do not be shy to make mistakes! The more you practice the better and more confident you will become in your pronunciation and vocabulary. Remember, speaking is a skill like learning a musical instrument or new sport – the only way you can get good is to do it! Try it at home with your family – it does NOTneed to be perfect.

Use technology

A smartphone can be a powerful tool for learning languages. Use it to record yourself speaking then listen back to see how your English sounds to other people. Make the most of all your favourite apps to organise your practice time and make a note of all the new words you learn.

Listen

Listen to news bulletins and songs in English to listen to HOW TO SAY the words. You can also learn new words and expressions this way. The more you listen, the more you learn! Try copying what you hear to practice your pronunciation and learn which words in a sentence are stressed.

Read out loud

Read the newspaper or a magazine out to yourself. You could even find a script for your favourite TV show and act it out! This is a great way to practice pronunciation because you only need to concentrate on making sure your English sounds great and don’t need to worry about sentence structure or grammar.

Learn a new word every day

Choose a word you would like to work on and use practice it in different sentences. Use the word until you have learnt it and keep using it regularly. There are many “Word of the Day” email lists you can add your name to so that you can get one new word per day. My favorite is Merriam Webster and I have been forwarding to my students for years.

Watch films

Watch movies in English and pay attention to new vocabulary and pronunciation. Many people believe this is the number ONE way to learn. I know when I moved to Germany I only knew how to say “Hallo” and “Auf Wiedersehen” but began watching TV and films and my vocabulary really increased!

Make friends

Make friends with English speakers or others learning to speak English and compare notes. Talk about things that you have learned and exchange ideas. If you live in Germany there are so many places to meet Americans and other native speakers such as joining clubs – or attending festivals – . Once you have a native speaker friend – speaking will become easier!

Do interesting activities in English

Take a cooking course in English or join a book club! Anything you enjoy doing, make sure you do it and communicate it in English. Using English to talk about things you enjoy will make practising a positive experience.

Have a debate

Debate all the topics that interest you with friends in English. Try to use as much vocabulary as you can to get your point across and listen to the other arguments carefully so you can argue against them effectively.

Use a dictionary

Online dictionaries often have audio examples so you can check your pronunciation and there are lots of great dictionary apps that you can take everywhere with you on your smartphone. Make sure not to become too reliant on these tools, though. Have a go at saying the words first then check afterwards to see if you were right! Some of the ones I use are: which is good for single words, is great for short phrases, and of course Google Translate has become pretty good in translation whole texts – not perfect but overall pretty good.

So, with all these practice tips to choose from, which one are you going to try first?