well first of all. i seem to have a lot of problems with coming up with sentences or forming sentences in general. for example when i’m talking to americans or whatever i usually don’t really know what to say. but i fully understand them!! and when i’m about to say something. it’s almost as if i didn’t know any words… like. i don’t know any other english words other than the basic stuff. how can i improve?? please help me. thank you
Sounds like you just need to practice. Maybe find a friend who can video call you a few times a week just to chat until you’re feeling confident?
yes most likely. thank you!! i also need to read more to expand my vocabulary
I teach English as a foreign language and if any of my students wrote the same way you do I’d cry with joy. You have no problems with accuracy but if you’re having trouble speaking then it’s fluency you need a hand with. Conversation classes would be a good place to start or as someone mentioned just chatting to someone over the phone or zoom.
Also if you really want to expand your vocabulary, try learning lists of phrasal verbs. Even my most advanced students find them difficult, but native speakers use them all the time so it helps with understanding and will make your English sound more natural.
noooo i don’t have a problem with fluency. i just don’t know what to say!! when i think of words in my mind. i have no idea how to say them. i don’t know of any cool or good phrases in english and when i read in english. i usually struggle with reading some words and i end up reading something else entirely. hmmmm… and thank you so much for that
I don’t know what language you natively speak, but I would love to learn! Pm me if you’re interested and we can call and just talk. That’s typically the best way to learn the finer details of a language, just speak with a native speaker regularly. As far as grammar and vocabulary, though it doesn’t always show in my comments, I’m quite adept.I also used to be a tutor for a ton of people, although I never taught anyone English, so I’m quite good at teaching and communicating as well.
I recommend reading with a Kindle or other e-reader so you can look up unknown words as quickly as possible.
On the kindle paperwhite, pressing your finger for a couple seconds will pull up the dictionary entry for that word. Sometimes instead of the dictionary it shows the wikipedia article entry if it’s a proper noun.
I read in Spanish on my kindle paperwhite because it’s about 20-50 times faster to look up a word on the screen than it is to switch to a physical dictionary.
Do you watch tv or movies in English? Hearing general dialogue like that may help with your conversation/responses.
People have suggested to me to watch in my first language and put subtitles in the language I’m learning. It works pretty good
yes. thank you very much. youtube. everything is on english. i hear in english and write in english. hear in english. etc!! it’s great!! i understand every word they say but i don’t know why i can’t do any of the things i mentioned doing on the post hmmmm
Looking at your responses it seems that you have a good grasp on the english language. Which is good! It means you have all the tools available to you when making conversation. You probably just need more practice. Conversations in non-native languages can be difficult, because you have to come up with an answer on the spot. It’s not impossible, though. You’ll probably stumble for words and make mistakes at first, but that’s perfectly normal and okay.
tl;dr: talk more. Good luck!
- Read books
- Read books
- Read books
As had been said - practice. It’s how native speakers of a language get good at it.
You can improve your vocabulary, comprehension and accent by watching TV shows and movies (I remember meeting Dutch kids on holiday who I thought were American as they learn so much from the screen), and grammar and the like can come from reading. However, that ease of conversation and the speed of your recall of words just comes from talking a lot. Try finding an intermediate to advanced language class where they insist on people talking in that language all the time.
