Do you feel overwhelmed when you are asked to speak in English? Or, afraid that not having proper vocabulary might lower your worth?
I totally understand how you feel because we’ve all been there in one way or another. However, to master a language we need to start from scratch or per say start from zero.
You know, the key to master any skill is to not be afraid of failing…Because if you don’t fail and make mistakes, how would you calculate your progress??Yes, there will be people who will make you as a laughing stock, there will be people who mock you and most definitely people waiting to pass on quick judgements about you, just because you are weak in the language.
But wait……. Don’t worry!!!! My intention here is to not make you intimidated, but rather to make you turn your negatives into a positive…I mean, think about it, what if you could turn the cards? What if you could learn right from the comfort of your couch?
Well then, grab a pen and paper because I have lots of tips lined up for you.
To start off, there are 4 basic things that you need to be good at, to speak any language fluently and they are:
Ø Reading
Ø Listening
Ø Writing
Ø Speaking
One thing that everyone needs to understand is, each and every aspect of the above points needs to be given equal importance. The key point is, we need to start right from the grassroots, if you want to speak real good English
But before that, I would like to hands down recommend an app here and that is “THE CAKE APP”
I got to know about this app, after one of my favorite Youtubers recommended it and you know this app, is completely free, meaning you don’t need to upgrade to any plan, to learn new things. Just create an account and you’re good to go! It’s that easy!!!
On that note, let’s begin to dive deep within each category.
Reading:
I know, you have heard everyone start off with this cliché, but it is the fact. You need to start by reading first. And it doesn’t mean picking up a hard cover novel at the beginning. Start slow and take it one step at a time. For the interim, start by reading columns of newspaper. Have a pen and a notebook and jot down all the words that you find difficult to interpret. Choose 5 new words to start off. And then increase the word count by 5 each week, in that way, you can learn more.
Other than that, if you feel scared looking at the huge piles of books, then I suggest you commence by listening to audio books. My go to app for the day is Blinkist. So what Blinkist does is, it compresses a whole book into 15 minutes so that you can listen to blinks of it and if you find the book to be interesting, you can listen to the whole book.
Or if you feel like American accents are strenuous at this point, then I suggest you try out an app called “StoryTel”. The pronunciations of words are bit more relaxed, which means that it is given in a form that a lame man could easily understand.
Do try audio books, if you feel that physical books are too much of a hassle
Listening:
The next skill that you want to hone is listening. Out of my experience in being a polyglot, the one thing which made me learn to speak 7 languages is, I made sure that I listen to something to chip away my down time. It isn’t rocket science and this is one of the easiest way to master a language. If you are someone who loves to watch TV shows and movies, then the ball is in your court!
In today’s day and age, with the advent of internet, everything you need to learn is just within your reach.Netflix, Rakuten TV,Amazon Prime are some of the sought after streaming platforms, if you want to watch movies or soap operas online.
Tip: Check out my blog post on the best Netflix shows https://www.millenialbeing.com/post/7-best-netflix-shows-for-millennials
Do let me know if you would like to know my recommendations of shows and movies on other major OTTs
Writing:
Another important trajectory to learning a new language is to cultivate a habit of writing. For this, I would recommend my readers to start journaling or maintain a personal diary, and kick off by writing as to how your day was. If journaling is a complete new term to you, I have a whole blog post on how to start journaling :
Or else, if you would like to make your writings public, then start small by writing comments on Instagram, YouTube and on other social media platforms on people who inspire you or lift you up. Once you got a hang of it and if you feel like your command over the language is pretty strong, then you can create your own website and write blogs!
Doesn’t this sound motivating?
Speaking:
Now it’s time for some serious business! After you learned so much from the above, if you don’t try to implement it, then everything would be a complete waste of time. I know that this is the scariest part for you guys. But it’s totally okay and understandable to be like that in the beginning. I mean, it’s always hard to start, but once you do, it will be just a cake walk.
For this one, don’t be in a confused state as you need to find a partner to converse with, I suggest you to get going by talking to yourself…. (Wait. What?)
What I mean here is, look in the mirror, can you see that beautiful soul there? Give em a dose of compliments and start developing a conversation. I mean at the end, you are your own best friend and it’s ultimately all that you have !
Once you feel like you have developed this attitude, you can move on in finding a partner to converse with. Do your own research, look into some Facebook and Instagram groups and start networking. If you want to learn, Networking is the key!
Or else, if you are willing to shell out, then my personal recommendation would be “Duolingo”
So there you have it folks!
This was one highly recommended post and I do hope you find it helpful
One thing that I want to say to everyone is, YOU ARE NOT DEFINED BY THE LANGUAGE YOU SPEAK, at the end of the day, nobody is perfect, so don’t expect anyone else to applaud you, be your best company and start honing your skills
Happy learning guys!