How to Speak English

Getting the Basics Down

Start simple. Very few people are true beginners when it comes to English. "Hello," "hi," "How are you?" and numerals have infiltrated most societies. Odds are you know more English than you think. Take what you know. For example, "How are you?" That uses the verb "to be." What are other questions just like this? Take what you know and expand it! How is she?How is your father?How are your children?How is the weather? Start memorizing verbs. The top ten most common verbs in English are the following: "be," "have," "do," "say," "get," "make," "go," "know," "take," and "see." Just knowing these verbs can get you through a lot of basic conversations. English is subject-verb-object, in that order. Your subject pronouns are: "I," "you," "he"/"she"/"it," "we," "you," "they." Object pronouns in English are: "me," "you," "him"/"her"/"it," "us," "you," "them." With those verbs and knowing English is SVO, what sentences can you come up with? I know her.She makes it.He takes us.

Practice conversations. Once you have basic subject and object pronouns down and a handful of verbs, you can start asking questions. Questions often open with "who," "what," "when," "where," "why," and "how." "Who" indicates a person; "what" indicates a thing; "when" indicates a time; "where" indicates a place; "why" indicates a reason; "how" indicates a manner. Say you know the subjects, some basic nouns, those ten verbs, and these question starters. What are some things you could ask an English speaker? What is your name?What do you do?When is your birthday?Where is she?Why do you have it?How do you know?

Getting Familiar with the Grammar

Start with the present tenses. Let's start with present simple and present continuous: Present simple is used for facts and habits. If you are describing something that is true or something that happens often, opt for the present simple. I go to work every day.She eats breakfast at 7.China is a big country. Present continuous is used for things that are happening right now. There are two verbs: a helper and a main verb. The helper is "am"/"is"/"are" (depending on the subject) and the main verb is any verb with -ing: You are reading.I am typing.He is watching TV.

Move to the past and future tenses. Once you've mastered the present, get started on the past and future tenses. We're just going to go over the basic ones now: Use the past simple for any event that happened in the past at a specific time. I saw that movie last year.She died on a plane.We went to the bank yesterday. For the future, let's keep it simple. Add a future time marker, and just use the present continuous! It can double as a future tense, too. They are making a cake tomorrow.You are leaving in May.I am going at 6 pm.

Put your adjectives before nouns. Always, always, always put the adjective (the word that describes) before the noun. Always! In fact, there's even an order within adjectives: There are eight basic types of adjectives: opinion, size, age, shape, color, origin, material, and purpose. If you have more than one, they go in that. So, it's a "huge, round, metal bowl" or a "small, red sleeping bag."

Maintaining Progress

Label everything. Take the objects in your house and label them with their English equivalent. The goal is to get your mind thinking in English. When it's right there, it'll be impossible to ignore. When you've labeled everything and find yourself thinking, "Where is my blanket?" try to think of the word (or sentence) in English. When you find your blanket, were you right? Don't write on the objects--grab a slip of paper and tape it on sturdily.

Keep an eye on your pronunciation. It's very easy to get caught up in memorizing words when pronunciation can be just as important. Unfortunately, English has exceptions to most rules. But there are still some general guidelines you can abide by: Always say the last sounds in the word. Certain Asian dialects find this rather difficult. If you know you're guilty of this, keep it in mind. "Streets" is not pronounced stree. The "ts" is very important in retaining meaning. Take the sentence "I project the project will end soon." Confusing, huh? Isn't English SVO? Yes, and this sentence is too. The first "project" (verb) is pronounced pro-JECT; the second (noun) is pronounced PRO-ject. The same is true for all verb-noun pairs: nouns stress the first syllable, verbs the second. Though there are definite exceptions, most nouns in English have the first syllable stressed. Think of the nouns in your house: "BED-room," "BATH-room," "KITCH-en," "TA-ble," "WIN-dow," "SO-fa," "WA-ter," "JACK-et," "TOI-let," etc.

Pick a dialect. There are meaningful differences between American, British, and Australian English. Before you go about increasing your vocabulary, which one appeals to you? Sometimes it's very important to know who you're speaking to. If you tell an American, Canadian, or Australian you're not wearing pants, they might wonder if you're wearing shorts, a dress, a skirt, or just in your underwear. If you tell a British person you're not wearing pants, you're going commando! In addition to vocabulary differences, the pronunciation differences are huge. Know these variations exist before you get confused with multiple correct pronunciations. Certain dictionaries use British English and certain dictionaries prefer American. Choose the one that's best for you.

Using Your Resources

Get a good dictionary. If you need to, get several. A dictionary to translate between your first language and English is best, in addition to a dictionary in English only. Get a pocket-sized version for when you're on the go and that pesky word you keep forgetting comes up.

Speak in English with native speakers. Though it may be tempting to speak with your other friends who are learning too, you'll see the quickest results if you converse mainly with native speakers. Hire a tutor or private teacher. Make sure they're native and have the accent you want. Choose someone with teaching experience--just because you can speak a language does not mean you can teach it. If a teacher isn't up your alley, get a penpal!

Use the internet. There are literally hundreds upon hundreds of sites you can use to your benefit. Anything to make grammar more exciting is welcome--there are games and videos galore. Such resources can be found at Simple English Wikipedia, the British Council, and English Club, among many others. YouTube doesn't have to be about funny animals and popular music. Tap into its educational resources as well.

Watch TV, listen to songs, and read books. Though your goal is to speak English, you have to be able to understand it, too! Even when you're alone and not stuck in a grammar exercise you can keep your mind primed. Start with children's books and TV shows. The language is simpler and will go slower. Eventually, move to channels catered to your interests. If you enjoy cooking, graduate to the Food Network and see what you can pick up on. Try not to turn on the captions! If you have a DVR, record the shows. That way you can go back and work through the dialogue and conversations at your own pace. Listen to English music! Ballads go quite slowly and the refrains can be rather repetitive. Your vocabulary will naturally expand, too.

Think in English. If you find yourself thinking something simple in your native tongue, what would its equivalent be in English? Make a habit of this for maintenance and memory. Think out loud if helps. Explain to your roommates or family what you're trying to do; maybe they'll want to catch on, too! Eventually, simple phrases will become par for the course.