My problem is the problem of everybody
I've been learning English for 7 years now, but I can't say that I can speak English. I learnt many words by heart, perhaps more than two thousands. I can read simple English books, written in simple language, I can use English Wikipedia instead of Russian one. I am able to listen to real British speech and understand everything. But I can't SPEAK English, however. I open my mouth and either speak my native language or speak nonsense. Just words but not sentences. Naturally, I can say several common phrases, the most essential phrases. And that is all. Err, Uhm, Arr, Khmm are not phrases but stupid sounds. Who wishes to hear them all the time?
But unfortunately, this is not only MY problem. This is a problem of almost everyone who learns a foreign language. It's easy to read and write. More difficult to listen. And much more difficult to speak. To speak so that people want to listen.
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Corrections · 4
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My problem is the problem of everybody
I've been learning English for 7 years now, but I can't say that I can speak English. I have learned many words by heart, perhaps more than two thousands. I can read simple English books, written in simple language, I can use English Wikipedia instead of the Russian one. I am able to listen to real British speech and understand everything. But I can't SPEAK English, however. I open my mouth and either speak my native language or speak nonsense. Just words but not sentences. Naturally, I can say several common phrases, the most essential phrases. And that is all. Err, Uhm, Arr, Khmm are not phrases but stupid sounds. Who wishes to hear them all the time?
But unfortunately, this is not only MY problem. This is a problem of almost everyone who learns a foreign language. It's easy to read and write. More difficult to listen. And much more difficult to speak. To speak so that people want to listen.
Hello Semyon,
I know how you feel, I have many students who have good levels of reading and writing but they are unable to speak. The biggest hurdle is confidence! You need to overcome your nataural fear of making a mistake. Here, we are a community of learners and teachers, people should listen to you and help you. (And in general, in society, people do as well!) As others have said your text is fine, so you obviouslay have the ability, you just need the confidence.
In the first sentence I have changed past simple to present perfect because you learned 2000 words since you started up to now, I'm sure you haven't finished yet.
Go ahead, pluck up the courage and speak to someone, you got good at writing by practising. You will do the same with speaking.
All the best
Bob
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Practise, practise and practise speaking. If you have no opportunities to speak face to face arrange skype calls (maybe here on Italki! find people that want to learn Russian).
You can also try some chats maybe. This gives you a chance to think a bit longer on words you want to use and might be less stressful than face to face conversation which requires you to be faster and more responsive. I would also say the more you write the better your speaking skills are.
Another tip, think sometimes how whould you say a certain phrase/sentance in English. I mean here, for example, you need to call a dentist to arrange an appointment in Russia. Spend also 2 minutes on trying to think how would I say it in English!
But the shortest way to excel speaking is ... speaking! So practise!
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Semyon, you have written an excellent description of a specific need. You are closer to achieving your goal of speaking and engaging in Conversational English than you think. Your first thought might be: hmm, how do I know? First, I completed my studies in Educational Technology with a focus on the English language learner. Secondly, your description of making useless sounds is common also to native English speakers. Your second thought might be: OK, so what is the solution. My response is as follows: 1. Practice, practice, and more practice. I remember as an example my first interview. I did not get the job because I did not practice. It is not that I could not speak English. The disconnect is that I understood very little about the nature of the business of the company, for which I was interviewing. Now, I know better. Uncover the unknown, i.e. what type of industry is this. What is their primary focus? What contribution can I make, etc. The same is true, in your case. Together, you and I can eat the WHOLE elephant, one bite at a time. We can start together and practice how to rid those useless sounds. Let's plan to get together and in your very first lesson, I will give you a remarkable technique to rid your head of such useless sounds. Thanks for taking the time to read my response. Schedule an appointment with me today and let's get started. Dr. Priscilla
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Hello Semyon! Great writing and I think you are being too modest, I am sure you are better at speaking than you suggest. Perhaps you need a structured lesson to help you feel confident. I would suggest sending you some reading, a BBC article for example, and also some questions. If you have the chance to read the questions before I ask them orally, you would feel prepared and able to rehearse some answers. This will help your confidence! I hope I can help you, Katie
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