Practicing English

@Konstantin - You're welcome Konstantin!

It's really great that you have English speaking clubs in your city. But you're right, learning online is very convenient! I'm sure that with regular practice your English will soon be perfect. The key is consistency.

@Inna - Hi Inna, thanks a lot for your comment! You described the problem that you have really well. Indeed you are right, you just need to practice. Your English is really great, you just have to be consistent and talk to native speakers at least once a week. In regard to your spelling, you could always write notebook entries here on italki and let English speakers correct any mistakes :)

@Ly - In my opinion, I think you should focus on reading and listening at the same time. So, find English texts that also have audio. This way, you can read the texts while listening to them at the same time. You will become more familiar with how English words both look and sound. Hope this helps! :)

Hi Youssef! Could you please provide a bit more detail? What is it about grammar and speaking that you find difficult?

Hi Diamond, thanks for your comment!

Plural vs singular can be quite tricky in English and you can only really get better at it by speaking/writing and having a native speaker correct your mistakes. It has a lot do with concepts, as you have already mentioned, and it's all about understanding how native speakers think and their views on the world.

It's exactly the same with pronunciation - practice, practice, practice. Your brain and mouth muscles will adjust over time. That's what I found when I learned German (I also studied a little bit of Mandarin Chinese and Korean a long time ago and the same thing applies).

So I would suggest that you practice speaking to a native speaker at least once or twice a week and don't be afraid to make mistakes! It's the best way to learn in this case.

Hi Konstantin! Thanks a lot for your comment.

I also had the same problem while learning French and German, so I know exactly what you mean! I have a few tips for you:

- Really reflect on why you are learning English and be very specific. Is it for work? Personal reasons? To increase job opportunities? Whatever it is, be very honest with yourself and set yourself a few simple goals.

- Focus on topics that you find really interesting. You don't need to learn about everything in English! For example if you love cooking, focus mostly on watching cooking tutorials online. Make it fun! It would be easier to practice your skills this way.

- To be honest, it might take a long time to find a really good language partner for free online. I have found more successful paying for a community tutor and/or teacher (for German and French) here on italki. This is because a tutor can focus 100% on helping you learn English and you don't need to worry about teaching them your native language. If this is something that you would like to explore, feel free to have a look on my profile.

I hope this helps! :)

@Val

Hi Val! Thanks for your comment. Here are a few tips:

- Focus on topics that you find interesting. You don't need to learn every word. For example if you love cooking, focus mostly on watching cooking tutorials online. Make it fun! You will remember words easier that way.

- When you come across a new word that you want to add to your vocabulary, don't just write down the word, write down the whole sentence in which it was used. It's all about learning words in context. You can then add the whole sentence to your set of flashcards.

Here are just a few tips, I hope this helps! :)

@Elena

Here is my no.1 tip: Grammar should be learned in context, so using a textbook is not always the best way to learn grammar. Practice writing and speaking first. Only when you know the specific grammar points that you are struggling with should you use a textbook. A teacher/tutor or speaking partner can help you identify which grammar points you need to work on.

Also, try to speak to a native speaker (not just record notes for your audio diary) at least once or twice a week. Hope this helps! Please let me know what you think :)

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