How I Learn To Speak Foreign Languages Without Talking To People
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- Опубликовано: 15 июн 2024
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In this video, I share 6 proven techniques that have helped me and other successful language learners speak foreign languages without necessarily needing to converse with native speakers or tutors.
As someone who loves learning languages and has helped thousands of other learners through my work, I understand the challenges of practicing speaking fluently, especially for introverted learners like myself.
I delve into techniques like shadowing, creating language islands, using circumlocutions, writing dialogues, recording myself, and timing fluency speaking activities. These methods not only improve fluency but also boost confidence in speaking on your own terms, making language learning more accessible and enjoyable.
I also discuss topics to talk about when practicing solo, including personal experiences, native materials, and prompted conversations. Whether you're shy or simply looking for effective solo practice methods, these techniques can greatly enhance your language learning journey.
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TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Introduction and Background
0:49 - Reasons for Speaking Practice Alone
1:48 - Convenience of Speaking Alone
2:28 - Overcoming Shyness and Introversion
3:32 - Control and Flexibility in Speaking Practice
4:16 - Technique 1: Shadowing
5:51 - Technique 2: Islands
7:10 - Technique 3: Talking Around a Topic or Word
8:17 - Technique 4: Write Like You Speak
9:50 - Technique 5: Record Yourself
10:41 - Technique 6: Timed Fluency Speaking Activities
13:07 - Topics to Focus on During Speaking Practice
WHO AM I:
My name's Matthew, and I want to help you with how to learn languages effectively on your own.
I'm a language enthusiast and Anki ed-tech expert. I used to work for Fluent Forever and was mentored by American polyglot and best-selling author Gabriel Wyner.
Since branching out on my own, I realized that I just love learning languages. So, after helping thousands of learners already, I want to share some tools and tips to help you get fluent in another language, too. When you are productive and successful with language learning, then I believe you can enrich your work, relationships and personal life.
I'm also the co-founder of Speakada (speakada.com) where you can get pre-made Anki flashcards in different languages. Plus, I write a weekly email newsletter that contains some tips and shares my language learning journey (speakada.com/matthew-alberto-....
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This person speaks my language…”free” 😂
But also I can relate as an introvert. People exhaust me I much prefer learn by myself in the methods suggested here
Yeah, I wanted to share these free tips and resources as I've been holding them in for myself for a long time. I think it was time to share it with the world.
I agree with you, Nick, about the introvert thing. :)
I started speaking to myself during my walks at night. So, I put on headphones and start speaking. Today I spoke about my reasons for learning French, Portuguese and Spanish in French. I spoke about the differences and similarities. I also spoke about different film genres and how some have become popular, whilst others have faded away.
The headphones make it seem I'm speaking to someone on the phone. But I'm speaking outloud to myself. It was so fun! Plus, it's really helpful. I was a bit nervous at first because I was self-concious but then I realised no one paid attention lol. So I stopped paying attention to others haha.
Thanks Lorenzo for sharing that! Another technique is to hold your phone up to your ears, and pretend that you're talking to someone on the phone, but instead you can just be practicing speaking fluency in another language.
I don't simply talk to myself. I talk to people from centuires ago. I talk to groups of people, existing or invented. I explain my ideas. I talk to someone back and forth about many subjects. I create future conversations. Most of that is done silently though, not aloud. And I mix languages. Create versions of songs on the spot that I sing not very loud for ex I sing Yesterday when my troubles seemed so far away hier quand mes troubles parassaient tellement lointains ayer cuando mis problemas parecian tan lejanos ieri quando I miei problemi sembravano essere cosí lontano gestern wann meine probleme .... then if I don't know it like it's the case in German I bug like a scratched CD. If you are crazy about languages, the craziness will help more than it will hinder your language learning.
I love your multilingual song. Yes, I sometimes like to play these mental games with langauges. You seem to have a very vivid imagination and inner life. I too am sometimes in my head a lot and can imagine and think deeply about things, which I now have discovered that not everyone can do, as some people are more physical or more externally-focused.
Your idea about talking to people from centuries ago reminds me of the "imaginary council" mentioned in Napoleon Hill's book. Interesting...The council consists of historical figures or people the individual admires, and the individual consults this council in their mind for guidance and advice. The idea behind this concept is to use the collective wisdom, knowledge, and experience of these individuals to help guide one's thoughts and actions towards success. I guess in your case, the council that you talk to would help you with language learning and fluency practice in your target language.
I actually like songs mixing languages too.
dude absolutely a poet
I've been watching a few of those RUclips singers that mix languages, too. Really interesting stuff.
btw problème in french would fit better for trouble
Somehow, RUclips knew I was thinking about this very topic! I’m an anglophone who lives in France and I still feel like I don’t get enough speaking practice. I do have a tutor with whom I speak for an hour a week, but that’s not enough! I started shadowing last week and like it. The other techniques are new to me. Great tips!
Hi John. Yeah, RUclips is really smart like that. I'm glad that you were able to come across my video and you got value from the speaking tips. I can relate to how you feel. You really have to do more than just 1 hour a week with a tutor. If you factor in the fact that the tutor also talks and teaches, then your actual talk time during that lesson is probably a lot less than 1 hour. You can do much more practice on your own, and it's only you who can do the talking. The French tutor can't do the speaking practice for you. All the best with your French, John!
Thank you so much for this video.
Learning another language by yourself is a fascinating and challenging hobby.
Noone else can speak for you. You have to speak yourself. Thanks for your encouragement in the community.
I agree with you. In fact, practicing speaking with oneself in one's native language can also be beneficial.
Most people often talk in short phrases and clichés. As a result, it is hard to find a conversation partner for complex topics and ideas.
To express oneself clearly -- without using filler words, interjections, or stuttering -- is a challenging and a rewarding activity.
As one gets older, one might find that one is at a loss for words and can no longer express oneself in public effectively.
Finding a topic to discuss with oneself might be a good training to stay sharp.
That's right Aichu. I actually have trouble finding the words to say sometimes when I make these videos, so it's like fluency practice for me in English itself!
I've learned English and 6 more other languages learning and practicing them by myself. That's really powerful! 😀
Wow Rosa Angela! Which speaking fluency techniques worked for you the best? Are there any techniques that I missed out on, that you think I should have mentioned.
Yess tips?
Great advice, thanx! I whatch tons of RUclips films about language learning. This is the best I have seen in a long time! Well done!
Wow, thanks! I really appreciate the kind words. Yeah, I also watch a lot of language learning videos, like you. I feel there are a number of gaps, which I felt compelled to fill, based on some of the experience I've gained over the years helping other learners, doing a lot of research and learning a few languages myself. All the best with your languages!
speaking to yourself is just thinking out loud, read a couple of paragraphs aloud each day
Thanks for sharing your insight Anthony
True, but reading a couple of paragraphs is relatively passive, whereas speaking out loud is actively using and honing the language.
These are great tips- thank you! Now I just have to make sure that I put them into practice. I watch a lot of language learning content but I need an extra push to go from just watching to actual doing.
Karen, you're welcome. Here's a tip: Watch language learning content IN YOUR TARGET LANGUAGE. That way you won't feel so guilty. You can indulge in the type of content you already like, while practicing languages.
If it's English you're learning, check out more of my content here: ruclips.net/video/V0GsAeOlJRE/видео.html
Otherwise, you can go do a RUclips search in your language. All the best!
@@MatthewAlberto Thanks! Yeah I've been doing that too... Watching videos where French tutors speak French but at a pace I can still understand. It really helps my listening skills and from that I try to parrot certain phrases.
Thanks Matthew. I appreciate this video and all the techniques.
My pleasure! Happy to meet you.
I have watched dozens of videos trying to learn Spanish. My greatest problem has always been fear of speaking. My wife is a native Spanish speaker and I am embarrassed to practice with her. This video is THE MOST HELPFUL in giving me ideas on how to practice to the point where I don't feel so self-conscious. Thank you!
Glad to hear that the video gave you some ideas to get over your self-consciousness. Take that next step, and practice on your own. Eventually, you can talk Spanish with your wife around, too. It'd be a really great surprise for her to hear you speak fluently.
I'm a native Spanish speaker, if you like we could speak sometimes , so I could improve my spoken English
appreciate the offer. i'm pretty busy lately so I'm not sure how reliable I can be with my schedule at the moment. But I'll keep you in mind if my schedule is less busy and i can do an exchange
@@MatthewAlberto actually, I was replying to Tom Tahan 😅😅 but I appreciate your response, I didn't know you were a Spanish speaker. Is it your native tongue? Thanks
haha sorry. seems like youtube shows me comments in a disorganised way so i got confused.
Mashallah Matthew, honestly your video is the best and one of the fewest that helps language learners like myself to know new Methods for studying a new language for instance Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic Among others. hope to see more videos coming.
Wow, thank you Brandon. All the best with your language learning! Yes, more videos coming out every week, so check them out here: ruclips.net/video/LQLj0uHAOQA/видео.html
Very good advices! I have used some of those myself, and I can assure they work. My English is not perfect yet, but I am getting there.
Thank you Dulcinea! So glad that these tips have worked for you. Keep going with your English learning! You're doing well.
Fabulous video! Thank you so much for this one as its just confirmed most of the procedures that i use at the moment, plus a few new ones. Its very encouraging!.
Wonderful! Keep it up woth your languages. Excited for you
this is an extremely helpful video, the techniques are completely efficient and adaptable to anyone's learning experience, plus you explained it very clearly; it was perfectly descriptive, thank you for sharing
Thank you for the kind words and clarifying what you liked most about the video. I'll aim to continue explaining the language learning techniques and concepts clearly and in a descriptive way. All the best with your languages!
thank you. I´m spanish and I wanna learn English fluently. I´m going to follow your adviser and tomorrow morning will be my first day to start my new challenge to learn English on my own. Thanks.
Great video, thanks for your help my friend.
Glad to help you Daniel. Be sure to subscribe, as I've got more useful language learning videos coming out today and more. Enjoy your language learning!
I, personally, apply this method every day. I would say this would be around thirty or forty minutes the whole nine miles. I wish I had have more of these, but it's essentially much better than nothing!
Thank you!
Regards from Ukraine!
The American-English fan!
Wow, you practice speaking English on your own for 30-40 minutes everyday?! That is impressive. That is great dedication. Keep it up. Regards to you in Ukraine.
I highly appreciate your channel. Please, keep up the great work!
these tips are helpful, thank u so much!
You're very welcome Benny! Be sure to subscribe to the channel as I've got more useful language learning videos coming up. Keep it up with your own language learning!
That was an unexpectedly helpful video full of information! Subscribed. I would suggest that for Technique No 5, Record Yourself, that you can film yourself occasionally to see how you look to other speakers. Also, I'm pretty sure that the basic problem most people have with speaking is that they don't practise enough (or at all).
Welcome Kevin! Thanks for sharing your tip. What factors do you consider when you check how you look to others when filming the speech practice?
Thanks a lot for sharing these very useful tips.
I'm glad I could help you Louis. Be sure to subscribe to keep up to date with more videos in future. All the best with your language learning!
Thank you so much for these tips and techniques.
You're welcome. All the best with your language learning!
Thanks for sharing these powerful methods! 🙌 Just as a suggestion, perhaps you could make a video on vocabulary acquisition, like the ways you approach new words. Anyway, looking forward to your upcoming videos! 😊
Hi Camellia, Thanks for the kind words. You suggested a video about "vocabulary acquisition". Do you mean learning and memorizing vocabulary, or do you mean acquiring vocabulary naturally from movies/books?
@@MatthewAlberto Acquiring vocabulary from movies and TV shows. Learning to speak like a native speaker without even stepping into the country.
This is awesome Matthew! So very helpful! Salamat po! God bless you!
Walang anuman! All the best with your language journey. Be sure to check out my other videos about speaking fluently alone here: ruclips.net/video/nxJtA8lZIEY/видео.html
Great video - thanks. Just subscribed
Welcome Ran! More videos about language learning coming out regularly. Stay tuned. All the best with you language learning.
Wow great advice! Thank you for making this video I hope this helps with my Mandarin 😊
I hope so too, Maxim! I'm also learning Mandarin. 加油!!
Great tips, thankyou, I will try all these techniques
Glad it was helpful!
Wow. Thank you for the tips!
Excellent suggestions. I have actually used some of these suggestions, and appreciate the validation. I've awakened thinking in German or Spanish!
Wonderful! Happy that you are getting back into German and Spanish. That's exciting.¡Genial!
@@MatthewAlberto Gracias!
Some great ideas, thank you!
You are so welcome! Good luck with your language journey!
Excelente Mathew!! nuevo suscriptor aquí im Inglés aprendiendo español, espero más de su contenido muchas gracias Barry
De nada Barry. No te preocupes, grabo más videos cada semana. Buena suerte con tu aprendizaje de español
@@MatthewAlberto Gracias Mathew. Voy a mirar hacia adelante a ellos, mantener su gran work👍
Lots of great tips here, Matthew. I use a lot of these too.
I don't think you mentioned pronunciation much. The advantage of doing that solo is you can break things down, pause, slow them down, identify problem sounds and focus on what's going on in your mouth/throat/nose/ whole face/whatever when you say them. It's much easier to focus on connected speech when working on your own. You can go back and go over things as often, or as little as you want. I like that freedom to decide your own priorities.
Thanks for sharing Annie! What specific pronunciation techniques do you use and have been effective for you?
@@MatthewAlberto I listen to a podcast that drills linking and connected speech when I 'm doing other things like cooking.
Then I use the app Audacity to open a file, and when I find sounds or chunks that are hard for me to say with native-like rythm, I loop that part to practise it, till I figure out what muscles I need to use to create the problem sound.
Gracias por compartir! I'll follow your advice, more videos please! =)
Hola Stella. =) Por supuesto! No te preocupes. Hay más videos. Every Thursday and Sunday over the next few weeks, I'm publishing more. So be sure to subscribe and hit the Notification Bell to make sure you get notified of my new videos. There's also my Email Newsletter at matthewalberto.com/#newsletter - where I'll keep you up-to-date with my language journey, and more tips!
I'm learning English now🙂. It's difficult for me talk different topics but i try it every day better a little. Thanks for the tips, 👌🏻
good job don't give up!
Regular practice and daily habits are a good idea. Keep it up with your English!
Good on you for encouraging a fellow learner! All the best with your language learning too.
You are absolutely right! It's useful, even if it seems weird. It could also be the first step to speaking to a language buddy.
yes it seems weird but if you think about it, we all think and talk to ourselves in our heads all the time. Might as well do some of it in another language.
very helpful thank you!
Thank you so much for the kind words Ellm. Be sure to like the video, subscribe to my channel, and check out the other videos on my channel. All the best with your language learning!
Thank you so much for these tips. I have been studying many languages and got interested when I was 11 ( Now 15 ). I have used some of these tips but don't know about a lot of them. I am very happy since I can understand a lot of Chinese and Spanish now. Again thank you for the video I cant appreciate it enough!
Well done mate, you started at a great age
You're welcome. I've also learned Spanish and Chinese like you.
I started a lot later than you. I was just dabbling before, but more seriously about 10 years ago so you truly are starting at a good age. Take it easy, try different techniques and see what works for you to build regular, lifelong habits so the languages are a part of who you are as a person. All the best with you language journey!
Be sure to subscribe and check out for more videos as we release them.
Wooow - Great Video! It makes me feel better in keeping a commitment with my studies.
Thank youuu!
A new subscriber 🫡
Sucesso meu amigo 🇧🇷
This is very useful. Thanks. 🙏
Glad it was helpful Clarissa. Keep it up with your language learning, cheers.
Subscribed. You deserve more subscribers
Thanks Danish for the kind words. I'll just keep making more videos, and hopefully they can help more people, and those that like them will come in time. All the best with your language learning!
Interesting. I practice talking to myself quite naturally when learning foreign languages. For me the subject is almost always an imaginary conversation with a native speaker who speaks the language I’m learning. I like to work with an online language tutor and take one lesson a week, and I will pre-practice discussing (with myself) the topics we are planning on tackling in the upcoming lesson….and I’ll do so maybe 5 or 6 times at least.
When just starting out a new language, I will be working with a high-quality language teaching series especially designed for learners of that specific language and I’ll adapt all of the speaking exercises to suit a two-way conversation between my tutor and myself. I’ll prepare by holding imaginary conversations with my tutor on each of the speaking exercises….repeated many times over the course of a few days.
Also something that isn’t mentioned here is that I make a lot of use of translation tools. I try to express whatever it is to whatever extent I’m able, but if I have any doubts, I write it down in a translation tool and see what I get back. If there are words I don’t know or if I don’t fully the grammar, I try to simplify the English until I get something I could possibly have come up with myself. In this way I practice simple vocabulary and basic grammar at my level.
And ultimately I do actually discuss the subjects I prepared with my teacher. The fact that I will really be using what I’m preparing helps motivate me and makes the exercise more meaningful.
Thanks for sharing your story and tips Nora! Others from our community will really benefit from it. All the best with your language learning and speaking practice
I will try this with my Igbo tutor, preparing more dialogue. Thanks and this video really helped
I´m close to be fluent in english and I´m also learning italian. Good job man, grettings
That's great! Keep it up.
Also: personal conversation topics avail you to the vocabulary you don’t know if you translate what you don’t know (say it in your NL) into a flash card for your sentence mining deck. 👍
Good point Skylar! Yeah, speaking practice can help uncover some of the gaps in your vocab, which you can then add into your flashcards to memorize later.
These are great tips! Thanks!
Glad you like them!
Have a good day.Thank you
You're welcome. I'm glad the tips helped you. Be sure to subscribe and check out the other videos on the channel. All the best with your language learning!
5:57 Islands
Use short phrases you would say regularly.
I'm glad you liked the techniques I shared. All the best with your language learning journey.
Thanks a lot,l will follow your advice,then tell you my results
Great! Yes, I'd love to hear your results, as well as what your fluency was like BEFORE trying out my advice. All the best with your learning! Be sure to subscribe and check out my other videos.
Thanks. That will help me. I have learned to read German very well, but speaking not so much.
You're welcome Richard. Hopefully these tips will help you with German. More videos coming soon about how to turn your reading into fluent speech.
I use record with transcription on my phone and chatgpt to check my grammar. It made me realise in 2 days what I was doing wrong with my pronunciation that a year of online classes couldn't. And yes the convenience factor was also so important especially with 2 young children. My writing in French improved massively from practice so I'm pretty sure it will be the same with speaking.
Hi Andy, great tip. I also have 2 young children so that's also why speaking fluency practice on my own is important.
Question: What tool/s do you use to record and transcribe on your phone and then get ChatGPT to check grammar? What process are you using? I tried that, but it was a bit cumbersome for me.
Just wondering if you found a faster way to do all that.
@@MatthewAlberto haven't found a more efficient way unfortunately. But the point was I was doing online sessions with sometimes between 4-8 people so in reality you would only get 10 mins speaking time a week. I would be asked a question and speaking ad lib I wasn't sure I was forming correct complex sentences. Finding an unprepared topic and talking to myself helps this. I listen back(first time I ever did this I hated hearing my voice, but you have to overcome your fear) and then realise where I've gone wrong and think if I could say something better. Certainly helped with prononication, I could see where I was going wrong with vowels and I only just realised that I was speaking too high in French(like we do in English), lowering my voice and using a different part of my throat helped me improve my accent.
Interesting... When you transcribed your voice recording, did you manually transcribe it yourself or which tool did you use? Also, what instructions did you give ChatGPT so that it would check your grammar? Was it just a matter of pasting in your transcription and say: "Check my french grammar in this text"?
@@MatthewAlberto I have the default recording app on my Google pixel that has transcription. No I rewrite what I want to say, spending more time then paste that to chatgpt and ask it to check my errors.
So helpful thanks a lot I'm struggling speaking English maybe this methods Will help me
You can do it! Be sure to check out the other videos on the channel too
Holy moly, time trialing & doing intervals with language? The athlete in me is here for this!
Glad you enjoyed the video, Skyler. I like how you linked it to athletics, time trialing and doing intervals... Yeah, I've done HIIT intervals for exercise, and it kinda reminds me of that too.
@@MatthewAlberto This also gets into something I’ve *never* heard anyone say with language learning: what is your daily “non-negotiable minimum” and the idea that you don’t need to do EVERY technique EVERYDAY.
That's really useful. Is the "non-negotiable minimum" idea from athletics, too? Where did you get that concept from? I like it because it can get overwhelming for people, even me, with all these tips and techniques.
@@MatthewAlberto It’s a concept I use in the context of fitness (I’m an exercise physiologist & own a studio). It is like it sounds (akin to the “minimum effective dose”): what is, given your life and level with a language, the smallest amount you can do everyday no matter what? If you do that, you’ll know you’ve maintained contact with the language you’re learning, expecting to do more most days.
For you personally, what has been your "non-negotiable minimum" for language learning, or your intended minimum?
Mabuhay ang iyóng channel ! regards from Germany
Maraming salamat Noel! Glad to know that you got value from the video all the way from Germany. Danke! Hope that life is good in Deutschland.
I never was very much into speaking English alone .. Even having zero opportunities of speaking English with another human being.. But I keep ( I believe) my English level in good shape listening and reading.. And writing in here as well. There's something awkwardly wrong hearing myself in English without being replied by another person 🎈
Yeah no need to force the speaking. The tips are just if you need it. Listening and reading, and occasionally writing are great ways to also maintain and grow your language. Keep it up! All the best with you journey
@@MatthewAlbertoThanks so much for your kindness 🌟
Hi, My friends, I liked your video, because I can understand this topic, now I have been learning English for 2 years, before I can't understand and write but now I can apply your strategy.
Hi Oscar! Thank you for sharing your story. I'm so happy that you can now understand and write English. Yes, you can try out the strategies I suggested so that your speaking skills can improve, too. Be sure to subscribe to my channel as I have more videos coming out soon to help you. Take care!
@@MatthewAlberto 😃 sure
My hero! I invented this method on my own too! but i stopped beceause i fellt like i was crazy. now 2 months later i find this video and i have endless motivation to use this technique now. Turns out i wasn't crazy, but genius😂😂
Now i even think this method is more efficient then actual talking, beceause u get more talking hours, and talk topics that are more complex
Yes it can be more efficient, and speaking practice on your own can be a great add-on to speaking with other native speakers, too. Glad that the video gave you more confidence to practice on your own again.
Thank you for this. I was thinking what to do with the speaking part when learning a foreign language.
Especially when I don't intend to go to a foreign country and my conversation level is too low yet.
You're welcome Maciej. I'm glad it helped you think differently about how you can practice speaking a foreign language. Be sure to check out my other videos about speaking fluently alone here: ruclips.net/video/nxJtA8lZIEY/видео.html
Great, you've done well
Thank you so much for the kind words Muhammad. Be sure to like the video, subscribe to my channel, and check out the other videos on my channel.
@@MatthewAlberto sure
Very helpful video. Lots of great ideas. Suggestion: one thing many language influencers do that I think detracts from the message is broken speech: That is... while talking... to....place....artificial breaks.... in the message. This... makes it...hard...to listen.....It sounds.... unnatural....and ....is uncomfortable... to ....listen to.....
Yes but... it is..🤔 realistic because... it is what..🤔. the brain... really does... when trying to.... 🤔remember... that... next word. I am learning russian and it sucks that i get stuck sometimes but it's better than me not trying and practicing. I have to make myself try and not get discouraged. Even mistakes; incorrect speech is better than letting yourself be comfortably silent
Thanks Frank for the kind words and suggestion.
If you're talking about my own broken speech in the video, sorry about that. Making a video for several minutes can be tiring, and sometimes some sections take a number of re-takes and edits. That's why it can sometimes sound choppy when the video is edited to make all of the content I filmed sound coherent. In reality, I actually do make mistakes in speech, and waffle, and am sometimes incoherent when I talk naturally and I'm a native English speaker!
These are my first few videos, and I am constantly trying to improve my presentation and delivery.... I am after all an introvert! haha, so I actually don't talk so much all day, every day
A good tip for that is to use filler words!!! Native speakers ahve to think too and make pauses, and often making native-sounding filler words or sound to fill the silence. That's another great tip. Keep up the language learning, even though I know it can sometimes be difficult and awkward!
Just subscribed. Soy de Filipinas tambien!
Genial Tito Jan. Represent from the pinoy hispanohablantes. Be sure to check out the other vids on the channel, and hopefully they help you. ¡Buena suerte con tu aprendizaje de español mi amigo!
Querido Mateo , cuando quieras nos ponemos de acuerdo para hablar un poco en español , y tu me ayudas a mejorar a mi , mi ingles -- Un saludos desde Italia - Alvaro
Okay I will reply to you in English here so you can practice it, Alvaro. It's a pleasure to meet you, I have been to Rome in Italy before, and would love to visit the country again soon.
Thanks a lot
Most welcome! Be sure to check out the other videos on the channel here: ruclips.net/video/LQLj0uHAOQA/видео.html - Good luck with your language journey!
Has anyone here ever used reading the Bible or (other scriptures) in the target language? It helps because already the story is known and the struggle to understand is less. Try it.
動画ありがとうございます。😊
どういたしまして。:)
Greetings from Perú, nice Vid.
Hola! I have been to Pru and explored the country. My favorite experience was Machu Picchu and also the Amazon River. More videos to enjoy here: ruclips.net/video/LQLj0uHAOQA/видео.html
Very, very, very GOOD.
Thank you very much!
你好厉害，还会说中文❤ Hello, you're amazing. You can also speak Chinese
对啊。 我喜欢学习中文。 All the best with your language learning, too Lily! Be sure to subscribe and check out my other videos. Hopefully they can help and inspire you also.
What happened to me when I speak with myself is that it’s a little bit hard bcause isn’t like if there was another person that is asking me and I asking him/her so, it’s rough cause I have no to lose the conversation and even I can stop for while cause it’s like I get unfocused and I can follow myself so, I don’t feel weird when I speak with myself cause it’s the unique way for to practice whole my English what I’ve learned and I know that my pronunciation but the stuff important here is that I’m talking in English, what I would suggest of all you is don’t feel awkward if the only way that you have for to speak English is that you must talk to yourselves just do it and try to bring it up whole those moments that did in their day or what obviously did in that day what you’re talking
Thanks for inspiring others with your encouragement. It can be awkward but it's a convenient way to practice. 👍
your english is very good. i would recommend minimising the pauses between words in the same sentence unless there is a comma or maybe hyphen. it may sound exhausting to the user because the thought is not completed yet but there is a pause. i had to speed up the video playback so it would be less noticeable.
Thanks. Yes, I'm a native English speaker. Grew up in Australia, also I love to read.
Maybe it's because you are introverted, like you said, and learned English in a non-native English speaking household, because you don't sound like a native speaker at all. Specially not Australian.
Not judging. Just an observation. Thanks for the great video.
@@ehtishamullah7534What he's doing is very Australian.
I actually don't use my full Aussie accent in these videos because most of the viewers would likely not understand, so it's more international, toned down accent
Whatever it is, it's choppy and hard on the ears. There are many RUclipsrs with strong Aussie accent who have large international audiences. There is a viral video of a guy with a news reporter, titled the most Aussie accent ever, and its just as easy to understand as American accent. I would suggest being your natural self and trust your audience. Our brains can fill in the gaps.
My problem is that I am terrible at small talk even in my native language. 😢
Hi Anita, that is sometimes the case with me. I generally like to have deeper conversations with people I'm already close to. I don't know if it's necessarily a "problem". I think it's just how different people like to interact with others. So, no need to force it or feel bad about yourself if you're not so big into small talk. I used to feel bad about it for myself, and wanted to change myself a lot, and wanted to improve my small talk abilities, until I realized that actually I think the reason I'm not so into it all the time is because I prefer closer relationships overall.
This is me as well. I barely speak to my friends 😂. Actually, this makes me wonder how mute people learn other languages. Obviously they wouldn't speak them, but I'm sure there *must* be mute people who have learned (as adults) to *understand* other languages to a high level.
Thanks
You're welcome Lamia. Make sure to subscribe as I've got more videos coming out that will help you learn languages. Take care!
Do more videos like this bro
what did you like about this video? just so i know for the next videos
These are good ideas. However my problem isn't with speaking. It's listening to others in my target language and understanding how to reply.
Saludos desde Los Estados Unidos Virginia, estoy estudiando español. llevo siete meses aprendiendo español. Hablo mucho conmigo mismo... está bien hasta que me respondo a mí mismo. jaja. También estoy estudiando italiano al lado.
Salve, piacere di conoscerti. Sto imparando l'italiano. Conosco abbastanza italiano, solo per spiegare che non so parlare italiano. Parlo solo poche frasi 😅
Jajaja. Estoy feliz que hablas y practicas los idiomas por ti mismo. ¡Buena suerte con tu español y italiano! Me gustan tus videos de DIY tambien. :)
@@MatthewAlberto ¡Muchas gracias! ¿Por cierto, cuántos idiomas hablas? espero que poder aprender muchos lenguas romances. Tal vez alemán y holandés alguno día.
4.. me gustaría aprender aleman en el futuro también
It largely depends on HOW A PERSON LEARNS. We are NOT all the same. I find learning some languages easy and exciting. Still, it depends on the kind of learner one is.
Yes, I think so. There are some techniques that I use personally that I know wouldn't work very well for some others largely because their personality and interests are different to mine.
Was is Tagalog not offered on your Speakada site?
Hi Angie. Why are you learning Tagalog, and which kind of Tagalog flashcards are you interested in?
What Accent do you speak, sometimes you pronunce words in British , but sometimes you pronunce "R" sound.
Australian accent. Which words are bothering you? Maybe I can help explain why I chose to pronounce R much clearer for certain words.
I can't agree with you more, Matthew; all your points are logical and persuasive. However, none of then can't replace the ability or rather possibility to fix someone's pronunciation if needed, correct mistakes, and respond for numerous questions everyone has to have after every single session. So, practice with native speaker, preferably teacher or at least educated person, is irreplaceable, I believe. If you agree to disagree, I am perfectly fine with your viewpoint.
Yes, of course. The main aim overall is to able to speak to a real-life human being who is a native speaker, and you can get feedback from a teacher too. I'm just sharing tips in this video as a supplement for learners who 1) are shy or anxious, 2) are introvert and get drained from too much small chat, 3) want convenience; 4) want more practice. The problem with a teacher/native speaker in a class is that it can cost money to have lots of classes and classes may only be limited to 1 hour per week. If you do speaking practice on top of that, you can practice speaking more on days when you don't have classes with the native speaker. Plus, spoken fluency isn't just about being accurate all the time. A lot of spoken fluency is also about your speed, which you can practice and improve on your own, too.
It depends. Lots of people can learn everything by themselves, they don't need a teacher to correct their mistakes. The internet gives you everything for self-study. You can even ask ChatGPT to correct your mistakes now.
I use chat gpt to practice conversation and build confidence. It even laughs sometimes lol.
Great tip! Do you write out conversations with ChatGPT or do you record audios and speak with it? I'm curious to learn more about your process to practice conversation with ChatGPT.
@@MatthewAlberto I usually ask it to ask me questions using material from the book I'm using (ex: Chinese hsk lesson 1) or ask it to give me a quiz in the language. (Using the audio function)
I also ask it how to say something in a particular language. I then repeat the word back and ask if my pronunciation was okay.
Thanks for sharing that. I actually just tried some of what you said today, and it was fascinating.
@@MatthewAlberto Wow, I'm so glad you found it to be helpful!
I would say read stories newspapers etc. use RUclips to learn pronunciation.
Thanks Leon for sharing! What pronunciation methods have worked for you with RUclips?
New Subber - Of all languages, I picked Russian.
Welcome Luva. If you have good reasons to learn Russian, then it'll be worth the effort. All the best with it!
4:30 Parroting
Speaking is a lot easier than listening comprehension outside of an entirely immersive environment. Although this is a good idea
Yes, both listening and speaking are challenging. When I originally failed my exam, I actually failed in both the speaking and listening parts! What listening comprehension activities do you do to help you improve listening?
@@MatthewAlberto That's the toughest skill, right? Nowadays there are tons of videos, but 9/10 cover the same basic material. Then, at least for Mandarin, 9/10 of the intermediate-level ones still feel compelled to explain everything in English, which by definition isn't needed for intermediate, rather frustrating.
After some searching you do find a few creators who understand this and limit their English; I like conversation formats best, e.g. How to Spanish, and Mandarin Corner.
But there's no substitute for being in the L2 environment physically. A friend of mine studying Cantonese worked for five years in a Chinese restaurant, worked up to waiter! Now he's a simultaneous interpreter for heads of state! Anyway....
I tried Babble for its online classes, also Yabla which is TV videos, those ok, I did a bunch, the stuff I liked, then stopped, at some point you have to like the content.
All in all I kinda find kids' content is good, i.e. books, and cartoons, really good for reinforcing basic structures, and vocab such as "transform" and "secret," ha ha. That's for low or medium intermedate. At high intermediate a person can transition to movies. Repetition is important too, e.g. "Spider Man 50 times". Some ideas.
your tool doesn't display the random image...
Thanks for flagging this to me. I looked at the code, and there seems to be an issue with fetching the random image. I'm trying to fix it now, and will get back to you and others once we get it up and running again.
Hi. The Free Speaking Fluency Practice Tool is now fixed. Go here to use it: speakada.com/speaking-fluency-practice/ - Thanks again for letting me know of this issues. If you have any suggestions or feedback for how to improve the tool, get in touch.
While studying the language, drink tea, coffee, eat snacks or light alcohol such as beer. You need to relax )))
Hahaha. True. Chillaxing is always good for languages so that the words flow. There's actually some research that show a bit of alcohol does help with fluency in a foreign language. That is a bonus tip (only for adults)!
@@MatthewAlberto 😀 I agree ))))
Is your native language Japanese? The way you speak is a bit choppy . I can hear the Japanese rhythm as well as Aussie accent
No, native English - grew up in Oz.. Reason for choppiness is because this is one of my first videos and i was very nervous, awkward and unsure how to film videos properly. I think that's the reason, or I wonder if this is really how I talk? Not sure. I'm not a professional presenter. I'm working on my speaking skills in my own native language too now. haha 😅
@@MatthewAlberto lol no worries, could be nerves . I've watched others get more comfortable as time goes on. I'm sure you're the same, I'll have to listen out.
I don't like talking to people either
It no longer needs to be a struggle when you learn languages.. there is a way to practice speaking on your own too. Take care and all the best with your language journey.
I would like to listen to you talking for at least 1 minute straight without that visible cuts made out to the video on editing. After that, I probably see a whole video
Let me understand you more. Is it because you feel that the speaking is too choppy and you dont like listening to the chops? or is it that you don't like regular jump cuts visually? or you just want to see me talk for 1 minute with all my pauses, mistakes, ramblings, reflecting and all?
Initially, I felt that regarding a video about fluency, it should be reflecting that through your speech, and that you wouldn't need any cuts or low editing. But after all, it could be a good idea to listen all the flaws , pauses and fillers that you have , it could be helpful and interesting. Thanks for your time.
This was one of the first videos I ever made. The real, raw A-roll of my first videos like this one were very long, like even 45 minutes to 1 hour long, because I rambled on, had a lot of silences because I was working off bullet points and just sharing what I knew unscripted, and there was some awkwardness because it was the first couple of times just talking to a camera. There's a lot of cuts because my editor suggested that for the sake of keeping it engaging and useful for viewers, that we should keep it tighter and do the cuts. That's why it ended up the way it is. I agree that I should improve my speaking, particularly my presentational skills for RUclips videos which I admittedly have not yet fully developed. I guess 1 of the tips in this video is to Record Yourself so you can watch yourself, and on a meta level, I watch myself present and speak in this video, and it is clear I also need to improve my spoken fluency and delivery in my own language! Thanks again for your feedback, Jairo.
@@MatthewAlberto thanks again, I find very valuable that you can share with us your experience in the making of. I will start recording myself to check my spelling and expressions on the speech.
😅
I'd have at least 10 times fewer opportunities to speak if I had to wait for someone else to be around.
Yes, I agree that it can be much more convenient to practice on your own, and it works as a useful supplement to talking to native speakers/tutors.
If you make mistakes, nobody corrects your mistakes.
That's a good point to raise, Elly. I guess my response would be that it is possible to make audio recordings. Then you can send those to native speakers or tutors later on. Also, speaking practice on your own isn't only about accuracy. It can also be about focusing on increasing your rate of speech, so you speak faster and more fluent.
I’ve heard these tips many times but no one tells who how to learn how to speak in the first place. How do you practice speaking if you don’t know how to speak? If I could speak the language I’m learning I wouldn’t be watching this video, I would just simply speak and practice with other people or an online tutor, the very things he says you don’t need. It’s a catch 22 situation here.
This video was more about speaking practice on your own. You asked: "How do you practice speaking if you don't know how to speak?" Are you actually asking how to learn a language in general as an absolute beginner? Or are you asking how to get started speaking if you already know the basics and understand when listening/reading?
I am currently learning Spanish and I am “learning “ Spanish and not practicing it because I don’t know enough grammar to form sentences. So I am in a spot where a know a lot of vocab but don’t know a lot of sentence structure to use that vocab. So for example, if I want to say “I know someone who went to that school to learn how to be a pilot“, I know all the individual words but still struggle with conjugation, male/female, singular/plural, and word order. This sentence is impossible for me to say in Spanish even though I know all the words in this sentence, and may even have heard this type of sentence said in another context. So how do you practice speaking if you don’t know how to speak (forming sentences)?
How do you practice on your own if you don’t know how to say anything? There are people who have been studying for 4 years and can fully understand the language but can’t speak it at all. My question is, “how do you learn to speak (form sentences from your head automatically) so you can practice it on your own”?
I actually made a video about this topic and published it yesterday. It is called "Why you understand Spanish but CAN'T speak fluently": ruclips.net/video/V0GsAeOlJRE/видео.html
If that still doesn't answer your question, or you feel it's still not specific enough, let me know more about what I need to talk about to help you more.
I need partner
There are different conversation exchange websites where you can find language partners, sometimes for free in exchange for you sharing and practicing your native language with someone else.
INTJs represent! ❤
Hahaha. That made me laugh, Kai. I'm guessing your INTJ, too. I've been studying languages for many years on my own, doing the research, working within the language space and just doing the language learning on my own. Took me a long time to start making these videos, but I finally felt the need and desire to share what I have learned and truly realized that I love this sort of thing. And in INTJ-style, once I made that decision, I'm executing and working hard on making more great videos. Glad to meet you.
U can talk to yourself all u want until u have a native speaker talk to you. Talking to yourself is easy as you can easily "control the output" of your words. In other words, it's virtually impossible to speak words/sentences which you don't understand. The real challenge is understanding spoken language which you're trying to learn.
I'm sorry but i don't think talking to yourself will help you much other than maybe improving your pronunciation. You still definitely require immersion in the environment in which the language you're trying to learn is being spoken.
Hi, thanks for the comment. I actually agree with much of what you're saying. This video is not meant to be a comprehensive guide to learn a language, and I do believe that listening and reading input is actually a large part of learning a language, as you said.
This video is just about speaking especially for shy people, introverts, busy people or those who want more convenient speaking practice, on top of getting large amounts of input and speaking with native speakers when possible. Some adults may be able to do just input and then be able to speak fluently straight away after mass amounts of input, but that was not the case for me personally. I found that these speaking activities did help me, not only for pronunciation but also fluency which for me is not just about accuracy, but also about speed and complexity. But again I can only speak for my case.
What language do you think that you have fluency in? Why do you never speak it? You can not learn someone else's language by speaking to yourself.
Hi PJ, this video is not meant to be a comprehensive guide to learning a language completely. This is just about speaking fluency practice that you can do on your own, especially for people who are 1) shy, 2) introvert, 3) busy, 4) wanting more speaking practice outside of classes. Of course, you should also do some speaking practice with native speakers, along with listening and reading the language, and writing too. If that wasn't clear in the video, then thanks for highlighting that, and I hope this clarification helps you understand where I'm coming from, and helps others, too. All the best with your own language learning, too.
You're being extremely rude there. He's giving a great piece of advice and he's not the only one doing it. It's a technique as old as the time itself, and I've been doing it too ever since I was a teen.
Go outside and talk.
I would love to, but many people don't speak the languages I want to learn outside where I live so I need to practice some other ways in addition to speaking to people online
@@MatthewAlberto Agreed
Nowadays, We have AI. You don't need to talk alone.
Do you mean that there's no need to learn languages because AI will communicate for you? Or do you mean that AI can act like a speaking partner? Curious to know about what you mean
@@MatthewAlbertothere is a new update for the AI ChatGPT that allows you to speak to it. I don’t know if it works for other languages though
Thanks for the tip! Yeah, I just used it yesterday in different languages. It was amazing. I'll make a video on it soon.
The first four minutes is a waste of time.
Hi Jun. You must be a really busy person, and I understand as I can get busy too. I suppose others would be the same also, so my videos usually have Timestamps in the Description like this below:
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Introduction and Background
0:49 - Reasons for Speaking Practice Alone
1:48 - Convenience of Speaking Alone
2:28 - Overcoming Shyness and Introversion
3:32 - Control and Flexibility in Speaking Practice
4:16 - Technique 1: Shadowing
5:51 - Technique 2: Islands
7:10 - Technique 3: Talking Around a Topic or Word
8:17 - Technique 4: Write Like You Speak
9:50 - Technique 5: Record Yourself
10:41 - Technique 6: Timed Fluency Speaking Activities
13:07 - Topics to Focus on During Speaking Practice
You're right that the techniques start at around 4 minutes, but I guess the initial 4 minutes were just sharing about my background, and why I'm worth listening to in terms of my experience and how I stumbled upon these techniques due to my own personal need. I'm glad that at least the rest of the video was helpful to you.
Some people actually want to hear about the back story just so they can relate to the problem, and understand why speaking alone can be better than speaking with a conversation partner. Either way, thanks for dropping by, and don't forget about the timestamps because they'll be able to save you time in future with my videos.
Your arms constantly flailing around are very distracting. Practice sitting on your hands while talking if you want to break that habit.
Thanks for the feedback Suzanne. I don't think I want to break this habit. My use of arms, hands and body language are also how I communicate and express myself apart from using my mouth. When I am animated and excited about something, that's what I do. I'm human, and not a robot, and also not a professional presenter, and I don't want to be, so I'm not perfect. Just wanting to share my tips with people as best as I can.
Matthew, Adding body movement while speaking makes the content even more interesting and memorable. It is a very effective and contagious means to share emotions. I praise you for ducha a great example on how to keep audiences hooked up. Love your content ❤
Thanks Luis for the encouragement.
I actually also see and understand Suzanne's point of view, which I'm grateful for because it shows that she also cares.
I watch my videos again before I publish and notice that I do use my body and arms. Since these are my first videos, I just wanted to put the info out there to help people - I have felt nervous, worried and awkward talking to a camera, but pushed through anyway. As I make more videos, I can focus more on the other aspects to improve like my speech and gestures so they're more intentional and flow better.
@@MatthewAlbertoI think the heart of your content is to generously share your knowledge and experience. And it is your choice to do it in any convenient way possible. Be happy and be free creating your content! Thanks again!
He is channeling Scotty Kilmer 🤣