Five tips for busy learners: listening and speaking...
Thomas Spengler
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Thomas Spengler
Thomas Spengler 100% NATIVE ENGLISH CLASSES Panama Conversation, interview prep, English tests, aviation and more. 20 years of experience. 6244 5110
Are you too busy to practice your English? These tips will help you improve your listening and speaking, even when you're short of time!
Listen to English when you're out and about
Wherever and whenever you can, listen to English! Whether you're in the car, on the train, waiting for the bus or walking to work, listen to some English songs or a podcast.
Listen, even when you're not listening!
While you're busy at home, tidying, cleaning or preparing dinner, have an English TV or radio program on in the background. Don't worry if you don't understand every word – that's normal! Gradually you'll understand more and more as you get used to the sounds and rhythm of the language.
Listen and watch with the kids
If you're looking after children, listen to some songs or watch videos together. It'll be fun for them and great practice for you too!?
Children's shows often have lots of simple, everyday language and are fairly easy to understand.
Talk to yourself!
Every learner wants to speak better English, right? But how do you improve your speaking if you don't have time to go to a conversation class? Easy – talk to yourself! You may not want to talk to yourself in public (!), but when you're at home, practice speaking out loud, or just 'talk' in your head.?
Record yourself speaking
Use an app to record yourself speaking and then listen to the recording. Try to notice what you do well and what you can improve. Also, listen out for mistakes, phrases you weren't sure about and pronunciation difficulties – and think how to correct them for next time.
Listening to yourself speaking can help you become more confident and fluent in everyday conversations. It's also really useful if you're preparing for an exam or a job interview.