7 tips for speaking better in any language

[@Thelinguist]

📲 The app I use to learn languages: bit.ly/4eMUKcX 🆓 My 10 FREE secrets to language learning: bit.ly/3Nc5MMY ❓What helps you speak better? Share in the comments!

[@berzatbabur8432]

1 dont focus on pronunciation 2 focus on words 3 dont make it more stressful than it needs to be 4 change the way you think about grammar 5 focus on usage patterns 6 always circle back 7 dont worry about mistakes

[@coolbrotherf127]

For my Japanese, spending more time writing Japanese helped me speak it better as well because it gave me more practice understanding the gaps in my grammar knowledge.

[@tobikrutt]

Ugh...I KNOW I should do this too, I'm sure it would help with both my Spanish and Italian. But for some reason I'm very resistant to doing it. 🫤

[@neilfazackerley7758]

I write most weeks too. Mainly about something that I have read. I get a native to go through it and underline all errors and I correct them myself.

[@JohnM...]

I am still unsure when where and if to use a は、が、or not at all.

[@charlesfitzpatrick3805]

@@JohnM...From what I understand, “wa” means something or someone in general, whereas “ga” is for something or someone specific.

[@337plumeria4]

​@@JohnM... You can GoogleJapan words you want to know.　For instance, ◯それ　ください　◯それを　ください　 You will never find ✕それが　ください　✕それは　ください

[@patchuri]

Something i have noticed latley is how much more important being able to understand and listen to people is compared to speaking. I have a bunch of japanese friends who love hanging out with me because even though i don't talk much in words they know i understand them and they will ask questions that can be directly answered by yes or no.

[@language.wanderer]

Steve is one of the greatest teachers of all time. Because his videos I decided to create my own channel to share some curiosities about languages. Because his stories from his time in China I started learning Chinese myself.

[@miriamspandereta]

#4 Great Point! Think of grammar as usage patterns rather than just rules. I find that the same is true when studying music. For example: learn the patterns in music, then refer to the music theory (grammar) to review or clarify after learning the music.

[@Swedishpolymath]

This was a huge aha moment for me some years ago. It also helps that I love grammar.

[@menoconoces]

Hi, Steve - I am learning a lot from you lately and have taken up LingQ for Spanish. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience. Back in the 60s I majored in Russian and slavic linguistics. All classes, assignments, and exams in Russian and Serbo-croatian were in the language. Still read Rusdian fluently but would not say that I speak it well. The only languages that I am fluent in (i.e. able to communicate in comfortably) are those that I picked up by living with them - English of course as a native Texsn, German from my Grandma and early home immersion, Spanish from a couple of years of working in Mexican labor crews and later doing technical support for my Latin American clients, and Polish from a year and a half working in Poland plus speaking Polish all the time with wife and friends. For a long time I was very frustrated that I devoted decades to studying and reading Russian but can't carry on a casual conversation, but can function normally in languages I never studied. You have helped me reconcile with that and realize that efforts to improve are better directed towards languages that I actually use for living.

[@chiefpanda7040]

Hi Steve thank you for all you’ve done and continue to do for the language learning community

[@RubyDuran]

Just spoke in French with my italki tutor, and although I am able to have conversations in French, there's always room for improvement! This couldn't have come at a better time!!!! 🥳

[@AtomikNY]

FYI, “on est à la plage” is not a Quebecism. In France, they also usually say “on” instead of “nous” in everyday speech.

[@alexmckenzie8491]

Agreed. That is a characteristic of French which seems odd to us Anglos.

[@joepiekl]

I don’t think I would give the advice that pronunciation doesn’t matter. Accent doesn’t matter and trying to sound like a native speaker doesn’t matter. But I’ve had plenty of interactions in Vietnam where I genuinely didn’t know someone was trying to speak to me in English because their pronunciation was so bad. And vice versa, I’ve had plenty of times where even my own wife doesn’t know what I’m saying because I haven’t mastered the basics of pronunciation. I’d also say that what matters in pronunciation varies depending on the language. Different languages put different emphasis on different features. Consonants are much more important than vowels in English, for example, otherwise no one would understand anyone from New Zealand.

[@neilfazackerley7758]

I agree. People in the UK always moan about call centre workers in India because they cannot understand their pronounication.

[@aleph_zero]

Totally agree.

[@duyyy8452]

Hi from Vietnam 🙌 I agree on this point, I learned pronunciation the first thing when learning english. And it improved me a lot even I have little active vocabularies at that time

[@captainreza1]

Great points! Specifically regarding the limited usage patterns, and going back to basics and recognizing new patterns due to exposure …

[@nalanbilgic2633]

Greetings from Antalya, Turkey. ❤

[@raymondmiller5098]

Thanks Steve! This is very good advice - even for those of us not smart enough to be retired diplomats! 😊

[@userilesouldkhaled]

Thank you very much for this video. I want you to speak about how Can we learn the idiomes in english or any language? the next video. Thank you ❤

[@pavleluger777]

Kudos to this video. I have been language teacher for many years and joy and interaction towards linguistic functionality

[@wowjef]

Your best video of the last year. Thanks. Chimes with what I think about language learning (especially my Finnish)

[@piotrwodkowski]

I love this comparison with artificial intelligence. That's the point - "the ability to predict what is going to happen in the language".

[@PalmSpringsLinguist]

I completely agree that grammar is not a set of rules, but rather a set of patterns.

[@netlang]

Todays AI - LLM - prove that nicely.

[@artyoga_fysm]

Steve, we would like to see a video on your progress in Turkish

[@keithkannenberg7414]

A thought on pronunciation. I wouldn't say that pronunciation isn't important. It just becomes less important once you've reached a minimum level where you can be understood. I think to continue to work on making the right sounds after that point but understand that it's secondary. Accept that you're probably never going to sound native, accept that you'll make the wrong sound just like saying the wrong thing. But do continue to work at it to some degree.

[@ronaldgamboa6594]

Thank you so much!!! Always very helpful and inspiring!!!

[@patormsby9441]

Nice advice! I'll share this with my students, give them more short, easy stories and round up a bunch of usage patterns (I heard about it being standard in Japan long ago to memorize about 100 English sentences exemplifying all the grammar rules. This would be different and would differ between places, but I'll try focusing on this.)

[@theofeitosa7841]

Thank you so much for your tips, for sharing your experience, which is validated for many, many others good teachers and materials that I stayed in touch with and for subtitle your videos. Thank you so much for all.

[@ceciliaromia]

Thank you, Steve!!! Great video!!!

[@Soulcap1818]

It seems uncommon but I’ve always found listening to be harder than speaking in both the languages I’ve learned, listening comprehension for me is the most time consuming and difficult part.

[@maia3420]

It is absolutely the most time consuming which is why every polyglot worth their salt spends the most time on it. However once they do, the other 3 skills become significantly easier.

[@elconquiguiaviajero]

I admire your videos these are fascinating I learn enough🎉

[@camilorodriguez527]

As a person who work every single day with people from different countrys, pronunciation is the most important think to keep a good conversation otherwise any chat could become in a totally waste of time; no matter your grammar or how many words you could recall to express any idea.

[@thegamereset-vk3qe]

Thank you very much for the tips, it help me a lot. I'm having some problems to speak

[@tobikrutt]

Looking forward to a video about your trip to Turkey, and how your conversations go.😊

[@SamuhSant]

I am a brazilian guy and i am 15 years old, and i want to be polyglot. Now i'm studying english (B1 level). I'm using your videos to pratice english, love your channel, Steve! If my comment has any grammatical/writing error, you can notice me, all help is welcome!

[@wortcunning]

Good luck studying English! Looks like you already made loads of progress. :) One small comment: instead of "you can notice me", you could say "you can let me know" here. "Notice" is more like "observar" (I think)

[@SamuhSant]

@@wortcunning Thank you!

[@kingly71]

Steve, do you have a specific video on intonation? Given the relative importance you outline here I'd love to go a bit deeper

[@Thelinguist]

I will give that some thought. Thanks.

[@AksarayMerkez-zl3vg]

Hello from Türkiye teacher. İ have been living in Cappadocia since I was born 😅.

[@plasticpeon]

Thank you for the lessons and time.

[@ConfidentEnglishWithKirsty]

Really enjoying your videos Steve, thank you!

[@matildawolfram4687]

Thanks to the author of the channel for the interesting content! The book by Yuriy Ivantsiv “ Polyglot Notes. Practical Tips for Learning Foreign Language” had a profound impact on me, opening new horizons of understanding the diversity of languages and cultures. The author's ideas that learning foreign languages not only broadens one's horizons but also contributes to spiritual development became a real revelation for me. I realized that every language is not just a system of signs, but a whole world with its history, traditions and way of life. Thanks to this book, I learned to see language learning as a path to self-discovery and a deeper understanding of others, which in turn enriched my worldview. Inspired by Ivantsiv's approach, I became more conscious of my learning, integrating the author's practical advice into my daily life. This opened up opportunities for me not only to improve my language skills, but also to develop a personal philosophy based on mutual understanding and empathy. Immersing myself in languages has allowed me to see the world from different angles and realize the importance of cultural exchange, which has been the foundation for my spiritual growth. Reading this book and applying its advice has helped me to become a more open and tolerant person who seeks harmony in my relationships with others.

[@DavidSilva-cp8hg]

Amazing as always, thanks!

[@sergeyzinovev1141]

In my opinion pronunciation is the most important part of language. Vocabulary is much less. The first, people who have good pronunciation seem for other people more fluently. The second, your partners of conversation understand you much better. And three, when you have good pronunciation so your listaning is much better, becouse if you can say - you can hear. Pronunciation is the part that requares more attantion.

[@neilfazackerley7758]

the best thing I have done is read articles or texts then find a tandem partner to talk about them to. I ask him to make notes as I talk then tell me the main mistakes that jarred. If they are small errors he does not bother. Just the really bad mistakes.

[@MoisesMc023-yg5fe]

what is the languages more difficult?

[@Артём-я1и5е]

Спасибо Стив, твои видео очень полезные, привет из России

[@marcelofilgueirasouto4813]

Thank you Steve.

[@frunomaol5069]

I like tip #7; Béarla, Gaeilge agus Fraincise, (agus sean Gréigis ⁷ Laidin, sa meán scoil leis na sagairt). Tá suim deimhin agam san míniú atá taobh thiar des na focail.

[@arjay9745]

And what do you suggest for a person who's forced to learn and use a language they actually hate?

[@KarinKowalski-r4w]

Do you know where to find that book about patterns in the Russian Language?

[@gauss-ux6hw]

Besides vocabulary I guess collocations are also important to learn any language.

[@JohnA-l4g]

I had a teacher spend a semester concentrating on vocabulary and pronunciation. One day he told us you don’t want to sound like American students. We almost in unison said “but we ARE American students”

[@Namus978]

Will you include Punjabi (Gurmukhi script) into LingQ?

[@HalfAmerican1999]

When I try to speak with someone i have in mind that my job is I have to be as clearly as possible , I feel bad when the other person struggles to understand me .

[@Parso77]

A very rare note of disagreement - I think pronunciation is more important that you suggest *particularly for mother tongue English speakers learning other languages*. If you have a go at the pronunciation (essentially by mimicking what you hear), you can ensure that you do not get put back into English everywhere you go - and thus you get more practice in the target language! So I think it’s quite a high priority.

[@aleph_zero]

Agree

[@englishlover1801]

Dear polyglot, do you know azerbaijani polyglot Aslan Mammadzada?😍

[@pamelabaldwin5136]

hello enjoyed the video! please help me ! i am that person who pronunciation is well but can not express myself why ? what am i doing wrong? please be specific. i am studying chinese. thank you

[@winnielewis7912]

I remembered the way I learn japanese before, I never been in japan but when I met japanese people for the first time in australia they literally surprised how I can speak that well. I learned japanese mostly 85% of them is from watching a japanese drama or anime, coz there you can find some word that actually not exist in dictionary but they used it everyday, while watching, listen and write the word and translate. Even I never learned the grammar but I can know exactly how to use it and whether it sounds right or not, its just automatically recorded in my brain and use only commen sense. Now I learning spanish and I dont know why I feel that spanish is waaayyy to hard because of the grammar 😢

[@allafleche]

5:57 I couldn't find that book :/

[@belugaanastasia2962]

Prononciation is very important

[@محمود-ب9ق2د]

شكرا شكرا شكرا لك ❤❤

[@mlbpropertygroup]

What is your tape on learning Spanish while watching tv and/or KZbin?

[@Swedishpolymath]

I've always wondered about the obsession that "accent merchants" have about having perfect accent.

[@Sugul-p1b]

Thank you for useful explanations regarding improving speaking !! Btw im turkish and trying to level C1 in english not in writing or reading but in speaking !! İts soo weird that my reading level is c1 when it comes to speaking its b1 !! But ! where does the gap between speaking and reading skills comes from ??

[@MSHEnglishAcademy]

Thanks a lot sir

[@Cazgır-b1f]

Hello Steve, I am going to start studying English and I am undecided about something. Should I study words and sentences by looking at their meanings in my native language? Or should I study English through English? (My level is A1) Can you please give me an answer, even if it is short?

[@Thelinguist]

Just focus on listening and reading and letting the words pile up in your brain. Don't rush things. Don't overthink it. Just enjoy it.

[@Cazgır-b1f]

@@Thelinguist Okay, I'm trying to do what you say, but should I look up the meanings of English words in my native language? Is this a wrong behavior? Everyone says to think in English and not to learn the meanings of words in your native language. Which one is correct?

[@coolbrotherf127]

​@@Cazgır-b1fLook up words in your language if you don't understand the English words. It takes more time but it can make it easier to understand if you really understand the words.

[@nicoladisvevia]

In my experience, both. Since your native language will typically be the strongest (and I assume you have already reached adult age), it makes a lot of sense to leverage that knowledge and to translate between languages. This is particularly true with regard to words and sentences that denote abstract things and states of affairs, since one cannot easily point these out. Reading and listening to a language will give you the feel for how to say things in that language, but complementing this with a more formal approach, including the study of the rules of grammar (and somewhat contrary to what's being suggested here), will help you a lot along the way. Yes, it's true that to speak AND to monitor whether what you are saying is grammatically correct at the same time is cognitively very difficult - but you will find that doing so will pay off in the long term, because it dramatically improves your ability to correct yourself. And that is a VERY important part of the learning process. (Others will rarely correct your mistakes!) Moreover, if you are exposed to average speakers, you will only absorb average - and nowadays often downright bad - English. As soon as you are able to, listen to the best speakers and read the best prose. Remember that your mastery of a foreign language will rarely be better than your mastery of your native language. I've observed this so many times. But if you speak and write your native language well, you will find that this general competence will carry over to other languages, even though it will take some time. Good luck!

[@Cazgır-b1f]

@@nicoladisvevia Hello, I asked Steve this question for the following reason. Almost everyone in my country and in the world says the same thing. Think in English, don't learn words through your native language. Study English through English. The reason people say this is that you won't be able to speak fluently when you speak and you will constantly try to translate. You will think when you want to speak. This will cause you not to be able to speak. But in practice, it is almost impossible to try to learn the meaning of words without looking at a bilingual dictionary. Especially abstract words. I don't know, maybe it is very difficult because I am a beginner, but I couldn't understand how people learn without using a bilingual dictionary. What do you think about this?

[@angelina7789]

There is another important tip: never talk to people who don't want to talk to you. They will only prove that you do not know how to speak.

[@thoru4367]

The tip number 3 doesn't apply when you try to learn this academically-wise in order to teach the language others by myself

[@RafikChergui-nn3bw]

Thanks a lot❤❤❤❤

[@ChandlerBing-t3k]

If I understand very well when I'm watching something for the first time it's necessary to watch again?

[@coolbrotherf127]

Not necessarily unless you really want to. You usually want to be challenging yourself by watching and learning from something just a little bit more advanced than where you currently are.

[@ChandlerBing-t3k]

@@coolbrotherf127 Got it. Thank you so much for your reply.

[@mustaphabettahar7535]

Thanks .

[@MSHEnglishAcademy]

I'm from Bangladesh,, may i know where are you from?

[@ajc4762]

Can you link to the russian book you used please? I googled it but it didnt pop up

[@UnearthedMysteries]

Krashen + Lewis = Kaufmann

[@e-genieclimatique]

good advices

[@StasShyshko-n6x]

Be U like a tourist....😊yeaaa it real ❤

[@badayano]

Hello, Thanks.

[@sanazintheuniverse]

❤

[@StasShyshko-n6x]

Yes environment is very sorry 😊❤

[@AlexDanH]

I am unable to comprehend and I am not speaking. It is not possible to understand this.

[@Daniel-qi1ld]

I've been learning English for five years but I can barely speak English. D:

[@laura3619]

👍

[@ZeynepRanaGodek-fj4di]

Turkish is my native languga if ı did mistake ım so sorry

[@MiluSeu]

Take my love from Bangladesh, i like your videos,when i get free time that's time i try to watch Your important videos. I have a question, how can i improve my spoken English? Please give me some idea!

[@with-fofo]

Excuse me: did you learn languages alone?

[@421sap]

God bless you abundantly in Jesus' Name Amen ✝️

[@EnglishAnahit]

👍👍👍👍👍👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@Kitiwake]

"Pro"nun"ciation". You're welcome

[@tonttaana8930]

Childrens dont Have any hurry to speak their native language but adults Have!!.

[@jpknijff]

They don't?

[@garygreen5670]

I can't stand hearing 'dove' instead of 'dived'. Where the hell did that come from?

[@YouRBeautiful-o3v]

You speak too fast!

[@Tracey-l1o]

Loads of bulls...is this also targeting Deaf people to speak better ? How about you teach people to learn BSL mm hang on.. nag cos you lot are ignorant about Deaf people

[@mansionbookerstudios9629]

Steve do you know Jesus 😊

[@421sap]

God bless you abundantly in Jesus' Name Amen ✝️