5 Facts about Learning to Speak English |

5 Facts about Learning to Speak English

As with anything worth doing, there are plenty of myths out there about learning to speak English. The best we can say is: don’t believe everything you read, especially on the internet – but you can believe we’re going to try to debunk five of the most enduring myths about learning to speak English:

Myth: If I didn’t learn as a child, I’ll never get good at speaking English.

Fact: Learning to speak English can be done at any age

Actually, the human brain’s ability to learn a new language decreases gradually over the course of your life, so while it may be easier to learn English the younger you start, there’s no magic age at which the doors of your brain slam shut and no new language skills can take hold.

There is research that indicates that if you start learning when you’re older, you may have more difficulty internalizing and grasping finer points of grammar that become intuitive for younger learners – but that just means you will need to identify and work on your weak points (such as using the correct articles or verb tenses) so that you feel more confident and express yourself more clearly.

Myth: It’s easiest to learn by going to/moving to an English-speaking country.

Fact: Learning to speak English can be done from anywhere

You’d think this would be a no-brainer, but it’s not necessarily true. I’m sure you know, as I do, many people who’ve immigrated to a new country and lived there for years and even decades without learning the local language properly (or at all). How is this possible? Well, they may have children or a spouse who can translate for them in public interactions with others; they might live in a neighbourhood where many other immigrants live and speak the same native language as they do. It’s also common of people to learn just enough to “Get by” but not to become fluent. They survive this way because others do their best to understand and accommodate them in most situations, so they never need to improve.

If you truly want to become fluent, immersing yourself in English by listening to music, reading books, watching TV and films, and especially conversing with native English speakers, is the best route, and that can be done no matter where you live. It requires a focused effort, but it pays off.

Myth: In-class learning is the best way to learn to speak English.

Fact: You need to practice Real English with Real native speakers

A classroom setting works very well for learning some things, and for some people. But our brains are all different, and some of us learn better by being shown how to do something and then practicing it than by listening to a teacher. That’s true for English, or welding, or quilt-making.

Most of all, it’s impossible for the classroom to truly imitate the real world, so it’s essential to get practice conversing with native English speakers as early in your education as possible. Not only will it help you put into practice what you’ve read in a textbook, but it will help you place those lessons into context and figure out where the gaps in your learning exist, so you can fill them up with knowledge.

Learning to speak English is 90% about practice with Native English speakers, so don’t skip that step.

Myth: I have to become perfectly fluent and never make mistakes.

Fact: Speaking English confidently and fluently is more important than been perfect

News flash: even native English speakers make mistakes all the time! Languages are complex and have many rules and even more exceptions to those rules. Learning to speak English is hard and it’s nearly impossible to speak English perfectly at all times.

People who have huge and extensive vocabularies will sometimes use the wrong word, or use a word incorrectly, or split an infinitive, or write a run-on sentence (like this one) or any one of a million other “mistakes.” Some so-called errors are regional differences; others are truly wrong, yet the speaker’s meaning is easily discerned. While it’s admirable to strive for perfection, a better goal is excellence. Practice as much as you can, and you’re going to get better and better. No one is perfect.

Myth: English is the most difficult language in the world to learn.

Fact: English can be learned easily if you apply the right methodology

That may be true for some people, but not for others. English is related to several languages, especially German, and so it may be easier for Germans to learn it than for Japanese folks or those from African countries, where the languages are vastly different from English. Similarly, it may be easier for people who speak languages that use the same alphabet as English, while people who use a different alphabet may have a tougher experience. But categorically, there is no “most difficult language” in the world to learn. Everyone begins from their own experience and has to go from there, and sometimes the journey is a little longer and more convoluted. But the road is open to everyone.

If you’re serious about learning to speak English, sign up for a trial lesson with one of our native English speaking teachers and see what we can do for you. We believe you can do it!