Do you feel like English is easier to speak and use when you’re in English class, but when you step into the “real world” and try to use it in daily conversations, everything goes away?
When you learn English in class, you might learn new words or grammar, and speak with your teacher – which is great! But when it comes to using English with real people, things can feel a lot more challenging.
This is because there is likely a gap between what you know, and what you actually use when you speak. In class, you might learn a lot of vocabulary and grammar rules. But when you try to use those things in real life, you might find that you can’t remember them, and that is definitely a frustrating situation.
That’s what Mayu experienced when she wrote to me and asked for my advice on how to minimize the gap between what she learned, and how she spoke to others in real life.
Here’s how I responded:
One of the key reasons why English can feel harder in real life is because you don’t have enough speaking time. In class, you might only have a few opportunities to speak English each week. When you try to speak with others, it can feel hard because you simply don’t have enough speaking practice!
What you can do: Start speaking more! Join The InFluency Community to practice speaking with non-native speakers from around the world. You want to create a habit of speaking every day. This will allow you to speak with more ease, and create a habit of using English.
Watch: This will skyrocket your English communication skills [with only 2 minutes a day]
How about you, do you feel you have enough speaking practice?
