Beginners Guide To Talk Like A Native English Speakers

It has always been an ultimate goal in every English course for all English language learners to be able to speak like a native speaker, but there are just a few people who have perfected their speaking skills. The good news is that it’s not as hard as you think it is to be fluent in English like a native, but before you get started, there are a few notes we need to go through to clarify how much of a native you can be and why you would prefer to speak that way.

Table of Contents

1. Different variations of English speaking
2. Why speak like a native?
3. Focus on one English speaking group
4. Don’t be shy

Different variations of English speaking 

The first thing you need to make it clear is which countries or cities you want to speak like a native of. On the scale of the countries, there are a handful of territories that speak native English, including Canada, Australia, Ireland, Jamaica, England, United States, New Zealand just to name a few. If we divide them into cities, each city has its own way of speaking, with its own slang and tones.

Why speak like a native? 

Now we are down to the important question to ask yourself: Why do I want to speak like a native speaker?

• Better communication

The main purpose of language is to communicate with people. A clear conversation can avoid misunderstanding.

• Blend in easier with native English speakers

The fact is that every country, city, or even sometimes a small region has its own word structure and tonalities in such a way that it is even hard for other native speakers to understand them. So speaking like a native, say from Liverpool, won't help you blend in with people in Texas, and people in other countries may have difficulty understanding you due to your thick British accent.

Speaking the same way as a certain group of people is only enjoyable and helpful when you live among them, whereas others may struggle to fully understand you.

So, if you are not going to live among a specific group of native speakers, there is no point in speaking like a selected group of native speakers. The best strategy is to speak English moderately and not too fast with a clear voice word by word with no twisted accent to ensure people understand you whether they are native speakers or not.

• To impress people

To impress people is one of the reasons that so many people want to speak like native speakers. As a universal language, good English speaking skills can help increase your confidence. Most importantly, it opens up more career opportunities for you.

In the end, if your goal is only to impress certain people by showing off how well you speak like a native, then pick any country randomly and practice their tones and slang every day. Is there any other reason that I missed here?

Focus on one English speaking group 

If you are going to live in a specific city or area where the people there have their own English accent, the best suggestion is to learn their way of talking. Getting the tone and accent of one group while living among other groups doesn’t even make sense.

Also, even if you notice English speakers may use some words that are not correct in any book, try to imitate them if you want to look more native, this is how you learn to speak like a native by focusing on one group or region and picking up every word and tone from them. Do not mix things up by speaking half British and half American; choose one and stick to it only if you intend to live with that group of people for an extended period of time.

Don’t be shy 

Rewiring the brain and mouth muscles to move in different order and make different sounds is nothing that comes easy overnight, it needs dedication and practice and it’s more effective if you do it with other people, having a conversation with others while trying to talk like a native, this way you can get a feedback about your progress.

You need to be a fool before you can be a master.

But sometimes switching to a different accent may sound funny as you are not used to it and you may make funny sounds and or suddenly say words that don’t even make sense, or even stop somewhere in the sentence that you weren't supposed to.

These are the funny moments that you may experience, you friend may even laugh at you, but don’t be embarrassed and don’t shy away, you should know that this is the only way to learn.

Big Ben Academy offers online English courses to improve both your speaking and writing skills. Try our free virtual English trial class to know more!