So, you’ve brushed up on your reading skills in a foreign language by reading a stack of books, listening to podcasts in the language, and curating your Spotify playlists with foreign language songs. You might have even worked on your writing by sending text messages to your foreign friends or exchanging emails with your foreign language tutor. However, you’re forgetting one of the most important aspects of mastering a language—speaking.

If you want to be fluent like a native and have good communication skills in your target language, then it is essential to practice speaking. Now it may be hard to find someone to communicate with in the foreign language, or you may be suffering from foreign language anxiety that is holding you back in speaking your target language. Despite everything, there are creative ways you can practice speaking a foreign language, and some of them are listed below.

Record and Listen to Yourself

Now you may find your own voice cringe-inducing when you hear yourself on audio playback, but it’s a creative way to practice your speaking. Use your phone’s microphone to record yourself speaking the second language and listen to the recordings. Make notes of your mistakes and make sure not to repeat them in your next recording. Practice this repeatedly and see your speaking skills flourish.

On the other hand, if you hate listening to your voice recordings, you can always talk to yourself. Look at yourself in the mirror and discuss the important aspects of your day so far with yourself in the foreign language. You may feel like a crazy person talking to yourself, but it’s effective as it helps build your speaking prowess, and you may be able to identify any issues with your pronunciation.

If you still feel anxious talking to yourself in front of a mirror, use the voice-to-text function in your phone, which helps convert what you say into texts. Most mobile devices are equipped with the application. Change the setting of the app to the language you’re trying to learn and speak freely! You’ll figure out how proficient you are in pronunciation as your mobile will try to understand the words coming out of your mouth. You can also use the voice-to-text function on MS Word.

You can also use Google Translate to help you with your pronunciation. Switch the source to your target language and the results to your native language or English. Record a word or phrase in the foreign language and see the results of the translation.

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Capture Your Videos While Speaking

If you don’t find your voice cringy, take it to the next level and record a video of yourself speaking the language. The video recording will help you observe your body language and facial expressions while you speak the foreign language. Now facial expressions and body language determine how confident you’re in speaking the language.

Do you want to have more fun with your videos? Then post them online on social media platforms or share them with your well-versed friend in the language. They will be able to give you constructive feedback on any mistakes you’re making or give you a thumbs up in your effort! Receiving praise will motivate you in learning the language quickly. Furthermore, if your videos become a hit on streaming platforms such as YouTube, you can end up making some money!

Start Reading Aloud

If you’re finding it hard to listen to your voice recordings or shy in recording videos of yourself, then start reading aloud. This is the classic way of enhancing your speaking skills in a foreign language.

You don’t need any special resources to do it, as you can read aloud your foreign language textbook, online articles, or newspapers. This will also train your mouth muscles to get used to the new words, sounds, and accent. 

If you want to be a bit more creative, you can start reading aloud while writing your daily diary in your target language. By doing both simultaneously, you will flex those memorization muscles, as it would help you learn important phrases and words.

Speak While Watching a Foreign Movie

You’d have probably heard that watching a foreign movie can help you learn a new language. While it is true that visual aids can help you pick up a language,  you need to take certain steps to ensure that you’re doing it correctly.

Most of us enjoy watching a movie with our bowl of popcorn while sitting on a comfy couch. However, when you’re in the process of learning a language through a movie, you need to be more active rather than passive. Quietly watching a foreign movie will undoubtedly improve your listening skills, but you need to be able to speak and have a well-rounded command of the language.

Here’s how you can improve your speaking skills while watching a movie: try to repeat the dialogues being spoken by the characters. You don’t need to repeat every dialogue, just the ones you find engaging and interesting. Substitute yourself with the character in the movie and guess what they will say in response to a statement by the other character.

Furthermore, if you like a certain part of the dialogue, read it aloud. It will improve your accent, and pronunciation, and you’ll remember important words in the language. As mentioned, speaking and writing simultaneously will help your memorization skills. So, have a pen and paper ready during the movie, make notes of interesting dialogues, phrases, or words, and read them aloud while writing.

Go To A Restaurant With Native Speakers

This is only possible if you don’t have movement restrictions or lockdowns where you reside. Find a local restaurant that has employees who are well-versed in the language you’re trying to learn. Put your knowledge to good use by ordering food and drinks in the foreign language. Go one step further and try to engage in a conversation with them. There is no better way to practice speaking than having a casual conversation with a native.

Again, this would work best in a pre-pandemic world where you don’t have to practice social distancing. However, restaurants are still open for takeaway and deliveries, and you can engage in casual conversation over the phone while placing your order. Not only will it refine your speaking skills, improve your pronunciation and instill confidence, but it will also create life-long relationships that you will cherish for life! And if you impress the restaurant worker, you might get some free food—who doesn’t love that?

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Find a Native Friend

As mentioned, having someone to engage in a foreign language conversation is the best way to practice speaking. And making friends and cultivating new relationships may be your end goal of learning a new language.

With globalization and access to social media, the world is in your oyster. You can make friends in Israel and learn Hebrew fast by engaging in conversations with them. On the other hand, if you’re a university student, you will find many international students coming from various countries for their higher studies. Find someone who speaks the foreign language you’re trying to learn and create friendships that will last a lifetime.

The opportunity to get to know people who you may not have gotten to know if you didn’t speak their language is priceless. It will open a new world of experiences for you. So don’t hesitate to practice speaking a language with someone. You might miss out on some amazing experiences!

They might even invite you to visit their native country, and being able to speak, read, and write the local language will enhance your experience. If you’re unable to find people to engage in conversations with, then you can find online meetup groups who practice speaking a language together.

Learning a new language brings a lot of benefits. No matter what age you are, you should always aspire to speak a different language. It will help you become more patient and help you understand different cultures, norms, and traditions.

If you want to start learning Hebrew as a second language, then Ulpan-Or can help you out. We are an Israeli-based online Hebrew school that has a large presence across the globe. We have over forty thousand students studying Hebrew online and ninety-four schools. Our Hebrew digital courses consist of video dialogues, audio lessons, and vocabulary-building exercises designed to meet every individual’s unique needs.

The best thing about us is that you can learn Hebrew online with Israeli teachers!  Our Rapid Language Acquisition technique is the best in the business that will help you learn Hebrew fast. Moreover, if you’re a prospective immigrant wanting to move to Israel, you can learn Hebrew for seamless immersion into the local culture. Contact us today for more information.