Need advice on practicing english speaking skills

I really wanna speak an english as good as possible, but I don't have many opportunities for practicing.

When reading sentences and even long texts out loud I generally get it right easily, but when I'm having a conversation in english I'm as bad as it gets: I stutter a lot, I pronounce most words incorrectly, I actually forget more than half of the english vocabulary and grammar I know (saying thigs like "all the time I used to went there" instead of "I used to go there all the time"! Come on! Could it be any worse?! ).

Do you guys think having conversations with myself would help? I mean, pretending I'm having a convo about a given subject and try to say as much as I can correctly without using a script? Or should I try and repeat every sentence of a movie? Do you have any other suggestions/tips?

I'd REALLY appreciate it!

P.S: I don't know if USA is the right forum to post this in, but there's none regarding learning english lol

 

You clearly write fluent English and understand the grammar system better than several native speakers. That being the case, I think that it's very important that you think a sentence completely through before beginning to say it. I'd be far more impressed with someone who took a pause and then said something perfectly (or pretty closed) than with someone who threw together somewhat intelligible phrases in an effort to speak quickly. I would try this on my own for a while, until I had it down moderately confidently, and then start making phone calls to various places (for example, to ask a store about what products they carry, hours of operation, etc.), going out in public, and any other informal contact you can find. You'll get the hang of it and be a regular speaker pretty soon that way.

Best of luck!

 

Hi there.

What you are doing when you speak as opposed to write is very common as you are mentally translating as you speak.

My kids were both in total immersion for French and they did that all the time. It took time for them to learn to think in the language they were speaking. You can not think in French and speak English as they do not directly translate. We still have little instances that now are just cute, they say shut the lights instead of turn off if they are not thinking about it.

Also as adults we tend to be far too self conscious about any errors we may make and that makes us make even more of them. Kids just blurt it out and they are understood, so will adults be if they just say it. We become fluent over years of repetition with languages.

Try to think in English and see if that makes a difference for you.

Personally, I love your posts and you are precise, so with a little practice I am sure that your confidence will be there when verbally expressing. I am also sure that you feel it is far worse than anyone who you would be speaking with as they will appreciate instead that you even make an effort to converse with them.

 

I would say the best forum to post in is the UK forum.
Americans do not know how to speak English as well as the English.

 

Thanks for the advice and compliment Tapdance. I live in Portugal, however, so I don't have any chances to practice english. I have to do it all by myself.

Hey Heat! Thank you!
What you said is right. I tend to be very self-conscious about my pronounciation, accent and grammar and that makes it a lot worse. I noticed that the more confident I feel the better my english speaking skills are. On the other hand, when I've pronounced something wrong almost everything that follows will come out even worse.

I'm not gonna discuss that, Odon, but to be honest I'm not very fond of the brittish accent, as it is harder for me to understand lol

I'm still open to more suggestions and ideas, so keep'em coming please!

 

If you're female, I may be able to help you.

 

Hey -- get bit man!!

 

Why? Do you forget how to speak english in the presence of men?

 

I was only joking. It just surprised me you were asking Americans how to speak English. Have the British lost their language too?. lol.

 

I assumed I'd have a better chance here, given there are plenty more americans than there are brits eheh But I'll take your advice and post this in UK forums as well

 

Well, that's true.

I'd be interested in the responses you get.

 

To a remarkable degree, the English-speaking world has now become a universal expression of global consciousness, an extraordinary weave of law, literature, advertising, film, gossip, sport, politics and tourism. Already, there are many indications of what a Globish world might look like.

 

Find a native speaker (and maybe you even want to teach portugese in exchange), if not in your surrounding maybe on youtube.

The still better advice is to laugh and keep on learning ... you may never speak flawlessly but so what. Languages are fun !

Enjoy

 

Watch porn.

 

That's kind of what I've been doing. With the slight difference that we only speak english because they find portuguese too difficult complicated, especially pronunciation (well, and I'm guessing it's also because they think/know they would probably never get to use it)

What for? Moaning and screaming can't be translated, they're universal.