How can I improve my spoken English at home?

                              

Sometimes in our personal life we can not travel abroad to put into practice the language we are learning due to a huge array of reasons; it can be due to lack of money, time, dependency to other people such as relatives, sickness, official national or regional lockdowns, quarantine, voluntary isolation, work hindrances, etc. Thus, we must look for alternatives to improve our target language the same way we were in any English-speaking country. Here are ten tips for you to follow to achieve it:

 1^st tip: the most effective way to improve our skills according with numerous researches are to imitate native speakers. For example, we can imitate our favourite native American or British actors or actresses and try to imitate the way they speak, their intonation, accent, etc. You can try to rehearse your favourite scenes from your favourite film or play. You should watch attentively the actors and imitate exactly their mouths and lip´s movements. Theatre is also very advisable for this, so try to watch plays and imitate your favourite characters or join an amateur theatrical group online and you can send your videos about your rehearsals about your favourite scenes from famous plays and you can get free reviews about your diction and pronunciation.

 2^nd tip: you should start to read aloud and progressively talk aloud to yourself about your daily routines. This will make your oral production as a habit and you can improve your vocabulary and memorise all the new words that you need to talk fluently about what you are doing at any moment.

 3^rd tip: join any of online group of your favourite hobby especially if they have forums and Zoom meetings; so you can talk in big meetings with different people from English speaking countries interested in the same topic as you (fashion, stamps, history, cars, hairstyles, etc.).

 4^thtip: download a pronunciation app to record yourself and be checked and repeat as many times as you need to pronounce the word correctly.

 5^th tip: play videogames, interact with your Alexia gadget or join online English speaking videogame players in which you can interact with them in their native tongue.

 6^th tip: sing as much as you can. It is an extremely good and joyful way to improve your pronunciation at the same time you are having fun. You can play karaoke with other members of your family or friends even though they do not speak English but you can prepare your song, imitate the stress, rhythm and pronunciation of your favourite native English singer or band and repeat it as many times as you need or entertains you singing your favorite chosen song.

                                                     

7^th tip: swap to English to look for anything in your daily life. For example, imagine you need a tip about your smartphone then search for it in English, you feel like reading, then listen and repeat any audiobook either in English or translated from other language into English. Imagine you have to cook a new recipe for your family, so search it in English, you want to do a DIY on your house so listen and watch it in English and speak out aloud for yourself all the procedures you are following like in the video, etc.

 8^th tip: podcasts everywhere in every sense. I mean that you can listen to an infinite array of podcasts about any subject and if you are an amateur or professional in any topic or your profession, you can try to record podcasts in English about these topics whether they are related with your interest, profession, pastime, etc.

 9^th tip: online meetups of literature, politics, cooking, etc. or any other subject or tandem with a native speaker to help each other with your native tongue. For example, there are many famous language exchange partners websites such as Speaky, Polyglot Club, Reddit Language Learners, Tandem, etc.

It is advisable also to pay a tutor or English teacher to check, correct and evaluate you because a professional can improve your level quite fast and efficiently. There are plenty of very cheap English freelance teachers online, website academies such as iTalky, SuperProf, Preply, etc. or local academies whether they are in your town or in any other place in the world you can connect through internet.

10^th tip: the most daring advice for you once you have tried all the rest is to make friends from English speaking countries through social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Peanut, Skype, Twitter, Parler, Telegram groups in English, etc.

Finally, if you are over eighteen years old, single and bold and you feel like love and passion is needed to spice up your life, you can go a step further and try the dating applications in their passport feature to date other men or women who are native English speakers such in dating app like Tinder, Ok Cupid, Plenty Of Fish, Meetic, Bumble, etc.

I wish all these tips are useful for you and you can improve your English in case you live in a small town, village, the countryside, or you can ´t go further from your bedroom or lodgement for whatever reason. Best of luck!