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Every Thursday you receive tips and content to help you improve your English skills, 1 % at a time.

In a recent English Proficiency report by Education First, a language training company, Spain ranked 26/37 European countries for general English abilities. The conclusion of the article talking about the report in El Pais was that "Spain studies English, but doesn't finally speak it."

From my own experience teaching, general comments from people reflect difficulties in understanding natives when they have a strong accent or speak quickly (they don't speak quickly, it's just people don't practise for native speaking situations), and people have a confidence problem when it comes to oral expression, meaning they avoid speaking situations or can't express themselves adequately or fluently.

Unfortunately, this means that people have less opportunities to work in international environments, to gain promotion, or (as I mentioned in last week's edition) to be able to acquire other abilities because research is now showing that the best communicators develop other skills more quickly.

So, if this is the case, what can we do to improve the situation?

Dedicated practice!

We need to focus on application as well as acquisition. It's great knowing grammar and words, but if you can't put them together or understand people when it matters, then what is the learning for?

I suggest practising like a native. That means doing things that will prepare you for any speaking situation, or so you can understand an opinion when you read or hear one.

It also means that if you have an intermediate level, there are some things you absolutely cannot do:

Using subtitles is a big no because people don't come with subtitles. For me this is logical. If you want to improve your listening, you need to practise for it. Nobody in your next meeting will speak with subtitles so why would you practise with them? Your practice needs to mirror your reality as much as possible, so your reality becomes as normal and comfortable as possible for you.
Another no is to practise for things you don't need. If you work in hospitality, practise speaking with guests. If you work in insurance, practise negotiating, reporting or presenting. Don't waste time practising things that won't make your reality better.
The last big no is to use AI to create for you. You need to think, plan, and create. If you give your brain power to AI what will happen when you need to think of, plan, or create something in a meeting? You will freeze because you are not accustomed. Use AI to help correct things or to suggest improvements, but don't let it do your thinking for you. If you do, you will always repeat the same phrase: "I just can't think of what to say."

Don't be that person.

And don't be the person that "studies English."

Be the person that speaks it.

Because why do you learn a language?

To speak it (of course!).

You just need to start...

TIPS

If you have an intermediate level, never use subtitles! You can read the transcript of short videos but never read and listen at the same time because you will just read!
Do short, specific speaking activities. For 5/10 minutes per day, do some dedicated spontaneous speaking practise that will help you to improve speed, agility, and fluency.
Use AI as a corrector, not a creator.

CONTENT

To practise your listening, use this platform and read the transcript, not the subtitles!
Sign up for a trial of my Fluent In 50 Days Plan and get a free week of material to practise your speaking every day.

SEND ME THE FREE SPEAKING MATERIAL

A CHALLENGE

Stop studying English and start speaking it. From speaking, you can also make corrections and improve your grammar and vocabulary, but make sure these improvements are related to your overall goal.

You just need to start...