Good Manners What to Do and Say in English
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about three reasons having a native
speaker partner can improve your
language fluency first knowing a native
speaker helps you better understand the
culture knowing a native speaker gets
you connected with the culture in ways
that no lessons or textbooks ever could
native speakers are better informed
about the latest slang expressions and
know interesting places to eat and hang
out having a friend or partner who is a
native speaker can dramatically improve
your understanding of the language in
addition to language you can learn about
cultural practices gestures and
relationships second having a native
speaker partner increases your exposure
to the language practice makes perfect
is a well-known expression that is
certainly true for language learning
when you have a friend romantic partner
or study buddy you speak to them through
text messages phone calls and basic
interaction these are all opportunities
for you to practice the language making
an effort to practice will help your
vocabulary quickly expand beyond simple
greetings flirtatious words and basic
comments to deeper more meaningful
conversations third a supportive partner
is the best study aid you can find we
all make mistakes especially when trying
to learn a new language but if you have
a supportive partner they can gently
point out your mistakes and help you
find better ways to express yourself and
if your native speaker study partner is
also your romantic partner your
motivation will likely be even higher
than someone who does not have a
romantic relationship with a native
speaker now let’s look at three ways our
language learning program helps you
learn even faster if you have a native
speaker partner first all resources and
materials are available in English and
in your target language studying with a
partner is special because it’s an
opportunity for both of you to learn a
new language that’s why every single
lesson transcript vocabulary list and
resource on our website is available in
English and in your target language you
can learn from each other second lessons
are designed to help you understand and
engage with culture on our website our
focus is to help our students learn
practical vocabulary and phrases that
are actually used in everyday
conversation
this means that from your very first
lesson you can start applying what you
learn immediately so if you want to go
out to a restaurant play games or attend
a social function with your partner
you’ll have the vocabulary and phrases
necessary to have a great time
third access to special resources
dedicated to romantic phrases if your
study partner is your romantic partner
we have resources to help you
communicate your feelings correctly our
language learning program has special
sections and tools to teach you love
words phrases and cultural insights of
course
please remember that simply being in a
relationship is no substitute for
studying communication is key to every
relationship whether romantic or not if
you fail to continue expanding your
vocabulary and you stop learning the
language on your own your relationships
may suffer or fizzle out without
question spending time with native
speakers can help you dramatically
improve your language proficiency but
this is no replacement for focus
studying it’s essential to help
facilitate better communication and
master the language learning to carry a
conversation is vital to mastery of any
language even beginners can quickly
learn conversational language well
enough to carry on real conversations
with native speakers of course beginners
won’t be able to carry a conversation
the same way they could in their native
language but just knowing a few tips
like which questions to ask to keep a
conversation going are all you need to
speak and interact with real native
speakers before we get to specific
suggestions let’s first take a closer
look at how having real conversations in
your target language is so vital to your
mastery of the language communicating
with other people is the very point of
language and conversation comes easily
in our native tongue for beginners or
anyone learning a new language
conversations aren’t easy at all and
even simple greetings can be
intimidating and awkward nothing kills a
conversation faster than long periods of
awkward silence so you need practice and
specific strategies to avoid them
when you know what to say to keep a
conversation going
communication becomes much easier and
you make a better impression on your
listener nothing will help you learn to
speak a language faster and truly master
the language than having real
conversations with native speakers
conversations quickly expose you to
slang cultural expressions and
vocabulary that force you to absorb and
assimilate information faster than any
educational setting and that’s a great
thing but how can you possibly have real
conversations with real people if you’re
just starting out here are three proven
methods that even beginners can quickly
use to learn conversational language to
make a great impression and avoid
awkward silences first ask questions to
keep a conversation going for beginners
and even more advanced speakers the key
is to ask questions to keep a
conversation going of course they can’t
be just random questions or else you may
confuse the listener but by memorizing a
few key questions and the appropriate
time to use them you can easily carry a
conversation with minimal vocabulary or
experience and remember the more
conversations you have the quicker you
will learn and master the language
second learn core vocabulary terms as
quickly as possible you don’t need to
memorize thousands of words to learn
conversational language in fact with
just a couple hundred words you could
have a very basic conversation and by
learning maybe 1,000 to 2,000 words you
could carry a conversation with a native
speaker about current events order in
restaurants and even get directions to
help you get started with this check out
our 2,000 common words also known as our
core list these 2,000 words are all you
need to learn to speak fluently and
carry a conversation with a native
speaker third study video or audio
lessons that you can play and replay
again and again if you want to know how
to carry on a conversation then you need
exposure to native speakers and the more
the better
studying video or audio lessons is ideal
because they provide contextualized
learning in your native language and you
can play them again and again until you
achieve mastery
our instructors have created more than
2,500 video and audio lessons that you
can play over and over and the best part
is they don’t just teach you vocabulary
and grammar they are designed to help
you learn to speak and teach you
practical everyday topics like shopping
ordering and more although it may seem
intimidating for a beginner the truth is
that it’s very easy to learn
conversational language just learn a few
core vocabulary terms in which questions
to ask to keep a conversation going our
language learning program has the
world’s largest online collection of
video and audio lessons by real
instructors plus tons of advanced tools
to help you learn to speak and carry on
a conversation quickly just a little
practice and exposure to real
conversations or lessons is all it
really takes being able to speak freely
with native speakers is an amazing
ability in itself but being able to
speak freely to a whole new group of
people opens you up to possible new
relationships most people don’t realize
that spending the time to build
relationships in a foreign language can
actually help you improve your language
skills dramatically in this video we
look at how making relationships in a
foreign language can help you learn the
language faster the benefits of having
friends and partners who speak a foreign
language first its motivational one of
the greatest struggles for anyone
learning a second language is motivation
nine times out of ten learners start out
their language learning journey with
loads of enthusiasm only to see it
gradually wane over time try as they may
it’s difficult to maintain the spark
they once shared with their new language
so why not borrow energy from a
different part of your life when you
make relationships with people in your
target language all the excitement of a
new relationship carries directly over
into your learning suddenly you have a
very rewarding reason to improve your
skills and keep practicing as your
partner or your friends get involved you
will also have the advantage of a
constant source of support and
encouragement second it makes language
learning practical studying vocabulary
and grammar is a vital part of language
learning whether you use a podcast
textbook app or find yourself in a
classroom
however as great as studying is a
language really only starts to come
alive once you start using it in
everyday life there’s a huge difference
between a scripted conversation in a
lesson plan and a real-life conversation
with a native speaker building
relationships with native speakers will
give you the chance to talk in your
target language often furthermore it
will be in a way that feels natural
you’ll learn the words in the context
which is hugely important third it’s fun
one of the greatest benefits is that it
allows you to practice without having it
feel like practice oftentimes you’ll
find yourself so wrapped up in the
conversation that you forget you’re
using a foreign language this takes a
lot of the pressure off and helps you
focus on communication over trying to
speak absolutely perfectly you also get
to learn about a whole new culture from
your partner or friends so you’re not
only learning language skills but also
about the cultures that surround your
target language the risks of having
friends and partners who speak a foreign
language first it’s easy to miss
communicate when it comes to
relationships humans can easily
misunderstand each other so it can be
hard when building relationships in your
target language when you or your
partner’s lack of ability in each
other’s respective native tongue can
lead to miscommunications that would
otherwise be avoidable depending on the
language you’re speaking
a simple mistranslation or mispronounced
word can drastically change the meaning
of a sentence as long as you can afford
each other some extra patience and the
benefit of the doubt
then you should be able to overcome this
pitfall second your language skills
could suffer if your relationships don’t
work out if all your language practice
is wrapped up in one person and your
relationship with that person doesn’t
work out then your language learning
could take a big hit so it’s best not to
put all your hopes for language growth
on one area relationship or otherwise
you don’t want to risk losing motivation
so try to find it in many different
areas an idea for building relationships
in a foreign language make games out of
getting to know one another
sometimes opening up in any new
friendship or partnership can be hard
add in the added struggle of a new
language and it can feel impossible to
share your true feelings with others so
instead of trying to take first
interactions so seriously and talking
about the usual things like the weather
or work try to ask new interesting
questions try to figure out what the
other person’s hobbies are without
asking directly or what kind of job they
have this will give you a chance to
stretch your language skills in a new
way and you’ll probably get some funny
answers out of it too being comfortable
being silly or making language mistakes
is a great way to bond with someone even
if you’ve just met relationships in a
foreign language have a lot more
benefits to offer than drawbacks don’t
be scared to open up to people and make
mistakes when you start out learning a
foreign language everything is exciting
you pick up new words and basic phrases
fairly quickly the first time you say a
greeting or answer the question how are
you you might even get a little thrill
speaking fluently doesn’t feel that far
off and at this point it really does
seem like language learning isn’t all
that difficult but after a week or two
things begin to change
after a few weeks of study you start to
hit walls as you’re faced with strange
grammar vocabulary and pronunciation
everything about learning a new language
seemed promising and hopeful before but
now you start to realize how difficult
it’s going to be speaking the language
now feels like a long far-off goal that
you may or may not achieve one day but
don’t let the innocence of being an
absolute beginner or the disillusionment
of being an experienced learner
discourage you from learning speaking a
new language may not be as far off as
you thought in this video we’ll look at
three tips to help you practice your
speaking skills no matter what level
you’re at number one practice with
native speakers practicing with native
speakers is by far one of the most
effective things you can do to improve
your speaking abilities think of
speaking a foreign language as riding a
bike after a certain point you can’t
read or theorize about how to do it you
have to actually do it if you can
practice speaking with native speakers
who correct you and give good feedback
then you’ll be well on your way to
proving your speaking but where can you
find native speakers to practice with if
you live in or near a major city there’s
a good chance there are some native
speakers there you might even get lucky
and discover an entire community do a
little research into the demographics of
your city or simply keep your eyes open
the next time you go through town you
can also attend a language exchange or
cultural event meetup is a site for
local enthusiasts groups and there are
usually some language speaking clubs or
cultural clubs there if you’re unable to
find native speakers where you live then
jump online and find them there there
are a lot of free online exchanges that
allow you to connect with other language
learners from all over the globe via
text audio or video chat look for a
speaker who is learning your native
language you can spend an hour or so
helping each other in your respective
target languages this is a highly
practical and helpful way to learn it’s
also a great way to learn more directly
about the culture you’re studying in a
real way number two devote some time to
learning pronunciation pronunciation
often isn’t the first skill people think
of working on when learning a foreign
language but that doesn’t mean that it
isn’t important truth be told you don’t
absolutely need a great accent to speak
or understand every language however a
decent accent can vastly improve your
listening and speaking abilities in ways
you might not expect being able to
pronounce words and sounds makes it a
lot easier for you to remember and
understand new words simply by hearing
them if you can physically make a sound
with your mouth then you can mentally
remember it once you have a good accent
the new language won’t sound as foreign
as it once did and you’ll be able to
understand rapid speech as well as pick
up the definition of new words based on
their conversational context but how can
you improve your accent if you’re
serious about developing your accent
then you’ll want to dissect the
languages sound system into its
individual parts first by letters then
individual words followed by whole
phrases start doing some mild research
on the phonetics of your target language
you don’t have to get too technical here
just try to get an idea of some of the
main differences between it and your
native language
find out where native speakers usually
put their tongue while saying certain
sounds or pay attention to the shape of
their mouths when they speak is it open
or closed these subtle differences are
what really help you improve once you
get the letters down start listening to
native audio and compare your
pronunciation to the native speakers our
language learning programs playback
feature is a great way to accomplish
this take a phrase from a lesson and
start by practicing the individual words
playing the audio back at a slower speed
and then again at a regular speed after
comparing your speech to the audio
combine the words to make complete
phrases imitating the intonation of the
native speakers this precise method of
pronunciation practice is one of the
most efficient and effective ways to
learn pronunciation number three imitate
don’t just repeat anytime you speak do
your best to imitate the native speakers
you’ve heard and practice with match the
way their intonation rises and falls pay
attention to their word order it’s even
a good idea to match some of their body
language this degree of imitation will
probably feel weird at first but it
reinforces fluency in the language and
breaks you out of the parrot trap where
you simply learn and speak through rote
memorization or repetition this is a
common problem that’s often cited with
other less effective language learning
methods speaking a language is like
playing music or dancing you don’t want
to just know it you want to live in the
moment and feel it as you use it you
don’t sit and think of what you’re going
to say in your native language before
you say it why would you expect to do
the same in a new one don’t let ruffled
expectations make you think that
speaking a new language is impossible
yes it’s difficult but it probably isn’t
as difficult as you think it is with a
little determination and some faithful
practice you might be surprised how
quick and how far you can progress use
these tips to better practice the
language and see real results in your
speaking abilities for some learning a
new language seems to come naturally for
others the entire process feels more
like a tooth and nails
however if you’ve had a negative
experience learning a new language at
one point in time don’t let that
discourage you from trying again the
truth is that learning any language is
never easy but it’s definitely possible
sometimes the difference between success
and failure has less to do with your
abilities or talents and a lot more to
do with the way you look at things in
this video we’re going to look at how to
avoid five serious mistakes made by new
language learners number one listen
before you speak being slow to speak and
quick to listen is good life advice
whether or not you’re learning a foreign
language effective listening is
essential to communication as a beginner
there is a tendency to concentrate so
much on what you’re going to say and how
you’re going to say it that you can
completely miss the meaning or heart of
what the other person is trying to
communicate not only will this impair
your ability to listen in your target
language it will also stall what little
conversation you had going remember the
conversations are a two-way street if
you’re speaking more than listening then
you actually have more of a monologue on
your hands than a dialogue the inputs of
language learning listening and reading
are just as important as the outputs
speaking and writing for a beginner
inputs are even more crucial as they are
the main way you acquire new vocabulary
we even go so far to say that for new
students the best method for learning
involves more listening than it does
speaking though that may change with
higher proficiency levels number two
don’t be embarrassed when you do speak
people’s next mistake usually comes from
the other side of the spectrum where new
learners are too scared or embarrassed
to contribute to a conversation the fear
of making mistakes in embarrassing
yourself
can paralyze your language learning it’s
vital to remember that everyone makes
mistakes even native speakers had to
find their way through the language when
they were children making mistakes while
learning a new language is inevitable
but it’s also a good thing the faster
you make mistakes the quicker you can
correct them and move on with your
learning so instead of being afraid to
make mistakes try looking at them as
steps towards
progress in reality that’s what they
really are number three don’t fixate on
minor issues if taken in all at once a
new language can feel overwhelming to
learn it’s so easy to get discouraged by
all your little mistakes and
conversational mishaps and you lose
sight of the progress you’re making in
addition to mistakes you’ll also come
across plateaus where you study and
practice consistently but don’t see any
results for a significant amount of time
but whether you face errors or plateaus
remember that these things are minor
obstacles on the road to fluency the
most important thing is not to give up
stick with it if you stay persistent
your mistakes will be corrected and your
abilities will improve but if you slow
down or throw in the towel completely
then you’ll either subvert your progress
or mix it all together so remember that
as long as you’re still studying and
learning the language you can’t lose it
might feel like you’re losing the battle
for language learning for a little while
but hang in there a practical way to
help you stay motivated is to make small
weekly goals
research shows that goal-setting has a
significant impact on learning try
picking one aspect of grammar or a
collection of new words or phrases to
study for the next seven days at the end
of the week check your progress and
measure your success setting little
benchmarks like this will give you a
rightful sense of accomplishment number
four remember that immersion isn’t
magical a lot of people think that by
moving to a foreign country they will
learn the language by osmosis but
whether you learn abroad or at home you
still need to study and practice the
language living in a new country gives
you way more opportunities to do this
than staying at home but if you don’t
consciously take advantage of these
opportunities while living abroad it
won’t benefit your language learning if
you’re an expat living in a foreign
country there’s a natural inclination to
hang out around other expats learning a
language and living in a foreign culture
is hard and uncomfortable for better or
worse we’re often drawn to the easier
road if you made the decision to study
abroad then you want to hang out with
native speaking people as much as
possible
you have the rest of your life to be
with people who speak your language
this doesn’t mean ignore your expat
friends just be sure that you’re giving
proper attention to your language
learning languages are better lived than
they are learned number five be
open-minded languages are better lived
than they are learned when learning a
new language your brain will want to
conform the new grammar and vocabulary
to your native language norms and
grammar rules ignore your brain on this
one at first you might feel completely
wrong saying a sentence that is in fact
correct after a certain point in
language learning there is a switch that
goes off when your brain finally
realizes that you’re not speaking your
native language but a new one altogether
this could take a while though
especially if this is your first time
learning a new language until then do
what you know is correct even if it
feels a bit weird when you say it the
same goes for culture just as you want
to be open to the differences in the
language don’t forget to be open to the
differences in the culture - hopefully
this video helped you shift your
thinking and approach language learning
in a way that will help you become
fluent faster and that you’ll learn to
enjoy the journey towards fluency and
savour the language for its own sake
that’s probably the biggest language
learning secret there is most people who
learn a foreign language learn it so
that they can one day have real-life
conversations with native speakers when
you start out learning and crack open
your first textbook
or listen to your first podcast having a
real conversation can feel like a
fantasy when everything about a language
feels new it can be overwhelming but
this couldn’t be further from the truth
while it does take a significant amount
of time and effort to become fluent
having a conversation might not be as
far off as you think in this video we’ll
look at three ways you can boost your
conversational skills and start talking
to native speakers number one find
native speakers and practice with them
it’s unlikely you live near a big group
of native speakers to practice with if
you happen to be in a major or
international city your chances may be
better check and see if your city has a
general language exchange chances are
there could be a native speaker there
who is also trying to learn another
language
practicing in person with a native
speaker is probably the most interesting
option for honing your speaking skills
but if you can’t find anyone where you
live the next best option is to look
online luckily for language learners the
past 10 years or so have seen an
explosion and online language exchange
sites on these web sites you can search
for someone who is a native speaker of
your target language and is also
learning your native language the idea
behind a language exchange is that you
communicate with them via video or text
Jeff and half of the time they help you
practice your target language and for
the other half you help them practice
theirs practicing via an online language
exchange is a highly effective way to
practice your conversational skills
number two work on pronunciation
pronunciation is often an overlooked
skill when it comes to learning a
foreign language most people think of a
good foreign accent as a luxury rather
than a necessity but what most people
don’t talk about is how having a good
accent boosts your listening and
comprehension skills if you can hear a
sound from a foreign language and know
how to make it yourself then you’re more
likely to understand native speakers
when they talk at normal speed and
you’re also more likely to remember any
new words or phrases you come across
having a good accent means that the
language no longer sounds foreign
instead it sounds familiar maybe even
natural so how do you go about
perfecting your accent the best way is
to break down the language into its
individual sounds make note of any
sounds that are the same or similar to
your native language and of those that
are different of the sounds that are
different spend your time practicing the
ones that you find the hardest to say
correctly after you’re comfortable with
the individual sounds you can start
linking together words and phrases this
is where accent practice starts to get
really fun and interesting get your
hands on some native speaker audio from
a TV show song or podcast play the audio
back and listen closely a few times take
note of how words blend together in
speech then do your best to imitate what
you hear trying to match the speakers
emphasis and intonation
our language learning programs playback
feature is perfect for this record
yourself and compare it to the original
recording rinse and repeat until you’re
comfortable with the audio selection and
then move on to something more difficult
this is how you can break through the
accent barrier and really start to make
the language your own number three learn
phrases not just individual words
learning grammar and individual words is
great but it’s not the only approach you
should take if you want to speak
fluently in addition to your regular
grammar and vocabulary try learning
whole phrases even if you aren’t totally
sure how they work grammatically learn
phrases that are specific to your needs
it’s a good idea to learn phrases that
are grouped around a certain setting or
subject such as simple greetings or
introductions questions for getting to
know someone or traveling comfortably
you can even learn filler phrases which
you can use so that you have something
to say when well you don’t know what to
say
learning phrases like this will help you
become conversational faster you may not
understand what you’re saying literally
but as long as you know the general
meaning behind the phrase and know when
to use it you’ll be able to talk like a
native eventually your knowledge of
grammar and vocabulary should catch up
with the phrases you know learning a new
language should feel like an adventure
there will be plateaus and periods in
your learning where it feels like you’re
hitting a wall
but being able to speak with native
speakers and have real conversations
will help you combat language fatigue
after all talking to someone face to
face in a foreign language is one of the
main reasons we start learning in the
first place
great work here’s a reward speed up your
language learning with our PDFs lessons
get all of our best PDF cheat sheets and
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