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Speak up!

Some people are well-rounded in their language learning. Others have problems with certain areas. I fall into the latter category.

Whilst I have generally been good at reading and writing in my target language, speaking and listening come less easily to me. Part of this is shyness and part is not wanting to be wrong! As my teacher told me recently though, it’s better to speak up and be wrong than not to speak at all.

My teacher is right of course – trying to avoid speaking means I am not improving in this area and so my fear of being wrong keeps growing. I’m also not able to learn from my mistakes.

So, my tip for the day is to speak up! Whenever you get the opportunity, whether this is in class or practicing in the privacy of your home, sound out words, sentences or even whole conversations. Become familiar with the strange sounds coming out of your mouth and soon you may be so comfortable speaking your target language you may not notice you’re doing it!