Блог IELTS EXAM: «А Вы говорите по-английски?»
Блог IELTS EXAM: «А Вы говорите по-английски?»
Do You Speak English?
I am sure ‘Do you speak English’ is one of the first phrases Russians learn at school. But do you really speak English, and how often do you speak it? My English friends will be surprised to learn that some Russian students study English just by reading English textbooks and doing grammar exercises. It is not surprising because not all of them realise the importance of conversing in English on a daily basis. You should know that you can only learn by learning; in other words, you cannot hone your English speaking skills without literally speaking English.
How many hours a day do you spend speaking English? I, for one, living in Russia, spend as little as an hour and a half daily talking with my English and American friends via Messenger. That is far from being enough, of course, but it is definitely not bad for someone residing in Russia. So, you should spend as much time as possible speaking English to native speakers of English (yes, the worst of them can speak English better than any of your Russian English teachers, sorry). Little by little, you will pick up – even involuntary – their accent and vocabulary, and eventually you will sound English, not Runglish.
One of my foreign friends asked me if it makes sense speaking English alone. I think it does, but it would make much more sense if you had some native to correct your mistakes. You cannot “feel” a foreign language, so you should always consult natives to improve your speaking skills. This studying process is reciprocal: the more you know as a foreigner, the more your native English teachers can learn from you. Maybe some of my Russian colleagues would be surprised to learn that my native English teachers do learn from me too. By sharing our knowledge, we make the studying process more interesting and entertaining.
The last but not least thing I wanted to mention is that you need to look for some new ways and opportunities.
For example, I have been using my English speaking club not only to share my knowledge with all those attending our sessions but also to learn something new myself. This autumn I am planning to start an absolutely free English club in Saint Petersburg for both Russians and English people staying in this city. We will watch and discuss English films, we can also dwell on various non-political subjects only to make our meetings more rewarding.
You will find me on Facebook, so feel free to join our great, gratuitous English club!