English speaking

English speaking practice is hard to find for learners who don’t have native friends or colleagues. Fortunately, there are ways to improve your speaking beyond just conversations.

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Firstly, your ability to speak is all about thinking in English words and sentences. That’s why your listening, reading, and writing practice all contribute to excellent speaking skills. Secondly, you can practice speaking English online with other learners of your level. Promova brings learners and teachers together to help everyone grow and practice together. 

We collected useful resources for you to learn English conversation skills better.

English Speaking

What is English speaking all about?

Many learners think of English fluency as speaking perfectly in all situations. However, it’s more useful to think of it as changing between situations. For example, you can have a fluent English conversation about your family but struggle to keep up with a complex academic subject. In other words, speaking represents your ability to share information and deliver ideas in different contexts.

Learning English speaking helps you to:

Share your thoughts and ideas with other people in ways they can understand.

Articulate important points in your speech and deliver presentations.

Empathize with other speakers and connect with them emotionally.

Ask good questions and mediate conversations between other people.

English speaking reference guide

Discover these popular topics and learn how to improve speaking English:

1General Skills

Common skills and vocabulary you need to succeed in different situations. Build these up during English conversation practice to improve your fluency and become an independent language speaker.

Grammar

Covers different parts of speech, word order, and rules you need to speak without making mistakes. 

Pronunciation

Covers saying words and sentences in a way others can understand. Includes stress, intonation, linking phrases, and so on.

Fluency

Covers your independent use of the language. Starts with your ability to turn thoughts into connected sentences.

Listening

Covers your comprehension of other speakers and how well you can react to them during a conversation in English.

Questions

Covers your ability to ask and answer questions that move the conversation forward and bring new information. 

Empathy

Covers your ability to understand others on a personal and cultural level to better connect or mediate discussions.

Adaptation

Covers your ability to change your speaking style and tone depending on context - formal or informal events, etc.

Expression

Covers your ability to portray emotions and speak in an appropriate tone. Includes telling stories, presenting, etc.

Clarity

Covers your ability to deliver the message in ways others can easily comprehend. Combines multiple skills to improve your communication.

2Topics & Vocabulary.

Your knowledge of words and phrases that often come up in daily life. Learning to speak about different topics helps you develop a foundational vocabulary that you can use to navigate any situation.

People

Covers your ability to speak about family, friends, colleagues, etc. Includes your ability to describe both looks and personalities.

Places

Covers your ability to speak about locations and what you may find there. Includes your home, workplace, city, travel destinations, and so on.

Events

Covers your ability to speak about abstract situations. For example, your current situation, decisions, situations at work, and so on.

Culture

Covers your ability to speak about your own and other cultures. Includes traditions, holidays, language, and so on.

Travel

Covers speaking about travel and various topics likely to come up, such as hotel bookings, restaurants, shopping, and so on.

Hobbies

Covers your interests and ability to speak about a wide range of activities people do for fun, from watching TV shows to sports.

Food

Covers your ability to speak about foodstuffs and meals. On a higher level, this includes diet, healthy eating, cooking, cultural foods, etc.

Behaviors

Covers your ability to speak about how you and people act. Includes habits, preferences, plans, and so on.

Specific Topics

Covers individual topics based on your needs. It can be formal situations, preparing for language exams, and so on.

3Business English

Combine general speaking skills and specific business vocabulary to help you succeed in your career. Generally recommended for learners above the B1 level who want to improve communication at the workplace.

Job Interviews

Covers common questions likely to come up during a job interview and preparing your resume.

Negotiations

Covers different aspects of negotiations such as formal expressions, proposals, terms, and so on.

Presentations

Covers your ability to prepare the key points and deliver presentations to different professional audiences.

Meetings

Covers active listening and preparation required to participate in meetings and take the floor when necessary.

Sales

Covers specific sales-related speaking that includes talking about products, asking clarifying questions, and so on.

Management

Covers speaking skills involved in giving tasks to other people and providing feedback to employees.

Leadership

Covers your ability to take charge in professional situations, clearly express thoughts, and mediate situations.

Finance

Covers your ability to speak about budgets and spending. Useful for accounting, reports, salary negotiations, and so on.

Specialization

Covers a wide range of topics and professional jargon specific to your market, career, and personal interests.

Test your English skills

Find out how well you can use English in our free 20-minute online test. Test different aspects of the language to understand your abilities. Get results immediately and see your mistakes. Receive suggestions on how to improve based on your level.

Test my skills

4 Ways to improve your speaking online with Promova

Native English Tutor
Promova App
Woman Says
English People

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People often ask

How long does fluency in spoken English take?

Everyone learns at a different pace. However, the accepted average is that it takes around 500-700 hours of active language practice for a beginner to become fluent. This sounds like a lot, but most people don’t start as complete beginners. You will already feel comfortable speaking about a range of topics at earlier stages.

B1 (Intermediate) learners are already independent enough to practice speaking without much help. While you might struggle and need support at this level, you have a solid foundation to discuss familiar topics.

Can I learn spoken English by just listening?

It’s true that you intuitively learn the language while listening to it. This is why many people like to watch their favorite TV shows or listen to podcasts to improve. If you’re already good at learning from listening, you can definitely improve your speaking skills by imitating what you hear.

However, it’s not a replacement for speaking English. Conversation includes different parties and develops your ability to express your own thoughts. For best results, we recommend you join a speaking club and write more to develop independent language skills.

How do I learn English if I’m shy or introverted?

Firstly, it’s ok to be a bit nervous when learning a new language! Everyone makes mistakes when starting something new. You just need a welcoming space where you can make as many mistakes as it takes without anyone judging you. 

You can practice online on your own by using our language learning app or book lessons with a certified tutor who will help create a comfortable space for speaking. Over time, you can improve your speaking confidence and not worry about speaking with foreign friends, colleagues, or even complete strangers.