what is the best way to learn english like a native speaker

1. 59

   nicolasanelka39posted 15 years ago

   Hi everyone I am new at this site. First of all I want to say Hi to everyone...
   
   My vital aim is to learn english and get a good score from TOEL exam...
   
   I researched al of the way. Courses, books, software etc..
   I have already joining an english course in my country (TURKEY)
   
   but I need to some advice : what is the best way to learn english like a native speaker.. to write.. to speak..to read perfectly..
   
   Do you have any idea
   
   maybe a software
   maybe a book
   maybe a way
   
   (if my english is not understandble, sorry )
   
   thank you already now

   replyreport
   1. 0

      Lady_Eposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Nicolas
      
      Welcome to HP.  I have an ESOL website that I run and you will find it very useful. (I am an ESOL Lecturer). We are not allowed to put links in this page so I will email you the details. Feel free to email me if you need any further support.

      replyreport
      1. 59

         Mac Missionposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         I too need this? can you please help me

         replyreport
   2. 60

      karpouzianposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      What purt of Turkey are you in?  If it is anywhere near Bodrun, a very good friend of mine, Ozgur, is a fullbright scholar who went to graduate school in the U.S.  He would be glad to help you with your English.
      
      Unfortunately, the best way to learn ANY language is a tactic referred to as Language Acquisition.  Go where the language is being spoken, and use only that language.  Have the natives speak to you in that language, and have them explain any slang or coloquialisms to you.
      
      For example, I was telling a non-native speaker of English that I would meet him at "7ish" the next day, meaning AROUND seven o'clock, and he didn't know what the ish part meant.  It is not standard English by any means, but most native speakers would know what I mean.  Don't be afraid to ask.
      
      

      replyreport
      1. 60

         tksenseiposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         Language acquisition is just another way of saying 'learn a language.' It is not a "tactic," just a general term.

         replyreport
   3. 62

      stoneangel444posted 15 years agoin reply to this

      I would like to suggest to read as much as time allows. Take a book with you everywhere. But never allow an accent from your native home land make you think you are speaking improperly. Just look at the folks who live in the english speaking countries, many different accents and many different commands of the english language. English is probably one of the most difficult languages to learn. The first word to learn may be patience. Good luck.

      replyreport
2. 76

   Uninvited Writerposted 15 years ago

   You could try this site:
   
   http://www.learnenglish.de/

   replyreport
   1. 65

      Mishaposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      LOL Susan, are you a sockpuppet?

      replyreport
3. 60

   AsherKadeposted 15 years ago

   talk shows and cartoons....seriously, work with non-English speaking persons all the time....

   replyreport
   1. 59

      nicolasanelka39posted 15 years agoin reply to this

      it's a great idea but here in my country people speak just one language, Turkish..
      
      To find someone who speak english is very hard almost impossible

      replyreport
      1. 60

         AsherKadeposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         rent syndicated talk shows and there's a lot of cartoons. Sesame Street is excellent for learning English....it's incredible, used in English classes everywhere...

         replyreport
      2. 71

         Hauntyposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         Turkish is a beautiful and queer language. It's a very hard task to learn it. English is quite manageable.
         
         Maybe you could try the Effortless English Program.

         replyreport
         1. 60

            tksenseiposted 15 years agoin reply to this

            No language is 'more difficult' than another. It depends on your frame of reference.

            replyreport
            1. 71

               Hauntyposted 15 years agoin reply to this

               Drop your relativism, tksensei. It may be that Turkish is easy for the Turks, but for everyone else it IS a strange language. Look into it.

               replyreport
            2. 65

               Mishaposted 15 years agoin reply to this

               I disagree TK. While it may sound politically incorrect, some languages are clearly more difficult than others.

               replyreport
               1. 86

                  Marisa Wrightposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                  I agree and disagree, Misha.  Whether a language is difficult depends on what language you speak.  Languages are related in families - the languages closest to yours are the easiest.  For instance, Spanish and Italian are very easy for a French speaker.  French, Spanish and Italian are relatively easy for an English speaker.
                  
                  Russian is hard for an English speaker because of the double whammy of a different alphabet, some tongue-twisting consonants and changing word endings.  However once you've learned Russian, all Slavic languages are relatively easy (I can understand big chunks of conversation in Serbian and Croatian, for instance).
                  
                  It's said that Hungarian is one of the hardest languages for anyone, because it's not related to other major European languages.  I'm not sure what Turkish is related to but I think its origins are further east.

                  replyreport
                  1. 65

                     Mishaposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                     Yeah, I think your description is more precise

                     replyreport
                  2. 0

                     ryankettposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                     The most closely related language to English is German. I agree with what you have said, but it is definetely easier for English speakers to learn German over French; because of the way that they both structure their sentences.

                     replyreport
                     1. 60

                        tksenseiposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                        Not necessarily easier. As I have said, there are too many factors involved to make blanket statements like that. And don't forget that almost 40% of the most commonly used words in English are Latin derivatives that were adopted to English during the 300 years following the Norman Conquest.

                        replyreport
                        1. 0

                           ryankettposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                           The most closely related language to English is still German, that is a fact. Argue it all you wish, but you would be arguing with the worlds greatest language experts - who would clearly make you look like a fool. If you still doubt that, then why not try this book http://www.librarything.com/work/222046
                           
                           Then come back and tell me that German is not the closest language to English (which is a Germanic language).

                           replyreport
                           1. 60

                              tksenseiposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                              Um, I don't think I disputed that fact. (Reading is fundamental)

                              replyreport
                  3. 0

                     ryankettposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                     The most closely related language to English is German. I agree with what you have said, but it is definetely easier for English speakers to learn German over French; because of the way that they both structure their sentences.

                     replyreport
               2. 60

                  tksenseiposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                  Nope. It depends on what your first language is and how closely related (or dissimilar) to the target language it is, what your reasons for learning the target language are, what your attitude is toward the culture(s) where the target language is used as a primary means of communication, your age, occupation, prior experiences learning languages, access to classes, materials, and native speakers of the language, etc. The list of factors goes on and on. No language is any more difficult than another. Some languages are more complex in certain areas than others, but then those other languages carry greater complexity in different areas of structure and/or usage. It's far more complex an issue than "Your language is hard, but mine is so easy!"

                  replyreport
      3. 57

         Anglu Kalbosposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         It's easy today. Check this out:
         Learn English Online
         
         This is online language learning system called LingQ. At LingQ you can find a tutor and the other language learners to talk with via Skype

         replyreport
4. 60

   fishmoxposted 15 years ago

   Try Rosetta Stone's softwares.
   They say it's good.

   replyreport
   1. 0

      Leta Sposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      Good idea.  Also, watching TV literally helps with the speaking part...  Read as much English as you can for vocabulary and writing/grammar.
      
      

      replyreport
5. 59

   nicolasanelka39posted 15 years ago

   I used to try Rosetta's software but it's not for me
   my level is intermadiate... when someone speak english I understand 70 percent but when I speak english sometime I cant speak fluently and when I read an article I am always missing the verbs...  I am not good in english grammar, obviously it is not easy to know each rules in grammar but I need the way which it teaching effectivly
   
   I need to get a good score from Toefl
   
   thanks your attention...

   replyreport
   1. 60

      tksenseiposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      There must be TOEFL programs in Turkey. You should enroll in one. It is a standardized test and can be trained for to a reasonable degree.

      replyreport
      1. 59

         nicolasanelka39posted 15 years agoin reply to this

         yes it's quite true but I have already going an english course and my level is intermadiate but if you get a good score from toefl you should least advanced level.. these are depends my country condition...

         replyreport
         1. 0

            Leta Sposted 15 years agoin reply to this

            My ex, from Georgia...just across the way from Turkey there, , prepared himself for graduate level coursework by memorizing English vocabulary words, literally watching English television, and reading 'difficult' material.
            
            I would imagine coming to these forums would help you, too, at least with writing and grammar.  Though it is true you should seek out an English speaker, which would offer the most help...  When my boyfriend got to New York, he said he had a very difficult time with conversation even though he 'knew' English.
            
            I only taught a bit of ESL, but it seems to me that your basic sense of English grammatical structure is fairly sound already... I taught advanced level students, and truly the only thing that seemed to help is just more exposure.

            replyreport
6. 70

   waynetposted 15 years ago

   You could become english, wear some dapper suits and drink cups of tea with your little finger pointing to the sky, get into character always helps for a good learning situation....

   replyreport
7. 60

   tksenseiposted 15 years ago

   There are many ways to improve your grammar and vocab and the like but you won't make real progress without consistent interaction with at least one native speaker in one context or another.
   
   
   And I DO NOT recommend learning from children's material unless you are a child.

   replyreport
8. 72

   earnestshubposted 15 years ago

   Talking the language with native English speakers helps a lot with word placement and general usage.
   Why not use Skype to contact other hubbers and chat. Many here would help I feel sure.

   replyreport
9. 65

   Mishaposted 15 years ago

   Answering the title question - my English dramatically improved during my two years on hubpages.

   replyreport
10. 71

    Hauntyposted 15 years ago

    Write a hub in your fine style. Some here can't stand grammatical errors so you will receive a lot of helpful criticism, I'm sure.

    replyreport
    1. 59

       nicolasanelka39posted 15 years agoin reply to this

       I did. I entered the hub world with my first hub.
       thanks your attention and I hope you all help me more

       replyreport
11. 86

    Marisa Wrightposted 15 years ago

    Oh, and to answer the original question - the only thing that will help your spoken English is to speak.  If you can't find someone to speak with, speak on your own.  I know that means you don't get correction, but it still helps your comfort level with the language.
    
    Read a newspaper article, then pretend you're giving a talk to explain the subject to someone.  Imagine a situation and role-play all the characters.

    replyreport
12. 65

    Mishaposted 15 years ago

    See my reply to Marisa

    replyreport
13. 60

    tksenseiposted 15 years ago

    How rude of you to carry on a discussion before I take out the trash, walk the dog, change a diaper, heat up some sake, and then reply! What happened to good manners?

    replyreport
    1. 65

       Mishaposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       Sorry TK, could not really help it

       replyreport
14. 68

    lrohnerposted 15 years ago

    I think the OP was looking for ways to learn to speak and write  English like a native. In my experience, foreigners may learn to speak like us, but the writing part more often than not eludes them, probably because there is no rhyme nor reason to the English language. Things like "the bandage was wound around the wound" or "we produce produce at the farm". Sheesh, I can understand French pretty well, but I certainly couldn't write it!

    replyreport
15. 53

    wrenfrost56posted 15 years ago

    Firstly id'e like to say i think your doing really well already! Secondly practice, practice, practice and thirdly listen. Thats probably the best ways I can think of to learn a different language. Also I think learning by c.d or tape will probably be more beneficial then a book purely for pronounciation. Good luck and I Look forward to reading your first hub.

    replyreport
16. 68

    lrohnerposted 15 years ago

    Traveling to London? Good lord, their language is pretty foreign to most of us!

    replyreport
17. 59

    nicolasanelka39posted 15 years ago

    learning a languange of course isn't easy there are lots of rules.
    howover I think my main problems are some grammar rules, vocabulary when I write or reading something no problem my success in each section 60 per cent, but speaking it's pretty hard.
    
    my level is not enough to take a good score from toefl exam
    
    what is usage of words in a sentence?
    How develop the vocabulary bank?
    
    I read the foreing newspaper everyday (english,american)
    I understand the main idea all of the news, but If I suppose to write about it I cant find healty words.
    
    I've read yours post I understand 90 per cent but, If I suppose to write post which like yours I think it would be best hard situation for me..
    
    I love Ebglish and people who speaks english
    
    thanks all of the attention... I read each post twice

    replyreport
18. 57

    Super Hub Starposted 15 years ago

    I've heard the best way to learn any language is to immerse yourself in it. I had a friend who would travel to other countries where he didn't know the language and hang out with non-English speaking people. Within 3 months he would be fluent in the language.
    
    With you, this would be hard but the principle would be the same. Try to speak with as many English speaking people as possible, podcasts in English, watch and read the news in English, etc, etc. You'll be able to do this through the Web easily.

    replyreport
    1. 71

       Hauntyposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       can't help but wonder how you managed to put together 157 hubs in 2 months
       quite an achievement

       replyreport
    2. 60

       tksenseiposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       No he wouldn't.

       replyreport
19. 81

    kerrygposted 15 years ago

    Echoing what some others have said. My husband's family are all non-native English speakers and the ones who speak English the best now are the ones who had the most interaction with native English speakers from the start. If you don't have access to any native English speakers in your town or region, maybe you can find someone online and talk to them through Skype or a similar program. I'm sure there are groups out there that arrange these sorts of things, but unfortunately don't know any off the top of my head.
    
    Watching English language television and films is also quite helpful. You can find all sorts of these posted online, both legally and illegally.
    
    Finally, read in English as much as possible. Speaking English with native speakers will improve your conversational English and reduce your accent, but reading English is most important for increasing your vocabulary and developing a good ear for sentence structure and grammar. People don't actually use that many individual words in general conversation - only about 1,000 different words I heard once, while English has 1,000,000 total.

    replyreport
20. 59

    Pamda Manposted 15 years ago

    From my experience, immigrating to a land of native English speakers is best. You are forced to speak English, and therefore you think English.

    replyreport
21. 57

    dwippyposted 15 years ago

    One thing that has to be mentioned.  You said (if I am remembering right) you wanted to speak English like a native.  Are looking to speak English like an Englishman or do you want to speak English like an American?
    
    If you are going to rent movies and such to learn make sure you get them from the country that you are trying to learn.
    
    No offense to any English English folks here but you guys talk funny.
    
    :-)

    replyreport
22. 70

    Research Analystposted 15 years ago

    The best way to learn English is to immerse yourself in the language, hire a tutor or a teacher to teach you, practice learning english by writing out the words to improve grammer, and as they always say, using it is the best way to get better at it.

    replyreport
23. 56

    Howard W. Colinsposted 15 years ago

    Watch lots of tv and movies. My father came to the US as an immigrant many years ago and said that this was the best way to learn English.

    replyreport
24. 61

    megs78posted 15 years ago

    I teach ESL here in Quebec Canada, and one of the most effective ways my students learned English was to watch movies in English WITH English subtitles.  That way, if they missed a pronounced word, they could see it written underneath and were more likely to keep that word in their memory.  They also improved their vocabulary.
    
    I myself learned french in the last 5 years and I too learned a lot of vocabulary by watching french movies (made in quebec), with french subtitles.  I promise that its a good way to learn fast.
    
    You also HAVE to do your homework and find opportunities to get out and speak the language.  Don't be shy.  That is probably the best advice I can give you, good luck!

    replyreport
25. 84

    rebekahELLEposted 15 years ago

    Also, if you cannot immerse yourself in the language, writing online is an excellent way to learn and improve your English.
    
    I have helped friends in Germany and France improve their English by written communication only. I was not specifically teaching them English grammar, but by seeing the words, the sentence structure, the context, they were able to learn so much easier.   The German had to use a dictionary to translate and write, but he learned quickly because he was eager to learn. He would practice speaking by reading the letters outloud.
    
    Good luck! Join in on the forums and you will find friends who will love to communicate with you! 

    replyreport
26. 51

    Diaa Attiaposted 9 years ago

    Thank you for this great article, I would like to take the chance for inviting English tutors and students who are looking to talk to english native speakers to view this wonderful website that offers English classes  http://preply.com/en/skype/english-native-speakers I am currently taking English  classes there and the quality presented is Excellent and satisfying

    replyreport
27. 61

    EssayMaxiposted 9 years ago

    I'm trying to learn English with GoogleApps, but #1 problem is speaking...

    replyreport
28. 64

    Joe Lusticaposted 9 years ago

    This is probably the best advice you'll get.
    As a person who has successfully helped many learn English, I would highly recommend to learn ALL the small common words like "to","is","of","the","been","be", "a", "so","that" etc. These are the most important words for you to know and understand. Because they make up the construction of the language. Without understanding these words the other words won't hang together so it will make your ability to learn English a lot harder.The big problem with people teaching you English is that they don't understand those words themselves. They use them everyday but have no idea what they mean. (A sad truth). Then once you really understand all of them I would suggest learning the different forms (Single, Plural, First person, Second person, Third person, Present tense, Past tense, Future tense) of verbs (action words). If you were to get yourself a simple grammar textbook, like one made for children, you would be in pretty good hands from that alone. It is important to understand all the grammar symbols so the textbook must have all of them. Also you will need a children's dictionary to look up words that you are not familiar with and a dictionary that changes the English words into your native language, some words in the dictionary will not be easy to understand but they are easier to have translated. You really do need the children's dictionary because some words have more than one meaning and if you just translate it you might get the wrong translation, so it's very important to use both dictionaries. If anyone has any questions let me know I'm willing to help!

    replyreport
29. 71

    Quilligrapherposted 9 years ago

    I always recommend reading comic books in the language you are trying to master. The syntax and vocabulary are simple and fundamental and the pictures help with interpretation. At advanced stages, read the popular literature in the language particularly titles suggested for primary and secondary school students.
    

    replyreport
30. 60

    Jonathan Raceposted 5 years ago

    How to learn English the Native way? Immersion, immersion, immersion!
    
    When we are born, natives are surrounded by English. Family speaking, TV and seeing words everywhere. I suggest you try to get as many forms of input as possible. Reading books, talking to natives and when you want to unwind, try some English movies! This is a list of some of my favourite recommendations for students (they are also some of my favourite movies as well!)

    replyreport