Speak, Speak, Speak!

It’s Hard to Speak Alone – But Online It Isn’t

Speak, speak, speak! – that’s what every teacher says. But if you live and work in a monolingual environment, speaking English can feel almost impossible. You can study vocabulary, watch videos and read articles… all alone. But for real speaking, you need another human.

The good news? Thanks to the internet, you don’t have to do it alone anymore. You can:

• find a native English teacher for one-to-one lessons,
• join an online English speaking club,
• or look for a language exchange partner who also wants to practise.

Most students, when you ask what they want to do in the classroom, say the same thing: “I want to speak.” And they’re right — speaking is the part that’s hardest to do by yourself.

Let Your Spoken English Out of the Cage

Online English lessons are a great way to finally use your English in real time. With Skype, Zoom, Teams or Google Meet, you can connect to someone anywhere in the world and set your spoken English free from the cage it has been in for so long.

But it’s important that your teacher understands why you’re there. You’re not paying just to fill in exercise D in a grammar workbook. You’re there to:

• build confidence,
• improve your fluency,
• and slowly upgrade your accuracy too.

There is nothing worse than being trapped by endless gap-fill exercises when all you want to do is tell the story of the amazing two weeks you spent in Brazil last month.

Remember: the teacher works for you. You should be the one calling the shots and making the important choices about how you spend your time in the lesson.

Free and Low-Cost Ways to Speak, Speak, Speak

Of course, the internet is a massive place. You don’t always need to find a teacher and pay for online lessons. There are plenty of people, just like you, who are looking for the same thing: an opportunity to speak, speak, and speak some more.

Here are a few options to help you set your spoken English free:

1. Native UK

You’re in the right place already. Here at Native UK the focus is simple: Giving YOU the chance to SPEAK. You can:

• check the prices of lessons, and
• read more about how lessons are designed to maximise speaking on How I teach.

Most of the lesson is conversation, not worksheets — with natural corrections and clear explanations when you need them.

2. English Speaking Partner Map

On the English Speaking Partner page you can add yourself to a world map with other learners who want to practise their English speaking skills.

The map covers the whole world, which shows just how powerful English is as a language for connection.

3. Online English Speaking Club

If you’ve never heard of a speaking club, you might know it as a conversation club. Basically:

• there is a topic,
• a group of people,
• and you speak together in small groups or as one bigger group.

Online English Speaking Club keeps the numbers small, which is perfect for getting more time to speak. The host is an English native speaker from England, so everything feels natural and relaxed.

As well as paid topics, there are also FREE ones. Just make sure you register when the registration link is open — groups are small and places fill up fast.