Nobody here speaks English

Plus good habits for successful learning

“You can talk to the dog!” Photo by Leohoho on Unsplash

Hello!

After two weeks of confidence tips and talking about my “She Speaks English” programme, it’s time to get back to the usual once-a-week emails on a Friday.

There’s still time to join the programme if you’re interested. Please remember that it’s for women only. I’ve had a few enquiries from men, despite the name! Please also note that the first group will get it at a special price! Find out more here.

1. Nobody here speaks English

These are some things that people often say to me on Facebook: 
“It’s hard for me to learn English because nobody here speaks English.”
“How can I learn English when I don’t have anyone to talk to?”
“I need a native speaker to talk to.”

It’s time for a bit of tough love! (Tough love = when I say or do something you might not like but it’s because I want to help you.) 

The problem is, if you keep thinking like this, you might be putting blocks in the way of your learning. Change your thinking and you’ll learn better!

Here are a few things for you to think about:

💙 You have the Internet! If you want to hear native speakers speaking English, you can easily do that on YouTube. If you want to practise speaking English with a native speaker, you can find a teacher online. 

I know that money and Internet access are real problems for a lot of people. But where you live need and not knowing any native speakers are not barriers to learning English now, thanks to the Internet.

💙 You don’t need a native speaker in order to practise your speaking. You can talk to other non-native speakers. Try asking all your friends. I bet you know at least one person who would like to practise with you. Try using social media to find practice partners.

If you really can’t find someone, you can even talk to yourself or to your dog! Speaking practice will help you with your fluency and confidence and it doesn’t matter who you’re talking to.

💙 I lived in Poland for 2.5 years. Do you think that means I can speak excellent Polish? It does not! I’m very good at ordering in a restaurant or buying a cinema ticket, but not at having a conversation with friends. I did have some Polish friends and colleagues but they always spoke to me in English so this was another problem.

Similarly, I know there are people who live in England and can’t speak English. Being surrounded by the language is not a magical solution. Knowing native speakers is no guarantee you’ll learn English.

💙 Of course, I do understand that it is helpful to have other English speakers to talk to. It’s easier than talking to yourself and you can ask questions about what’s right and wrong.

But I really don’t believe it’s the most important thing. Motivation, consistency and hard work are more important. What you do on your own to learn and practise English makes far more difference than where you live or who you talk to.

2. Good habits

What are some good habits for successful English learning?

Read my latest blog post and find out! Some of them might surprise you!

3. Fun with English

The last time I wrote an email in this style, I asked you if you could think of any words which are the same backwards. These are called palindromes. For example:

mum
level
racecar

Here are a few more:

pop
nun
sees
noon
ma’am
civic
radar
stats
kayak
repaper

The longest palindromic word in English is tattarrattat, the sound of knocking on the door! It’s 12 letters. And yes, it’s in the Oxford Dictionary! I’ve never heard it before today though and I’m just telling you because I think it’s fun!

Here’s a new challenge for you.

What’s the next letter in this series?

M T W T F S _

And what are the next two letters in this series?

J F M A M J J A S O _ _

If you think you know the answer, please DO write in the comments BUT please DON’T say why! Don’t spoil it for other people!

Do you like these “Fun with English” sections? I don’t get many comments so I’m not sure whether to continue with them or not. Let me know if you like them or if you’d prefer something else. Leave a comment or reply to this email.

See you next week!

Katie

PS I’m Katie Salter and I teach English online. Thanks for reading my Substack post! My Substack is for anyone who is learning English.

I also have a second newsletter which is aimed at professional women who want to use English at work. If that’s you, you can sign up here.