It is all very well learning English in the classroom and doing self-study at home.
But at some point, you will have to use English in the real world.
You will have to open your mouth and speak English.
This is terrifying for many English learners, but I want to show you ten ways that you can practice English outside.
Hold on to your hat… Here we go!
Seek Out Native English Speakers
You need to engage in conversation with native English speakers.
Or any English speaker at all!
Of course, this may be very difficult for many of you, but if you live in a large town or city, there are very likely to be people from America, the UK, or Australia living and working there.
Seek them out if you can and try to make friends with them. Some of these foreign people living in your country may be very grateful to know a local person who can help them with day-to-day life in your hometown.
I know this may be a terrifying thing to do, but speaking to a native English speaker will help you greatly.
English Corner
Are there any English Corner meetings in your hometown?
English Corner often takes place in universities or schools. If you join an English Corner meeting in your area, it can provide a great way to talk about different topics and subjects in English.
It is usually in a very relaxed and informal environment.
Attending English Corner can help expose you to different accents and can help in a great way with English listening.
You have to participate, though!
Don’t be too shy to ask questions or give your opinion about something.
English Corner is usually free of charge. Or there might be a donation system.
English-Speaking Events
Apart from English Corner, many towns and cities have other events where the main language is English.
Your hometown may have meetings for a variety of interests where the common language is English.
These meetings could be about:
- Professional Networking
- Sports and Fitness
- Art or Other Creative Workshops
- Writing
- Interests or Hobbies
- Community Projects
If you look on social media in your area, you may find that there are several meetings in your town in English.
This is a great way to be part of an English-speaking community or environment.
Find a meeting today!
Helping The Local Expat Community
If you are fortunate enough to live in a town or city that has many expats living there, you can use this to your advantage.
There may already be a group of people that try to help the expats in your hometown.
The expats may need help in terms of:
- Housing
- Eating Out
- Shopping
- School For Their Children
- Working
- Legal Matters
If you make yourself a part of this community, you can do two things.
1. You can help people — which is always a good thing.
2. You can practice English regularly. Which is great for you!
Try to find an expat community in your hometown.
If one exists, join today. And offer to help out.
Join Outdoor Activities
Do you live near mountain areas or rivers or by the sea?
Are there any groups of people that like to go hiking, walking or kayaking?
Joining a group like this will definitely help you in terms of a healthy lifestyle.
But it could introduce you to native English speakers too.
There may be native English speakers living in your area that also want to explore everything that the natural environment can offer.
This is an ideal opportunity for you to introduce yourself and engage in English.
You could talk about the activity itself. But also talk about other things along the way.
Guided Tours
If you live in a town, city or area of historical or natural interest, there might be guided tours in English.
For example, there may be a guided tour in English of all the historical places in your hometown. If so, you can join this tour and practice listening in English.
You can ask questions too!
You can take this one step further and offer your services as an English-speaking tour guide.
Now you can introduce your hometown to visitors — all in English.
Yes, this could be very scary!
But it would give your self-confidence a huge boost.
And great practice for you.
Writing Travel Reviews
As an extension of joining a guided tour, you could also write reviews or short articles about your hometown online.
This is great for practising English writing.
You can write reviews of:
- Local Shopping
- Local Food
- Restaurant Reviews
- Attractions In The Town or City
- Parks and Other Recreational Areas
Trip Advisor is a huge online platform with a thriving community in every town and city around the world.
You could write articles or reviews here.
This will allow you to practice your English writing in full effect.
Reading English Signs and Advertising
On a more simple level, when you are outside, you can read every English sign, billboard or advertisement you see.
Push yourself to try to fully understand what the meaning is in everything you read as you walk around outside.
Any time you see a word or phrase that is new to you, write it down in your notebook.
This is a small step. But an effective way of improving your English daily.
And who knows?
Maybe you see a sign written incorrectly in English. You could offer to correct this for the organisation or company that put the sign there.
Now you are writing in English too!
Listening In English
You may not have the opportunity to talk with native English speakers every time you go outside.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t practice English.
You have a smartphone in your hand.
You are probably reading this on your smartphone right now.
And you can use your smartphone to practice English listening.
Two of the most common resources available to you are:
- English podcasts
- Audiobooks
As soon as you step outside, you can turn on your favourite podcast. Or listen to a thrilling novel in audiobook format.
There are quite literally thousands to choose from.
On every available topic.
English Learning Apps
You can also download one of the many English learning apps to your phone and make use of that when you are outside, too.
These apps have a wide variety of exercises and interactive lessons that can help you at any level.
These apps are great for:
- Conversation and Dialogue
- Vocabulary Drills
- Pronunciation Practice
- Grammar Exercises
And as the app is on your phone, you can use it anytime and anywhere.
On the bus, on the subway, while you are walking the dog or going to the supermarket.
You can learn English every time you step out the door.
Conclusion
As you can see, learning English doesn’t have to be only in the classroom.
You need to use whatever English you have learned to use.
And the best way to do that is to speak with native English speakers.
This may seem like a terrifying concept at first, but once you overcome your initial fear, you will gain a lot more confidence in yourself.
So step outside into the sunshine — and talk to people!
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
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