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You learned English as a foreign language, and now you are in the U.S. Are you being understood, or are you constantly having to repeat yourself?

Can We Guess How Hard You Try To Make Yourself Understood In English?

During a typical day, I hear:

On a typical day, I tend to speak:

When I hang out with friends, we usually:

I \_\_\_ watch videos in English

When I speak in English,

When I speak in English, I feel:

When I talk to people, they can \_\_\_\_\_ tell the difference between when I am bored, angry, or just telling them something new.

When I need to talk with someone in the service industry, (for example, at a restaurant, when buying something, or when talking with customer support),

When talking with someone I don’t know, I \_\_\_

But then again, if you’re tired of people asking you to repeat yourself when you do speak, or you would like to expand your job opportunities and circle of friends, you might consider examining how you feel about the language and maybe even how you feel about the people who speak it. You might not like how the language sounds or makes you sound, but think of it as a tool. Please understand that speaking in a similar way to how native speakers in your context speak will help you be better understood while you are in the US. About those native speakers—remember, not everyone is the same, and you will notice more similarities once you get to know people at a deeper level. You can start by talking with people you encounter in your everyday life. Strike up a conversation with your classmates or coworkers. Having a reason to talk with them is a good entry point. From there, you can find out what you have in common. Many Americans love to talk about TV, movies, and sports—it’s an easy topic in conversation, and if you don’t watch any of these, someone might introduce you to the ones that they enjoy.

Congrats, resourceful one! They can't misunderstand you if you don't speak much, right?

You probably are spending very little time talking with others in English each week. When you do talk, you might only say what is necessary, and you prefer to spend your free time with others who speak your native language or are from the same part of the world as you. If speaking English is uncomfortable for you, it may help to make a regular effort to interact with acquaintances (your classmates, coworkers) and strangers (people you encounter in restaurants, at banks, and in other areas of the service industry). 
Push yourself to initiate conversations, beginning with small talk, both in-person and on social media—use something you saw on social media as a springboard to in-person discussion. When spending time alone, watch videos in English or listen to English as it is spoken on your local radio or TV station. For practice speaking, you can imitate the speakers. Don’t worry if you feel like you are pretending! English is a tool, and speaking more comprehensibly will help others to better understand you. 
Increasing your speaking skills takes practice and perseverance—if people have difficulty understanding you, perhaps you need to prepare before hand, or keep trying to make yourself understood after a failed first attempt. The good language learner takes risks! And if you’re worried about grammar, back off. It is more important to be understood than to use perfect grammar. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes with grammar, to use hand gestures / pantomime, or to ask whether you have made yourself clear. With careful study and practice combined with a renewed effort to get your point across, you will find that people will understand you more easily.

Congrats! You see value in speaking English in a way that others can better understand you, even if you don't exactly try to do so.

Although you may not be spending much time talking with others in English each week—maybe for lack of time, or spending time with others who speak your native language or understand you well suits you better—you probably do make some effort to interact in English with acquaintances (your classmates, coworkers) and strangers (people you encounter in restaurants, at banks, and in other areas of the service industry).
When speaking, people typically understand you well enough, but you may have difficulty pronouncing words with certain sounds or stress patterns, and you occasionally need to repeat yourself or clarify when you are asking a question. People who don’t know you well may have some trouble reading the emotions and intentions behind your speech. If you want to improve this, study and practice body language (facial expressions, gestures) and word stress patterns and other prosodic features (intonation, rhythm, stress), and then you will encounter fewer misunderstandings.

Congrats! You seem to make an effort when you really need to be understood.

You probably are spending quite a bit of your time talking with others in English each week, perhaps even in your free time. When spending time alone, you might watch videos, TV shows or movies, listen to the radio or podcasts, and even read in English. Generally, the way you speak English does not threaten your own identity as a native speaker of another language. When speaking, you might struggle with the occasional word, but people typically have little difficulty understanding what you are trying to convey, including your feelings on the matter.

Congrats! We bet that you usually make yourself understood—wait a minute, how long have you been in the US?

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Can We Guess How Hard You Try To Make Yourself Understood In English?

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