Speaking English

You must be wondering why the title "Speaking English" wellits because I feel down when I see that I have difficulty speaking English. I understand the language, I read, and I write it correctly but when it comes to speaking it...I get all nervous. Why? Because i'm french and I have a quite strong french accent...and I'm shy to speak it because everyone else...including my friends dont have an accent when they speak and I'm scared they're going to tease me about my accent. I started practicing for half an hour per day with my mother who is perfectly fluent. She asks me questions and I reply and she corrects me when I make an error especially when it come to pronounce the "th" sound in words! Can anyone give me more advice on what I could do to better my English speaking skills?

Thanks!:)

just like when you learn any language...you just have to practice until you are comfortable speaking it....its not easy learning a new language but give it some time and you should get better at it:D

Well I have the same problem you have with French. I could not speak French well. I believe it will just take some practice and getting over being shy. Some ppl make like your accent, you have no real reason to be shy;).

I am going to move this over to T-2-T, because you may get more responses.
:arrow: Teen to Teen Advice:arrow:

-Josh

hmm. . .i don't know. Just ignore the people who make fun of you, how are you supposed to get better if you don't practice?

oh i have the same problem!
i have trouble speaking farsi.every night my dad asks me some words and i have to tell him what it is....but seriously farsi is a HARD language!

anywayz to answear your question, i think that what you are doing with your mom is a great idea!umm....i cant think of anything else to say except for good luck!

thanks for your answers:) What is farsi?

Farsi is the language of Iran.
Anyway, back to the original question. I think your bigger problem is shyness, not English pronunciation.
You have to realize in your own mind that anyone who laughs at you or teases you for not speaking a language well is either 5 years old or has the maturity of a 5 year old. Since you're a teen, most people your age won't laugh. Especially in Canada if you're speaking English with a French accent.
I mean a couple of people might kid you about it but not in a mean way.
Learning a language is like learning anything else (tennis, swimming, etc.) you have to be willing to practice it while you're not that good, in order to get better.
I've been to Europe and I try to practice what I know instead of taking the easy way out and speaking English.
You also have to understand that if someone is so stupid to laugh at you for not speaking a language well, then his opinion doesn't matter.
Il faut comprendre que si quelq'un est si idiote qu'ui se moque de toi pour ne parler pas bien une langue, alors sa opinion n'es pas importante.
Tambien tienes que comprender que si alguien es tan estupido que se rie de ti porque no hablas un idioma bien, entonces su opinion no importa.
Actually, if someone says anything about the way you speak English, just tell him maybe the two of you should speak in French, since both of you probably speak it perfectly. That will put him in his place.

I suggest you don't worry about it at all. I personally think that people with accents are musch more cooler and interesting. I don't know why, but I think it's becuase it's a change for me. If people make fun of you for that, then there is a problem. I think you shouldn't have to worry about this. Talk when you want to talk and be heard. Don't worry about it!;)

I wouldn't worry about it...Americans find accents very sexy.

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Originally posted by morganlh85
I wouldn't worry about it...Americans find accents very sexy.

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I agree. I'm Canadian French myself, and I know some (very little) French. But my Spanish teacher he was from Colombia, and he had a Spanish accent. He tried to make fun of us a few times, so try and have fun with it. If they laugh at you for saying something incorrectly, laugh at them when they say something just for the hell of it. Plus I'm sure they understand that you're still learning as well :-D

It;s stupid laughing at somebody because of his accent.
I;m spanish, I live in Argentina and I have many accents that I constantly change :)
Just practise it, and take your time.

Je suis spagnol :) (my french knowledge)

carlos just said: Soy espanol...in french!! lol :D

The best way to get "good" at a language is to keep practicing it. Find as many people as you can willing to converse with you in English and work on it as much as you can.

Some stupid people will always tease because of an accent - there's no getting around that - but that says more about those people than it does about you.

Your English WRITING is damn good and I'm sure your speech is also.

As for that pesky accent, it all evens out. I can speak and write French quite fluently but I'll bet you would find MY pronunciation of French equally hilarious and amusing.

Ne riez pas de mon français et je ne rirai pas de votre anglais. D'accord? ;)

P.S. As for your "th" - well that evens out too. I once had a teacher drill me for over HALF AN HOUR and she STILL wasn't satisfied with the way I pronounce the French "u" sound as in the end of "autobus." She kept telling me it was like putting an "eeee" sound in front of an "oooo"....and it sounded so crazy to me that I soon almost couldn't say anything at all because I was laughing so hard at myself. Anybody walking by and hearing me try to make that sound would have thought I had just taken a horrible punch in the stomach (or maybe somewhere even worse!) :P

Thanks Christian! Thank You everyone! I just started my English class today...and tomorow I have to make a short oral presentation..so I'll think off all your advice when I make..Thank You it is very helpfull!:)