Improve your conversations in English!

Hi everyone!

Today we're going to focus on speaking and, more specifically, on interaction!

As you know, a language is, above all, a vehicle to communicate with other people. That means that we need to know phrases to express our opinion and ask for theirs, agree or disagree with what they say, ask them to repeat, show interest, etc.

Knowing how to interact is an essential part of our speaking skills in a foreign language. Responding to what other people say and being able to engage them in conversation is of paramount importance. However, explicit training on this issue is sometimes overlooked (pasado por alto) in our language classrooms...

For this reason I have done a compilation of useful phrases that you can use at different levels. Start using them in your conversations in class and you'll see how little by little your communication becomes a lot more natural and fluent!

If you find this useful, please feel to share on your social networks!

Basic Levels 1 and 2

Interactive Language - Basic Level

Intermediate Level

Interactive Language - Intermediate Level

Advanced Levels 1 and 2

Interactive Language - Advanced Level by AnaBueno_LearnEnglish

C1

Interactive Language - C1 by AnaBueno_LearnEnglish

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Stop sounding like a book!

Hi there!

Today I'm going to post some useful expressions that will help you sound a lot more natural in English!

They're mainly short comments to continue the conversation and respond to what the other person said. Things like ya te digo; ¡ni de broma!; me lo dices o me lo cuentas; lo que tú digas, etc.

Useful, right? Check them out!

Had you heard any of these expressions before? Check their meaning in a dictionary or at www.linguee.es. Then practise with this online exercise from the Yes! Magazine. After that, why don't you write a short dialogue with as many expressions as you can?

Enjoy!! :)

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Choosing a topic for your oral presentation

Hi there!

In every level you will be asked to prepare one or two oral presentations. Even if you don't like them much, they are extremely helpful for you to revise and consolidate contents, and also to develop your fluency and spontaneity in English.

The teacher might give you the topic, or they might give you the choice to talk about anything you want, but... how do you decide what to talk about?

Normally, students choose the topics based on one of the following criteria:

• They talk about what they think the teacher wants to hear.

• They choose topics that they consider easy.

• They choose a topic that inspires or excites them.

Without a doubt, the best results happen when the students are inspired by the topic.

The truth about your presentation is that if it doesn't excite you, it won't excite your listeners. If you're not fascinated by the content, the audience will automatically become bored. Plus, you'll lose your own motivation along the way...

So, the next time you ask yourself, "How do I decide what to talk/write about?", start with what inspires you and build from there.

Once you have the topic, explore your book and your notes and try to include all the new things you can!

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How to use www.soziety.com

Hi there!

In this entry I tell you about the website www.soziety.com, where you can practise your oral skills from home and completely for free!

The website works as follows: you select your mother-tongue, the language you want to practise and your current level; the website will then look for your perfect matches. Normally, you'll talk to English speakers who want to learn Spanish: that way, you do each other a mutual favour. And, by all means, you can practise other languages too!

When registering, you can chose your preferred mode to talk: by phone, skype or google voice.

Go to the website and click on "Apply for an invitation". You will be re-directed to this page where you have to include your details:

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Oral presentations? No problem!

Hi all!

In every language course you'll have to prepare oral presentations. Some people don't like them too much because they suffer from fear of public speaking, or simply feel embarrassed to talk in a different language in front of a lot of people!

But remember that preparing an oral presentation is an excellent way to consolidate your grammar, learn new vocabulary, check the pronunciation of new words and discover gaps (lagunas) that you didn't even know you had!

I know speaking in public is difficult, especially if it's not in your language. But, hey, everybody feels nervous, even the most prepared people, so don't think you're the only one having a hard time. Try to relax as much as possible and enjoy your presentation.

I'm 100% sure you've devoted plenty of time to it, so don't let nerves spoil it: feel enthusiastic about your work and show us what you have conscientiously prepared!

Below you have a short presentation I've prepared for you. It explains why we feel fear of speaking in public, and I give you a few tips to overcome that fear. I hope it helps you out a little bit!

(To see the presentation better, click on play, and then "full screen". Advance the presentation by clicking on the arrow).

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