Have you ever had to ask a speaker to repeat themselves because they spoke too fast and you didn't catch their entire sentence?
Native speakers speak fast. Like, really fast, with the words flowing into each other almost like they have been prerecorded. This natural speed and rhythm distinguish their speech from English learners, who typically require more speaking practice and speaking skills to achieve the same speed.
You may have refined your accent and can write flawlessly in English, but the next big challenge might be matching the pace of native speakers. Sadly, failing to keep up can cause your confidence to dwindle and make others question your competence.
While speaking fast might be inherent for natives, it’s a skill that foreigners can master with the right tactics. If you want to speak more naturally or learn how to understand fast English speakers, then continue reading this guide.
1. Word Linking Native speakers don't pronounce every word in isolation. This sounds choppy and disjointed. Instead, they let the rhythm flow by connecting words, blending one sound into the next.
Word linking is a marker of English fluency. All sounds can be linked: vowel to vowel, vowel to consonant, consonant to vowel, and consonant to consonant.
Take a cue from BoldVoice coach Ron as he guides you through how to apply word linking when you're dealing with linking a consonant sound to a vowel sound:
2. Word Clipping Like linking words, clipping words is a technique that involves marrying words or phrases. However, while linking focuses on the smooth transition between words in a sentence using connectors, word clipping is all about shortening sentences by removing unnecessary words.
Since the goal of clipping words is to shorten sentences as much as possible, you must be able to do away with redundant words that could make sentences overly wordy. It requires a strong grasp on the English language to understand which words can be appropriately skipped.
3. Embrace Idioms Idioms and phrasal verbs perform the dual roles of helping you shorten conversations while simultaneously helping your speech to blend in with that of native speakers..
English is rich with idioms, and learning these shortcuts can significantly boost your conversational speed and help you sound more natural.
As often as you can, seize opportunities to incorporate idioms and phrasal verbs into your daily conversations. And if you’re unsure how to identify the best idioms to use contextually, you can check out the BoldVoice app for speaking practice to boost your language skills.
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4. Think in Phrases, Not Words When we learn something new, it's often easiest to break it down into little pieces. When it comes to English learning, that means learning the language word by word (or even syllable by syllable).
When we shift our focus to speaking fast, however, it's important to focus on phrases and get past the comfort of individual words.
When you mentally translate each individual word in a sentence, the result is slow and clunky. In contrast, native speakers think and speak in prefabricated chunks of language. As you create your accent training plan , be sure to incorporate some speaking exercises with phrasal thinking as the focus.
5. Relax and Focus on Fluency When it comes to speaking English quickly, it's important to recognize that there's an optimal speed. It's untrue that the more quickly you speak, the more fluent you'll sound. Once you reach the typical speed spoken by native speakers, to increase your speed past that point will likely start to have a negative effect.
It’s therefore important to remain relaxed so you don't become breathless and appear anxious. Allow yourself to make mistakes and focus on getting your message across.
Stress and anxiety can slow you down and make you more self-conscious about your mistakes. You must understand that mistakes may be unavoidable, and with time and practice, your accuracy will improve naturally.
The goal is to strike a balance between speed and fluency. If speaking too quickly is something you've struggled with, don't be afraid to incorporate pauses and learn from BoldVoice coach Adeola as you focus on your pacing:
6. Use Filler Words and Sounds Filler words are words or sounds that speakers use to fill pauses in their speech. They do not add significant meaning to the sentence but can serve various functions, including giving the speaker time to think.
You likely often hear native speakers use filler words and sounds like "um," "uh," "well," and "you know" to keep the conversation flowing while they think of what to say next.
Fillers can help you maintain a faster speaking pace by giving you a moment to gather your thoughts without causing a noticeable pause.
7. Gesticulate Body language is a huge part of interpersonal communication and believe it or not, it can impact the way that others perceive your speech fluency.
Gesticulating can help you pass a message before you speak it, giving the illusion that you’re speaking quickly. It also helps you appear more fluid when speaking as you emphasize points that require emphasis.
Use your hands and expressions to complement your spoken English and you'll blend in with native speakers in no time.
8. Internalize Sentence Stress Stress patterns and intonation play very crucial roles in learning how to speak English fast like a native speaker. However, using them incorrectly can slow down your speech and create a disconnect in communication.
Bear in mind that articulate speakers don't emphasize every word equally. Certain words carry more weight, delivered with a touch more stress. Sentence stress is also greatly responsible for the rhythm of your speech, which directly impacts its speed.
For example, take the phrase "I am going to the store."
The emphasis here is incorrectly placed on "am," and "-ing," making the sentence sound unnatural, clunky, and slower.
Watch news reports or presentations and mimic the emphasis techniques of articulate speakers. Use the BoldVoice speech analysis feature to track your proficiency as you master stress in English.
9. Find a Shadowing Partner In speech practice, shadowing is the act of mimicking another speaker as closely as possible, incorporating all elements of their speaking patterns.
Shadowing is even more effective with a partner because you tend to push each other to go beyond your limits. Find a friend or classmate who is also looking to increase their speaking speed and take turns shadowing fast-paced audio clips.
Shadowing with a partner adds a competitive element and can help you gamify your practice, helping you to focus and motivating you to speak at a quicker pace.
10. Master Sentence Starters If you struggle to formulate entire sentences from scratch each time you want to speak, try memorize sentence starters that get you halfway there.
Sentence starters are words or phrases used at the beginning of a sentence to introduce a new idea. For instance, "In my opinion..." and "Let me tell you about..." are commonly-used sentence starters in the US.
With these pre-programmed openers you can launch into your thoughts more quickly, without having to spend time finding a natural way to introduce what you'd like to say.
Roleplaying is a very effective exercise that can help you master sentence starters. Practice for when you order an item or attend to clients if you’re a professional in fields like customer care that require you to interface with multiple personalities daily.
You’ll find multiple role-playing scenarios to help you practice on the BoldVoice app , so you never run out of ideas.
11. Embrace Speed Reading Although this may not be directly related to speaking, speed reading offers surprising benefits that can help you learn how to speak English fast. You can translate this skill into spoken English by training your eyes to scan text quickly and absorb information efficiently.
As you process information faster, you tend to formulate and deliver your thoughts at an equally quicker pace. This is all about increasing your English processing time, which when done correctly, will naturally be reflected in your speech.
12. Condition Your Speech with Minimal Pairs Minimal pairs are pairs of words or phrases in a particular language that differ in only one phonological element, such as a single sound or a single feature of the sound.
They help you build agility and prepare you to speak faster by mastering the subtle differences between similar-sounding words. Mastering minimal pairs will also help you more easily understand the fast-paced speech of natives.
The key to using minimal pairs in learning how to speak English quickly is forcing your mouth to move quickly and precisely as you practice these words. For instance, if you know that you struggle with the "V" sound and the "W" sound in English, you might consider practicing minimal pairs such as "vine" and "wine" or "veil" and "whale."
13. Take Advantage of Slang Like idioms, slang often consists of shorter, more casual expressions that can replace longer, more formal phrases. While slang can help you speak faster, it’s important to be mindful of its appropriateness in different contexts.
Slang is typically more suitable for casual conversations with friends or peers. In formal or professional settings, it’s better to use standard language to ensure clarity and professionalism.
If you want to express that something is overpriced and not worth the money, for example, you might opt to keep it short and sweet by simply saying "It's a rip off." Or, if you find yourself wishing to express that you're too tired to go on, you could say "I'm beat."
14. Practice with Tongue Twisters To systematically increase your pace when you speak, consider engaging in speed drills as a form of targeted exercise. Tongue twisters are specifically designed to increase your speaking speed through repetitive practice of challenging phrases.
They help you build muscle memory and can be especially useful for practicing specific sounds or phrases that you find most challenging. There are a huge range of tongue twisters to choose from , so pick a few that focus on your particular problem areas.
Don't forget to have fun with it! Try timing yourself as you practice your chosen tongue twisters, then challenge yourself to beat your own record.
15. Learn What to Leave Behind Knowing how to speak English fast is understanding that sometimes, native speakers omit certain sounds when they speak quickly. This is called elision.
Keep your ears open and listen for elision in the speech of native speakers. You'll likely be surprised by how often it occurs!
Start by focusing on commonly elided sounds, like the "t" in "can't" or "don't" and the "d" in "and." As you become more comfortable, you can explore other instances of elision.
Don't overdo it, though, when incorporating the concept into your own speech. While it's a handy tool for increasing speech speed, it can be confusing for listeners if used excessively.
Pro Tip: Use Technology to Increase Your Speech Pace You’ll make much more progress with learning how to speak English fast if you can correctly incorporate technology into your training as a tool. There are several apps specifically designed to help users improve pronunciation, intonation, and overall speaking speed.
BoldVoice , for example, is an accent refinement platform with a speech analysis feature that can help you learn how to speak English fluently like a native speaker. BoldVoice provides lessons from real-life Hollywood coaches, targeted practice, and immediate feedback to help you fine-tune your speech.
With its advanced technology you can train your brain to process information more quickly, which ultimately helps you speak at a faster pace.
Feeling hesitant? BoldVoice provides a seven-day free trial, allowing you to explore all its advanced features. You can sign up on BoldVoice right away to experience the benefits for yourself.
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