Want to practice your English with REAL people? Here’s how 👇

Hey, it's Hadar. And this is the accents way. I've got a question for you. Are you eager to improve your English and your fluency, but you simply can't find someone to speak with? Are you looking to improve and practice, but you don't know how to start finding conversation partners in life and online? Are you wondering whether or not you need to look for native speakers versus non native speakers? And are you looking for ways to do that for free? Because of course you can pay someone to speak with you, but you don't have the funds. If you answered yes to any of those questions, then my friend, this video is a must watch for you because you know that already the only way to achieve great results in English and to improve your fluency is by speaking is by putting to practice everything that you've learned and that you know. Because knowing English and understanding English is one thing and, and speaking English fluently is another thing. I treat it as if it's two different languages. Yes, I can read and write rather easily. That goes, that comes out naturally to me. But then when I have to speak, it's a totally different ball game, right? And you need to have your own strategy around it. And one of the things that you need to do, you have to do, you should do, is to speak as much as possible. So I'm going to share with you a few tactics on how to do that. How to find conversation partners, interesting, intriguing, intelligent conversation partners online and offline. How you can get excited about speaking with other people, even if you're an introvert. And how to do that in the most efficient and fun way. And most importantly, how to do that without even investing one single dollar in it. Okay, so let's get started. So one of the biggest questions that people ask when they're looking for conversation partners or when they're looking for opportunities to practice English is, should I look for native speakers only? My answer is no. Okay, if you find conversation partners who are native speakers and amazing, that's great, but don't limit yourself because then you limit yourself mentally and you limit yourself technically because there are a lot more non native speakers of English who are looking for conversation partners as well, which is incredible. I find that non native speakers have an easier time conversing with fellow non native speakers. It feels like we're all in the same boat. If I make mistakes, you're not going to judge me. And if you make mistakes, I. I'm not going to judge you because we know how it is, we know what it's like, and we are at least trying to connect and communicate. If you're afraid that if you speak with a non native speaker, they're not going to correct your mistakes, then let me tell you this. When you speak to a native speaker, they're not going to correct your mistakes either. First of all, it's rude to interrupt someone. And even if you ask them to do that, I mean, it's not their job. They're not there to fit, fix every single bit of your mistakes or your challenges, right? Sometimes they don't even notice it, okay? Things that you think are a big deal, they don't even pay attention to it as they're trying to listen to what you have to say. So unless it's your English teacher, if it's a native speaker, don't assume and expect them to correct you when you speak. Now if you are afraid that you're going to catch their mistakes, then I've got a news flash for you. People don't pick up on things that they hear and see right away. In order to implement something the correct way and the mistake, you need to create muscle memory around it. You need to do it yourself over and over again. It's not enough to hear a mistake and then to apply it right away. You need to consciously catch it, you need to implement it, you need to think about it. You need to do it over and over again until it becomes a part of your own speech. So even if you hear a mistake, it doesn't mean that you're going to repeat it right away, okay? This is why we don't pick up on the right things on the correct forms so easily, because it's not that easy. So don't worry about that either. So the idea is to speak, okay? To speak and to connect. Because when you create meaningful connections and conversations, then English comes, right? It should be your means to achieve what you want, which is to connect, to communicate, to learn things, to teach things, right? Rather than the goal, the target, which is practicing English. Because then it becomes boring, it becomes repetitive, it becomes tedious, and then you quit, okay? So remember that English is a tool, right? It's not your final goal. Your final goal is not to become fluent in English. Your final goal is to achieve your dreams and by being fluent in English, okay? So the tactics I'm going to share with you today are going to help you find conversation partners, whether they're native speakers or non native speakers. But my recommendation is not to limit yourself to native speakers only, because then you're going to be missing out on so many opportunities, and that's a shame. So the first thing you can do is to find foreigners in your hometown. People who are visiting tourists or people who have just relocated to your city or a big nearby city. Okay. People who have recently moved to a new city or tourists are eager to connect with locals. And probably their language skills are not that great as they just moved in, right? So maybe they still don't speak the native tongue that is spoken in that country. So they are probably communicating in English, which is kind of like the universal language. And this is your opportunity to jump in and to practice with them, your English as much as you can. They're going to be eager to learn more about the place, about the people. They're going to need guidance, they're going to need help. They're going to need people to help them communicate with the authorities and the municipality and the bureaucracy around relocating to a new place. And this is where you come in. Not only that, you can truly help someone else that is in need. And when you do good things for others, good things come to you. That's what I believe in. So on one hand you really, you become very, very helpful. And on another hand, you get to practice your English with them because everything is going to be done in English. And then you have an opportunity to make new friends, to do something really good, and to improve your English skills. Let me tell you the story of Jack Ma. Jack Ma is the founder and CEO of Alibaba. I don't know if you know him, but he's a pretty incredible human being. So when he grew up in China at the age of 12, he couldn't afford going to a language school. He barely went to school. And he understood back then that the only way to achieve his goals and dreams in life is by speaking English. So what this resourceful and ambitious little boy did was was to ride his bicycle for 40 minutes every single day to a nearby town where there was a hotel where tourists from around the world would come and stay there and explore China. Now, he would help them get around, show them around town, translate what they wanted, and by that he would communicate and interact with them in English. So although his English skills were close to nothing as he just started out, he was was able to improve his English by simply interacting in a second language. Now, these people needed something from him, so they were able to communicate with him despite the challenges. When you have something important to give to the other person, they don't care about your mistakes. They don't care about waiting for Another split second for you to finish your sentence. They want to hear what you have to say because it has value, right? It holds value for them. And therefore their need to communicate is as strong as your need to communicate and improve your English. So he was able, in just a few years to become very fluent in English. So not only was he able to improve his English skills, he was also able to network and develop his business skills simply by being around those people. The next thing I recommend for you to do is to find people who have the same fields of interest as you do. As I've said before, when you provide value, when you contribute to someone else, then they would want to connect with you, they would want to speak with you, they would want to listen to what you have to say. It doesn't matter how long it takes you to say it, it doesn't matter if you make mistakes, it doesn't matter that you have an accent. They'd be very enthusiastic to listen to you and to hear from you and to tell you what they think. Okay, so the question is, what are you good at? Do you know how to play the piano really well? Do you know how to quilt or, or how to sew? So what you can do is think of your fields of expertise and fields of interest and then look for forums, online forums, or Facebook groups around those areas. There you want to connect and create virtual relationships with other members and then gradually offer to provide content, whether it's tutoring, even if it's for free, or for a very low amount. Right? If you're a web developer, then you can teach people who are just starting out. Because when you teach in English and when you provide content or when you try to explain something that is complex, then you become super fluent, very, very fast. Because you have to think of how you deliver this thought in a comprehensible way and how you do it in a concise way. And the more you do it, the more, the better you become at it. Okay? I can tell you that from my own personal experience, the only way for me to get really fluent and an expert in what I do is through teaching. When I started teaching English, I started mastering it. So you don't need to teach English. You can teach something that you know and other people don't, but do it in English and those groups and forums are the best places for you to do it. The next thing is to find an online platform of like minded people who are, who are looking to communicate and connect in English. So here I have two platforms to recommend for you. The first one is my community on Facebook of non native speakers from around the world. It is the most incredible community I have ever seen and experienced. And I am objective saying that it's a safe place for people to practice, upload videos, talking about different things, connecting. We have discussions, we have talks, we have activities, and it's pretty incredible. And if you're interested, then you have to be serious about it. You have to be super supportive. No BS is allowed there because otherwise you're booted out and you are there mostly to become the best version of yourself in English. Okay, so that's the first platform I'm going to share all the links right below the description. So click the link to join us. The next one is a free online platform that I was recently introduced to by one of our community members. And I love it. I think it's great, actually. A platform that was created by a non native speaker who is looking for conversation partners. It's called Free for Talk. Again, I'm going to post all the links right below. And over there you find different rooms with people who are there to speak. So there are speaking groups, you can find a partner and move to a different group. There are activities. So I highly recommend for you to check it out if you are looking for conversation partners. Now, I actually joined a few of the conversations there because I never recommend something that I don't test myself. And I was so amazed by the beautiful community that is created there, the people, the level of the conversation, how intelligent it is, engaging and supportive. So definitely I'd like you to check it out. Another cool platform which I love is Italki. And if you've been watching any English videos on YouTube, you probably know it by now. Italki is a website. It's an online platform to find teachers of different languages. And of course English is very dominant language there. So in addition to finding teachers there, you can also find language partners. So there is an online community going on there where people post what they're interested in, right? What they're looking to improve and what languages they speak. So either you can exchange languages, so you speak a little bit of English and then a little bit of your native tongue, so you both practice or you find partners from around the world in speak English with them. So another great opportunity for free. Now, if you don't have the time to search for those groups and those communities and to do all the work that I gave you here and you just want to pay someone, maybe you have the extra funds and you're willing to pay a few bucks for a lesson. Then I would definitely check out the teachers on Italki because you can get amazing tutors for as little as $10 an hour to to have a conversation with you and give you feedback if needed and of course, teach you. You also have teachers there for up to $30 an hour, so you can check that out as well. And I actually asked Italki if they can offer some kind of a discount for my viewers and they happily agreed to offer a $10 discount on your first purchase, which is a full lesson. Nice. Nice deal. So check it out. Use the link that I post below to get the discount and and let me know how it goes in the comments below. Okay, that's it. I think I gave you enough tactics to get started with, right? So what I want you to do now is this. I want you to take action right away. So either look for a community of foreigners in your hometown or look for a Facebook group of people who share the same interests as you. Join our community on Facebook or go to Free4Talk or go to iTalki. Do one thing and then let us know in the comments below what you did, okay? So we can cheer you on and say you rock for taking the next step. Also, if you have other ideas on how to find conversation partners online and offline, please share it with us below. So write a comment and tell us how you feel. Find people to speak with in your home country or online. Remember, the most important thing is to speak up, is to be resourceful, is to be creative about your process and not to use excuses such as I don't have anyone to talk to to hold you back from advancing and improving, okay? Because everything has a solution. You just have to find it and you just have to do something about it. And this is why taking action right now is the most important thing for you. Good luck and I can't wait to see you in the next video. Bye.