Ways to Blend in with Native Speakers

(Even If You Don’t Sound Like One Yet)

7

Image © Baynham Goredema | Flickr

It is the goal of many-a-language-learner to sound “like a native speaker”.

That is a very respectable goal, of course. But…

That is a very respectable goal, of course. But…

That is a very respectable goal, of course. But…

Sounding like a native speaker

means mastering pronunciation, which takes a lot of time and practice.

“Perfect” pronunciation is not the end-all-be-all of language learning. Accented speech can

be perfectly intelligible.

The good news is that there are plenty of ways to improve your language skills and blend in with native speakers, even

if you don’t quite sound like one.

1 Dig in to idioms

Next time you hit the books to study a language, take some time to learn commonly used idioms.

Image © snow0810 | flickr

Without learning these expressions, you’ll have barely scratched the

surface of a language.

Idioms are ever-changing, and not easily learned from a textbook.

Employing them in daily conversations is sure-fire way to give your language skills

an edge.

If you properly use idioms in the target language, blending

in with native speakers will be a

piece of cake.

Image © DoremiGirl | Flickr

2 Get the hang of slang

Studying formal language use, such as proper verb conjugations or case marking, is important to reach an advanced level

of proficiency.

But, without a working knowledge of slang, your daily interactions with natives will often leave you confused.

Image © Jonny Wilkins | Flickr

If you’re abroad, simply listening to conversations around you is a great way

to pick up on the current slang.

If you’re not in-country, take to social media to find the current slang. Follow native speakers on Twitter and observe unfamiliar terms or expressions they use.

Learner, beware! Slang terms come and go, so be careful not to pick up outdated expressions. That would be

way uncool, man.

Slang is unavoidable, no matter the language, so it’s

best to get with it.

3 Study synonyms

An easy way to beef up your language

skills? Build your vocabulary by

studying synonyms!

Image © Ian Britton | Flickr

You can only describe something as “good” or “nice” so many times.

Synonyms add color to what you’re saying. Instead of “good”,

you could describe something as… great

amazing fantastic

breath-taking unbelievable wonderful

…and so on!

Invest in a thesaurus (or find one online) and get to memorizing!

4 Use modifiers

So, you’re tired. But are you really tired, sort of tired, wicked tired, or maybe just

a bit tired?

Image © Jared Wong | Flickr

Modifiers allow your language to take on a more nuanced form, letting you express yourself more

specifically and clearly.

Study both intensifiers (words that emphasize adjectives like very or extremely) and

mitigators (words that dull down adjectives, like somewhat or slightly).

Modifiers will take your language skills from good to unbelievably good, and

native speakers will take notice.

Modifiers will take your language skills from good to unbelievably good, and

native speakers will take notice.

5 Brush up on linking words

And then… and then… and then… and then...

Tell a story like that and then everyone will know you’re not a

native speaker.

Image © Ruby Gold | Flickr

Study linking words to help the flow of your speech in the target language.

Add variety to your sentence transitions with linking words like…

additionally nonetheless although

while on the other hand

consequently thus since

…and so on!

6 Keep up with pop culture

Pop culture references dominate casual speech.

No American can say the phrase “I’ll be back.” without at least being tempted to bust out their best Arnold accent.

Image © Zero Emission Resource Organisation | Flickr

Keeping up with movies, music, TV shows, and so on will not only help you pick up on references, but also give you something to talk about

with native speakers!

7 Observe body language

We can’t discuss ways to seem like a native speaker without sounding like a

native speaker without mentioning body language.

Image © andrej | Flickr

The ability to use and react to visual cues will separate a serious

language learner from an amateur.

Pay careful attention to how people interact with each other in different

situations, including their posture, hand gestures, and facial expressions.

But beware! Gestures and signals are NOT universal. A thumbs up in the

United States is a-okay, but abroad, that may not be the case!

Image © Sarah Reid | Flickr

So there you have it. There are other facets to mastering a language beyond achieving

the coveted native-like accent.

Ready to sound more like a native speaker?

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