Improve your English conversation skills quickly

Learning to speak English? You’ll want to find ways to brush up your English conversation skills. After all, communicating with others is a big part of why we learn a new language – whether for work or fun (or both).

Books, TV, and online tools may help you learn the language. However, when it comes to practising speaking, nothing beats practising and learning with others.

Where can you practise English conversations online?

Fortunately, you don’t need to live in an English-speaking country to meet English speakers. There are many ways to improve your English conversation skills online. Here are three easy methods we recommend.

1. English language exchange with native speakers

Language learners always benefit from interacting with native speakers of their new language. After all, when you are learning a new language, getting feedback from people who actually speak the language and use it every day is very helpful. Books can teach you vocabulary, but humans are best when you need to learn how the language is actually used in the real world.

That’s exactly where Busuu’s community comes in. On Busuu, you get direct feedback on your exercises from native English speakers. Sure, computers can tell you what’s technically correct (and yes, we do that too!), but our lovely community of language learners makes all the difference for those looking to improve conversation skills.

2. Lessons with online English teachers

There are some things it’s simply best to learn from the professionals.

Another great way to improve your English is by learning with a teacher. While you may not be able (or want) to jump into a college course tomorrow, that doesn’t mean you can’t take lessons with a qualified English teacher.

3. English dialogue drills

And our third recommendation for improving your English conversation skills? Listening to dialogues.

Listening to dialogues and using dialogue exercises can help you improve your listening skills in English. Hearing native speakers chat to each other can help you improve your accent, stretch your vocabulary, and speed up your listening comprehension time.

We recommend using dialogue exercises that are related to what you’re learning where you can hear the words spoken, see them written, and then see them translated into your native language all in one place. Oh, and that just happens to be exactly how we work dialogues into our English course on Busuu.

Conversational English topics and phrases for every level

Now we’ve covered how to practise. But what exactly should you be practising? Here are a few topics that make sense for learners to use to practise English conversations, grouped by A1 (beginner), B1 (intermediate), and B2 (advanced) level subjects.

Basic English conversation topics for beginners

• Introducing yourself – hello, how are you, my name is, I am from…
• Jobs (basic)
• Pets
• Favourite foods
• Family members

Intermediate English conversation topics

• What’s going on at work
• Shopping
• Weather
• Vacations and travel
• Comparisons

Advanced English conversation topics

• Advanced job topics, business
• Frustrations and fears
• Politics and news
• Sports and culture
• Mental health

Now that we’ve covered all of our tips to take your English from so-so to so swell, all that’s left to do is take your learning to the next level.