3. Listen to mp3s, podcasts, and the news. We live in such a digital age; even if you think you don't have native speakers at your disposal, you actually do. Scientific American, CBC, BBC and Australia's ABC Radio are great mp3s to get started with, but there's also a million podcasts out there and handfuls of news stations, too. And the best part is that these people generally speak clearly and have pretty generic accents.
4. Watch TV and movies. An integral part of speaking is hearing or listening. Because of this, the easiest way to involve yourself in a conversation without actually having one is to watch English TV and movies. If you absolutely have to, turn the subtitles on -- but try to resist!
5. Narrate your world. Рассказывайте о вашем мире. As you go about your day-to-day, talk to yourself. What are you doing? What are you feeling? What do you see, taste, smell, and hear? What are you touching? What are you thinking? The possibilities are limitless.
Train Your Brain
1. Aim for new phrases every day. If that pocket dictionary and notebook isn't being used, you'll need to find another way to start expanding your vocabulary. In the books that you read, the Internet sites that you visit, the TV you watch, pick a couple of words to write down and to make a conscious effort of using. It's the only way you'll remember them!
2. Learn phonemic script. It may seem tedious, but it'll be totally worth it. The International Phonetic Alphabet is a system of symbols that correlate to sounds. If you run into a word you don't know how to pronounce, all you have to do is look it up. The IPA is right there, you can read it! You know exactly how to pronounce it. It's almost like magic.
3. Don't overthink it. If you do get in the presence of an English speaker, it's so easy to just have your mind freeze up, your body freeze up, and have every single word of English you know escape you. You end up stuttering if you can get anything out at all and leave feeling terrible, never wanting to speak English again. Rest assured it's not just you!
4. Be patient. Above all else, you need to be patient. Learning a language is a process that can take years. If you get frustrated with yourself, you risk quitting. That would yield the worst results of all! So don't be so hard on yourself -- it'll come. It will. You must trust.