It's going to be extremely common for most of you to forget words during a conversation in English.

You may forget words, you may make grammatical errors when you speak, you may stumble across your words, you may block yourself.

This is all normal.

I'm going to give you five tips to navigate your way through a conversation with a native English speaker.

Now, the first tip is simply find other ways to describe your forgotten word if you're forgetting words.

For example, if I forgot what a microphone was, I could say the thing that people speak into during interviews, and someone will say, oh, you mean a microphone.

Yes, a microphone.

If I forget what this is called, I'll say the thing that you drink water with, and someone will correct me and say, oh, you mean a water bottle.

I'll say, yes, a water bottle.

Especially if English isn't your first language, this will be very acceptable during a conversation with a native English speaker, and most of them will have enough patience to correct you on small things such as these.

Another example, thing that you use to speak with people electronically, you mean the phone, a telephone.

Yes, a telephone, a cell phone.

By finding other ways to describe your forgotten word, it's a very easy way to continue a conversation with an English speaker without making it necessarily awkward or unrecoverable during a and then add the opposite word of what you forgot.

So, for example, if I forgot the word good, I could say this is not bad.

If I forgot what the word wet was, but I knew the feeling, I could say this shirt is not dry.

If I forgot what the word loud meant, I could say this is not quiet.

If you forget any single word, but you can understand the feeling, you know what it is, and you know the opposite word, you can simply just use an antonym.

You can say not and then use the opposite word.

This is another easy way to navigate your way through situations where you may have forgotten a word.

You can simply just use the opposite.

Now, my third tip would be provide context before you say something to an English speaker.

So, for example, if you're about to tell a story, simply provide context.

Where were you?

At the park, I saw the thing that people jump on and move on.

You mean a swing?

Yes, I saw people on swings at the park.

When I was at the office, I saw the machine where paper comes out of it.

You mean a printer?

Yes, a printer.

Just by providing context, it will be very easy for native English speakers to correct you and actually help you, but also they'll understand what you're talking about immediately, most likely, if you provide context in the things that you're saying.

All of these tips that I'm giving you as well also apply to native English speakers.

Even as native English speakers, we do this too to make sure that ever we're speaking to, whether they're an English speaker or not, can understand or have an easier time understanding what we are saying.

Now, the fourth tip would be to simply use a body language when you communicate.

This tip is kind of common sense, but not just in English, but in any language.

If you use body language, it could be a lot easier to understand what you're saying, especially if you're mispronouncing words.

So, for example, if you said you were going for a run in the park, even this body language I'm using right now kind of displays what I'm talking about.

Even if I mispronounced all the words, if I spoke too quickly, if you had a hard time hearing what I was saying, you can still see my body language of running and decipher that I'm talking about running.

This can be very handy when you're telling a story or you're trying to describe something that you actually experienced and went through.

So, definitely use it when you're having a conversation in English, when English is not your first language.

And the fifth tip would be you need to carry the right mindset and attitude when you're conversing with people in English.

For example, you need to lower your expectations.

You should not be trying to have a perfect conversation in English.

I know when you study English a lot and you do a lot of work on studying the grammar, you listen so much, you read so much, you practice your speaking, you practice your typing and your writing so often, you want to have everything come together perfectly, but it just does not work that way.

Even native English speakers do not speak perfect English.

There are literally native English speakers who speak a lower level of English and have a lower level of command for the English language than people who do not speak English as a first language.

Keep that in mind.

So, if you make grammatical mistakes, if you forget words, if you pronounce words incorrectly, it's really not that big of a deal because native English speakers ourselves, we do this all the time too.

And once you lower your expectations and once you understand that your conversations in English are not going to be perfect, you take off the burden or the stress of performance off of yourself.

This will allow you to relax.

This will allow you to not care that much about the outcome, which will allow you to flow through the conversation, even through mistakes.

It will not be awkward.

It will feel very normal.

So, to quickly recap, tip number one, find other ways to describe your forgotten word if you're forgetting words.

Tip number two, use antonyms if you're forgetting words.

Use the word not and then use the opposite word of the word that you forgot.

For example, not bad, not dry, not good, not small, etc.

You get the picture.

Tip number three, provide context when you speak before you articulate your point.

Tip number four, use body language.

And tip number five, carry the right mindset when having a conversation.

Come in with a mature attitude and do not have perfect flawless expectations.

Questions, comments, concerns?

Leave a comment down below and I will see you in the next video.