"I want to be like a native speaker of English!" a student said

"Your English is good," they said. Imagine that your English got the recognition by a native or English speaker; that would be impressive. Somehow, that little praise can be ironic or sarcastic. Whatever, do everything with your heart at its finest. Being an active English speaker is just a basic skill. Little did you know, English as a lingua franca benefits whoever learns and masters it. Every information and instruction in the operating system and our environment used English as the basic language. Basic English knowledge is important as well. Even though there is technology as simple as a mobile phone, which is connected to the translator and other system tools, we must respond and filter any communication in verbal or nonverbal form. As humans, we can't depend on our technology all the time. Improvements outside of technology include survival tools.  

As students, we have plenty of time for learning. Our skills can grow to the maximum level in this age of growth. Besides, studying a language is easy. Why is it easy? You only have to repeat writing, listening, reading, and speaking. It seems easy to adapt, right? However, the fact is that learning a language not only considers those skills but also practices and makes them consistent. Based on behaviorism theory, studying language acquired through conditioning and imitation is not innate. That statement clarified the previous argument. Everything relies on the theories. The reality of learning English has some barriers.  

The most fundamental skills that a student has to maintain are written and spoken language. If we can write English correctly, it will be easier to understand some English sentences as we read them. Besides, English only has a simple form of tenses. Somehow, it has some challenges knowing that there were sixteen of them. The difference is only the time signals of when we can use it. As a student, that would be a confusing and serious issue.  How can we learn about the 16 tenses at the same time? That's insane. In spoken language, you have to know the basic tenses and then apply them when you speak the language. Communicate your utterance as you want. Verbal language is the way you can speak with another person; then, the person knows what you want. As simple as that. Somehow, when a student tries to communicate in English, she or he has some obstacles, such as sudden panic attacks, nervousness, trembling, and others. Sometimes, the condition is not as simple as we thought. 

No worries, there are some tips to be mastered in spoken and written language like a native;

• Target your English skill

First, check your English level through credible English course websites such as DuoLingo, Cambridge, EF, and others. Those sites can give you an English score based on your grammar or even speaking skills.  For example, you scored B1 for listening and reading, A1 for speaking and B1 for writing. You can make a target that you have got to the level of C1 for all skills at once.  If you already know your level, you can set some targets and guidance to improve your English gradually with practice.

• Learn the basic grammar

Basic grammar is the key. If you are a beginner, try to memorize as much vocabulary as you can. It can start with 20-50 words each day. If you are intermediate, just try to arrange them into sentences or paragraphs. The best ways to memorize words can be written on paper.  Categorize each word that you had memorized before. Make it enjoyable. You can also make vocabulary practice into games such as jumble sentences, blank words, Pictionary and others. While learning basic grammar, try to listen to and enjoy some songs or announcers as examples of them. Somehow, learning some accent could be a cool move.  Learning vocabulary means you also learn the grammar or the rules of written English. You can do both activities at the same time and acquire better English.

• Speak your mind

Along with written English, spoken English is also important. The basic thing is that if you are a beginner in speaking, read something in English; it could be a novel, news, short story, or something else. If you are confident and think your pronunciation and articulation are good enough, move on with something challenging. You can try to have some fun games such as tongue twister. It helps you relax your tongue and refresh your brain at the same time. If you are confident enough to read, try to communicate with your friends/peers/family/teacher, or anyone else. The goal of speaking is for both you and your partner to understand your intention. It would be better if you could bring up the speaking practice to the next level, such as public speaking. Do anything gradually; everything needs to be processed. Moreover, you can try any website or even AI to communicate in English, such as chatGPT and others.

• Make a routine

After you know the specific way to improve your English and find the pattern, make a proper schedule to learn English effectively. Please spend one to two hours every day to focus on learning English. To become a master of English, consistency is needed. Why is someone being called a native speaker? The reason is that they used English as their mother language from birth until they grew up. So, they don't have to be trained like we, as English as a Foreign Language (EFL) users. Everyone can acquire another language besides their mother language. If you are willing to sacrifice your time, you will get the benefit later on.

Everyone has their strategy and skills to be trained. The most important thing is to begin; you have to begin first and continue. What is the point of starting to learn and then suddenly losing interest in English? That will be wasteful. The writer believes people must have courage and a goal to be serious. You have your time and use it for better than ever.