Message to all English language learners:

I help a lot of people

with their English skills daily, and the one thing that I always find is that English learners never think their English is good enough, and they desperately want to be perfect. Well, I can tell you that even native English speakers are not perfect, and sometimes make mistakes too! The accent that you have is fine and acceptable. There's nothing wrong with how you sound, and it takes years to "sound like a native" even if you practice everyday. Being understood is the most important thing to remember. However, if sounding like a native is your goal, it is achievable, but you have to be willing to work hard! It doesn't happen unless you are highly motivated and focused.

Here are some tips to "sound native"

1. Listen to native English speakers daily. Watch movies, series, YouTube videos, English podcasts, talk to natives on the phone etc. to get familiar with how we speak.

2. Practice speaking daily using exercises with audio, and activities such as tongue twisters. Listen to it over and over carefully, then try to mock what you hear.

3. Challenge yourself and don't give up! Nothing happens unless you put forth the effort, and it won't happen using HT alone. You need multiple resources to achieve your goal.

4. Don't be shy! Shyness and being afraid to "mess up" in front of natives will not help you to reach your goal. Find helpful people who encourage and support you, and let us hear you!

BUT remember:

Don't worry too much about how you sound unless you need to sound native or professional for a job or career. Native English speakers (especially Americans) are used to hearing many accents and dialects and we enjoy them! We also use a lot of informal language and/or slang daily. So don't worry about trying to be perfect. We have fun with English! You should too!

Good luck!!😊