How To Learn A Language By Speaking

“All of my Japanese learning materials focus on restaurants and bars – but how is that going to help me have a real conversation on Skype?”

If you've ever felt frustrated by this exact scenario, you're not alone. This question from Lene, a Japanese learner from the US, perfectly captures one of the biggest misconceptions in language learning: that you need to master vocabulary lists before you can start speaking.

Here's the truth: This approach keeps you trapped in study mode forever. But when learn a language by speaking from day one, you start actually using the language instead of just learning about it. Here's how to make this method work for you.

If you prefer watching videos to reading, hit play on the video version of this post at the top of this page. Otherwise, here's what you'll discover in this article:

The Problem With Traditional Vocabulary Learning

Lene raises a fantastic point that many language learners face. She says: “All of the materials that I've had for learning Japanese have started with vocabulary that centres around restaurants and bars and shops – things that aren't going to be useful on a Skype call.“

This highlights one of the big preconceptions about language learning: that we use textbooks and courses to gather all this information about the language, learn all about it, and then – only then – can we go on to speak.

But when you learn a language by speaking from the beginning, you're learning vocabulary that actually matters to you, that's relevant to your life.

The problem with the traditional approach is that you're never going to be ready. You never know enough vocabulary. There's always more to learn. This is precisely why I recommend flipping the entire approach.

Speaking To Learn vs. Learning To Speak

I want to highlight the difference between two approaches to learn a language by speaking:

Learning to Speak (Traditional Method):

• Study, study, study… then eventually speak
• Focus is on gathering information about the language
• You wait until you feel “ready” (which never happens)
• You learn restaurant vocabulary when you want to have online conversations

Speaking to Learn (My Recommended Method):

• Right from the beginning, you're speaking and spending time with native speakers
• This becomes your engine for learning the language
• Focus is on actually using the language, then learning from that experience
• You learn vocabulary that's immediately relevant to what you want to say

The huge advantage when you learn a language by speaking this way is that you get comfortable speaking right from the beginning. This means you can go off and speak with anybody – it's not a big scary thing because you're already comfortable with it.

What “Speaking” Actually Means for Beginners

When I talk about how to learn a language by speaking, I'm not talking about sitting down with some random native speaker and performing in your target language as if it was your mother tongue.

You're going to get there eventually, but in the short term, speaking means finding a person who you like spending time with who can help you with your language.

You don't have to speak only in your target language. You can use English – it's perfectly okay!

In fact, when I first start having conversations in another language, I'll often use English because although it might feel a bit like cheating, it gets you started. And getting started is the most important thing.

3 Simple Ways To Start Your First Speaking Session

Here are three things you can take into your very first speaking session that will demonstrate how you can learn a language by speaking without worrying about your vocabulary:

1. Bring 10 Questions About Your Target Language

Prepare questions like:

• “Why do people say [specific phrase]?”
• “How do I conjugate these verbs?”
• Any grammar or usage questions you've encountered

2. Bring 10 Things You'd Like to Say About Yourself

Think of basic personal information you'd want to share:

• “Hi, I'm [name], I'm [age], I'm from [country]”
• Your hobbies, job, family situation
• Anything that's important to your personal story

Simply ask your tutor: “How do I say these things in [target language]?”

3. Think About Difficult Situations You've Encountered

This works particularly well if you've travelled to a country where your target language is spoken:

• “I was in a train station and wanted to ask for directions but didn't know how”
• “I needed help at a store but couldn't express what I needed”

Ask your conversation partner: “How would you say that in that situation?”

The beauty of this approach: Choose one of these methods, make a little list, and take it into your session. You can use English all the way through – you're not cheating! The most important thing is simply to get started.

Learn A Language By Speaking: How The Process Becomes Natural

Once you get started, everything becomes easier. All those doubts you have about “what if I don't know the word for this” completely disappear when you find someone you like to work with – someone who understands your situation.

After your first session, it goes very organically. The simplest way is to take a topic approach:

• “I want to be able to say these things about my family”
• “I want to be able to say these things about my job”

Then you simply ask your tutor: “How do I say this? How do I say that?”

When I'm first learning a new language, I do a lot of this. It can be quite slow at the beginning, but you end up being able to say things that matter to you – things that are valuable to you.

It's the polar opposite of what you get in textbooks. You're not learning to order food in restaurants or ask for directions. You're learning stuff you actually want to be able to say.

Plus, you're getting feedback from a native speaker, learning to pronounce things correctly, and getting used to interacting with native speakers. It's the single most powerful thing anybody can do to learn a language by speaking.

Where To Find Speaking Partners

You have several options when it comes to language partners if you want to learn a language by speaking:

Professional Teachers

I don't recommend these at the beginning because a professional teacher for a beginner is really no different from a textbook – you can get the same information elsewhere.

Informal Tutors

These are native speakers who will practice with you for a bit of extra cash. This is often the sweet spot for beginners.

Conversation Partners

Language exchange partners where you help each other with your respective languages.

Recommended Platforms:

• LanguaTalk (my top recommendation)
• Verbling
• ConversationExchange.com (great for finding local, face-to-face sessions)

Special Resources For Japanese Learners

Since Lene specifically mentioned learning Japanese, if you're dealing with restaurant-heavy textbook vocabulary, check out my course, Japanese Uncovered.

Instead of listening to textbook dialogues about ordering food, you read and listen to a story in Japanese, specially written for beginner learners.

Learn A Language By Speaking FAQ

The Bottom Line: Getting Started Is Everything

The key to learning a language by speaking successfully is simply getting started. Don't wait until you feel ready – you never will. Find someone you like working with, bring one of those three types of conversation starters I mentioned, and dive in.

Yes, it's a little tricky at the beginning as you get used to actually having conversations, but very quickly you get comfortable speaking. And once you're comfortable, there's no looking back.

When you learn a language by speaking from day one, you're not just studying a language – you're living it, using it, and making it part of your real communication toolkit. That's when real progress happens.

Olly Richards

Creator of the StoryLearning® Method

Olly Richards is a renowned polyglot and language learning expert with over 15 years of experience teaching millions through his innovative StoryLearning® method. He is the creator of StoryLearning, one of the world's largest language learning blogs with 500,000+ monthly readers.

Olly has authored 30+ language learning books and courses, including the bestselling "Short Stories" series published by Teach Yourself.

When not developing new teaching methods, Richards practices what he preaches—he speaks 8 languages fluently and continues learning new ones through his own methodology.