Scared of speaking English?

Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Pippa.

And I'm Beth. Have you ever been scared of speaking in English? In this episode, we're talking about why speaking in a foreign language can be so stressful. So, Pippa, do you ever get nervous speaking in a different language?

Yes, I learnt French when I was younger and I was actually quite good at it, I think, but I was really nervous when I was speaking French. How about you?

Yeah, I've always felt like that with Spanish. I am scared to speak because I don't want to make mistakes, even though I know it's OK to make mistakes.

Well, in this episode of 6 Minute English, we'll be hearing about how to feel less nervous when you speak English. And as usual, we'll be learning some useful new words and phrases. You can practise these with the quiz and worksheet on our

But first I have a question for you, Pippa. So, English has around one million words, but on average, how many words does a typical English speaker use in daily conversation? Is it a) between 2000 and 3000? b) between 20000 and 30000. Or c) between 200000 and 300000.

I'm going to say a) 2000 to 3000.

OK. Well we will find out later in the programme. Now, Pippa, you said you found it stressful speaking in French, even though you are quite good at it. Now, someone else who has had this experience is Hanan Razek. Hanan is a journalist at BBC Arabic and also host of the podcast Beating Speaking Anxiety. Here she is telling BBC Learning English presenter Georgie about speaking English.

My English was actually pretty good but having conversations with people, I found it really difficult. So when I first joined the BBC, the Learning English team made an assessment of my English level, which they used to do for all new joiners to see if they need any help or courses. My results were pretty good and I was fluent. But on that very same day, leaving the building and going to get some coffee, I couldn't really understand what the barista was saying, and I felt pretty nervous to order coffee and was trying to stress every single word, hoping that my grammar is correct and I am pronouncing the words right.

Yeah, I'm sure that's a situation lots of people can relate to.

Hanan's results on her English assessment were pretty good, but she was still pretty nervous to speak in English, for example when ordering a coffee in English. The modifier pretty means quite or a bit.

Georgie says that Hanan's experience is something that lots of people can relate to. If you relate to a situation, you know what it feels like, usually because a similar thing has happened to you.

So lots of people feel nervous speaking another language, even if they're good at it, like Hanan. We can call this speaking anxiety. Anxiety means an uncomfortable feeling or worry about something that is happening or could happen in the future.

So why do so many people have anxiety about speaking a foreign language? Experts think it's connected to the beliefs we have about ourselves. Han Luo, professor of Chinese at Lafayette College in the United States, explains more to BBC Learning English presenter Georgie.

You know, usually the beliefs that cause anxiety, especially severe anxiety, are, we call it irrational beliefs. And also like, uh, some low self-perceptions, um, fear of negative evaluation, all those learner internal, you know, factors.

And Han says that learners worry about mistakes because they're scared of negative evaluation. In other words, that people will judge them for their mistakes and think badly of them.

Han argues that irrational beliefs can make us anxious. Irrational beliefs are beliefs that aren't based on things that are true. They're not logical.

Han says some people who have speaking anxiety have low self-perceptions. Your self-perception is what you think about yourself.

Self-perception and irrational beliefs are both internal factors. They come from inside your head, not from the people around you.

So, for example, when you speak your first language, you might feel confident and intelligent, but when you speak in a new language, you make mistakes and feel less confident. You can't show people what you're really like, and this is frustrating.

But as we tell people all the time at BBC Learning English, mistakes are normal. You have to try to speak, even though you make mistakes, and mistakes can be a good thing. They can help us learn. And if you want more tips to improve your speaking, listen to the Beating Speaking Anxiety podcast. There's a link in the notes below this episode. But Beth, I think it's time for the answer to your quiz question.

Yes, I asked you how many words does the average English speaker use in daily communication? The answer is 20000 to 30000.

That's quite a lot.

Yeah. That's loads. OK, let's recap the vocabulary we've learnt. Pretty can be used as a modifier to mean quite or a bit.

If you relate to a person or situation you understand them, usually because you've experienced something similar.

Anxiety is feeling uncomfortable or worried about something that is happening or could happen in the future.

Irrational beliefs are beliefs about something that is not true. They're not logical.

Self-perception is the way you see yourself.

And internal means inside the body or mind.

Once again, our six minutes are up. But if you'd like to find out more about our Beating Speaking Anxiety series. There are podcasts about the things we find scary when speaking a different language, and videos with tips to help you feel more confident with speaking.

Thanks for joining us and goodbye.

Goodbye.