Put Your English Learning to Practice January 18, 2017

Learning a new language comes with steps and stages of progression. In the beginning, there’s a lot of tedious memorization and basic application tools to help you build your foundation. As you develop and advance, you start listening and speaking with more ease and fluidity. Eventually, you’ll begin feeling comfortable holding small conversations with other English-speaking individuals. But how do you continue practicing your English with strangers when you’re out and about without the cushion of your classmates or your English language dictionary?

In New York City, there is never a shortage of fun and creative activities. The city is full of diverse things to do, and I can guarantee that you will never be bored while you’re here. When you feel confident and ready to step out into the social scene, New York City is ready for you. I’ve come up with a few clever options that you can put your English to use. Put on your thinking cap, and get out there!

1.Bust your Brain with some Trivia!

You’re probably already familiar with establishments that organize trivia nights, but this is a competitively fun way to use your new English skills. Either bring a team of your own in or see if an existing team has room for one more (most people don’t mind this since the more brains in a group, the better the chances of winning are). You’ll be given rounds of entertaining questions that will test your sports, movies, music, etc. knowledge for the chance to win the competition, and in some venues, sometimes a prize is even awarded! The win-win out of this scenario is that not only will you be putting your English application to the test, but you’ll be testing your cultural knowledge as well! And you never know—you could even make a new friend or two out of this!

2.Sing your heart out at Karaoke!

This is something I would never, ever have the courage to do, but this is truly a fun way to put your English learning to use. Maybe you just learned and perfected your new favorite English-language song, and you want to show off to the world (or maybe just that bar in New York City) that you’ve nailed it. This is your chance: have fun with it! Get up on stage, and sing your heart out. And if you mess up or forget the words halfway through the song, don’t even worry about it—you definitely weren’t the first one—and you won’t be the last! (And of course, don’t forget that you have the cushion of the screen in front of you that scrolls the lyrics as the song progresses—another perfect way to utilize your English reading comprehension skills!) Plus, half the fun is watching everyone else sing!

3.Get silly with Scrabble or Charades

Not all the activities have to be at the bar! There are so many fun cafes and bookstores in the city that organize game night gatherings. For your case, as someone that’s working on perfecting their English, I recommend either an establishment that hosts a Scrabble night or a Charades night. Scrabble is a board game that challenges you to create words out of other words—think of it as Dominos but in word form. This will get you thinking about your early days learning English vocabulary, and it’ll get your competitive juices flowing, too!

Charades is never a bore, as you simply act out a specific “thing” (movie, song, person—anything, really) without using your words. The other team has to guess what you’re acting out, and the laughter that comes from this game is worth the silliness. You’ll be thinking about your English vocabulary without even realizing it! Do some research on spots that host evenings like these, and give it a shot—more than anything, you’ll have an absolute blast.

4.Get your flirt on at Speed Dating

This one might sound like a silly one, but if you’re single and looking to mingle, this is a fun option! There are many organizations within the city that are always hosting some kind of singles night. This provides you with the opportunity to try out your real-world conversational skills and get a feel for the social environment within the city limits. Even if you don’t meet the love of your life, it’ll be a perfect setting to chat with new people and in turn, learn even more about New York City and all the wonderful things it has to offer.