How Reading Can Help You Sound Like a Native Speaker

Step #1: Listen and Imitate

The first step to sounding like a native speaker is becoming familiar with the way actual native speakers of a certain language sound. In order to do so, you should listen to the natives as often as possible. 

For example, you can try listening to a chapter from an audiobook while having a copy of the same chapter in front of you. You should try listening to it multiple times paying attention to pauses and intonation. Afterwards, you should read the text multiple times imitating the native speaker. In the end, try marking the pauses and the changes in intonation in the text. 

Step #2: Slowly Read Every Sentence

In normal everyday speech, pauses are very important and they can make a great difference when it comes to sounding like a native. They are a crucial part of the language flow and every language has a distinctive flow. New language learners usually don’t sound like natives because they try to speak the new language with the flow of their native language. 

In order to sound like a native, you will need to make sure the words you pronounce are connected in such a way that sounds the most natural, without any unnecessary pauses. To practice this, slowly read every sentence while taking care to achieve a natural rhythm of your target language, articulate every sound clearly, and connect the words in a natural way.

Step #3: Slowly Increase Your Reading Speed

Slow and steady wins the race. You need to change your reading speed in order to practice sounding like a native. After you read the text slowly, try reading it faster but still slower than your normal speaking pace. Don’t forget to pay attention to punctuation marks, pauses, pronunciation, and intonation. 

Finally, read the text at your normal speaking speed. If you experience any difficulties with different speeds, you can slow down or perhaps start from the beginning until you get used to the speed. The most important thing is to pay special attention to intonation which you have marked in the first step. 

Step #4: Record the Finished Product and Analyze Your Achievement

After taking some time to practice and perfect your reading as much as possible, it is time to check your progress. You will need a sound recording device for this step, such as your mobile phone, or a computer.

Open the voice recording software and start reading the text at a normal pace, imitating native speakers. Make sure to be extra careful this time because you will check your recording for any mistakes afterwards.

After you are done with recording, you should try listening to your recording. Don’t worry if you don’t find your own voice pleasing, most people don’t. Check for these specific errors and write them down: 

• Mistakes in pronunciation
• Wrong intonation
• Strange changes in speed or rhythm
• Speaking too slow or speaking too fast
• Speaking too quiet or too loudly

Step #5: Fix the Mistakes and Retry

Once you have your mistakes in front of you, try fixing them and recording yourself once again. Afterwards, repeat the whole process and see if there are still any mistakes that are still present. If so, try focusing solely on them or get professional guidance if you don’t see any improvement, such as online tutoring. 

The most important step to sounding like a native is realizing what mistakes you are making. The next step is practice, which takes a lot of patience and dedication every day. So, start practicing today!