The key to learning English is to really pay attention when you speak and listen. Sometimes it is hard for ESL students to grasp everything that is being said to them, even during ESL classes, because the other person talks very fast or uses vocabulary they still dont master. However, this is what it is all about: getting out there, talking and sharing with others, so as to practice and get used to the way people speak in English.

No one should feel ashamed about not understanding or not being clear when they are learning a language. Instead of pretending you got what the others are saying when you really didnt understand a single word, it could be an address, a question, instructions, or a joke, simply use one of these phrases to ask the others to clarify. This is the only way in which you will really practice and eventually learn the English language:

- Pardon?
- Sorry, whats your question?
- Can you repeat that?
- Would you mind repeating that?
- Sorry, I didnt understand
- I missed what you said.
- I dont get it. (means you dont understand how to do something, for example, when someone is giving instructions)
- Sorry, I still dont get it. (when a person has repeated himself or herself to explain)
- Could you run that by me again?
- Can you say that again?
- Could you slow down; Im learning English.
- Can you spell that, please?
- Im confused.
- Im lost. (when you dont know what someone is talking about because you lost the thread of the conversation)
- You lost me. (same as above, but in an informal setting)
- Say it again? (means repeat, but in an informal setting)

If you want to explain further why you didnt understand something, you can add:

- I dont speak English.
- English is my second language.
- Im not from here.

In the same way, never presume people understood what you said. Talking to others is a great opportunity to ask for help in correcting pronunciation, so, if someone is giving you a puzzled or shocked look, it may be that you just said something that sounded weird, but they are too polite to correct you. If you think you didnt explain yourself right or that someone didnt get what you said, heres the help you need:

- Did you get that?
- Was that clear?
- Did that make sense?
- Let me say it again.
- Let me clarify.
- What I mean is
- Thats not what I meant.
- Let me put it in a different way.
- Sorry, my pronunciation may be incorrect.

Most people talk through gestures too. Someone can let you know they didnt get a word of what you said by moving a part of their body, and so can you. These are some typical gestures:

- Shake the head from side to side.
- Lift shoulders up.
- Tip your head a little towards the speaker.
- Wrinkle your forehead.

Try using some of these expressions in your ESL class, and your teacher will be very impressed!

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. Theyll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (dont forget to mention www.englishlci.com as the original source).

Rachel Clarkson
http://www.englishlci.com/esl-classes.html