如果我们能改变我们的口音、词汇和语法，使自己说英语听起来就像母语是英语的人，生活就会简单得多。与此同时，如果你想说英语就像本地人一样，你必须付出一些努力。但它可能不像你想象的那么难。

有一些实用的步骤，你可以遵循，它们会使你说英语听起来更流利，更像一种母语，从你的发音到你对词汇的用法。

有了这些技巧，再加上耐心和练习，你很快就会成为一种语言变色龙。

1. Get Familiar with Different English Accents

1 .熟悉了解不同的英语口音

There are many different accents among native English speakers. Someone from New York sounds different from someone who grew up in Texas.

母语为英语的人有许多不同的口音。来自纽约的人听起来不同于在德克萨斯州长大的人。

And of course, you must have heard the Queen’s English (the standard English of Britain). I’ll tell you right now that not everyone there sounds like their queen. Then there are the Scots, Welsh and Irish who speak English with different accents.

当然，你一定听说过女王的英语(英国标准英语)。我现在就告诉你，不是所有人都像他们的女王一样。然后是苏格兰人、威尔士人和爱尔兰人用不同的口音说英语。

Here’s a fun thing to do. Go to YouTube and search for videos of people trying to do different English accents. Not all are good (or correct) but they’ll give you an idea of how many English accents there are. Here’s a good example you can start with.Done with the fun? Now back to business!

这是一件有趣的事情。去YouTube上搜索那些尝试不同英语口音的人的视频。不是所有的都好(或正确)，但他们会告诉你有多少英国口音。这里有一个很好的例子。完成了乐趣?现在回到业务!

What kind of accent do you want to have? Think about the regions you want to travel to and the cities you’d like to work in. This is pretty important to decide as it will make your study and practice more focused.

你想要什么口音?想想你想去的地区和你想去的城市。这一点很重要，因为它会让你的学习和练习更加集中。

Do you want to sound like a New Yorker? That’s fine, but when you look for a TV show to watch, pick “Friends” instead of “Twin Peaks.” Stay focused.

你想听起来像个纽约人吗?这很好，但是当你在看电视节目时，选择“朋友”而不是“双峰”。“保持专注。

考虑到这一点，让我们继续改进你的发音，下面的小贴士:

2. Imitate Native Pronunciation

2.模仿本地发音

Okay, so now you have a basic idea of different English accents. But how do you go about actually learning native pronunciation?

好了，现在你有了一个不同的英语口音的基本概念。但是你是如何真正学习地道的发音的呢?

One great place to start is watching and imitating authentic English videos. These will expose you to real English pronunciation and speaking styles. They also give you the chance to study the speakers’ mouth and lip movements so you can imitate them.

一个好的开始是观看和模仿真实的英语视频。这些会让你接触到真正的英语发音和说话风格。他们也会给你机会研究说话者的嘴和嘴唇的动作，这样你就可以模仿他们。

There are tutorial videos (e.g Rachel’s English) and software (such as Tell Me More) that show you the English lip and tongue positions for every letter of the alphabet and all the combinations.

有一些教程视频(如瑞秋英语)和软件(如“告诉我更多”)，向你展示了每个字母和所有组合的英文嘴唇和舌头位置。

I know learning them is tedious, but it’ll help you pronounce words correctly, especially the ones with sounds that don’t exist in your native tongue.

我知道学习它们是很枯燥的，但它会帮助你正确发音，尤其是那些用母语不发音的单词。

So learn them and practice in front of the mirror. Do it again and again until it becomes muscle memory. You can even try recording yourself to assess your progress!

Watch how your mouth and lips move and see if you make a mistake or struggle with any particular words. Repeat the difficult words until the movements of your mouth feel natural.

所以，在镜子前学习练习吧。一次又一次地做，直到它变成肌肉记忆。你甚至可以试着录下自己的发音，用它们测评你的进步!

观察你的嘴和嘴唇是如何移动的，看看你是否犯了错误或与任何特定的单词作斗争。重复这些困难的单词，直到你的嘴感觉自然。

3. Learn the Flow of English

3.学习英语的连贯性

Pronunciation is crucial, but it’s not everything. You can pronounce every individual word like a native speaker, but still not talk like one. That’s because you also need to have the right flow.

发音很重要，但并不是全部。你可以像母语人士一样正确发音每个单独的词，但仍然不能像母语者那样说话。这是因为你也需要有正确的连贯性。

So, what exactly makes the flow of English?

One important element is “connected speech.” This refers to the way the end of one word and the beginning of the next word sometimes interact in English.

那么，英语的连贯性究竟是怎样的呢?

一个重要的因素是“连读”。这指的是一个单词的结尾，下一个单词的开头在英语中有时候会交叉合并。

Specifically, a native speaker can:

具体地说，母语人士可以:

Join two sounds. When a word ends in a consonant sound, and the following word begins with the same consonant sound, both sounds are pronounced together as one.

连接两个发音。当一个单词以辅音结尾的时候，下面的单词以同样的辅音开始，这两个发音可以合二为一。

Example: I’d decide it later.

例子:我以后再决定。

One word begins with a vowel, a native speaker would connect the consonant with the vowel as if they belong to one word.

如果第一个单词以辅音结尾，第二个单词以元音开头，一个以英语为母语的人会把辅音和元音连在一起，就好像它们属于一个单词一样。

Example: I’d like a fried egg.

例子:我想要一个煎蛋。

Get rid of a sound. When the sounds “t” or “d” occur between two consonant sounds, they’ll often disappear completely from the pronunciation.

摆脱一个发音。当声音“t”或“d”出现在两个辅音之间，它们通常会在发音中完全消失。

Example: See you nex(t) week!

例子:下周见！

Native speakers also almost always use contractions (short words created by combining two separate words) to speak faster. Some examples of common ones:

以英语为母语的人也几乎总是使用缩写(由两个单独的单词组合而成的缩写)，以更快的速度说话。一些常见的例子:

I + am = I’m

我是=我是

I + will = I’ll

我将会=我将会

do + not = don’t

不是=不是

I + have = I’ve

我已经=我已经

I + would= I’d

我将要=我将要

You can also listen for stress and rhythm in native English speaking. Native English speakers typically raise their voices and make a longer sound for the word that needs the most attention—in other words, they “stress” the most important words.

你也可以在地道的英语说话中，来听英语的重音和节奏。母语为英语的人通常会提高他们的声音并且发出更长的声音，来强调最需要注意的单词，他们会“重读”最重要的单词。

English rhythm is the musical feature of English—the up and down of the pitch each word in a sentence takes.Now that we know what the flow of English involves, how can we learn it?

英语节奏是英语的音乐特征，每个词的上下音都是在一个句子里的。既然我们知道了英语的流动连贯性，我们如何学习它呢？

The best way to learn the flow of English is to mimic native speakers. It’s really something you need to hear and imitate, over and over. Research indicates that sometimes we imitate others’ behavior subconsciously (without realizing it). So this might be a more natural process than you think.

学习英语的最佳方法是模仿母语人士。这是一件你需要反复去听和反复模仿的事情。研究表明，有时候我们会下意识地模仿别人的行为(而自己没有意识到)。所以这可能是一个比你想象的更自然的过程。

For mirroring material, find a famous speech, a TED talk or a song. Rap songs are very good for this purpose. Note down how a speaker stresses different words in a sentence, which in turn leads to the distinct rhythm.

对于镜像材料，找一个著名的演讲，一个TED演讲或者一首歌。说唱歌曲非常适合这个目的。注意说话者如何在句子中重读不同的单词，从而导致不同的节奏。

4.Use Slang When You Speak English

4.说英语时使用俚语

“Slang” refers to informal (sometimes vulgar) words and phrases. Slang is more common in speech than writing.

俚语指的是非正式的(有时是粗俗的)词汇和短语。俚语在口语交际中，比在写作更常见。

Slang is also usually different in different communities—so the slang in the Southern U.S. is different than the slang in England. (To see how different it can be, check out this hilarious “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” interview with the actor Hugh Laurie.)

俚语在不同地区也有不同之处，所以美国南部的俚语和英国的俚语是不同的。(看看这有多不同，你可以看搞笑的艾伦秀，对演员休.劳瑞的访谈那一期)

But there are some examples of slang that a wide range of English speakers use, which you can learn. For instance:

但也有一些俚语的例子，很多说英语的人使用，你可以从中学到。例如

Wanna (Want to)

Hang out (Spend time together)

In an informal setting, a native speaker would say “Do you wanna hang out?” instead of “Do you want to spend some time together?”

想要(想要)在一个非正式的环境中闲逛(花时间在一起)，一个说母语的人会说：“你想出去玩儿吗?”而不是，“你想和我待一会儿吗？”

If you do hang out, the next day your friend might say, “We had a blast yesterday.” That means that he/she had a really fun time. But if he/she tells others that “you drove him/her up the wall,” that means he/she was irritated by you.

如果你真的出去玩，第二天你的朋友可能会说：“昨天我们玩得很开心。”这意味着他/她玩得很开心。但是如果他/她告诉别人“你把他/她逼上了墙”，那就意味着他/她被你激怒了。

By mastering this type of slang, you’ll instantly sound more fluent and native-level.

掌握这种类型的俚语，你的发音会更加流利和自然。

Don’t try to find slang on the news or in formal speeches. Watch current TV shows or search for vlogs (video blogs) on YouTube. Because slang is regional, you should search for shows/videos set in the region whose English accent you want to speak.

不要试图在新闻或正式演讲中找到俚语。看目前的电视节目或搜索视频（YouTube上的视频博客）。因为俚语是区域性的，你应该在你想说的英语口音的区域里找一些节目/视频。

As you start incorporating slang into your own communication, use Urban Dictionary or ask a native speaker to make sure you’re using it correctly.The best way to learn slang words is to use them but remember the context. They should be used in informal settings only.

当你开始把俚语融入到你自己的交际中时，使用城市词典或者问母语者确保你正确使用它。学习俚语的最好方法是使用它们，但要记住上下文。他们应该只在非正式场合使用。

5. Learn English Idioms

5.学习英语习语

English idioms are phrases whose meanings aren’t obvious from looking at the individual words.

英语习语是指从单个词来看意义不明显的短语。

The use of idioms might not be as common as slang in informal speech. However, native speakers can use idioms at times and mystify you.

习语的使用可能不像俚语中的俚语那样常见。然而，母语说话者有时会使用母语习语并且使你困惑。

For example, if you’re in a meeting and your colleague says, “you can’t see the forest for the trees,” you might be confused. Your conversation has nothing to do with trees or a forest!

例如，如果你在开会，你的同事说，“你看不见森林里的树木”，你可能会感到困惑。你的谈话与树木或森林无关！

That’s because she’s using a common idiom. “You can’t see the forest for the trees” means you’re too involved in the details of a problem to understand the situation as a whole. Perhaps you pay too much attention to the logistic matters while not enough on the bigger issues like budget or deadlines.

那是因为她使用了一个常用的习语。“你看不见森林中的树木”，意思是你太专注于某个问题的细节来理解整个情况。也许你过于关注后勤问题，而不是在预算或截止日期等更大的问题上。

It’s also helpful to keep a diary of idioms you learn and their (possible) equivalents in your language. This can make them more memorable. You can also look up idioms in your diary if you hear one, but forget what it means.

用你学习到的习语和你母语中可能意思相同的替换习语写日记是很有帮助的。这可以让它们记忆更深刻。你也可以在听到一个习语时，在日记中找到它，但可能忘了它的意思。

Finally, don’t be afraid to use them! You might not have them perfectly nailed the first time but a kind native speaker might help you with the correct usage, and you’ll remember.

最后，不要害怕使用它们！你可能第一次没有对它们完全掌握，但是一个母语为英语的人可能会帮助你正确使用它们，你会记住的。

It’s not easy to learn English like a native speaker. In fact, it’s very hard.

把英语学得像一个母语为英语的人。事实上，这是非常困难的。

However, you can start today by perfecting your pronunciation and practicing to obtain a natural flow of speech.

然而，你可以从今天开始，通过完善你的发音和练习来获得自然流畅的讲话。

Don’t let slang and idioms hinder your progress. Plunge in.

不要让俚语和习语阻碍你进步。全身心投入。

Learn the spoken speech, and you’ll speak like a native speaker when you least expect it.

学习口语讲话，你会像说母语的人一样说话，当你对它给予最少的期待时。