Guides
Speak English with confidence, one conversation at a time.
Practical guides for the conversations that matter: interviews, meetings, phone calls. Written for people who understand English but freeze when it is time to speak.
Speaking confidence
Why you understand English but freeze when you speak, how to stop translating in your head, and why your accent is fine.
I understand English but can’t speak it: why it happens and how to fix it
Understanding and speaking are different skills. Why so many Sri Lankans understand English but freeze when they speak, and a 4-week plan to speak without fear.
How to stop translating in your head and think in English
Why translating from Sinhala or Tamil makes you pause, seven ways to start thinking in English, the chunks to learn first, and a 15-minute daily routine.
Do you need to change your Sri Lankan accent to speak English well?
No. Being understood matters, not sounding British or American. What Sri Lankan English is, which sounds to practise, UK or US English, and speaking clearly.
How to speak English fluently and confidently: what fluency is, and seven habits that build it
What fluency really means, why confidence comes after practice, seven habits that build both, and an honest answer on whether 30 days is enough.
How to improve your English pronunciation: what to fix first, and a ten-minute daily routine
How to improve your English pronunciation and keep your accent: which sounds to fix first, words that often trip people up, and a ten-minute daily routine.
Job interviews
The questions you will be asked, sample answers for freshers and experienced people, and how to practise them out loud.
How to answer “Tell me about yourself” in English
A three-part shape, four sample answers for Sri Lankan job interviews, the small phrases that make you sound unsure, and how to practise it out loud.
Practise your job interview in English, out loud, before the real one
Run a mock job interview in English on your phone: the ten questions you will be asked, what interviewers want to hear, and feedback on every answer.
Job interview questions and answers in Sri Lanka (2026)
The 10 questions Sri Lankan employers ask most, with sample answers for freshers and experienced people, plus bank, call centre, hotel and IT questions.
How to face your first job interview in English
For graduates and first-jobbers: what to prepare, how to introduce yourself, what to say when you don’t understand or freeze, and a 7-day practice plan.
Self introduction in English: what to say in an interview, in class, online and on your first day
A three-part way to introduce yourself in English, with sample self introductions for a job interview, a student, an online meeting and a first day at work.
Online job interview in English: setting up, the first minute, and what to say when the call goes wrong
How to handle a job interview on Zoom or a video call in English: what to check in the hour before, your first minute, and phrases for when the connection fails.
Strengths and weaknesses in a job interview: what to say, with sample answers
How to answer “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” in English: how to pick a strength you can prove, weaknesses that are safe to admit, and sample answers to adapt.
Visa interviews
Short, clear answers for visa officers, and what to say when you did not understand.
Visa interview in English: common questions and how to practise answering
The questions visa officers usually ask students, workers and visitors, how to answer clearly in English, what to say when you did not understand, and how to practise.
US visa interview questions in Sri Lanka: how to answer clearly in English
Common F-1 student and B1/B2 visitor visa interview questions at the U.S. Embassy in Colombo, how to answer in short, clear English, and how to practise.
IELTS
The three parts of the Speaking test, what the examiner marks, and how to practise out loud.
English at work
Meetings, phone calls, updates and delays: the phrases that get you talking.
What to do when the meeting switches to English and you freeze
Why your mind goes blank when you have to speak English at work, the phrases that buy you a few seconds, a shape for your point, and how to walk in ready.
English phrases for meetings: how to speak up, interrupt politely and disagree
Ready-to-say English phrases for business meetings: joining in, interrupting politely, disagreeing, asking someone to repeat, updates and online call problems.
English phone call phrases for work (and how to practise them)
Phone call English phrases for work: answering, taking messages, spelling names, saying numbers and emails, calming unhappy customers, and a practice routine.
Presentation in English: how to start, what to say, and how to handle questions
How to give a presentation in English: an opening to learn by heart, phrases for moving between points, a sample two-minute update, and how to handle questions.
Speaking practice
How to practise every day, alone or with an app, and why the words disappear in the first place.
How to practise speaking English when you have no one to talk to
Six ways to practise speaking English on your own, a 15-minute daily routine, and the habits that keep people understanding English but never quite speaking it.
How to practise speaking English with ChatGPT or Gemini: prompts that work, and where they fall short
Ten copy-paste prompts for English speaking practice with ChatGPT or Gemini voice mode, how to get real corrections, and the honest limits of AI chatbots.
English speaking practice: free ways to practise out loud, online, with AI or alone
Five ways to get English speaking practice in Sri Lanka and what each costs, 40 questions to answer out loud, and a ten-minute session you can start today.
English conversation practice: ten everyday dialogues to say out loud
Ten short English conversations for daily life: the bank, the doctor, a phone call, ordering food, small talk at work and meeting new people. Read them, then say them.
Daily use English sentences for speaking, and how to make them come out when you need them
Seventy English sentences for daily use, grouped by when you’d say them: greetings, work, the phone, shops, and when you didn’t understand. With a way to practise them.
For Sinhala speakers
ඉංග්රීසි කතා පුහුණුව, with every correction explained in Sinhala.
For Tamil speakers
ஆங்கிலம் பேசும் பயிற்சி, with every correction explained in Tamil.
Choosing an app
How to choose between apps, tutors and classes, and what is actually free.
Best English speaking apps in Sri Lanka (2026): how to choose the right one for you
There is no one best English speaking app. How to pick the right kind for your situation, five questions to ask before you pay, and where Chappie fits, honestly.
Free English speaking apps in Sri Lanka: what is actually free, and what it is worth
Which English speaking apps are really free in Sri Lanka, what a free plan can and cannot do, the best free routine, and how to use a free trial without being charged.
Spoken English class, tutor or app: which is right for you in Sri Lanka?
What a spoken English class, a tutor and a speaking app each give you, what they cost in Sri Lanka, how much speaking you really get, and the mix that works.
About Chappie
What Chappie is, where it works, and what it costs.
Reviews
What learners in Sri Lanka say, word for word.