Speaking practice
How to practise speaking English with ChatGPT or Gemini: prompts that work, and where they fall short
The short answer
To practise speaking English with ChatGPT or Gemini, use voice mode and start with a prompt that sets a role-play, keeps its replies short, and asks it to correct you after each answer. It makes a useful conversation partner, but it only corrects you when you ask, and it won’t track your progress unless you set that up yourself.
By the Chappie team · Updated
Written by the team behind Chappie, the English speaking app, so we aren’t neutral on this topic. We have tried to make this page useful whether or not you ever use Chappie. ChatGPT and Gemini features were checked on OpenAI’s and Google’s own help pages on 28 September 2026. They change often.
How do I use ChatGPT or Gemini voice mode for English practice?
- 1
Open voice mode
In ChatGPT, tap the Voice icon in the message bar, on your phone or at chatgpt.com (OpenAI’s Voice help page). In the Gemini app, tap Live at the bottom of the screen (Google’s Gemini Live help page).
- 2
Type your prompt first, then talk
Paste a prompt from below, then switch to voice in the same chat: both apps let you move between typing and talking.
- 3
Give yourself time to think
A long pause can make the AI answer before you’ve finished. OpenAI suggests asking at the start, for example “Wait until I ask you to respond.” In Gemini, tap Hold to switch the mic off while you think, then tap Live to carry on.
- 4
Set the language and the pace
In ChatGPT, set Settings, Voice, Language to English. OpenAI says choosing the language you speak most can help it understand you. If it talks too fast, say “Please speak more slowly.”
- 5
Read the transcript afterwards
Both apps keep a text transcript when you end a voice chat. Read it, and ask for a list of your mistakes.
Ten prompts that work
Copy one, change the parts in square brackets to your real situation, and paste it before you start speaking. The more specific you are, the more useful the practice.
Let’s have a conversation in English about my work and my day. Keep each of your replies to one or two sentences, so I do most of the talking. After each of my answers, correct my grammar and word choice in one short line, then ask the next question.
Short replies mean more speaking time for you, and you get a correction every turn.
Act as an interviewer for a [junior accountant] role at a [bank in Colombo]. Ask me one question at a time, with follow-up questions. Don’t help me while I answer. After each answer, tell me one thing I did well, one thing to fix, and a better version of my weakest sentence.
Be a strict but kind English teacher. Don’t say “great answer” unless it really was. Point out every grammar mistake, every unnatural phrase and every filler word like “um”, “actually” and “basically”.
Chatbots tend to praise everything. This asks for the useful version.
We will speak in English. When you correct me, explain the mistake briefly in [Sinhala or Tamil], then give me the correct English sentence to repeat. Keep everything else in English.
You are my manager in a weekly team meeting. Ask me for my update, then ask two follow-up questions, including one about a delay. When the role-play ends, list three sentences I should say differently, with better versions.
Play a customer calling about a late delivery. Be a little impatient but realistic. I am the customer service agent. Stay in character until I say “stop”, then tell me where I sounded unclear or too abrupt.
Act as a visa officer for a [UK student visa] interview. Ask short, direct questions, one at a time. Don’t give feedback until I say “finished”, then tell me which answers were unclear or too long.
After each answer, give me a more natural way to say what I said, using simple words I would actually use at work. No rare or difficult words. Then ask me to say the new version out loud.
Give me one useful sentence for [a client call]. I will say it back to you. Then give me a slightly longer version of the same idea. Do ten sentences, getting a little harder each time.
Keep a list of the mistakes I make most often in this chat. When I say “summary”, give me my top three mistakes with one example each, so I can practise them tomorrow.
The closest a chatbot gets to tracking your progress. Very long chats can hit a limit, so each week start a new chat and paste in last week’s summary.
For the interview questions most worth rehearsing, see the ten you’ll almost certainly be asked. For visa questions by type, see our visa interview guide.
Where do ChatGPT and Gemini fall short?
They’re genuinely useful, and free to start. They’re also general assistants rather than speaking coaches, and it helps to know where the gaps are before you lean on them.
You have to ask for corrections. Left alone, they keep the conversation going and let small mistakes pass, so put the rule in your first message and repeat it if they drift. They’re very polite, too: expect a lot of “Great job!”, and ask for strict feedback, or “What would sound more natural?”, when you want the useful version.
They correct what they think they heard. Voice mode writes down roughly what you said rather than exactly, so a correction can miss a real slip, or fix something you said correctly. And they can tell you how to say a word, complete with audio, but feedback on how you said it, sound by sound, is something neither does well yet.
There’s no plan unless you make one: no scenarios, no levels, no record of your progress, so you bring the prompts, the routine and the mistake list. Free limits change often, and a long session can simply stop. And Sinhala can be uneven. Tamil works well, but a Sinhala explanation sometimes reads strangely, and when it does, ask for it again in simple English.
Tips to get more out of AI speaking practice
Speak more than it does; if its replies get long, say “Shorter replies, please. I want to talk more.” Practise the conversations that scare you rather than easy chat: the meeting where you freeze, the phone call, the interview. Say each corrected sentence out loud three times, because reading a correction and being able to say it are different things. Ten minutes every day beats an hour once a week; a 15-minute daily routine is here. And mix in real people. AI is a safe place to rehearse, and colleagues, friends and classes are where it gets tested.
When does a dedicated English speaking app help?
For many people, ChatGPT or Gemini with good prompts is enough, especially if you’re happy to set things up yourself. A dedicated app helps when you want the structure built in.
| ChatGPT or Gemini | A dedicated speaking app | |
|---|---|---|
| Scenarios | ChatGPT or GeminiYou write the prompt each time | A dedicated speaking appUsually ready-made |
| Corrections | ChatGPT or GeminiOnly when you ask | A dedicated speaking appUsually on every answer |
| Pronunciation | ChatGPT or GeminiCan show you how to say a word | A dedicated speaking appSome apps check how you said it |
| Progress | ChatGPT or GeminiOnly if you set it up | A dedicated speaking appUsually tracked for you |
| Cost | ChatGPT or GeminiFree within limits, paid plans for more | A dedicated speaking appVaries: free tiers, trials, subscriptions |
Our comparison of English speaking apps in Sri Lanka covers the options, from pronunciation apps to live tutors, with prices checked on each provider’s own page.
Chappie is one of those options, and it’s ours. It’s built for people in Sri Lanka who understand English but hesitate to speak it: you pick a situation, such as a job interview or a client call, answer out loud, and get feedback on pronunciation, grammar, word choice and fluency, explained in Sinhala, Tamil or Hindi if you want. The honest trade-off: ChatGPT and Gemini have free plans, while Chappie is a subscription after a free trial. If the chatbots keep you speaking, keep using them.
Practise it
Try one of the prompts above, then try the same situation in Chappie. Keep whichever gets you speaking more.
Questions people ask
Can I practise speaking English with ChatGPT for free?
Yes, within limits. OpenAI says free accounts get limited access to ChatGPT Voice and that limits may change, so a long session can run out. Paid plans raise the limit.
What is the best ChatGPT prompt for English speaking practice?
One that sets a role, keeps replies short and asks for a correction after every answer. For example: “Ask me one question at a time, keep your replies to two sentences, and correct my grammar in one line after each answer.”
Is Gemini Live good for practising English?
It is a useful conversation partner, and Google itself suggests using Live to rehearse important moments out loud. Like ChatGPT, it only corrects you if you ask, so start with a prompt that sets the rules.
Is there a free English speaking app with AI?
ChatGPT and Gemini can both be used for spoken English practice on their free plans, within usage limits that change. Dedicated speaking apps usually offer a free trial or a limited free tier, then a paid plan.
Can ChatGPT check my English pronunciation?
It can tell you how to say a word and play it aloud. It does not check how you said it, sound by sound, so for that a dedicated speaking app is a better fit.
Can ChatGPT explain my English mistakes in Sinhala or Tamil?
You can ask it to. Tamil works well. Sinhala explanations can read strangely, so if one does, ask for it in simple English instead.