For Tamil speakers
Spoken English through Tamil: how to start speaking, with explanations in Tamil
The short answer
If you studied in Tamil medium, or you understand English but the reply comes too slowly, you need speaking practice more than more grammar. Chappie lets you practise real conversations in English out loud and explains its corrections in Tamil, so you understand each mistake and how to say it better.
By the Chappie team · Published · Updated
பயமின்றி ஆங்கிலம் பேசுங்கள். Speak English without fear.
Why do I understand English but can’t speak immediately?
You follow the conversation. You know what you want to say. Then it’s your turn, and the sentence arrives late, or in pieces, or after the moment has passed. Tamil speakers describe this more than any other English problem, and it has very little to do with how much English you know.
Two things are going on. School English was reading and writing, so speaking under pressure never got trained. And Tamil puts the verb at the end of the sentence, where English puts it right after the person doing it, so a sentence built in Tamil and translated word by word will always come out slowly. Whole phrases skip that step. I understand English but can’t speak it covers the first part, and how to stop translating in your head the second.
ஆங்கிலம் பேசுவது எப்படி? What can you say today?
Start with whole sentences for the moments that come round every week. Say each one out loud three times, now, while there’s nobody to hear you.
“I’m Kavitha. I work at a hotel in Trincomalee.”
Introducing yourself. Name, job, place. Nothing more is needed to begin.
“Sorry, could you repeat that, please?”
You didn’t catch it. Everyone asks; guessing is what causes trouble.
“Let me think for a second.”
Buys you the moment you need, and sounds calm doing it.
“What I mean is…”
The first attempt came out wrong. Say it again, no apology needed.
“Could I add something here?”
Your way into a meeting. One clear sentence after it is plenty.
“I’ll check and get back to you.”
You don’t have the answer yet. Honest, and it ends the moment cleanly.
ஆங்கிலம் பேசும் பயிற்சி: what does daily speaking practice look like?
Three minutes in the morning describing your plans for the day, out loud, in English. Five minutes in the afternoon on one real conversation: a call, a meeting update, an interview answer. Two minutes in the evening saying the one sentence that was hard today, three more times. And all week, collect phrases rather than words. “Could you send me the file by Friday?” is one piece you can say without building it.
More ways to practise with nobody to talk to are in how to practise speaking English alone.
Which sounds are worth practising?
You don’t need a British or an American accent. You need to be understood, and most of that comes down to a few sounds and putting the stress on the right part of the word:
| Sound | How to get it |
|---|---|
| Sound“th” in “think” and “this” | How to get itThe tip of the tongue goes lightly between the teeth, and the air comes out over it. |
| Sound“v” and “w” | How to get it“Very” and “well” are different sounds in English. For “v”, the top teeth rest on the bottom lip. For “w”, round the lips and keep the teeth away. |
| SoundWord stress | How to get itOne part of each word carries the weight: “PHOto”, “phoTOgrapher”. Get it wrong and the word hides, even when every sound was right. |
| SoundThe ends of words | How to get it“First”, “asked”, “worked”: the final sound goes missing at speed. Slow down a little and it comes back. |
There’s more, including why nobody needs to lose their accent, in do you need to change your Sri Lankan accent?
How does Chappie help Tamil speakers?
- 1
Choose a situation
A job interview, a client call, small talk at work, a viva, a visa interview. Or describe your own.
- 2
Speak in English
Answer out loud, the way you would in real life. Chappie listens to the whole sentence and replies the way the other person would.
- 3
Read the explanation in Tamil
Chappie shows what to fix: the sound, the tense, a more natural word, the filler words. It can explain why in Tamil.
- 4
Say it again
Repeat until it comes quickly. Speed comes from repetition, and from nowhere else.
Practise it
Practise speaking English with explanations in Tamil. Free on Android and iPhone, with a free trial.
Is there a spoken English app for Tamil speakers in Sri Lanka?
Most Tamil-medium spoken English courses and apps are made for Tamil Nadu, so the examples, the accent and the prices are Indian. Chappie is built in Sri Lanka and explains its corrections in Tamil. Lesson apps that give Tamil meanings are useful for building vocabulary first. To choose between an app, a tutor and a class, see app, tutor or class? or the best English speaking apps in Sri Lanka.
What should you practise first?
- Introducing yourself (see how to answer “Tell me about yourself”).
- Interview questions (see job interview questions and answers in Sri Lanka).
- Replying quickly in a meeting (see what to do when you freeze).
- A phone call at work (see English phone call phrases).
Questions people ask
Do I speak Tamil or English to Chappie?
You speak in English, because that’s the skill you’re building. Chappie explains its corrections in Tamil, so you understand them fully.
I studied in Tamil medium. Is Chappie right for me?
Yes, if you understand basic English and want to speak it faster and with more confidence. If you’re starting from zero, do lessons in Tamil first and come to Chappie once you can follow a simple conversation.
Does Chappie work on Android?
Yes. Chappie is on Google Play and on the App Store for iPhone.
Why does my English come out slowly?
Usually because the sentence is built in Tamil first and translated word by word. Learning whole phrases, and saying them out loud every day, is what speeds replies up.