Why can I understand French but still struggle to speak it?

"We're all amazing at speaking French inside our heads."

"I understand everything. I just can't speak." I hear this a lot.

After over 20 years of teaching, I can tell you it's one of the most common things learners say. And it usually has very little to do with how much French you know.

Understanding and speaking are two different skills

Understanding happens in your head. Speaking happens in your mouth.

We're all amazing at speaking French inside our heads. The sentences come out perfectly formed. But when you have to make those words with your tongue and lips, it becomes a lot more difficult.

French sounds are unfamiliar and your mouth simply hasn't had the practice. If most of your learning has been reading, listening and apps, you've trained your ears and eyes, but not your voice.

So the first reason is simple. You haven't practised speaking enough yet.

The voice in your head

The second reason is the little voice that pipes up as soon as you open your mouth.

You're going to get this wrong. You're going to sound stupid. You're going to be embarrassed. Oh no, now it's been too long since anyone has said anything. I'm getting 'the look'!

You get inside your own head, and the words disappear.

So here's what I ask my students. If someone was speaking to you in broken English, would you be judging them? Or would you be trying to understand them?

You'd be trying to understand them. French people are no different.

Nobody starts speaking a language perfectly. Mistakes are a normal part of learning, not a sign that you're failing. Give yourself the same grace you'd give anyone else.

How one student got past the block

One of my students said exactly this to me at the end of a lesson. As soon as he started to speak, he blocked. Then he'd feel stupid, and then he couldn't say anything at all.

We worked on two things.

First, phrases to buy him time. Little fillers that show the other person you're still in the conversation and still thinking:

• euh... (um...)

• comment dire... (how can I put it...)

• je cherche le mot... (I'm looking for the word...)

They sound natural, because French people use them too.

Second, he found someone to practise with. His French neighbour agreed to go for a walk with him once a week. For an hour, they spoke only French. The neighbour knew it was for practice.

Walking side by side made a real difference. He wasn't face to face, looking someone in the eye while getting things wrong. If he made a mistake, they just kept walking.

What you can do on your own

Not everyone has a French neighbour they can go for walks with. Here's what I tell my students to do at home.

Try shadowing. Find some spoken French, such as a podcast, a YouTube video or a radio clip. Play a sentence, then say it straight after, copying the pronunciation and intonation as closely as you can. You're training your mouth to make the sounds.

Read aloud. A recipe, a news headline, a page of your course book. Get the words out of your head and into the air.

Test yourself aloud with sentence starters. Take a structure and finish it in several different ways:

• Ce week-end, je vais... (This weekend, I'm going to...)

• J'ai besoin de... (I need...)

• Je voudrais... (I'd like...)

Find a speaking partner. It could be an English friend who also speaks French, for half an hour a week. Or an exchange partner online who wants to practise their English. You speak French to them, and they speak English to you.

Use it for real. When you're having a coffee in town or ordering in a restaurant, try out what you've practised. Things stick far better once you've actually had to use them.

I've been there too

My Spanish is nowhere near as good as my French. When I speak it, I sometimes sound like a bit of a caveman "Where is toilet? I needs 2 ticket"...!

But if I get my question or my point across, I count that as a win. Communication is what matters.

The more I speak, the better I get, and the less nervous I feel. What's the worst that can happen? We go round in circles a little until we understand each other.

The more you speak, the easier it gets

If you can understand French, you've already done a lot of the hard work. Speaking just needs its own practice.

Give yourself permission to make mistakes. Use your fillers. Have a go, again and again.

If you'd like structured speaking practice you can do at home, my courses Simple Practical French and French Essentials give you the everyday phrases you need and the chance to say them out loud. CLICK HERE to find out more.