Buying Yourself Time When Speaking

Methods to ensure you are able to speak your target language

Welcome, aspiring polyglot! Learning to speak a new language is difficult, but just as we have ticks in English that people default to when trying to avoid awkward silence, so too do other languages around the world. Speaking requires confidence and it can be nearly impossible to develop the requisite confidence over night.

While you are working on building up that confidence there is nothing wrong with having a few crutches upon which to lean. You do not want to become dependent on them, but there is nothing wrong with having tools in your belt to fill in the gaps while you are learning. The final trick listed here is really the one that matters most.

Ways to buy yourself time during a conversation

If you know how you usually buy time in your native language then this transition is going to be rather simple. On the other hand, if you have never had to think about it, you are going to need to ask someone or think through previous conversations to figure it out for yourself. Of course, you don’t have to use the same crutches in every language and diversifying your strategies is always a good approach, but if you just do what you do in your native language that will still work effectively.

A few of the more common fillers words used in English are, “you know”, “so”, “and stuff”, “and things like that”, “so yeah”, “like”, “literally”, “to be honest” and if you use any of these one, you should fight to stop that habit in English and two, learn to use the translation in your target language.

Later in your second language acquisition you will want to stop. That is why you should fight to break the habit in your native language. However, you have used them for this long, there is no shame in using them to buy yourself time in your target language as well. In all likelihood you have more than just words you use to buy time or fill silence when speaking. It is so common that almost everyone who does not intentionally fight against it uses them.

Those are things like “umm” “uh” “huh” “hmm” and believe it or not, these things exist in other languages as well and can be written out much like that. The French, for example, use “hein” which sounds in English like a combination of “hmm” and “huh” and they write it in texts when expressing confusion.

Pretty much exactly the same way you would use it in English, which means you can use it in French or Spanish or German or Russian, whatever language you are learning almost certainly has filler words. But just because they are the same language, does not mean they use the same expressions to fill time. Often it is region dependent and even within the same country there are multiple different ways that these sentiments can be expressed.

Key words in different languages

One of the best ways to learn a new language is by listening to native speakers and paying attention to what they say. Much of the time spent in language classes is wasted because the way things are said do not always match the ways things should be said. Slang changes from region to region and slang is a phenomenal way to buy time when speaking a new language.

In French, for example, the words I used most frequently to buy time while I crafted sentences were, bref, which means brief, (en)fin, which means finally, and hein, which means huh. Obviously these make no sense in English, but they are things I heard my classmates saying. All I did was copy them and slowly, but surely, I began to sound more and more like a native speaker until one day I became indistinguishable.

Mimicking the natives is going to be your best bet. That means hunting down resources that suit your goals is vital. Try and find people who speak the language you are learning and if you have a certain country or region in mind, try to get more granular and find creators from those areas to use for comprehensible input. Depending on what you are interested in there may not be people from your exact target location available, but that doesn’t mean learning from other regions is not worthwhile.

Most of the time there will be at least some overlap from one place to another and people from different countries have often heard slang from other countries. Worst case scenario they assume you are from the region where those terms are used. Podcasts and reality TV are probably the best places to encounter slang, so search for the things you are interested in and get listening.

Translating the phrases you use to buy time in your native language

Believe it or not, much of the things that you would say in your native language can also be said with equal utility in your target language. Using these things to your advantage is a great way to build confidence when you are working towards conversational. Every new word you learn is one you can use to fill time when you are building sentences in your mind. For every time that direct translation fails you, it will offer you a way to express yourself.

That said, you may find that that there are times when you are unable to come up with something to say. Contrary to popular belief, not every second of every conversation needs to be filled. Silence is more than acceptable and, when done correctly, can come across as thoughtful rather than a display of incompetence. You may not like it at first and you will more than likely feel uncomfortable, but over time you should settle into it.

Learning to be comfortable with silence

Over the years I have learned to be comfortable sitting in silence. Not only as the one who is learning the new language, but with those who are learning a new language. Silence is an opportunity and breaking that silence with a linguistic crutch or by filling in blanks for the person is ultimately a disservice. Sometimes the best thing you can do is sit there in silence and think.

The problem with most mainstream classrooms is teachers are incredibly uncomfortable with silence. It may feel like failure, but it is not. All that silence represents is a stepping stone and if people are not allowed silence and time to create appropriate sentences they will continue to need help indefinitely. Fighting that feeling is difficult at first, but it will be beneficial for everyone involved.

Immersion language learning is effective because there is no option to default out and back to your native language. If you are going to spend that much time sitting in silence while you build your sentences, you might as well learn to be comfortable with it. The further you get into your second language acquisition the less it will be necessary. On the off chance you need a moment, however, the ability to relax in silence will be clutch.

Conclusion

Crutches and filler words are great to buy time, but the ultimate goal is to not need time. While you are learning, silence is going to be part of the equation whether you like it or not. This can be frustrating and demoralizing, but rest assured knowing that every single person who learns a second language experiences it. What will put you apart from the average language learner is your level of comfort with silence.

Do not allow yourself to default back to your native language. Fight for every word, every sentence, every opportunity to speak. If you do this every day you will become more proficient and you will need noticeably less time to think about what you want to say next. It’s like anything else, the more you do it the easier it gets and the more efficient you become. The first time you run a mile will be slower than the 100th time you run a mile. Language works in much the same way.

As we discuss often around here, creating is vital in second language acquisition. Speaking and practicing with written language will help you in accelerating and enhancing your language learning process, so start having conversations as early on as possible. It will be difficult, but you can do difficult things and be great. So go do some difficult things and become great.

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