Hey There!
Welcome to Go Natural English.
How are you doing?
In this English tip, I'd like to talk about the topic of making friends with Americans.
Is it difficult to make friends in the United States or with Americans abroad?
A lot of English learners really want to make English-speaking friends, especially American
English-speaking friends if this is the dialect or the culture that you want to know more
about but how do we do it, how do you make American friends, and is it difficult?
Well, I would say the answer is it just depends how you think about it and how you behave.
So, yes, it can be very difficult if you are a very shy person or a very doubtful, or timid,
or fearful person.
So, in order to make it easy on you to make great American friendships and to connect
with native speakers, you have to change your mindset and you have to change your behavior.
So, think about how can you be a more positive person.
Always think positively.
It's easy to make American friends.
I have a lot of interesting things to talk about, and I have fun with new people I meet.
These are the kinds of thoughts that you should be thinking if you want to make American friends.
Now maybe, maybe it might be difficult because there might be cultural differences so how
do you make American friends, or where do you make American friends?
Of course, a lot of people make friends in the workplace.
Now, I'm talking about adult English learners, right?
So, if you're in school or in a university, you're lucky because it's easy to make friends
with your classmates, but if you're not in a class or you're not working, or you don't
work with native English-speakers, then how do you make friends?
Well, if you live in an English-speaking country then the best way to make friends is to get
involved with an activity -- a sport, a club, or maybe a religious institution where you
are repeating the activity at least once a week so that you see the same people over
and over and that way you can establish a connection with those people using English.
Now, if you don't live in an English-speaking country, then use the Internet.
Use social media or even a language exchange site to meet native speakers, and that way
you can also meet repeatedly because a friendship is built over time.
You have to build trust -- get to know each other and build rapport.
So, a friendship doesn't happen from just one meeting -- usually.
Usually it takes time so just remember to -- as we say -- put yourself out there, which
means that you need to take action, be proactive.
You need to be the person to say, "hello, how are you", "my name is Gabby", "I love
to learn English", "I love to travel", "I love to listen to music and find where you
connect with people."
Or maybe you find out something about someone and say, "Hey, I heard that you really love
some famous singer, right?"
"Well, I do too!"
See what you have in common with that person.
Now, a friend of mine was just telling me -- an American friend -- that she's having
a hard time making friends in China.
She's living in China for four months and she really wants to make Chinese friends,
but no one ever comes up and talks to her.
I don't know why, maybe they're shy, maybe they think that she won't want to talk with
them but that's the opposite of the truth.
You have to assume that, like my friend, everyone wants to meet new people.
They want to connect with each other.
I really think that's true.
So, remember that you're helping other people by going out of your way, by putting yourself
out there and saying, "Hello, how are you?"
So, I hope that you can find someone to talk to today to just greet and say, "How are you?"
and start from there.
It doesn't have to be difficult to make friends.
Just keep trying and you'll see good things happening.
Thanks so much for watching.
Remember to come visit me at gonaturalenglish.com to learn more about the Go Natural English
premium course, and also to grab your free eBook to help you with English fluency.
You can make more friends.
Alright, thanks so much.
Bye for now.