If you live in a place where most people speak the language you are learning, you may use the language for several hours each day.

　　So, it may become part of your "inner speech." In other words, you start thinking in that language. Your mind stops trying to translate things from your native language into the second language.

　　But, the majority of the VOA Learning English audience lives in places where English is not the main language.

　　This may be true for you. You may not have many chances to practice English. You may even be self-taught.

　　When you speak, your speech might be slower than you would like. This is because your mind is still translating from your first language, which can also sound unnatural. English, like every other language, has its own sentence structure.

　　The good news is that thinking in English can bring you a huge step closer to fluency! It is not very difficult, but it does take conscious effort and practice.

　　On today's Education Tips, we will share some mental exercises that can help.

　　Think in single words

　　Most experts note that it's best to start small. So, a good first step is to think in individual words.

　　Look around you. What do you see? In your head, try to name each object in your surroundings.

　　Charles Thomas has taught English to Union members, children and teenagers for over 10 years. He has also helped open schools in several countries. He currently works for EF International Schools in Washington, D.C.

　　Thomas tells his students to name the things that they see around them, wherever they are.

　　"As you continue with this, it becomes more of a habit, so things are going to pop up into your head – computer, telephone, chair, desk. Whatever it is...wherever you are."

　　Start with nouns and then add in verbs, he suggests.

　　He says you can also do this at home when you wake up and before you go to sleep.

　　Teacher Andrew Hinshaw also finds this exercise helpful.

　　He has been teaching English for 12 years, including in Vietnam for the U.S. Department of State. He currently teaches at the Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School in Washington, D.C.

　　Hinshaw remembers one method some of his Vietnamese students liked.

　　"I've had students tell me that they label everything in their room or their apartments so that these English words, kind of, stick in their heads."