15,000 Known words, and I just barely started to try to speak

From the beginning my goal was to wait to speak for as long as I could, because when it came to speaking I didn’t want the pressure of learning new words, and to have a really hard time trying to understand the native speaker. I wanted to have enough words and a enough listening practice to where the only thing I have to focus on when trying to speak, was moving words from my passive vocabulary to my active vocabulary.

Im really curious what you guys think of this approach.
For me trying to speak in a foreign language with a native speaker can be really uncomfortable. So putting it off until I have enough words and enough listening would help lighten the load a bit.

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Also, do you guys have any tips when it comes to trying to speak? Im a complete noob when it comes to this area of language learning.

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I find it easiest to start with trying to talk to yourself/think in the language. Ask yourself: how am I doing? What have I been up to? in the target language. It’s pretty weird but just see how far you can go and see what range of expression you can put together. At first it will be slow and awkward, but if you keep doing it it will get easier. Writing might also help. Eventually you will know that you are ready for a native speaker.

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I agree with you on writing being helpful. As someone who hates to be put in a situation where I will be with great certainty be huming and ahming I have found that writing is a good preparatory exercise for speaking.

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