How to Get Rid of Nervousness While Speaking English (Even on the Duolingo Test)

Introduction — The moment your mind goes blank

The clerk folds a sweater, smiles, and asks you a simple question: "What style are you looking for?" You understand every word. Yet, in the space between your thoughts and your mouth, everything stalls. Your chest tightens, your face warms, and although you know the answer—something casual, maybe waterproof—you freeze when speaking English.

The clerk repeats the question, slower this time, as if volume or pacing were the problem. It isn't. You're not confused; you're nervous speaking English under pressure.

Meanwhile, your brain races: pick a word, any word, just start. But the first second disappears, then the next, and the silence becomes its own judgment. You give a short, vague reply—"Just… normal"—and instantly regret it. You leave the store knowing the truth: understanding isn't fluency.

Fluency is retrieval, structure, and delivery—especially when a real person is waiting. This page shows how to get rid of nervousness while speaking English, in shops and on the Duolingo test.

Why you get nervous while speaking English

In real life you don't speak into the air; you speak to people who are waiting. That changes everything. The moment a question lands, your brain has to do three jobs at once: hold the idea, find words, and start the sentence.

If you haven't practiced that under pressure, your attention splits—planning, self-checking, and worrying at the same time—and the start line slips away.

This isn't just a feeling; the effect is measurable. In a controlled study, researchers raised speaking anxiety and found drops in both utterance fluency (more "um/uh," slower delivery) and cognitive fluency (harder to form the idea itself). Pressure doesn't only shake confidence; it slows the thinking process that speech depends on (Rood & de Jong, 2023).

The takeaway is simple: you're not failing English; you're under-rehearsed for real-time retrieval. That's trainable.

(Related: Why Scripts Don't Work)

Common triggers: Why you feel nervous speaking English

The weight of past mistakes

A single awkward moment can leave a mark. You say something slightly off, see a confused face, and your brain saves that scene for later. Next time, you over-monitor every word. That self-surveillance steals the attention you need to speak. Over time, small stumbles grow into a habit of hesitation.

Judgment you project onto listeners

When you speak a second language, you often imagine the worst: They'll think I'm slow. They'll think I don't belong. Even if no one is judging, the fear feels real, and it delays your start. This is where you need a new target: functional fluency.

Functional fluency isn't perfection; it's communication. At C1 or near-C2, fluent speakers still make slips—articles, prepositions, word order—but they stay clear and keep going. Research comparing advanced L2 users with natives shows that high-level learners can perform near-natively on understanding tasks while still taking longer or making small lexical missteps (Cambridge research on advanced L2 users). Even native speech includes pauses and self-corrections. The point isn't flawlessness; it's carrying the idea forward.

Silence as a trigger loop

Silence makes you panic, and panic makes silence longer. In conversation, a two-second pause can feel like failure. On the Duolingo English Test, it's worse: short answers and long hesitations hurt coherence and development, which matter more than one imperfect verb. The risk isn't one mistake; it's stopping. Understanding this changes how you aim: clarity first, motion forward.

How to speak English without getting nervous: The mindset shift

Lead with the idea; let simple words carry it

Chasing the perfect word traps you in your head. Start with the meaning and move. If the term won't come, describe it: "the material that keeps water out" instead of "water-resistant." Listeners understand instantly, and you keep control.

(Related: Word Maps vs Memorization)

Chunking lowers pressure because each line has one job

You don't build a paragraph in your head. You speak in clean chunks—each with one job:

• Goal: "I need a waterproof jacket."
• Reason: "It rains a lot where I live."
• Constraint: "My budget is under $100."

Short chunks steady your breath, keep your voice clear, and protect the idea even if a word slips.

From survival mode to fluent mode (without perfection)

Survival sounds like this: short answers, quick exits, hoping the conversation ends. Fluent sounds like this: say what you need, add one reason, one detail, and stay present. If you mispronounce or simplify, you don't retreat; you continue the idea. That's what fluent people do in every language.

(See Why Scripts Don't Work)

How to overcome nervousness while speaking English: Practical fixes

Calm the body first, then the sentence

One slow breath in, longer breath out, then speak. If you need a beat: "Sure—give me one second." That second isn't lost time; it gives your voice control.

Break the silence with a clear first line

Three reliable openers that lead the conversation:

• Goal: "I'm looking for a jacket for rainy days."
• Comparison: "I'm deciding between short and long styles."
• Question: "Before I choose, could you tell me about the fit?"

(Why scripts collapse when the question changes → Why Scripts Don't Work)

Give your brain a smaller target

Aim for one idea, one reason, one detail—enough to sound clear and confident. If more questions come, perfect—you've built a path to follow.

(Build flexibility without memorizing lines → Word Maps vs Memorization)

Daily micro-practice (5 minutes that actually transfers)

When you slip, recover—don't retreat

If words stall, reset: "Let me say that more clearly." Then use a goal/comparison/question opener and continue. Recovery is a skill; it counts more than a perfect first try.

The real fix (Part 1): Shifting how you think about speaking

Freezing isn't a vocabulary problem. It's a mindset and experience gap. Most of us were taught to focus on "saying the right words" instead of learning how to think in English under pressure. You've practiced grammar rules, pronunciation, and even memorized scripts—but you haven't practiced real-time communication.

The truth is: fluency is about clarity, not perfection. Even advanced speakers at C1 or C2 levels make errors. Native speakers hesitate, rephrase, and misspeak all the time. What sets fluent speakers apart is their ability to keep going. They prioritize meaning over flawless form and trust their ability to repair as they speak.

That shift—from "I must be perfect" to "I must be understood"—is what breaks the freeze.

(Related: DET Speaking Scores Explained)

The real fix (Part 2): Building confidence under pressure

Confidence isn't built by repeating scripts in front of a mirror. It's built by training for unpredictability—exactly like the situations you face in shops, interviews, or on the Duolingo test.

In our classes, we don't give perfect answers; we run structured "thought sessions" where students learn to retrieve, explain, and build ideas step by step, using strategies like chunking and paraphrasing. Over time, this experience rewires your response: instead of "Oh no, I can't," it becomes "Okay, I know how to work through this."

This is also why DET rewards spontaneous, clear communication. Long pauses, memorized answers, and nervous silences lower scores, while confident, idea-driven speaking raises them—even with small mistakes.

(Related: Why Translating in Your Head Destroys Your Score)

How nervousness affects your Duolingo English Test score

The Duolingo English Test isn't just evaluating vocabulary size; it evaluates your ability to communicate under time pressure.

• Freezing costs points: long pauses signal breakdowns in fluency.
• Memorized answers collapse when unexpected variations appear.
• Real topics (daily life, opinions, experiences) require retrieval, not recall.

The good news? You can practice these exact skills. That's why we've built interactive DET-style exercises that mirror real test pressure while helping you learn to think clearly and speak confidently.

(Course overview: Duolingo English Test Course)

FAQ: Nervousness in speaking English & Duolingo Test