Knowing some different ways to express encouragement or give encouragement to others is always good, especially when learning a new language. Giving encouragement or encouraging another person involves giving support and hope to that person, often when they are feeling sad, upset, or frustrated.

Below are some great expressions of encouragement you can use in English, that may be good for you to practice. You may want to use these expressions with others or you may even want to use them on yourself, if you are feeling down or getting discouraged about your English language learning.  Remember, everyone makes mistakes, but you have to keep going and eventually you will be nearly perfect.

Keep going.
Don’t give up.
You can do it!
You are nearly there. or You are almost there. or You are getting there.
Nice try.
Don’t worry about ___________ (your pronunciation, your spelling, etc.). You are doing great.
Good try, but not quite right.
Have another go, I’m sure you’ll do better.
That’s almost it. or You’ve almost got it.
Go on. Have another try.
That is nearly perfect.
The third time is the charm.
Better luck next time.
Don’t worry about it.

These phrases can stand-alone or be combined with more encouragement and supportive statements in order to show a person you care and are hoping they feel better or have success.

Situations that might call for you to use encouraging words like these include:

• when someone has just gotten something wrong
• when someone is trying very hard to do something but it is not happening
• when someone is frustrated
• when a person is putting in a lot of effort, but there have had only small results