Shadowing Practice: AEE - Are You Trying or Practicing? - Learn English Speaking with Video

Hello, Aubrey. How's it going today? I am  great. How are you, Lindsay? I'm feeling good. I'm feeling good. Glad to be back on the mic  after having taken a little bit of time off. So, yeah. Um, yeah. Where are we going today with the  Okay, I have a question for you. Do you practice any sports? Oh, I do. Well, I Let's see. Um, do  I practice any sports? I play sports. Yes. Um, that's an it's an interesting differentiation  to Do you practice sports? Do you play sports?

Do you just try to do sports? It depends  on the level at which you are playing, right? Yes. This could be confusing, but we're  going to clear all this up for our listeners today. This is based on a mistake that we  noticed, right, in our community. Aubrey, what was the mistake that we heard? Yeah. Someone  was talking about wanting to be proactive and they said, "I've been practicing to be proactive." And  this is really interesting. So, I shared that we would instead say, "I'm trying to be proactive."  Right? But this is really tricky when we use try, when we use practice and with sports when we would  just say play, honestly. Right. Right. I just felt more appropriate to answer your question at the  top of the show. But what's really interesting is I'll often tell my daughter go practice basketball  because it's not like she's playing a basketball game. I want her to go practice shooting hoops and  dribbling. And that's different. So it's crazy how we use all of these different verbs depending on  what exactly we mean, what exactly we're doing.

Yeah. And this matters for connection guys because  this is about the things that we are trying to improve, the things that we're doing in life  that we're putting our mind energy towards that we think matter, right? These activities that we  think are worth our time. Exactly. So for example, this student was t who was talking about being  proactive. What an amazing thing to connect with others about because you're definitely going to  be talking to others who also are trying to be proactive and you can share strategies, right?  You want to be able to talk about these types of goals and you need the language to do that. So,  I'm excited for all we're going to share today.

Yeah. So, good guys. If you love our style, it's  connection not perfection. We show you how to connect in any moment using the English language.  Then go ahead and hit follow. We publish five days a week over here on the show and don't miss a  single episode. Right, Aubrey? Absolutely. Right.

Wherever you listen to your podcast, hit follow  so that you never miss an episode. All right, Lindsay, let's dive in. Right? So, we're going  to talk about why we should say, you know, I've been trying to be proactive. Because being  proactive is a behavior, right? Not a skill. So, this is interesting. Yes. So, you're trying to  change your behavior, but you're practicing a skill. So, again, you try to change your behavior,  but you practice a skill. Interesting. So, let's go through when we might use trying to talk.  Yeah. If we're talking about behavior or habits, for example, I'm trying to wake up earlier. I'm  trying to sleep in. I wake up too early or goals, right? I'm trying to sleep through the night.  I'm trying to finish this book by Monday. Right.

This is what we would say we're trying to do.  Yep. Or you're attempting something difficult, right? Japanese is not easy to learn. So,  she's trying to learn Japanese. Yeah. This is interesting because for some language you  might say like, "Oh, I'm learning, you know, I'm learning Spanish. I'm learning English."  And with these more difficult languages, we might say that, right? Oh, I'm trying to learn  to write Chinese. I'm trying to learn to speak Arabic. When it's it's emphasizing the difficulty  level. Yeah. You might correct someone and say, "I heard you're learning Japanese." And you might  say, "I'm trying to learn Japanese." Yeah. We almost say that to be funny sometimes, right? If  you ask me what sports I play, I'm going say I try to play pickle ball if I feel like I'm not very  good at it yet. Right. Yeah. It's a way of just I don't know just putting context around things  immediately. Yeah. Humility. Right. It's kind of a funny way to to try to be humble. But also  lifestyle changes. You might say, "I'm trying to eat healthier." Yeah. Or personality traits. For  example, he's trying to be more patient. I mean, I'm sure we can all identify things we are  trying to be more of or less of. Right.

Exactly. And it is so interesting how with so  many of these, I probably wouldn't say I'm eating healthier. I'm being more patient, right? Because  there is a level of humility here and we're we're sharing that like I'm making an effort here, but  I'm not perfect. And it's interesting how that is implied by the language. Yeah. Is there anything  Aubrey in your household that people are trying to do more of right now and or trying to do? Yes,  I was sharing with Lindsay that we are trying to be on screen less. So, my kids are not allowed  any screen time. They are reading so much. We're swimming a lot. We're trying to replace the screen  time. And it's interesting for me, too, because they don't want to see me on my phone at all or on  screen at all if they can't be on screen. So, it's also forcing me to be on it less as well. That  makes sense, guys. Yeah. I'm also trying to not be on a screen too much because I have my little  baby and you know when I'm in front of him I don't want him to be introduced into the world with a  blank stare of a human looking past him. You know what I mean? It breaks my heart to think about  that you know and it's like wow I want to make eye contact with him even though he's not speaking  yet. There's a lot of important learning going on and if he thinks that you know humans just look  at screens it's so sad. Absolutely. That's such a good habit to get into because younger than you  might think, children notice what you're paying attention to, what you value, if you're looking  at them or something else. And so, I think that's so important, Lindsay. I'm glad you're already  prioritizing that. Oh my gosh, I was thinking about it a lot this morning and I was like, okay,  we need to make sure that we're making eye contact with him as much as possible. Yeah, it's true. So,  anyways, all right, Aubrey, back on track here.

Yes, this is interesting. So let's quickly talk  about how we form sentences with trying, right? So we have trying to and then the verb. So this is an  infinitive here. For example, she's trying to be more organized at work or he's trying to find the  right words to express himself. So that is how we construct this sentence. And we can also hear this  in the present perfect continuous. So for example, they've been trying to have a baby, right? So, the  present perfect continuous, not the most common tense, but we do sometimes use it, right? Yeah,  I might say, "I've been trying to eat healthier.

I've been trying to lay off screen." Right.  So, yeah, we do use this as well to emphasize that it's an ongoing effort. Exactly. So, what  about practicing? How is it different, Aubrey, when we might choose the verb practice? Yeah, we  use this with skills that can be improved through repetition. So, for example, sports, you know,  he's practicing karate or soccer. She's practicing shooting the basketball, right? These skills that  need repetition, we practice. Yeah. So, again, yeah, karate, soccer, uh or presentations. You  might practice giving a presentation, right? So, she's practicing her presentation for Monday or  music. I say this, I'm practicing the piano, which is interesting. I don't ever say I'm going to play  the piano. I always say I'm going to practice the piano. And then it's only for like a recital or a  performance where someone might say or in general she plays the piano. Otherwise we always say  practice I'm going to go practice the piano. Yeah.

The only interesting uh kind of caveat to this is  sometimes when it comes to certain practices again we might say do you practice meditation right?  So that is doing meditation meditating right?

But we use the verb practice more than do or  participate in. Well, it's interesting because there is the intention there of sharing that  that's also a skill that needs to be repeated in order to be improved, right? Being able to  meditate or practicing yoga. All of these things are still skills that we have to practice because  it is hard to just immediately meditate out of the blue and you're good at it. Right. Right. It's  true. I think of it as doing because I think of like are you a meditation practitioner? We have  the verb p the noun practitioner, right? You're a practitioner of the craft or the the I don't  know the the of the thing, right? The meditation style. So anyways, maybe this is getting off  track a little bit and becoming more confusing, but we do sometimes use practice to say that we're  doing something or participating in something, right? We also talk about physical skills like  yoga, right? They're practicing yoga poses or performance skills. She's practicing her lines  for the play. anything like that where you would have to say them over and over, you'd say you're  practicing them. We would probably wouldn't even say like she's repeating her lines for the pre  play. We're emphasizing that it's intentional.

We're practicing them by saying them over and  over. And Aubrey, how do we form sentences with this verb practice practicing? So yes, we  have practicing and then followed by a gerand.

So this is a verb ing. So, for example, I've been  practicing speaking English every day or he's been practicing giving presentations before the big  conference. But how else might we construct it, Lindsay? Well, here we go. So, this is a good  example of what I was saying earlier. I've been practicing yoga daily. So, in my head, yeah, this  could mean you're trying to get better at it, as you said, Aubrey, but it also could mean I'm  just doing the thing, right? Interesting. Yeah.

Yeah. And that's the second construction here  is practicing with just a noun the activity. So it's not always a gerand that verb ing. So for  example, I've been practicing yoga or they're practicing a dance routine. And then we have one  more construction. What's that one Lindsay? Yeah, practicing for something. So for example, we would  say practicing for plus a noun or an event. I'm practicing for my concert or he's practicing  for his big game. Exactly. So three different constructions there. So, they all basically  mean the same thing, but it is interesting how the grammar is slightly different for each one.  Yes. Super interesting. I love it. All right, Aubrey. Uh, quick break. What do you think? Yeah,  let's do it. Hey, quick question. Do you want to feel more confident when you speak English?  If so, we made a free guide for you. It'll help you avoid those common mistakes and start  speaking more naturally in real conversations.

Go grab it in the description below. And if  this is helpful for you, make sure that you like and subscribe. We are here five times a  week to help you connect in English. All right, we are back from our break. Where should we go  from here? All right, so this is interesting because some situations are similar, but the  emphasis is different. So, for example, she's been trying to learn English for years. The emphasis  is on the effort of learning. We kind of mentioned that instead of saying she's been learning  English, she's been trying to learn English or she's practicing her French and the emphasis is on  the repetitive action of using the language. So, this is interesting. Neither is right or wrong.  It's all about what you're emphasizing. Yes. So, we're going to play a little game here, Aubrey.  Okay, let's do it. Um, I'll I'll give you a scenario. You decide if it should be trying or  practicing rather. Okay. Yes. So, you want to become more confident. Okay. I would say this is  more like trying to become more confident. I'm trying to be more confident is what I could say. I  agree. Yes. It's not really something we practice, right? Because it's not a skill, a specific skill  that we could talk about doing over and over. It's more in general. I'm trying to become something.  Okay. What about this one? Okay. You want to give me one? Yeah. I was gonna give you one. You ready?  Go ahead. All right. You're preparing for a soccer match next weekend. Okay. So, I'd probably say  I'm practicing soccer, right? If I'm actually playing the game, I'm playing soccer. But if I'm  practicing drills and shooting the ball at the goal, then I would say I'm practicing soccer.  Yeah. Sports are something for a bigger event, for a match. Yes. Exactly. Yes. Okay. Here you go.  You're rehearsing for a work presentation. I would say that's practicing, right? So, for example, I'm  practicing for my upcoming presentation at work.

Exactly right. We're preparing the  presentation and then once it's ready, if we're going to say it to a few people or in  the mirror, that's practicing repetitions that will improve it. Wow. I could see how this might  be confusing for our listeners. Right. I've never actually thought about this um the difference with  practicing and doing something. Let's go into a role play and see if we can straighten it out.  All right. All right. So, I started a new morning routine and you are asking about me about it.  All right. Okay. All right. So, hey, how's your new morning routine going? Honestly, I'm still  trying to wake up earlier, but it's tough. Oh, yeah. I know the feeling, but I've been practicing  yoga in the mornings, and that helps. Nice. It's good to have goals. I'm actually trying to be more  organized this month. That's a good idea. I should probably start practicing better time management,  too. That might help me get to bed earlier, which would definitely make waking up easier. It's  so funny how untrue this roleplay is for me. We often, these role plays are usually not us. It's  a hypothetical situation, but usually often it's like, "Yeah, this is close enough to what I might  say." Up so early every day. I would never try to wake up earlier than I already do. Oh my god.  You're just waking up just naturally waking up early. Yeah. Yeah. I think I've shared this on the  podcast maybe, but I'm like waking up at 4:00 a.m.

every day. And I was so frustrated and and like  just frustrated. I couldn't sleep. And I finally just started getting up and trying to be more  productive. I've been writing a book in the middle of the night from like 4:00 to 6:00 a.m. I write  and it's more Yeah. I don't I'm not angry anymore when I'm awake and can't sleep because it feels  productive. So that's great. If it's working, it's working. But then I'm tired really early. So  that's frustrating. Oh well, I'm tired these days, too. I'm getting up to feed my newborn at 1:00  in the morning. So it's okay. You're tired all the time. No matter what you do, no matter what  I do, this is just how life is right now. It's okay. It's okay. Well, I'm excited to hear about  this book. That's exciting. operation. You should let us know on the podcast sometime. I will let  you guys know when it is finished. I am excited about it. It's kind of a psychological thriller um  about social class sort of. Yeah, I'll I'll give you guys some details. I'm very I'm hoping that  it will be published. I'm looking for a literary agent and worst case scenario, it'll be available  on Amazon, but I am hopeful that it'll be like on the shelves of bookstores. Fingers crossed. I bet  it will. You know, because social class is a major hot button issue right now in our country. Class  is a major issue. Yeah, I think so. And it's an interesting take, but also just a good novel, I  think, if I do say so myself. So, yeah, I'll have to let you guys know some good stuff when it's  ready. Will you Will you send us free copies or at least your co-host on the show? Yeah, I know.  To everyone out there. I wish I could, but it'll at least be inexpensive for sure. Oh, I love it. I  love it. All right, let's go through the roleplay and see what we said. So, I asked you, "What's  your morning routine? How is it going?" You said, "Honestly, I'm still trying to wake up earlier."  Right. Exactly. Right. So, this is something where this isn't really a skill you can practice. It's  something you're trying to do. It's more like a goal. And so, we say we're trying to accomplish a  goal. And I said, "But I've been practicing yoga in the mornings." And yeah, this is something you  practice a skill. those yoga poses. I definitely have to practice them or I'm like my balance is  not great. I have to practice in order to be able to do yoga. Well, this is kind of what I was uh  mentioning before with meditation. I see this is more like I'm I'm doing yoga in the morning.  I guess you're also practicing it, right? Um that's interesting. But this is where I see the  verb practice. You could say I'm meditating. I'm doing yoga. No one's going to like, you know, the  language police coming after you. But the verb, are you a yoga practitioner? Yes, I am. Right. I  mean, interesting. Makes sense. Yeah. And so we do say practice meditation. I practice yoga. And  it's probably more about that. It's not something you can just do and be really good at. You for  me, I know I've tried to meditate and I struggle.

I struggle to stay focused. I struggle to not  fall asleep. Like to actually do 20 minutes of meditation. I that's something I have to practice.  And same. I have to practice or I'm terrible at it. Yeah, for sure. For sure. And then I said,  "Nice. It's good to have goals. I'm actually trying to be more organized this month." So now  I shared something about myself. Yeah. A goal you're trying to do, right? So you wouldn't say,  "I'm practicing being more organized." Would say, "I'm trying." Because that's a goal you're  trying to reach. For sure. And then you said, "I am I probably should start practicing better  time management." So again, this is um this is interesting because this is more like a goal to  have time management. But if you say it this way, I need to start practicing good time management.  What I mean by that is like the repetition of being on time of prioritizing what I'm doing.  So that's interesting. I've made it a skill there that I could practice. Love it. Okay,  good stuff. Aubrey, is there another episode we should go to? Yes. Check out 2579. Don't fall  into these conversation traps if you missed that one. And guys, this is a great connection skill.  Like you said at the top of the episode, Lindsay, when we're talking about goals, we're trying  to accomplish, things we are trying to do, things we're practicing, this is where we're  really sharing what is meaningful to us, what we are dedicating time and effort to. It really  matters. Sharing it, sharing it the right way, making it clear. Don't be afraid to share what  you're working on, what you're practicing, what you're trying to do or become, right? Because  that's what makes you interesting and it helps you connect. Exactly. Absolutely. Awesome, Lindsay.  Great vocab here, great phrases. I'm excited for you guys to have these details so that you can  share in, you know, when you're connecting in English, what are you practicing? What goals  are you trying to accomplish? All right, sounds good, Aubrey. We'll see you next  time. Have a good one. You, too. Bye. Bye.