Pratique du Shadowing: Don't Waste Your Time Learning English Like This! - Apprendre l'anglais à l'oral avec la vidéo
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English Academy Plus Podcast.
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Your daily dose of simple English.
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Hey, stop.
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Before you do anything else today, I need to tell you something important.
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Something important?
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What is it?
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Is everything okay?
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Yes, everything is okay.
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But are you learning English right now?
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Yes, I am learning English every day.
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I study very hard.
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Okay, and how long have you been learning English?
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Hmm, maybe one year, maybe two years.
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Actually, maybe longer.
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I don't remember exactly.
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And do you feel like your English is much better now?
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Well, honestly?
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Not really.
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I mean, a little better, but not as much as I expected.
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Yes, and that is exactly why we are making this video today.
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Oh, so this video will help people who feel like this?
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People who study English but don't feel progress?
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Exactly, because here is the truth.
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Many people are learning English the wrong way, and they don't even know it.
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Wow, that sounds serious.
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It is.
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But don't worry.
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We are going to talk about it today, simply, clearly, so everyone can understand.
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I love it.
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Let's go.
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Okay, Alice, let me ask you something.
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When you were learning English, what did you do every day?
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Good question.
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I studied grammar.
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I read grammar books.
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I memorized vocabulary lists.
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I wrote words again and again in my notebook.
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Okay, and did you speak English?
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Speak?
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Not really.
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I was too scared to speak.
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Ah, there it is.
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That is the number one mistake.
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Let me say that again.
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The number one mistake.
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What is the number one mistake?
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Studying English, but never using English.
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Oh, that sounds simple.
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But is it really that important?
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Yes!
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Think about it this way.
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Imagine you want to learn how to swim.
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Okay, I'm imagining I want to swim.
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So you go to the library, you read books about swimming, you watch videos about swimming, you study the arm movements, you study the leg movements.
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Okay, okay.
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I'm learning so much about swimming.
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But you never go into the water.
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Oh no, I never actually swim.
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Right.
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So after one year of reading about swimming, can you swim?
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No, of course not.
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I never practiced in the water.
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Exactly.
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English is the same.
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You can study grammar for years.
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But if you never speak, never write, never use the language, you will not improve.
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Not really.
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That makes so much sense.
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I never thought about it like that before.
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Many people don't.
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They think, I need to know more grammar first, then I will speak.
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But that day never comes.
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There is always more grammar to learn.
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So what should people do instead?
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Start using English now, even if you make mistakes, even if your grammar is not perfect.
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Start using it today.
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Even if we make mistakes?
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Especially if you make mistakes.
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Mistakes are how you learn.
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Mistakes are your teachers.
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I like that.
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Mistakes are your teachers.
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Let me say that again.
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Mistakes are your teachers.
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Good.
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Remember that.
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Okay, David, I have a question because I have a friend, and this friend studies grammar every single day.
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Like, every day.
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She has so many grammar books.
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Ah, yes.
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Many learners do this.
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But when she tries to speak English, she gets very nervous.
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She thinks about the grammar rules.
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She tries to remember, is this present perfect or past simple?
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And then she says nothing.
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She freezes.
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Yes, this is called the grammar trap.
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Let me say that clearly.
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The grammar trap.
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The grammar trap.
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What does that mean exactly?
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It means you study so much grammar that you become afraid to speak
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because you think my grammar must be perfect before I open my mouth.
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And that is a mistake?
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Yes, a big mistake.
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Because when native English speakers talk, do you think that you're thinking about grammar rules?
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Hmm, probably not.
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No, they are not thinking, oh, I need to use the third conditional here.
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They just speak, naturally.
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Because they have heard and used the language so many times, it becomes automatic.
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Automatic?
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That means it happens without thinking?
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Exactly.
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And that is your goal.
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Not to know all the rules, but to speak automatically, naturally, without fear.
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So grammar is not important?
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No, no. Grammar is important.
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But too much grammar study with no practice?
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That is a waste of time.
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A waste of time.
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Let me say that clearly.
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A waste of time.
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You should learn basic grammar, yes.
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But then you must practice.
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You must use the language.
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That is how grammar becomes natural.
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Like riding a bicycle.
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At first you think about balance, you think about your feet.
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But after practice, you don't think.
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You just ride.
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Perfect example, Alice.
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Exactly like that.
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I'm getting good at this.
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You are!
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Okay, let's talk about another mistake.
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This one is very common.
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What is it?
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Memorizing long vocabulary lists.
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Oh, I did this.
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I had a notebook.
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50 words on Monday, 50 words on Tuesday.
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And how many of those words do you still remember?
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Maybe five.
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Five out of 50.
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That is 10%.
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Is that a good method?
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No, that is terrible. But why?
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I studied so hard.
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Because your brain does not remember things you only see one time on a list.
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Your brain remembers things you use, things you see in context, things connected to a feeling or a story.
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Context.
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What does context mean?
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Context means the words around a word, the situation.
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For example, if I just say the word anxious.
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Anxious.
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Okay.
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Do you remember it easily?
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Maybe, maybe not.
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But if I tell you a story, it was my first day at a new job.
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I was very anxious.
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My hands were shaking.
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My heart was beating fast.
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Now do you remember anxious?
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Oh, yes, absolutely.
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Because I can see it.
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I can feel it.
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I can picture the situation.
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Exactly.
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That is context.
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Learn words in sentences.
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Learn words in stories.
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Learn words in real conversations, not just on a list.
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That is so helpful.
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So instead of writing 50 words in a notebook, we should… Learn 10 words, but learn them well.
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Use them in sentences.
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Read them in a story.
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Say them out loud.
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Use them in your own sentences.
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10 words used well is better than 50 words forgotten fast.
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Oh, I like that.
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Say it again, Alice.
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10 words used well is better than 50 words forgotten fast.
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That should be on a poster somewhere.
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I agree.
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David, I want to talk about something that I think many English learners feel.
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I felt this too. Of course.
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What is it?
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The fear of making mistakes.
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I was always scared to speak because I thought, what if I say something wrong?
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What if people laugh at me?
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Ah, the perfection problem.
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This is very, very common.
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The perfection problem?
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Say that again.
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The perfection problem.
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It means you want to speak perfectly.
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So you wait until your English is perfect, but it never feels perfect, so you never speak.
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Yes, that was me.
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I waited and waited, and while I was waiting, I wasn't improving because I wasn't speaking.
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Right.
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It is a cycle, a bad cycle.
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You don't speak because you're afraid of mistakes, but you make mistakes because you don't speak, and you don't improve because you don't speak.
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Wow, that is really clear.
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Here is something I want everyone to remember.
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Are you ready?
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Yes, I'm ready.
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You don't need perfect English.
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You need effective English.
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Ooh, say that again, slowly.
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You don't need perfect English.
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You need effective English.
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What does effective mean?
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Effective means it works.
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It does the job.
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If people understand you, your English is effective.
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So even if I say, yesterday I go to the shop, instead of yesterday I went to the shop.
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Did I understand you?
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Yes.
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Then it was effective.
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Was it perfect?
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No. But did it communicate?
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Yes.
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That makes me feel so much better, honestly.
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Good.
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And here is another truth.
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Many, many native English speakers make grammar mistakes too.
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Really?
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Really.
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Nobody speaks perfectly all the time, even in their own language.
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That is very comforting.
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Thank you, David.
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Hey, quick question for everyone listening.
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Are you enjoying this conversation?
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I hope so!
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We are trying to make this helpful and fun.
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If this is helping you think differently about learning English, please like this video.
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It really helps us reach more learners around the world.
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And if you want more conversations like this one, subscribe to the channel.
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We make new videos regularly, just like this.
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Simple, clear, for English learners like you.
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Okay, back to our conversation.
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We have more important things to talk about.
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Yes, let's keep going.
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Okay, here is a mistake that I think almost every beginner makes.
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What is it?
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Translating everything in your head.
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Oh yes, I definitely did this.
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Someone speaks English to me, and in my head I translate to my language.
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I think of my answer in my language, then I translate back to English, then I speak.
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And how does that feel?
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Slow.
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Very, very slow. And confusing.
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And by the time I translate everything, the conversation has moved on.
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Exactly.
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The conversation is already on a different topic, and you are still translating the first sentence.
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Yes, that is exactly what happens.
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This is why translation is a trap for language learners, especially when you want to have a real, fast conversation.
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So what do we do instead?
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You need to start thinking in English, not translating.
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Actually thinking in English. But how?
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That sounds hard.
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It is hard at first, but here is how you start.
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Small things.
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When you look at a chair, think chair, not the word in your language.
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Chair.
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Oh, like labeling things in English in my mind.
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Yes.
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When you drink coffee in the morning, think, I am drinking coffee.
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It is hot.
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It tastes good. In English.
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In your head.
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So I narrate my life in English?
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Exactly.
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Like you are the narrator of your own life. In English.
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That sounds actually fun.
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Like I'm the main character of an English movie.
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Yes.
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You are the star of your own English movie.
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I love that.
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Okay.
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I will try this.
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Start small.
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Start simple.
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But start today.
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David, I want to ask about something.
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Because some people don't have anyone to practice English with.
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They live in a country where nobody speaks English around them.
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This is a very real problem, and I understand.
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Many learners feel this way.
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So what can they do?
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First, the internet is amazing for this.
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You can find conversation partners online.
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There are apps, there are communities, there are forums where people practice English together.
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Like Language Exchange?
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Yes, language exchange.
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You teach someone your language, they teach you English.
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Both people practice, both people learn.
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That's a great idea.
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Also, talk to yourself, like we said before.
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But also, record yourself.
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Record myself?
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Yes.
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Take your phone, press record, speak for one minute in English, about your day, about what you ate, about a movie you watched, anything.
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And then listen back?
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Yes, listen to yourself.
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You will hear your mistakes.
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You will notice things you want to improve.
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It is uncomfortable, yes, but it is very powerful.
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I tried this once.
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I listened back and I thought, do I really sound like that?
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Yes, everyone feels that.
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Even native speakers don't like hearing their own voice.
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That makes me feel better.
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But it works because you are listening with a critical ear.
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You are studying yourself and you can improve specifically what you hear.
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That is really smart.
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I think more people should do this.
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Okay, we are getting to one of the most important points now.
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Are you ready?
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Always ready.
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The secret to improving in English, any language actually, is not studying for a very long time once a week.
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What do you mean?
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I mean, studying English for five hours on Saturday
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and then nothing for six days is not as good as studying for 20 minutes every single day.
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Really?
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20 minutes a day is better than five hours once a week?
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Yes, 100%.
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Consistency beats intensity.
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Consistency beats intensity.
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That is a great phrase.
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Say it again.
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Consistency beats intensity.
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What does consistency mean?
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Consistency means doing something regularly, every day or almost every day.
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Not sometimes, not when you feel like it, regularly. And intensity?
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Intensity means doing something with a lot of effort or energy, like studying for many hours at one time.
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So a little bit every day is better than a lot once in a while.
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Exactly.
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Because your brain learns language slowly, over time, through repetition.
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Not in one big session.
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This is like exercise, right?
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You don't go to the gym for eight hours one day and then stay home for two weeks.
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That doesn't work.
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Perfect example.
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Again.
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I'm full of good examples today.
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You are.
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Seriously, though.
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This is so important.
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Even 10 minutes a day is better than nothing.
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Even listening to English while you cook or drive every day, that adds up.
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It adds up.
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That means small things become big over time.
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Exactly.
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Day by day, week by week, month by month, you will improve.
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You will feel the difference.
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And that is why channels like this one are helpful, right?
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Because people can listen every day while doing other things.
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Yes, exactly.
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And they hear natural English, clear English, English they can actually use.
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Okay, now I want to talk directly to the people listening.
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Yes, let's talk to our listeners.
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Hello, everyone.
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I want to ask you some simple questions.
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Think about your answers.
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You can even say them out loud.
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This is your practice time.
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Good idea.
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Let's go slowly.
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Question one.
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How long have you been learning English?
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Think about your answer.
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How long?
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One year?
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Two years?
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Five years?
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More?
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Say it out loud if you I have been learning English for… Take your time.
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There is no rush.
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Okay.
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Question 2.
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What is your biggest challenge in English?
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Is it speaking, listening, reading, writing?
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Which one is hardest for you?
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Think about it.
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Maybe you know right away.
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And question 3.
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After today's video, which mistake do you want to stop making?
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What will you do differently?
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That is a really important question.
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Take a moment, think, and we will talk about the answers in a few minutes a few minutes.
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Okay, let's review the most important phrases and ideas from today.
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We'll say them slowly and clearly.
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Good idea.
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Ready?
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Number 1.
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Mistakes are your teachers.
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Let's say that together, slowly.
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Mistakes are your teachers.
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Mistakes are your teachers.
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Good.
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This means don't be afraid of mistakes.
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They help you learn.
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Number two, you don't need perfect English, you need effective English.
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Say that again, you don't need perfect English, you need effective English.
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Effective means it works, people understand you.
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Number three, consistency beats intensity.
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Consistency beats intensity.
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A little every day is better than a lot once in a while.
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Number four, think in English, don't translate. in English.
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Don't translate.
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Start small.
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Label things in English.
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Narrate your day in English.
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Number five.
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Start using English today, even if you are not ready.
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Start using English today, even if you are not ready.
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There is no perfect moment.
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The best time to start is now.
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I love that one.
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There is no perfect moment.
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The best time to start is now.
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Say it one more time, Alice.
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There is no perfect moment.
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The best time to start is now.
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Before we finish, I want to give one simple action.
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One thing everyone can do today, right now, after this video.
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Oh, I love this.
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What is it?
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Open your phone, find a voice memo app, press record, and speak in English for 60 seconds.
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Just 60 seconds.
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Only 60 seconds?
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Only 60 seconds.
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Talk about your day, talk about what you think of this video, talk about the weather.
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Anything in English for 60 seconds.
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And then listen back.
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Yes.
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Listen, notice, and try again tomorrow.
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That is so simple.
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I think anyone can do that.
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Anyone.
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And if you do it every day, after one month, listen to your first recording and your last recording.
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You will hear the difference.
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Oh, that's like a time machine for your English.
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You can hear yourself improving.
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Exactly.
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A time machine for your English.
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I like that, Alice.
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It's a good idea.
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Okay, we are coming to the end of today's video.
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But before we go, we want to hear from you.
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Yes, this is important.
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We love reading your comments.
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Tell us in the comments.
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What is one mistake from today's video that you have been making?
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Just one. Be honest.
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We all make mistakes.
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That's okay.
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And also, what will you do differently starting today?
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Will you start speaking more?
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Will you stop translating?
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Will you practice 10 minutes every day?
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Write it in the comments.
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And you know what?
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Writing in English in the comments, that is also practice.
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That's right.
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Even if your comment has mistakes, write it anyway, because mistakes are your teachers, remember?
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We're bringing it full circle.
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Full circle means back to the beginning, where we started.
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Ah, the beginning, where you said stop before you do anything else today.
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Yes.
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And now, hopefully, you have a new way of thinking about English.
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Not just studying English.
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Actually using it, living it, thinking in it.
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Every single day.
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Even for a few minutes.
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We believe in you.
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Seriously.
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Learning a language is not easy.
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It takes time.
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It takes patience.
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But you are here.
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You are watching.
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You are listening.
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That already puts you ahead.
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Keep going.
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One day at a time.
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One sentence at a time.
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One mistake at a time.
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Exactly.
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Thank you so much for watching today.
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We will see you in the next video.
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Bye, everyone.
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Keep practicing.
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Keep going.
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Your English is getting better, even right now.
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See you next time.
About This Lesson
In this lesson, we will focus on overcoming common obstacles in learning English that many learners face. If you've been studying English for some time but feel your progress is slower than expected, you are not alone. This lesson emphasizes the importance of using English in practical situations rather than just studying grammar and vocabulary in isolation. We will discuss strategies to help you use the shadowing technique effectively to enhance your speaking and pronunciation skills while making learning more enjoyable.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Studying grammar - the process of learning the rules of a language.
- Memorized vocabulary lists - collections of words that have been committed to memory.
- Speak English - the action of communicating verbally in English.
- Scared to speak - feeling nervous or afraid about talking in English.
- Number one mistake - the most common error made by learners.
- Using English - actively engaging and practicing the language in conversation.
- Progress - the advancement or improvement in one's language skills.
- Every day - practicing consistently to improve skills.
Practice Tips
To effectively utilize the shadowing technique, follow these practical tips tailored to the speed and tone of the video:
- Listen and Repeat: Play short segments of the video and repeat after the speakers. Focus on mimicking their pronunciation, intonation, and rhythm. This creates shadow speech, which is crucial for improving your English pronunciation.
- Start Slow: Begin with slower segments to help you catch every word and note the pronunciation. As you grow more confident, gradually increase the speed to match the original speech.
- Record Yourself: Use your phone or any recording device to capture your shadowing practice. Listen to your recordings to identify areas for improvement and to track your progress over time.
- Engage Emotionally: Try to connect with the content emotionally. This engagement can help stimulate memorization and improve speaking fluency as you make the language more personal and relatable.
- Join Shadowing Site Communities: Engaging with others who practice the shadowing technique can provide motivation and inspiration. Share tips and resources, or join group sessions to practice together.
By applying the techniques mentioned above, you will not only improve your English skills but also gain confidence in speaking. With practice, you'll find that using English becomes more natural and enjoyable.
Qu'est-ce que la technique du Shadowing ?
Le Shadowing est une technique d'apprentissage des langues fondée sur la science, développée à l'origine pour la formation des interprètes professionnels. Le principe est simple mais puissant : vous écoutez de l'anglais natif et le répétez immédiatement à voix haute — comme une ombre suivant le locuteur avec un décalage de 1 à 2 secondes. Les recherches montrent une amélioration significative de la précision de la prononciation, de l'intonation, du rythme, des liaisons, de la compréhension orale et de la fluidité.