Shadowing Practice: Daily English Conversation Practice | How to Think in English | Easy Tips for Beginners - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Paul, do you want to be a turtle or a rabbit when you speak English?
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A rabbit, of course.
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They are very fast.
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But why do you ask?
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Because many learners speak like turtles.
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They translate every word in their head.
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It is very slow and very difficult.
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Ah, I see.
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That is a big problem.
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It makes people feel tired and nervous.
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exactly but today we have the secret we will show you how to think in english
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and speak fast no more translating wow i am curious stay
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with us until the end to learn how to train your brain yes it It is the key to confidence.
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Let's start!
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Hello everyone and welcome back to Mr. English Channel, where learning English is easy and fun.
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I'm Emily.
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Hi Emily.
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Hello everyone.
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It is so good to be here today.
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I am very, very excited for this episode.
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I am happy to hear that, Paul.
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You look very energetic today.
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Did you have your green tea?
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Yes, I did.
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A big cup of green tea.
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And I had a very nice breakfast.
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How are you doing, Emily?
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I am doing great, thank you.
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I am very busy this week.
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You know, because of my friend Maria's wedding.
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Oh yes, the garden wedding.
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Did you find your blue dress?
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Yes, I went to the mall on Saturday and I found a beautiful long blue dress.
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It is perfect.
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That is fantastic news.
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And the silver shoes?
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Yes, I found silver flat shoes and a small silver bag.
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I am ready.
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Wow, you are very organized.
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I am still working on that big report for my boss, Mr. Henderson.
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Oh no, the report with all the numbers?
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How's that going?
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It is… okay.
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My plan with the coffee and cookies worked.
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Tom and Sarah are talking again.
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The office is happy now.
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See, I told you, cookies solve every problem.
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You are very smart, Emily.
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But anyway, we have a very important topic today, right?
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Yes, we do.
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Today we are talking about a big secret for English learners.
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We're talking about how to think in English.
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Ooh, that is a great topic.
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Many people ask me, Paul, how can I stop translating in my head?
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Exactly.
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in English is the key to speaking fast and feeling confident.
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It sounds difficult, but we have some tips that are not just looking at a chair and saying chair.
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Yes, we want to go deeper than that.
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But first, everyone, we have a small favor to ask.
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Yes.
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If you like our chats, please click the like button right now.
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It helps us a lot.
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And please subscribe to Mr. English Channel.
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We want to help you learn every week.
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this episode with your friends too
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if they are learning english they need these tips okay paul let's start
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when we say think in english what do we mean well
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for many people they hear a word in english then they
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translate it to their own language then they think of an answer in their language
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and then they translate it back to english oh that is a lot of work for the brain.
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It is very slow. So slow!
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It makes people feel tired.
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Thinking in English means you go from the idea directly to the English word.
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My first tip for this is don't just think of names of objects.
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Think in small, simple sentences.
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Small sentences?
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Can you give me an example, Emily?
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Sure.
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Imagine you are in your kitchen.
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Don't just look at the fridge and say, fridge.
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Look at the fridge and think, I am hungry.
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Or, the fridge is white.
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Ah, I see.
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So you connect the object to an action or a feeling.
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Yes.
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Or if you see your coffee, don't just say, coffee.
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Think, I love hot coffee.
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Or, this coffee smells good.
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That is a great tip.
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It is easy because the sentences are short.
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A1 level sentences.
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Exactly.
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You don't need big words.
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The sun is hot is a perfect thought.
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The bus is late is a great thought.
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I like that.
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My next tip is about internal narration.
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Internal narration?
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That sounds like a big word, Paul.
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What is that?
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It is simple.
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It means you become the narrator of your own life.
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You tell the story of your day in your head oh like a movie yes for example
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when i wake up i think in my head i am
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getting out of bed now i am walking to the kitchen i am making tea the water is hot wow
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so you describe your actions as you do them exactly i
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am putting on my blue pajamas i am sitting on my red sofa Use the words you know to describe your life.
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That is very smart.
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It helps your brain connect English to your real movements.
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Yes.
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And if you don't know a word, it is okay.
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You can just say, the thing.
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For example, I am opening the… thing.
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Then, later, you can look up the word for cupboard.
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That takes the pressure away.
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You don't have to be perfect.
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No. Perfection is not the goal.
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Communication with yourself is the goal.
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I love that.
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Communication with yourself.
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What is your next tip, Emily?
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My next tip is to make your to-do list in English.
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A shopping list or a work list?
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Both.
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For example, for Maria's wedding, I have a list.
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Buy flowers, call Maria, practice dancing.
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Practice dancing?
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Are you a good dancer, Emily?
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I am… okay.
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But the list helps me think in English, because I see the words every time I look at my paper.
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That is good.
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I do that with my shopping list.
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Milk, eggs, apples, cookies.
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Especially the cookies for Tom and Sarah.
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Yes, when I see the word milk on my list, I don't think of the word in my language.
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I just think of the white drink.
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Exactly.
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It's about making English a part of your daily routine.
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I have another one.
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This is a fun one.
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I call it the what-if game.
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The what-if game?
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How do you play?
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When you are sitting on the bus or waiting in line, think of simple what-if situations.
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Give me an example.
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Okay.
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What if it rains today?
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Then you answer in your head, I will use my umbrella.
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Or, what if I am late for work?
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Answer, I will call my boss.
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Oh, that is excellent practice for simple future sentences.
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Yes.
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Or, what if I see a dog?
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Answer, I will say hello to the dog.
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It is simple and fun.
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It's like a little conversation in your head.
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Exactly.
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And because you are alone in your head, you can make mistakes.
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No one is listening.
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That is the best part.
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Your brain is a safe place to practice.
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Yes.
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Emily, what do you think about people using their phones in English?
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Oh, that is a classic tip.
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Change the language on your phone to English.
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Is that difficult for a beginner?
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It can be a little scary at first, but you already know where the buttons are.
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True.
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You know the Settings button and the Messages button.
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Yes.
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So when you see settings instead of the word in your language, your brain starts to accept English as normal.
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Normal.
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That is a good word.
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We want English to feel normal, not like a difficult lesson.
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Exactly.
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Another tip I like is describing people.
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Like when you are people-watching at the park.
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Yes.
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Look at someone and think of three simple things about them.
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He is tall.
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He has a red hat.
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He is walking fast.
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She is happy.
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She has a big dog.
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They are playing.
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Yes, it is very easy.
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You only need colors, basic adjectives, and simple verbs.
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That is great because it uses the small sentences tip too.
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I also think it is important to stop using a translation dictionary and start using an English-to-English dictionary for kids.
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An English dictionary for kids?
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Why?
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Because the definitions are very simple.
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They use A1 and A2 words to explain things.
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Ah, I see.
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So if you look up apple, it says a red fruit instead of a long, difficult explanation.
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Exactly.
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It helps you think of English words using other English words.
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That is a very high-level tip, but in a very simple way.
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Thank you.
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I try my best.
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Paul, what do you do when you are stressed?
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Do you think in English then?
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Honestly, when I am very stressed, I go back to my own language, and that is okay.
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I agree.
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You don't have to think in English 100% of the time.
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No. Start with five minutes a day.
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Just five minutes of internal narration, or the what-if game.
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Only five minutes?
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Everyone has five minutes.
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Yes.
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You can do it while you brush your teeth.
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I am brushing my teeth.
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The water is cold.
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I am tired. That is perfect.
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Five minutes of English thinking every morning.
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And slowly, five minutes becomes ten minutes, then twenty.
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And one day you wake up and realize you were dreaming in English.
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Has that happened to you, Emily?
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Yes.
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Last night I dreamed about the wedding.
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Maria was wearing a green dress and I was speaking English to everyone.
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Wow.
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That means your brain is very happy with English.
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It is.
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But it took time.
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You have to be patient with your brain.
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Yes.
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The brain is like a muscle.
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You have to exercise it.
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And thinking is the best exercise.
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It's free and you can do it anywhere.
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That's true.
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You can do it at work, at the supermarket, or on the sofa.
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Paul, let's talk about one more tip.
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I call it English labels.
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Oh, I know this one.
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You put paper on things.
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Yes, but not for everything.
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Just for things you always forget.
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Or for new phrases you want to use.
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Like, turn off the lights?
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Yes.
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Put a small note by the door.
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Turn off the lights.
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Every time you leave, you read it and think it.
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Oh, that is good.
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It's a visual thought.
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Exactly.
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After one week, you don't need the note.
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You just see the door and think, turn off the lights.
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I'm going to do that for my bicycle jar.
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I will put a note that says, saving for my dream.
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That is a beautiful thought, Paul.
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And it's in English.
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It is.
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See?
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I am thinking in English already.
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You are a star student.
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Thank you, Emily.
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Wow, we talked about many things today.
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We did.
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It was a very productive chat.
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I feel like my brain is working hard now, but in a good way.
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Good.
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That means the tips are working.
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So, should we remember what we talked about for our friends at home?
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Yes, let's do a quick recap.
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Okay.
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I remember the first one.
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Don't just name things.
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Use small, simple sentences like, the coffee is hot, or I am happy.
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Yes.
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And then you talked about internal narration, being the narrator of your own movie.
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I am walking.
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I am opening the door.
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Right.
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And you said we should make our lists in English, shopping lists and to-do lists.
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Yes, that helps a lot.
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And don't forget the what-if game for when you are waiting or bored.
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And the phone, changing the phone language to English to make it feel normal.
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Also, describing people in the park or on the street with three simple words.
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And my favorite, starting with just five minutes a day.
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No pressure.
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Exactly.
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And using a simple English dictionary to avoid translating.
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Whew!
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That is a lot of great advice, Emily.
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I hope it helps everyone.
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It really changed my life when I started doing these things.
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Me too.
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It makes speaking much more natural.
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Well, everyone, that is all the time we have for today.
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Oh, the time always goes so fast when we talk.
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It does!
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But before we go, we want to hear from you!
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Yes!
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Please leave a comment below.
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Tell us what is one thing you are thinking about right now in English.
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Or tell us which tip was your favourite.
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Will you try the 5-minute challenge?
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We love reading your English comments.
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They are so interesting.
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Yes!
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And don't forget to subscribe and like the video if you haven't yet.
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And share it!
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Let's help the whole world think in English!
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Yes.
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Thank you so much for listening today.
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Thank you, everyone.
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It was a pleasure.
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Have a wonderful day of thinking in English.
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Bye-bye.
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Bye, everyone.
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See you next time.

Why Practice Speaking with This Video?

If you're keen on improving your English speaking practice, this video is an excellent resource. It not only demonstrates natural conversational flow but also emphasizes the importance of thinking directly in English. Many learners struggle by translating phrases word-for-word in their mind, much like a turtle. This method can lead to frustration, fatigue, and reduced confidence. Our goal is to encourage you to adopt a quicker, more fluid way of speaking, akin to a rabbit!

By engaging with this video, you’ll learn how to develop your speaking skills without the barrier of translation. You'll also gain insights into casual phrases and expressions used in everyday conversations. Implementing the strategies discussed can significantly boost your comfort level and confidence when speaking English, allowing you to express your thoughts more freely and rapidly.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

Throughout the conversation, several key structures and expressions stand out:

  • Present Continuous Tense: The speakers frequently use present continuous tense to describe ongoing actions, such as "I am doing great" and "I am still working on that big report." This tense is essential for discussing current situations and can help you sound more fluent.
  • Usage of Adjectives: Descriptive words are crucial in conversations. When Emily mentions her "beautiful long blue dress," it showcases the use of adjectives to create vivid imagery in conversation.
  • Idiomatic Expressions: Phrases like "cookies solve every problem" are great examples of idioms that make speech more colorful and engaging. Learning these can help you sound more natural in conversations.

Common Pronunciation Traps

When practicing with this video, pay attention to common pronunciation challenges that learners often encounter:

  • The word "wedding": This word can be tricky due to its two "d" sounds. Make sure to pronounce both clearly to avoid confusion.
  • The phrase "very busy": The blending of sounds can make this phrase run together. Practice it slowly before speeding up to achieve clarity.
  • Intonation on Questions: Notice how intonation rises at the end of questions like "Did you find your blue dress?" This intonation pattern is essential for conveying that you’re asking rather than making a statement.

Using a shadowing app can help you practice these phrases effectively. By mimicking the speech patterns directly from this video, you can improve both your pronunciation and your ability to think in English. Engaging with such a resource on a shadowing site can enhance your learning experience, enabling you to learn English with YouTube in an interactive manner.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.