Shadowing Practice: English Podcast for Conversation Practice B1 | Talk About Daily Routine | Learn English Fast - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Englishly Podcast from Speak English with Class.
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important.
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Listen to this.
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Page 1.
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Monday.
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Learn 50 new words.
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Ambitious.
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Page 2.
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Tuesday.
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Review 50 words and learn 50 more.
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Very ambitious.
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Page 3.
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Don't.
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Blank.
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I was busy.
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Page 4.
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Also busy.
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Blank.
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It was a difficult week.
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The rest of the notebook is blank.
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Okay, this feels less like a podcast and more like an investigation.
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What happened to your hundred words?
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I remembered some of them.
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How many?
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Enough.
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That's not a number.
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Maybe… six?
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Six?
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One of them was determined… Were you?
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For approximately 48 hours.
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Alright, since we're opening old files… Oh no. Shall we talk about your English study schedule?
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We don't need to.
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The color-coded one?
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It was organized.
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It had seven colors.
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There were categories.
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There were arrows.
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Arrows are useful.
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There were little boxes to tick.
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I like boxes.
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And how long did this magnificent system last?
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Longer than your notebook.
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How long?
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I don't think we need to get into this.
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Monday?
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No. Tuesday?
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Stop enjoying this.
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Wednesday?
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Thursday morning.
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Ah, four days.
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Thank you.
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A historic achievement.
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I don't like you very much right now.
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That's fair.
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But here's the funny thing.
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Hmm?
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English wasn't our first language.
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We tried all these complicated plans.
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Huge vocabulary lists.
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Perfect schedules.
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Too much grammar.
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Too many notes.
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And eventually we both discovered something much simpler.
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The routine that helped wasn't the most impressive one.
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It was the one that actually became part of our life.
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Exactly.
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Which is slightly annoying.
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Why?
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Because I really wanted that 50 words a day plan to make me brilliant.
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It made you brilliant for two days.
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I'll take it.
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And if you've ever made a big English plan on Monday.
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Felt unstoppable on Tuesday.
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Started getting tired on Wednesday.
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And by Friday acted like the plan had never existed.
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Today's episode is for you.
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Very specifically for you.
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Because we're going to build an English routine that can survive… Wednesday?
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Hopefully.
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Thursday?
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Let's not get ambitious.
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Good.
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We've learned something already.
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Hello, hello, hello, English learners.
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Welcome back to the English Leap Podcast, your cozy little place to learn easy English through real, everyday conversations.
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I'm Anna.
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And I'm Jake, and I would just like to say that six words out of a hundred is not zero.
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Strong defense.
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Thank you.
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Today, we're talking about a daily routine to improve your English, but not one of those routines that looks wonderful on paper and disappears three days later.
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We have personal experience with those.
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Apparently quite a lot.
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Both of us.
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Yes, yes, you've made your point.
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Just making sure we're being fair.
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Unfortunately, we are.
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So, where do we start?
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With the first few minutes of your day.
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Before coffee?
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Maybe.
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This episode has taken a dark turn.
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Come on.
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Picture a normal morning.
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Okay.
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Your alarm goes off.
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Already?
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We've been here for ten seconds.
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I don't like mornings being rushed.
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What do you normally do first?
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Think about getting up.
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That's not getting up.
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It's the first stage.
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And the second?
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Check my phone.
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Immediately?
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Pretty much.
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Messages?
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Messages.
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Weather.
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News.
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Social media?
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Occasionally.
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Jake?
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Fine.
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Frequently.
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Better.
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What about you?
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I check one message.
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One?
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Usually.
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Anna.
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Okay, okay.
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Sometimes that one message leads to another message. And another.
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And suddenly ten minutes disappear.
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There it is.
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Happy.
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Very.
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That's actually something I changed when I was learning English.
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The phone?
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Not completely.
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I just used part of that morning time differently.
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What did you do?
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Sometimes I'd play something in English while I was getting ready.
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Podcast?
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Sometimes.
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Interview?
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Yes.
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Music?
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Definitely.
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So no desk?
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No. No notebook.
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No. No seven-color...
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Don't.
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I hadn't finished.
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You didn't need to.
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Fair.
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I was just doing things I already had to do.
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Getting dressed.
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Making breakfast.
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Looking for your keys.
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That wasn't every morning.
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Mm-hmm.
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The point is, I started to incorporate English into a routine that already existed.
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Instead of creating a completely new routine.
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Exactly.
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I wish I had understood that earlier.
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What did you do?
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I made English an event.
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An event?
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Oh, yes.
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I had to sit down, get the notebook, find the right video, open the dictionary, prepare the desk,
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get water, adjust the chair, very important, and 15 minutes later, completely exhausted from preparing to study.
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I'm serious.
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You had a pre-study routine.
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Exactly.
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Longer than the studying?
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We don't need details.
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I think we do.
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No. Fine.
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Eventually, I realized English could just be around me more often.
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That's the big change.
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It didn't always have to announce itself.
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Attention!
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English study begins now.
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Exactly.
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Sometimes you simply hear English while making breakfast.
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Or during a walk.
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Or while commuting.
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And all of that gives you more exposure to the language.
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We'll come back to that word later, too.
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Very smooth.
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Thank you.
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You're learning.
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Behave.
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Fine.
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But can I admit another mistake?
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Please.
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You answered that very quickly.
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Sorry.
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Go ahead.
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I used to choose English content because I thought it looked educational.
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Not because you liked it?
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Not always.
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Oh, no. I would find some serious-looking article or documentary and think, this will improve my English.
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Were you interested in the topic?
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That's where the system had problems.
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I once listened to something for almost half an hour and afterwards realized I didn't care about anything they were discussing.
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What was it about?
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I don't even remember.
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That says everything.
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Exactly.
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I did something similar with reading.
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Really?
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I thought harder material was automatically better.
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Ah.
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So I'd choose something much too difficult.
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Understand half.
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Stop every few lines.
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Dictionary.
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Back to the page.
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Another unknown word.
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Dictionary again.
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Sounds relaxing.
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It was terrible.
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Eventually, I started reading things I genuinely wanted to read.
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Huge difference.
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Huge.
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I think that's why I know so much coffee vocabulary.
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Here we go.
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No, listen.
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I'm listening.
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I never sat down and said, Today I will study coffee vocabulary.
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Thank goodness.
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I watched videos because I liked them.
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Many videos.
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A reasonable number.
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Many.
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Fine.
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And gradually you started recognizing the same expressions.
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Exactly.
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Grind size, extraction, roast.
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Stop.
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You started this.
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I regret it.
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But that's the point.
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Because I was interested, I kept hearing the language.
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You were getting repeated exposure.
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And gradually absorbing it.
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Exactly.
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See what happened there?
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What?
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Two word tour words.
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Don't make it weird.
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Sorry.
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This works with English, too.
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If you like football.
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Listen to football.
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If you like cooking.
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Cooking videos.
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Travel.
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Travel.
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Technology.
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Technology.
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Stories.
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Stories.
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Crime documentaries.
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You had to put that in.
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They're interesting.
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You once told me an entire crime story while I was trapped in a car with you.
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You say trapped, I say attentive audience.
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I couldn't leave.
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Details.
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But seriously, you're more likely to keep listening when you care about what happens next.
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Which matters more than finding the perfect learning content.
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There's another mistake we both made. Which one?
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Trying to understand everything.
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Oh, yes.
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Every single word.
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I hated missing words.
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Same.
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It felt like if I didn't know one word, I'd lost something important.
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And then you paused.
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Sometimes.
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Sometimes?
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Don't.
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Wait, wait, wait.
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How often?
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If the word seemed important, I checked it.
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How did you know it was important if you didn't know what it meant?
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Uh… Good question?
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Irritating question.
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Fine.
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I checked a lot of words.
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A ten-minute video took...
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We don't need numbers.
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Twenty minutes?
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More.
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Thirty?
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Maybe.
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Anna!
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I was thorough.
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You were doing archaeology.
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At least I finished the video.
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Eventually.
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What did you do?
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Almost the same thing.
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Ah.
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Except instead of checking every word, I would replay things.
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How many times?
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Enough.
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That's not a number.
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How many?
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Four or five times sometimes.
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Jake!
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I wanted to hear it.
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So between us, one video could take the whole afternoon.
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Very productive learners.
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What changed for you?
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I learned to choose my purpose.
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What do you mean?
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Sometimes I was listening because I wanted to understand the general idea.
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So you kept going?
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Yes.
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Even if something disappeared?
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Even then.
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And other times?
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I listened more intentionally.
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There's our third word.
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Maybe I chose one short section.
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One minute.
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Maybe two.
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Replay it.
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Notice the pronunciation.
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Pick up one useful expression.
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Then move on.
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Much better than turning 30 minutes of listening into a three-hour project.
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Exactly.
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That's something I still think learners need permission to do.
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What?
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Not understand everything.
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Absolutely.
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You can understand enough.
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Follow the story.
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Notice what you can.
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Keep listening.
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And sometimes the word you missed isn't important anyway.
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Very often.
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I wish old Jake knew that.
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Old Jake was busy with 50 words.
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He's had a difficult episode.
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But once I stopped treating every listening session like a test, I started using English in much more ordinary parts of my day.
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Like your commute.
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Exactly.
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The commute helped me a lot.
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Same.
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Mine was around 30 minutes.
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That's good listening time.
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It became listening time.
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What did you do before that?
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Music, messages, sometimes nothing.
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Looking out the window dramatically?
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Naturally.
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Good.
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And I didn't replace all of it.
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That's important.
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Some days I wanted music.
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Some days I still would.
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Exactly.
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But on other days, 10 or 15 minutes became English.
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Same train.
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Same journey.
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Different choice.
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Yes.
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I think that's the heart of today's episode.
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Me too.
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Don't keep searching for extra hours.
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Look at the time that already exists.
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Ten minutes walking somewhere.
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Waiting for the bus.
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Making dinner.
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Cleaning.
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Driving.
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Listening only if you're driving.
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Please.
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Keep your eyes on the road.
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Improve your English and arrive safely.
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Both would be nice.
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Very.
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And repeated listening gave me something I didn't expect.
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What?
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Expressions started sounding familiar before I could explain why.
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Oh, yes.
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You know that feeling?
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Definitely.
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Someone says, I've been meaning to do that.
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And you think, I know that.
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But maybe nobody ever formally taught it to you.
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You've just heard it many times.
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In different places.
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Different voices.
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Different situations.
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And gradually, you've absorbed it.
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That's one of my favorite parts of learning a language.
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Mine too.
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Because suddenly English stops feeling like a list.
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It starts feeling familiar.
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Until someone asks you to say something back.
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Ah, yes.
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Listening was easier for me than speaking.
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Me too.
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Much easier.
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I could understand someone.
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Then they'd ask you a question.
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And everything disappeared.
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Yes.
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They'd say, how was your weekend?
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Very dangerous question.
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You know exactly what it means.
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You've known the word weekend for years. But suddenly...
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Nothing.
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Empty room.
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Lights off.
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Everyone's gone home.
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What helped you?
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Repeating things out loud.
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Ah.
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If I heard an expression I liked, I copied it.
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Same.
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Really?
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Yes.
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Wait, wait, wait.
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With the expression too?
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What expression?
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The person's face.
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Sometimes.
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Oh.
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Don't.
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So when you did it, what was it called?
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Pronunciation practice.
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And when I did it?
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Acting.
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Unbelievable.
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But copying rhythm helped me.
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Definitely.
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Because English isn't just the words.
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There's stress.
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Rhythm.
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Emotion.
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If someone says, you've got to be kidding me.
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That sounds slightly frightening.
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Exactly.
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The sentence needs life.
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And that's why repeating short lines helped.
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I also practiced sentences before I needed them.
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Like?
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If I knew I had a phone call, I practiced the opening.
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That's smart.
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If I needed to ask someone something, I said the question once or twice beforehand.
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I did that before meetings.
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Really?
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Yeah, especially if I knew I wanted to make one particular point.
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That's a good habit.
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Thank you.
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No joke.
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I was waiting for one.
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Enjoy the moment.
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I will.
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Actually, speaking reminded me of something else I used to struggle with.
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What?
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Knowing a word and then not being able to find it when I actually needed it.
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Oh, yes, yes.
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You know that feeling?
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Very well.
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The word is definitely in your head.
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Somewhere.
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You can almost see it.
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You know what it means.
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You know you've learned it before.
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And still, nothing.
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Gone.
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Exactly.
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Please don't tell me the notebook is coming back.
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I wasn't going to...
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Anna!
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Okay, maybe a little.
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No. Fine.
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Thank you.
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But seriously, remembering new vocabulary was difficult for me, too.
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Same.
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Learning a word once was one thing.
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Actually, remembering it when you needed it was completely different.
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I could learn a new word in the morning, understand it perfectly.
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Feel intelligent.
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Very.
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Write a beautiful example.
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Yes.
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Next morning?
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Gone.
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Completely.
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Did that happen to you?
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Constantly.
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I hated that feeling.
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You know the meaning.
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You remember seeing it.
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Sometimes you even remember where it was on the page.
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Yes.
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But the word itself?
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Nothing.
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Goodbye.
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That's when I realized seeing something once isn't the same as being able to retain it.
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Exactly.
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What helped you?
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Using it again.
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Same.
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Especially in something connected to my life.
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Yes.
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Random textbook sentences weren't always enough.
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That's exactly why one of my favorite phrases became, get around to something.
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Why that one?
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Because I needed it. For...
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Everything I hadn't done. Of course.
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I haven't got around to cleaning that drawer.
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The drawer.
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Everyone has one.
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Cables, batteries, old receipts, one mysterious key.
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Yes.
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The second I connected the phrase to my actual life, I remembered it.
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That's the difference.
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The phrase had somewhere to live.
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I like that.
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Thank you.
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And then using it again helps reinforce it.
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Another word-tour word.
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Very subtle today.
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Extremely.
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So if you hear one useful expression… Use it!
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Say it aloud.
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Write one sentence.
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Use it in a message.
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Notice it again later.
541
You don't need twenty new expressions.
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Fifty?
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No. Twelve?
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Jake.
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Fine.
546
And I think that was part of our bigger problem.
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We always wanted to do too much.
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Yeah, that was probably my biggest mistake.
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Fifty words?
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Second biggest.
551
Fair.
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I built routines for the person I wished I was.
553
Oh.
554
You know him?
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Very well.
556
Sunday night Jake is incredible.
557
What does he do?
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Wakes up early.
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Exercises.
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Reads.
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Eats perfectly.
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Learns something new.
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Drinks enough water.
564
Keeps the house clean.
565
Calls everyone he's supposed to call.
566
Amazing man.
567
Where is he?
568
Gone by Tuesday.
569
What about you?
570
Mine was similar.
571
Color-coded?
572
Naturally. Of course.
573
But I made the same mistake.
574
I planned for my best day.
575
Not the tired one.
576
Right.
577
Not the busy one.
578
Not the morning where something goes wrong.
579
And something always goes wrong eventually.
580
Exactly.
581
So now I'd tell someone, have a normal version and a tired version.
582
I love that.
583
Normal day, maybe 20 minutes.
584
Tired day, 5.
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Normal day, read five pages.
586
Tired day, read one.
587
Normal day, ten minutes of speaking.
588
Tired day, say three sentences.
589
That's much more realistic.
590
And much easier to continue.
591
Because my old approach was, If I cannot do the full 45 minutes, I will do nothing.
592
Same.
593
Really?
594
Yes.
595
I thought that was just me.
596
No, and then I'd miss one day and think, I'll start again Monday.
597
Exactly.
598
Poor Monday.
599
Monday has suffered enough.
600
Exercise.
601
Diets.
602
Reading plans.
603
English routines.
604
Cleaning the garage.
605
Why the garage?
606
Susan's garage.
607
Who is Susan?
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I don't know anymore.
609
The point is, one bad day doesn't destroy anything.
610
You don't need to restart your life.
611
Just continue.
612
Assuming something doesn't steal the next 40 minutes of your day.
613
My.. phone?
614
Your phone.
615
I knew this was coming.
616
Because the phone can be an amazing English learning tool.
617
And an amazing English learning escape route.
618
Exactly.
619
I once opened YouTube to find a pronunciation video.
620
Good.
621
Twenty minutes later, I was watching someone restore an old chair.
622
Wait, what?
623
It was badly damaged.
624
That doesn't answer the question.
625
The transformation was incredible.
626
Jake, you were supposed to be practicing pronunciation.
627
I know.
628
How did we get to furniture?
629
Recommendations are powerful.
630
You've never done that?
631
Of course I have.
632
Ah.
633
Mine wasn't a chair.
634
What was it?
635
I opened my phone to look up one expression. And?
636
Somehow ended up watching travel videos.
637
Where did you go?
638
Nowhere.
639
Excellent.
640
Thank you.
641
So we're both guilty?
642
Completely.
643
That's where being intentional helps.
644
Decide what you're about to do.
645
I'm listening to this episode.
646
I'm watching this 10-minute video.
647
I'm reviewing these three expressions.
648
Rather than opening the app and letting the app decide.
649
Because the app has plans.
650
Very strong plans.
651
Much stronger than my vocabulary plan.
652
Almost anything was stronger than that. That hurt.
653
Sorry.
654
No, you're not.
655
A little.
656
You know, though, we've talked a lot about listening today.
657
We have.
658
Podcasts, videos, things you enjoy.
659
And somebody listening is probably thinking, OK, but what about grammar?
660
Exactly.
661
Fair question.
662
Because grammar did help me.
663
Me too.
664
A lot, actually.
665
Yeah.
666
I just stopped treating it like it was the whole language.
667
Right.
668
Grammar helped me see patterns.
669
Listening helped me hear those patterns.
670
Reading helped me notice them.
671
Speaking showed me whether I could actually use them.
672
Exactly.
673
But I used to try to learn too many things at once.
674
Me too.
675
Grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, writing, listening, speaking… everything.
676
All at once?
677
Pretty much.
678
And then… Exhaustion.
679
Yeah, exactly.
680
One or two priorities at a time worked much better for me.
681
Same.
682
What about reading?
683
Once I stopped choosing things that were too difficult, I loved it.
684
Me too.
685
There's a wonderful moment when you're reading in English.
686
And forget you're reading in English.
687
Yes.
688
You're just following the story.
689
That's such a good feeling.
690
Because the language stops being the main event.
691
The meaning becomes the main event.
692
Exactly. And writing?
693
Useful, but I wouldn't tell everyone they need to write a page every morning.
694
I'm shocked.
695
Why?
696
Seven colors.
697
That was years ago.
698
I'm still processing it.
699
Three sentences can be enough.
700
About your day.
701
Your plans.
702
Something that happened.
703
A phrase you want to remember.
704
I'm tired.
705
I need coffee.
706
Anna is attacking my old notebook.
707
Perfect practice.
708
Very personal.
709
It does make me wonder, though.
710
What?
711
If you could talk to the version of yourself who was still learning English, what would you say?
712
One thing?
713
One.
714
Stop trying to learn everything.
715
Good.
716
Use English sooner.
717
What do you mean?
718
I waited too long to speak.
719
Because you didn't feel ready?
720
Exactly.
721
I did that too.
722
I thought there would be a moment when I had enough vocabulary.
723
Enough grammar.
724
Enough confidence.
725
And then you'd speak.
726
But ready kept moving.
727
That's so true.
728
What else would you change?
729
I'd listen more.
730
Really?
731
Yes.
732
read a lot which helped enormously, but I wish I'd heard more natural English earlier.
733
Interesting.
734
I'd almost say the opposite.
735
You'd read more?
736
Definitely.
737
Why?
738
I listened constantly, but reading would have helped me slow down and notice expressions more carefully.
739
See?
740
This is important.
741
What?
742
We even would have needed different routines.
743
Exactly.
744
There isn't one perfect daily routine.
745
Your routine should fix your weak points and fit your life.
746
If you already listen all day, maybe you need more speaking.
747
If you read confidently but struggle to follow natural speech, more listening.
748
If you understand English but freeze when you need to speak, use your voice more often.
749
And if you own an empty vocabulary notebook, let it go, Jake!
750
I tried!
751
Alright, so if there isn't one perfect routine, what would a realistic one actually look like?
752
Ah, now we're building one.
753
We are.
754
Okay, no perfect learner?
755
No. No 5 a.m wake up?
756
Absolutely not.
757
You've destroyed my motivational speech.
758
You'll recover.
759
Fine.
760
Alright, you wake up at your normal time.
761
Good.
762
While you're getting ready, maybe you listen to English for 5 or 10 minutes.
763
Not necessarily every morning.
764
Right, sometimes you want music.
765
Sometimes silence.
766
Sometimes you're already late.
767
Very real.
768
Then commute.
769
If you have one.
770
10 minutes of a podcast?
771
Maybe 15.
772
Something you actually like?
773
Important.
774
Mid-morning?
775
Work, school, life.
776
So, no English?
777
That's okay.
778
I like this routine.
779
At lunch, maybe you read something short.
780
One article?
781
Or half an article.
782
Rebel.
783
You notice one expression.
784
I've been meaning to.
785
Good one.
786
You don't write down 20 more.
787
I'm learning.
788
I'm proud.
789
Afternoon?
790
Maybe nothing.
791
Again?
792
Your brain needs to live, too.
793
Excellent.
794
But later, you remember the phrase.
795
I've been meaning to call my friend.
796
Good.
797
I've been meaning to clean that drawer.
798
There it is.
799
The drawer is basically part of the podcast now.
800
Apparently.
801
Evening?
802
You're tired.
803
Very.
804
You planned 30 minutes.
805
Current energy level?
806
Chair.
807
Ha ha ha!
808
Accurate.
809
So you do five.
810
Listen to one short thing.
811
Or read one page.
812
Or say three sentences.
813
Then stop.
814
And if I feel good?
815
Continue.
816
That's it?
817
That's it?
818
Wait.
819
What?
820
No huge schedule?
821
No. No fifty words?
822
No. No guilt because I watched a series in English instead of studying grammar for an hour?
823
No. This would have saved me years.
824
Probably.
825
Where were you?
826
Making my seven-color schedule.
827
Ah, right.
828
We were both busy.
829
And that's really the routine.
830
English keeps appearing throughout your life.
831
A little listening.
832
A little reading.
833
Something spoken aloud.
834
One useful expression.
835
And some days more.
836
Some days less.
837
But you keep coming back.
838
And you know what I like about that?
839
Hmm?
840
It doesn't look very impressive.
841
That's why it might actually work.
842
Fair.
843
The best routine isn't necessarily the biggest one.
844
It's the one you can still do when you're busy. Or tired. Or distracted.
845
Or when Wednesday arrives.
846
Ah, the true test.
847
And we used six useful words while doing all of that.
848
We did. Shall we?
849
Let's do it.
850
Now I think we're ready for the word tour.
851
Yes.
852
Let's take the six useful words from today's conversation and practice them properly.
853
Our first word is incorporate.
854
In-cor-pa-rate.
855
Incorporate.
856
Incorporate means to include something as part of something else.
857
So instead of creating a completely new study routine, you could incorporate English into things you already do.
858
You could say, I tried to incorporate English into my morning routine.
859
Or, I've started incorporating more listening into my day.
860
Which sounds much more realistic than...
861
50 new words every morning.
862
I knew that notebook was coming back.
863
It had to.
864
Fair.
865
Our next word is exposure.
866
Ex-po-sure.
867
Exposure.
868
Exposure means experience or contact with something.
869
When we talk about language learning, exposure to English means hearing, reading, or seeing English regularly.
870
You could say, watching English videos gives me more exposure to natural spoken English.
871
Or, I wasn't studying every minute, but I was getting a lot of exposure to the language.
872
And that exposure can come from podcasts, films, books, conversations.
873
Coffee videos. Of course.
874
Educational coffee videos.
875
Naturally.
876
Our next word is intentional.
877
In-ten-tion-all.
878
Intentional.
879
Intentional means done deliberately or with a clear purpose.
880
Maybe you usually listen to English casually, but today you decide to focus on one short section.
881
You could say, I was more intentional with my listening today.
882
Or, I'm trying to be intentional about how I use my study time.
883
So, instead of opening your phone and seeing where life takes you, you decide what you actually want to do first.
884
Very sensible.
885
Unlike opening a pronunciation video and ending up watching someone repair a chair.
886
It was an excellent chair.
887
Jake.
888
Moving on.
889
Our next word is absorb.
890
U-b-z-o-rb.
891
Absorb.
892
To absorb information means to gradually take it in and understand or remember it.
893
Often without deliberately trying to memorize every detail.
894
Maybe you hear the same expression again and again in podcasts and conversations.
895
After a while, you may naturally absorb it absorb it.
896
You could say, I absorbed a lot of vocabulary by listening to English every day.
897
Or, children absorb language from the people around them.
898
And apparently, some adults absorb a surprising amount of coffee vocabulary.
899
I feel judged.
900
You're not.
901
Your face says otherwise.
902
Our next word is retain.
903
Retain.
904
Retain.
905
Retain means to keep information in your memory.
906
Maybe you understand a new word when you first learn it, but the next day...
907
Gone.
908
Completely gone.
909
You remember the page.
910
You remember the example.
911
You almost remember the first letter.
912
But the actual word?
913
Goodbye.
914
You could say, I retain new vocabulary better when I use it.
915
Or, it's difficult to retain too many new words at once.
916
Completely random example.
917
Fifty words, perhaps?
918
Anna?
919
Sorry.
920
No, you're not.
921
Not really.
922
And our final word is reinforce.
923
Re-in-force.
924
Reinforce.
925
Reinforce means to make something stronger.
926
In learning, you reinforce something when you practice it again or meet it again.
927
Maybe you hear a useful phrase in the morning and then use it later in a conversation.
928
That second experience can reinforce what you learned.
929
You could say, using the phrase in my own sentence helped reinforce it.
930
Or a quick review helped reinforce yesterday's vocabulary.
931
Hear it.
932
Use it.
933
Meet it again.
934
Reinforce it.
935
Simple.
936
Much simpler than writing 100 words into...
937
Don't.
938
I stopped.
939
Good.
940
Beautiful.
941
Beautiful.
942
Today we learned six useful words for building a realistic English routine.
943
Incorporate, exposure, intentional, absorb, retain, and reinforce.
944
Try to notice one of these words the next time you hear English in a conversation, podcast, film, or video.
945
And even better, try using one yourself.
946
Just one.
947
Six?
948
One.
949
I've changed.
950
Clearly. And now?
951
Now it's time for Say It Better.
952
This is where we take simple English and make it sound a little more natural for everyday conversation.
953
And remember, the first sentences aren't necessarily wrong.
954
We're simply giving you another option.
955
Let's start with a very common one.
956
I don't have time to study English.
957
Very relatable.
958
And sometimes completely true.
959
But if your schedule is busy and you're trying to use small moments during the day, you could say, I try to fit English into my day when I can.
960
I like that.
961
Fit English into my day.
962
Or, my schedule is pretty full, so I practice in short bursts.
963
Short bursts means short periods of activity.
964
Ten minutes in the morning.
965
Five minutes later.
966
Maybe some listening during your commute.
967
Much less frightening than a two-hour study session.
968
Definitely.
969
Here's another one.
970
I forget new words.
971
Clear.
972
Very common.
973
But if you want to describe that feeling more naturally, you could say, New words don't always stick unless I use them.
974
Nice.
975
If something sticks, it stays in your memory.
976
So you could also say, That expression really stuck with me.
977
Or, I remember vocabulary better when I use it in context.
978
Which is exactly what we were talking about earlier.
979
Make the word part of your life.
980
Not part of a lonely page in a notebook.
981
You said it, not me.
982
I'm healing.
983
What about this one?
984
I watch English every day.
985
We understand what you mean.
986
But normally we'd say what we're watching.
987
So you could say, I watch something in English every day.
988
Or I try to get some listening in every day.
989
I really like get some listening in.
990
That means finding time to do a little listening, even when your day is busy.
991
For example, I got about 15 minutes of listening in on the way to work.
992
Very natural.
993
Here's another one.
994
I want to speak English better.
995
Nothing wrong with that.
996
But sometimes the real problem isn't that your English is bad.
997
You just don't feel comfortable using it yet.
998
So you could say, I want to become more comfortable speaking English.
999
Or I'm trying to get more confident speaking English.
1000
Especially if you understand a lot but freeze when someone suddenly asks you a question.
1001
You know the answer.
1002
You know the vocabulary.
1003
Your brain begins building the perfect sentence.
1004
And five minutes later, it's beautiful.
1005
Unfortunately, the person has left.
1006
Terrible timing.
1007
Very.
1008
And one more.
1009
I'll study when I have more time.
1010
Ah, yes.
1011
Dangerous sentence.
1012
Because when exactly is more time?
1013
Tomorrow.
1014
Next week.
1015
Monday.
1016
Poor Monday.
1017
Instead, you could say, I'm trying to make English part of the routine I already have.
1018
Or, I try to make the most of the time I have.
1019
Make the most of something means use what you have as well as you can.
1020
So, maybe you don't have an hour.
1021
But you have ten minutes.
1022
Use the ten minutes.
1023
And if today is completely chaotic… Continue tomorrow.
1024
No dramatic restart?
1025
No. No seven-color schedule?
1026
Jake!
1027
Sorry.
1028
I like today's Say It Better because none of these changes are complicated.
1029
That's really the point.
1030
Natural English isn't always about replacing simple words with the difficult ones.
1031
Sometimes it's simply knowing the phrase that fits the moment.
1032
And using it when you need it, which I think brings us back to where we started today.
1033
Oh, no. Oh, yes.
1034
Yes.
1035
So, after all that, what happened to my old notebook?
1036
I'm keeping it.
1037
Why?
1038
Evidence.
1039
Anna.
1040
English learners, remember, your routine doesn't need to be perfect.
1041
It just needs to fit your real life.
1042
A little English often.
1043
That's enough.
1044
Thanks for spending this time with us.
1045
Keep listening, keep practicing, and we'll see you in the next episode.
1046
Bye for now!
1047
Your progress doesn't end here.
1048
To continue advancing your English skills, click on the next video or explore the additional videos we've thoughtfully selected for you.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 1048 sentences and 4892 words to shadow. The speech runs for 36:04. The speaker talks at a steady 136 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 85% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
- routine /ɹuˈtin/ (noun) — A course of action to be followed regularly; a standard procedure.
- vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/ (noun) — A usually alphabetized and explained collection of words e.g. of a particular field, or prepared for a specific purpose, often for learning.
- absorb /æbˈsɔɹb/ (verb) — To include so that it no longer has separate existence; to overwhelm; to cause to disappear as if by swallowing up; to incorporate; to assimilate; to take in…
- exposure /ɪkˈspəʊ.ʒə(ɹ)/ (noun) — The condition of being exposed, uncovered, or unprotected.
- podcast /ˈpɑdˌkæst/ (noun) — A program, especially an audio program, produced on a regular basis, delivered over the Internet in a compressed digital format and designed for playback on…
- notebook /ˈnoʊtˌbʊk/ (noun) — A book (physical or digital) in which notes or memoranda are written.
- reinforce /ˌɹiː.ɪnˈfɔːs/ (verb) — To strengthen, especially by addition or augmentation.
- phrase /ˈfɹeɪ̯z/ (noun) — A short written or spoken expression.
- retain /ɹəˈteɪn/ (verb) — Often followed by from: to hold back (someone or something); to check, to prevent, to restrain, to stop.
- incorporate /ɪŋˈkɔɹ.pɚ.eɪt/ (verb) — To include (something) as a part.
- grammar /ˈɡɹæm.ə(ɹ)/ (noun) — A system of rules and principles for the structure of a language, or of languages in general.
- intentional /ɪnˈtɛnʃənəl/ (adjective) — Intended or planned; done deliberately or voluntarily.
- pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/ (noun) — The formal or informal way in which a word is made to sound when spoken.
- naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/ (adverb) — In a natural manner.
- commute /kəˈmjuːt/ (verb) — To exchange substantially; to abate but not abolish completely, a penalty, obligation, or payment in return for a great, single thing or an aggregate; to cash…
Phrasal verbs you will hear
- talk about (verb) — Used to draw attention to the speaker's characterization of someone or something.
- come back (verb) — To return to a place.
- end up (verb) — To bring to a conclusion.
- get around to (verb) — To eventually begin or return to some task.
- get up (verb) — To move in an upward direction; to ascend or climb.
- listen in (verb) — To listen without participating.
- move on (verb) — To continue; to proceed; to go on.
- read in (verb) — To accept as input.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 138 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: rhythm /ˈɹɪð.əm/, smooth /smuːð/, thirty /ˈθɝti/, thorough /ˈθʌɹoʊ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: exposure /ɪkˈspəʊ.ʒə(ɹ)/, intentional /ɪnˈtɛnʃənəl/, pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, garage /ɡəˈɹɑʒ/, dictionary /ˈdɪk.ʃəˌnɛ.ɹi/
- Long words — get the stress right: vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, incorporate /ɪŋˈkɔɹ.pɚ.eɪt/, intentional /ɪnˈtɛnʃənəl/, pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like routine, vocabulary, absorb.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result | if I didn't know one word, I'd lost |
| “Used to” used to + verb — a past habit or state that is no longer true | used to choose · used to try |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | you've ever made · We've learned · you've made |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was organized · being rushed · was trapped |
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.