Hello, good morning. Good evening. Good afternoon,
wherever you're watching or listening from. My name is Adriana from englishteacheradriana.com and
today we're going to be answering the question
How can I speak and think in English?
So I know a lot of you, maybe you can speak in English, but you know when you're having a conversation, constantly
translating, you're forgetting words and you really want to be able to think faster in English.
This is exactly what we're going through in this video lesson
Now before we begin with this lesson guys, I would... I'd like to ask a favor from you. If you like
Please hit that like button to support my work and just to get some feedback from you.
But also I would like to start a little bit of discussion in the comments below in this video.
Can you tell me in the comments below this video - What are you struggling with when speaking in English?
So are you forgetting words or forgetting phrases? Are you translating? What problems are you currently
experiencing when you are speaking in English.
Okay, so I will be going through 10 tips 10 ways to better help you to speak and think in English
so that you can have more meaningful
Friends these 10 tips tips, tricks, whatever you want to call them
They... I use them on a regular basis in my second language as many of you know
and I also do teach these in our mic, in all my online courses and training programs.
You will be able to understand them but really, the ball's in your court.
It really depends how often you will be using them on a daily basis
But I do trust that you will use them and improve your English speaking skills.
I do want to go and start with the first tip.
Now in order for you to speak in English
You have to... You have to be able to remember words, phrases, grammatical structures.
You have to be able, you need to know some English to be able to speak and think faster in English.
Now the best way for you to better be able to remember words, to learn new words, improve your vocabulary is
Immersion. Immersion is something I've talked a lot about, this is basically when you surround yourself with the
Now if you're not living in an English-speaking country
you could be listening to podcasts, watching the news in English, reading the news in English.
You could be listening to music in English.
Basically making English a part of your everyday life
so that you can hear some English being used and you are
You know, while you're watching a TV show in English you're thinking about what that speaker is saying.
You are... You want to be able to understand that show so you are doing, some will say, passive
learning because you are thinking, okay
What are they saying, do I understand them, am I able to follow the TV show? The same goes with
podcasts, with this YouTube livestream.
With anything that you are listening to in English.
But it is also important to be reading in English
Now.
Why do I say it's important to be reading a lot in English and how should this perform on my YouTube channel?
When I migrated, when I moved to Croatia one thing I did every single morning was hey, I drank coffee,
of course, but honestly, I read the local newspaper in Croatian to build my vocabulary, my grammar skills,
and I'm forever grateful and thankful that I did this.
Why, because I was able to see how native Croatian speakers use the language, how they express themselves
and it enabled me to think faster in Croatian.
And I know that if you are constantly reading something in English,
It's great way to be immersing yourself, to see vocabulary and grammar being used in the real world.
learning English and how much time you should dedicate. Do reading or listening for a maximum of 30 minutes a day.
You could do this while you are, I don't know, driving to work, while you're cooking while you're cleaning.
You could be doing this while you're in the shower, if you want to listen to a song.
I don't know, make it fun. Immerse yourself. For me
it was fun to be drinking my morning coffee, to be reading the new local newspaper. That was how I
You do what works for you and let me know how you go
Okay. So the first way to enable you to better think faster, you know, you need to learn words, vocabulary.
So you need to be immersing yourself in the language.
Now the second tip is very important and place to each and applies one of you watching this video lesson.
Now the second tip is do not use a bilingual dictionary, please.
Okay, why do I say don't use a bilingual dictionary?
If you want to think faster in English and think faster when you're speaking in English to not forget words, you cannot be
translating. Now, if you are reading a newspaper, if you're reading a book in English,
if you're watching a TV show, there will be words that you don't understand. I know I've been through that.
It's really frustrating but keep pushing through, read for context and do not use a dictionary.
translating to your native language be that Arabic Vietnamese Spanish Portuguese. Whatever native language is,
you're just going to be a really good translator. Okay, maybe you won't be a good English speaker.
So if you... A lot of you know that I do speak Croatian
fluently and I don't like translating. So either I'm speaking English or I'm speaking in Croatian.
I do not translate because I just turn my mind from one mode to the other mode,
I don't know how to explain it. But basically this is because I never used a bilingual dictionary.
I wanted to learn the words in that context and to enable me to sound more natural.
I didn't want to sound like a robot when I was having coffee, when I was going out with friends.
This is why I said I suggest for you should not use a bilingual dictionary as...
Just try to read for context, look at the words. See what's happening in that paragraph, in that sentence.
See if you can understand. In the beginning it will be hard, I get you, I hear your pain.
It was hard for me, but push through. Do it consistently and you will see that in a week, in two weeks time
you'll get better at reading for context. Now,
this takes me to my third tip. Okay, so I know that it's really hard to be
different English speakers because you may not understand all the words,
but instead of focusing on the word that you don't understand, I want you to be learning
phrases, so what do I mean by phrases? Don't focus on that word that you don't know.
focus on that whole sentence, that whole
pair of words, those words, let's say four or five words together, that whole sentence.
Analyze that sentence and pay attention to how that speaker has been, has been... What's happening to my grammar?
Okay, so, how that speaker has used that sentence or that phrase. Now,
why do I say do this? By you learning phrases instead of focusing on learning single words,
you'll be able to use those words,
but in a complete phrase, in a complete sentence when you do have to go and speak in English.
Now a lot of the times.. Put your hand up if you've been a victim of this, I've done this.
I've used some words in Croatian to sound a little bit smarter, but unfortunately, I appeared a little bit dumb, you know.
Just... It's just normal when you're learning a foreign language. You sometimes see, you know, all those simple words.
You want to spice it up with some new vocabulary you've heard in a movie,
But unfortunately you get laughter because you used it in the wrong
context. To avoid this, what I suggest that you do is that you don't focus on single words.
Rather you focus on learning key phrases.
This will help you to think faster,
but also, most importantly, simply speak more confidently in English because you know that whole phrase.
Okay. So focus on phrases when you're learning instead of focusing on key words and the words that you don't know or
Now this takes us to our next point
Now I know a lot of you are thinking but Adriana when I am
going through and reading a book or watching a TV show. You know, I see that word. I hear them using that word
I know that word, but when I have to speak in English, I forget it, okay. I can't remember that word.
I can't think of that word in English. Let me tell you why. This is because you are not
using your English. Now, what do I mean that you are not using your English?
It means , t means basically that if you don't use anything that you've heard
through immersion in the first step, you're going to forget it, okay.
Why, because you know, I don't know about you guys
But me, I'm a little bit lazy sometimes and if I don't do something
over and over again, I'll probably, I'll probably forget it or it probably won't stick to my brain and
I just forget, I don't know, humans are like that.
So, basically, when you, when you do hear a new phrase, when you hear a new word, what I want you to do is use it.
Use it in a sentence, use it, you could... Let me, let me go through some ways you could use new vocabulary.
One way is by having a book of vocabulary, learning notebook journal, whatever it is
you might call it and in that notebook
what I want you to do is to write down that new phrase, that new word that you've learned.
But I don't want you to go and translate that word. Instead of going to translate it, make
a sentence, look up the definition in English and make a sentence with that word.
Why should you be making a sentence?Because you are using your English
okay,
so you are using that word in story, in a
context and this will enable you to think of that word when you do have to speak in English.
But if you're not using that word in a sentence, it's not going to happen.
Okay, now I know some teachers...
Have tips which... About post-it notes, putting it around your house to enable you to think
of those words when you do have to go speak in English. Personally, I've never done this. It's not something that I really like doing
Everybody's different. If... If it's easier for you to have post-it notes or just little
signals around your home to better remember those words with sentences, go for it.
It's not something that I've done, for me a more effective method and
something that I've seen a lot of my students have a lot of results with is by actually constructing sentences and consistently using this word
Repetition is key to success. The more you do it, the more you use it, the easier will get for you
Okay, so you need to be using that, those words as soon as possible.
Now I did say that you should be constructing sentences in written form,
but another great way for you to think faster, to speak in English and just simply speak and think in English is to
speaking. Okay. It's not rocket science. It's pretty simple.
You need to be speaking in English. One great way to be doing this is to be talking to yourself.
Okay, so what do I mean by talking to yourself. Friends, you're not crazy if you talk to yourself,
okay, first of all, but you could be talking to yourself using that vocabulary.
So if you're having a shower, hurry by yourself, if you're on the train, you can be talking in mind.
But I do suggest that you talk out loud
Say those sentences with the new, with those new phrases, with a new vocabulary that you've learned. Now,
this is another way of repeating that new vocabulary, those new phrases so that you remember them.
Actually get the words and say them, say them 10 times out loud
And I'm sure if you say each new phrase, every new word out loud, ten times, when you do have
conversations with other other speakers you will be able to remember them.
So actually talk to yourself in English, say these sentences out loud.
Now when you are talking to yourself,
you could be more structured and actually just say these sentences out loud, but you could just have a conversation with yourself
Sometimes when... You know, in the morning when you wake up and you look in the mirror.
Do you ever just think: Oh, my God, this day
I just hope it... I just hope it comes to an end, but hopefully you don't think negative thoughts.
I like to think positive thoughts in the morning and then I suggest that you think positively. But basically in the morning instead of
thinking or talking to yourself in Arabic, in Vietnamese, in Portuguese and Spanish, whatever language you speak
trying to do this in English. So while you're looking at the mirror, you're brushing your teeth. You're brushing your hais.
Literally out loud: Today, I'm going to work. I will arrive at work at 6 a.m. Today, I'm going to
have coffee at work with my colleague. I plan to tell my colleague about X Y Z.
Talk to yourself about that day
about what you're going to do, every single morning, you could talk about your... What you going to do on the weekend
what you're going to do that day, your goals, your dreams, your designs, talk about anything to yourself in front of a mirror. Now,
this will really really help you to speak and think in English because you're practicing.
Okay, if you're watching this video lesson and you're thinking that
you know, I just want to... I just want to be able to think fast. I need a magic solution
There's no magic solution, but you do have to be using these ten steps
I'm sorry, but there's no magic solution. That's what I wanted to tell you. Okay, I'm sorry, got a little bit lost there. Basically,
practice, you need to be practicing. Do that by writing, do that by speaking to yourself, the more
practice that you get in every single day, the better and faster you'll be able to speak and think in English.
narrating your day, planning out your day is a little bit different the seventh thing that you could do to speak and think in English
is to make up conversations. Okay, role-play
conversations you may have with people.
So, before I was, I was going through some examples of...
For example, planning out your day what you're doing for the weekend, but what you could do instead is
pretend that you're having a conversation with somebody.
So usually every single day I know who I'm going to be speaking to
I'm sure you also know who you're going to be speaking to today, tomorrow.
Of course, there will be other people who you'll speak too, but try to plan out these conversations.
For example if you're going to talk to your husband today
So maybe you'll talk to him and about... Well, I'm just planning out conversations.
I hope my husband is... Okay, what we're gonna eat today, what I'm going to do today, where we're gonna go that weekend.
So I could plan out these conversations in English, I could think about okay. So what would we do on the weekend?
All right. This is a question. I could ask him. I'd repeat this out loud and plan out the conversation
So maybe he'd respond by saying I don't know Adriana. What do you want to do for the weekend? Oh I had to think of
So,
create conversations with yourself, talk to yourself, answer questions, so that when you do have to speak in English,
It will be a lot easier for you to think and speak in English.
Okay practice is key, the more practice you get the better you will get, pretty simple.
Okay. So the next tip that I have is
Basically, if you want to speak and think in English, really really fast, it's very important to be speaking to
English speakers. So find friends, find other English speakers you can speak to with on a regular basis.
As much as I'd like to tell you that you can prepare yourself for conversations with other people
It's impossible to plan out a whole conversation until we have that conversation
People change your mind, people talk about random things. I've also talked about a lot of random things turn up this live stream
So it's very important to actually be... To actually be speaking to real people, developing real relationships.
This will help you to make speaking a habit and just do it, think faster in English.
Look also, people you're speaking to, they don't have to be native English speakers.
It can be, English can be their second language.
The point is for you just to be speaking and interacting in English
It is better to have somebody who has a higher level of English than you but it is not not
necessary. So I know a lot of a lot of you may be thinking: But I want to be speaking to a native English speaker.
Yes, this is fantastic. But if you do have somebody to speak to who is not a native English speaker
It's also okay, all right, because you're still practicing, still using your English and you are still improving.
Now,
The next tip, the next two tips, my final tips 9 and 10 are my most
important tips and I do suggest that you use them a regular basis.
Now the ninth tip is how I've been able to really improve my Croatian speaking skills. That is by singing.
I know it may sound a little bit strange,
but by listening to music, by singing along, by just dancing and having a little bit of fun
I've been able to learn slang, I've been able to learn intonation, connected speech.
I've just been able to train my mouth to move faster, to speak faster in my second language.
Why, because songs are fast. Okay, they use a lot of complex grammar. Sometimes a grammatically incorrect as well.
There's also a lot of slang in there. But basically if you're singing along you are singing alone out loud,
okay, so you will never hear me singing out loud
This is something I do in my spare time
and I know that it's helped me a lot to
just move my mouth, make the sounds, pronounce words and to... Also when I do have conversations,
there's a lot of vocabulary that I've learned and been able to use in a play, in my spoken speaking skills.
So when I sing along to songs, it is a great way to learn vocabulary,
to learn phrases and just simply make it a habit to speak in English.
Now the tenth and the final tip I have for you is very important and please listen carefully.
It's very important to simply have fun learning English. Okay, English is a means of communication. At the moment
I'm speaking to you. You're listening
You are immersing yourself in the English language, but it's very important to have fun. Do things that you like
Talk to yourself about topics that you like.
Listen to songs that you like, speak to people that you like.
It's very important to be having fun learning and improving your level of English.
Why, why do I say this? It is hard to learn a second language, okay. At times you'll feel a little bit demot...
Deotivated, you won't want to learn, you just get stuck. It's normalwith anything that you're trying to achieve, especially learning a second language.
So I do suggest that you choose wisely, what books you're reading, what podcast you're listening to, what
YouTube channels you're listening to, Instagram, if you're following Instagram people, which Instagram is you're following
through immersion, because if you're following somebody that you don't really like, that you're
Learning maybe something , aybe find somebody, maybe non English teacher,
maybe somebody talking about different topics that you really like, the incentive for you to stay consistent to
consistently immerse yourself in the English language. It'll be stronger and your desire to learn will also be stronger.
Now this will also help you to be consistent
Now another thing that I know a lot of you really struggle with is to be
have fun every single day learning and improving your level of English.
Consistency is key. It's not enough to be learning English
maybe once a week, every second week third week, know it's something you should be doing every single day.
It could be as simple as reading a book, watching a TV show, listening to a podcast, listening to this live stream.
try to be consistent, 30 minutes a day is all that it takes to improve your level of English. Now there is one comment coming through
Thank you to each and every one of you who has liked this video lesson.
It really supports me and also commented, but there is one comment that I see
here, and it says: Listen to what, listen to movies?
Friends, remember the tenth tip was to have fun. You need to think a little bit
okay, if you want to have fun, I can't tell you what's fun for you.
I can tell you what's fun for me, but it's not going to probably work for you.
So what I suggest is that you think about yourself, about your hobbies and listen to
podcasts, watch people read books that you are interested in in your native language and do this in English,
okay, so find movies that you like, find TV shows that you like, read newspaper articles that you like and
you will see that if you do this consistently, it will get better provided that you are using all the tips from this video lesson.
So I hope that these tips can help you to speak and think in English.
I know they've worked wonders for me and I hope that you achieve the same success that I've achieved
using my language skills and then also just basically having more meaningful conversations in English.
Remember friends, to join the discussion in the comments below this video.
What are you struggling with when speaking in English?
Do you forget words, are you forgetting grammatical structures, tell me in the comments below this video.
Also friends remember, if you liked this video lesson
make sure to like it, if you don't like it also, make sure to hit that dislike button.
But be a good friend, if you have a friend learning English, feel free to share this video lesson with them.
Thank you for watching. Thanks for being here. And I look forward to seeing you in the comments below this video. Bye for now