Full transcript
0:00Hello and welcome to English Unleashed,
0:03the podcast for learners who want to
0:06speak English with more confidence and
0:09joy. I'm Tom and I'm here to help you
0:13speak English more naturally, step by
0:16step, day by day. I will be speaking
0:20slowly and clearly so you can follow me
0:26and repeat after me. In today's episode,
0:30we're going to talk about something very
0:32simple but very powerful.
0:36How to practice English every single
0:39day. Even if your life is busy, even if
0:44you feel shy,
0:47even if you don't live in an
0:49Englishspeaking country, many people
0:52think they need to move to the UK or
0:55America to speak English well.
0:58But that's not true. You don't need to
1:01live in London. You don't need a native
1:04speaker next to you. You don't need to
1:07study for hours every night. What you
1:10need are small, smart steps.
1:15Steps that are easy to repeat. Steps
1:19that fit into your daily life.
1:23steps that help you feel more
1:25comfortable, more natural, and more
1:28confident using English. So, let's
1:32begin. Let's start with a simple
1:35question. What is shadowing? Maybe you
1:39have heard the word before, shadowing.
1:42Maybe you haven't. Shadowing is one of
1:45the best techniques to improve your
1:48speaking and listening at the same time.
1:52It's simple and very powerful.
1:57Here is how it works.
2:00You listen to someone speaking English
2:03like me right now and you try to repeat
2:07exactly what they say.
2:11You don't stop. You don't translate in
2:14your mind. You don't look at a
2:17dictionary. You just copy the sound like
2:22an echo. You try to say the words at the
2:25same speed with the same tone and the
2:30same rhythm as the speaker.
2:33Let's try it together.
2:37I'll say a sentence and you repeat after
2:40me. I want to speak English fluently.
2:45Now you repeat.
2:49I listen to English every day. Now you
2:52repeat.
2:55Shadowing helps me speak better.
2:59Now you repeat.
3:02Very good. That's it. That's shadowing.
3:07At first it feels a little strange. You
3:11may not understand everything you hear.
3:15That's okay.
3:17Shadowing is not about understanding
3:20every word. It's about training your
3:24brain and your mouth to work together in
3:28English.
3:30It helps you get used to how English
3:33sounds, how it moves, how it feels in
3:38your mouth.
3:40If you do this often, even five minutes
3:44a day, you will start to speak faster,
3:48more clearly, and more naturally.
3:52It's a small habit with big results.
3:58Now, let's talk about the main question.
4:02How can you practice English every day?
4:07Many students tell me, "Tom, I want to
4:10learn, but I don't have time.
4:14I'm always busy. I feel nervous when I
4:18speak.
4:20I don't know how to start."
4:23And I always say, "You don't need a lot
4:26of time.
4:28You don't need perfect grammar.
4:32You don't need to wait for the right
4:34moment.
4:36You just need to begin.
4:40Let me give you five simple and powerful
4:42ways to practice English every single
4:46day in your real life, wherever you are.
4:51Tip number one, listen to English every
4:55day.
4:56This is the most important step. If you
5:00want to speak better, you must listen
5:03more every day. Not once a week, not
5:08only in class, every day.
5:12Listening helps you learn new words.
5:16It helps you hear the real rhythm of
5:19English. It trains your ears to
5:22understand faster
5:25and it helps you get used to how real
5:28people speak, not just the English in
5:32textbooks.
5:35So, how can you do it?
5:38You can listen to podcasts like this
5:41one. You can listen to English music.
5:45You can watch videos on YouTube.
5:49You can listen to short stories or
5:52English news for learners. You don't
5:55need to understand 100%.
5:59Just let the sounds enter your ears.
6:03Even if you understand only 30% or 50%,
6:09it's still useful.
6:12You can listen while you walk, while you
6:16clean, while you cook, while you
6:20exercise,
6:22or while you rest.
6:24Just 10 to 15 minutes a day is enough to
6:29make a difference.
6:32Make English your background music.
6:37Tip number two,
6:40shadow what you hear. Now that you're
6:43listening, the next step is use your
6:48voice. Listening is great, but speaking,
6:53that's how you grow strong.
6:57After you listen to a sentence or a
7:00short part of audio, repeat it. Copy the
7:04voice. Match the rhythm. For example,
7:10I want to get better at English. Repeat.
7:16I don't understand everything, but I
7:19keep going.
7:21Repeat.
7:23I'm improving little by little. Repeat.
7:29Do this daily.
7:32Repeat the same sentences again and
7:34again. You will notice that your
7:38speaking becomes smoother. Your
7:41pronunciation becomes clearer. You feel
7:45more confident.
7:48And remember, it doesn't have to be
7:50perfect.
7:52It just has to be practiced.
7:56Tip number three,
8:00think in English one thought at a time.
8:06This is one of the biggest changes you
8:09can make.
8:10Start thinking in English.
8:14At first, it's difficult.
8:17You want to translate from your native
8:19language, but translation takes time and
8:25it slows us down.
8:28So, how do we begin thinking in English?
8:32Start with short, simple sentences.
8:36Say them in your mind. When you wake up,
8:41it's morning.
8:43I'm still sleepy.
8:45I need coffee.
8:48When you walk outside,
8:50the sky is blue. The air is cold.
8:56I see a dog.
8:59During your day, I'm working. I'm tired.
9:04I want to go home. These are small
9:08thoughts,
9:10but they help your brain connect
9:13directly to English.
9:15No translation,
9:17no delay.
9:20Later, try to say them out loud. Just
9:24whisper or speak quietly. It's like a
9:29daily conversation with yourself in
9:32English. Tip number four,
9:36read aloud.
9:38Train your speaking muscles.
9:42Reading silently is good, but reading
9:46aloud is better.
9:49It helps your mouth, your tongue, and
9:52your brain work together.
9:56Choose short, simple text, a children's
10:00book, an English story for beginners, a
10:04dialogue from a video or podcast.
10:08Read it slowly, clearly.
10:12Then read it again a little faster.
10:18Then again with more expression.
10:22Imagine you are an actor.
10:25This helps your pronunciation,
10:28your fluency, and your confidence.
10:33It's like going to the gym but for your
10:37speaking muscles. Tip number five, use
10:41English in your daily life. Let me tell
10:44you something very important.
10:48If you want to speak English well, you
10:51should not only study English,
10:54you should live with English.
10:58What do I mean by that?
11:01I mean that English should not just be
11:04something you do for 30 minutes on
11:07Monday night.
11:09It should not only happen in your
11:12classroom or in your study book.
11:16It should become part of your real
11:19everyday life
11:22just like your morning coffee or your
11:25favorite app.
11:28The more you see English, hear English,
11:32and use English in your life, the more
11:36natural it will become.
11:39Now, let me give you some easy ways to
11:42do this, even if you are very busy.
11:48First, change your phone settings to
11:51English.
11:53You probably look at your phone many
11:56times a day, maybe 50, maybe a 100
12:01times.
12:02So why not use that time to learn?
12:08When you change your phone's language to
12:10English, you see English words every
12:14time you open it. You will learn words
12:17like settings,
12:20airplane mode, brightness,
12:24update, available, delete or download.
12:29You don't need to study these words. You
12:32just see them many times and soon your
12:36brain remembers. It becomes natural.
12:41This is called passive learning and it's
12:45very helpful.
12:48Tip number two, write a short diary in
12:53English every day.
12:55You don't have to write long essays. You
12:59just write three short sentences about
13:03your day.
13:05For example, today I went to work.
13:10I was very tired.
13:13I drank two cups of coffee.
13:18It rained this morning.
13:21I stayed home.
13:24I watched an English video. This is
13:28great practice for building simple
13:31sentences structure and using real
13:34vocabulary from your daily life.
13:38If you do this every night for just five
13:42minutes,
13:44you will improve more than you think.
13:47You can write in a small notebook
13:51or use your phone.
13:54You can even write to a friend who is
13:57also learning English and they can write
14:02back.
14:04Tip number three,
14:07record a one minute voice message every
14:10day.
14:11This is one of my favorite tips.
14:15At the end of your day, open your phone
14:18and record yourself speaking.
14:22Just talk for one minute. Talk about
14:25your day, your plans,
14:28your feelings, or something you learned.
14:34For example, today was busy. I had a
14:39meeting in the morning.
14:41I made lunch for my family.
14:45In the evening, I watched a short
14:48English video.
14:51It's okay if you make mistakes.
14:55No one else has to hear it. This is just
14:59for you.
15:01When you listen to yourself, you learn.
15:04You hear your pronunciation,
15:07you hear your grammar, and you will
15:10start to notice your common mistakes,
15:15and you can fix them next time.
15:19This builds confidence,
15:22fluency, and selfawareness.
15:27Tip number four,
15:29join an English-speaking group online.
15:35You don't need to wait for a classroom.
15:38You can find other English learners
15:41online.
15:43Join a WhatsApp group. Join a Telegram
15:46channel.
15:48Use websites like Tandem or Facebook
15:52groups for English learners. You can
15:55write short messages.
15:58You can send voice notes. You can ask
16:02and answer questions.
16:05Even just reading what other learners
16:08write can be helpful.
16:12This makes English feel alive. It
16:16becomes a way to connect, not just a
16:20school subject.
16:22Tip number five,
16:25watch short videos and repeat the
16:28sentences.
16:30Tik Tok, Instagram reels, and YouTube
16:35shorts are full of short, simple English
16:39videos.
16:40You can choose videos about travel,
16:44food, daily life, or even funny clips.
16:49Anything you like. Watch the same video
16:53two or three times.
16:55Then pause and repeat the sentences you
16:58hear.
17:00Try to copy the voice, the way they
17:03speak, their tone, their speed.
17:08Even if the video is only 20 seconds
17:11long, that's great. It's a fun and easy
17:15way to learn how English is really
17:19spoken.
17:21Okay. Using English in your daily life
17:25is not difficult. It doesn't take much
17:28time.
17:30You don't need a teacher to do it. And
17:34here's the secret.
17:36Turn small daily actions into English
17:41practice.
17:43Instead of saying good morning in your
17:46native language, say good morning.
17:50Instead of writing your to-do list in
17:53your mother tongue,
17:55try it in English.
17:58Instead of watching five minutes of TV
18:01in your own language, watch five minutes
18:05in English.
18:07These small actions build strong habits
18:12and strong habits create confident
18:16English speakers.
18:18So remember,
18:20make English part of your life. Let it
18:24be in your phone, your journal, your
18:27thoughts, and your voice.
18:31Let it be part of who you are, not just
18:35what you study.
18:38When you do this, English will not feel
18:41like homework.
18:44It will feel like something you live
18:46with. And that's when real fluency
18:51begins.
18:53See you next time.
18:57[Music]