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Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently. In today's episode, I'll show you how to write a business email in English. I'll teach you how to structure an email by providing some examples. Then with a fun mini-story, you will improve your English fluency. Nowadays, we need to communicate online both on a personal and professional level. And though sending an email to a friend doesn't seem to be too challenging, many of you feel intimidated when writing a professional email in English. Whether it's sending it to a supplier, to your boss, a professor, sign up for a job, etc., this episode will be very useful. 1) Always start with a greeting. For example: If you know the first and last name of the person, say hello like this: "Hello, Mike Adams." Use only their last name by saying: "Dear Mr./Ms. Adams" If it's a person you know on a more personal level, you can address them by their name: "Dear Mike" Another way to say hello is to mention the person's position. "Dear manager, (recruiter, project manager, hiring manager, etc.)" When you are not writing to a specific person use this expression:  "To whom it may concern." 2) Use an opening line. Once you say hello, use an opening line. Examples: "Thank you for your reply." "I hope this message finds you well." "Thank you for your message." "Regarding___, I would like to inform you that___" "Concerning the email, I received___" "I hope you're enjoying (the great weather, your time in the city, etc.") "Thank you so much for the quick reply; I really appreciate it." If you haven't heard from that person in a while, you can say: "It's been a while since I heard from you." If you have not been able to reply to an email for a while, say: "Sorry for the late reply," 3)Giving Information After a short introduction, you can start providing information. Start with one of these phrases: "I'd like to inform you that…  "I am writing to inform you that…" "I am writing to let you know that.." "Regarding (our last conversation) "I'd like to update you on …" "I'd like to confirm our meeting, your order, the business plan, etc. To deliver good news, say: "Fortunately, (we will be able to deliver your goods on time.") "I am pleased to inform you that (we will be able to deliver your goods on time.") If you need to give bad news, say: "Unfortunately, (we won't be able to deliver the goods on time.") "I regret to inform you that..(we won't be able to deliver the goods on time.") (END OF THE EXTRACT). Get the FULL TEXT here: SpeakEnglishPodcast.com

Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently. I'm going to talk about how to ask and give directions in English. For example, when you want to go to a restaurant, and you have to ask for directions. Next, an exclusive mini-story to improve your fluency in English. Remember that you can get the text of the episode at SpeakEnglishpodcast.com. So, let's get started. As you know, it's very useful to know how to ask for directions when you go to a place for the first time, and you're a bit lost. Okay, yes, I know that nowadays with smartphones, you can check the GPS and you don't need to ask for help anymore, but think about this: Asking for directions is an excellent opportunity to practice English. In this episode, we will see the most common expressions with some examples: All right, the best way to ask for directions is by using this expression: "Excuse me, how do I get to _?" "Could you tell me the best way to get to _?"  For example, if you want to ask how to get to Times Square, you say: Excuse me, how do I get to Times Square? You could also say… "What is the quickest way to get to the movies?" "Excuse me. Where's the nearest (post office) please?" "Excuse me. I'm looking for _." And if you are very close to your destination, you could simply ask:           "Where is the hotel?" If you get lost, just ask this simple question:  "Where exactly am I?"  Okay, great. Now let's see how to give directions.  Here are some useful phrases for giving directions on the street: TURN LEFT TURN RIGHT GO STRAIGHT AHEAD An example: "Sorry, what is the quickest way to get to the city center? "It is easy. Go straight ahead and then turn right. They can also tell you to TAKE the first, second, or third, street, for example. Let's look at the same example: "Excuse me, could you tell me the best way to get to the city center?" "It is easy. Go straight ahead and take the second street on the right." (END OF THE EXTRACT).   READ the TRANSCRIPT here: speakEnglishPodcast.com

Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently. Today I will talk about fluency and how it is related to the possible mistakes that occur when we speak. Yes. Sometimes we can make mistakes!  Next, we will practice grammar with a funny point of view story. You just have to listen and observe how the different grammar points change. Very good! I have decided to talk about a topic that I think is very significant for the language student. First of all, let's see what fluency means.  When a person can speak fluently, they can speak more or less without hesitation, without pausing and thinking about how to say something. Occasionally we can take a short pause to think, but this is not usual.  We experience near-perfect fluency when we speak our mother tongue. If you pay attention to when you speak, you will see that you do not think about which words to use. You just have an idea of what you are going to say, and you say it. When you are learning a language, fluency develops gradually. A good symptom is when you find yourself without almost translating mentally. At first, it is normal to do so, but little by little, part of your speech becomes automatic, and the words are simply there. That's when you start enjoying more and more conversations with Native speakers. It is amazing to see yourself in a conversation with a Native speaker in the language you are learning. Somehow, it all becomes real. Traditional or more academic methods insist on mastering more formal aspects such as grammar rules, word position, or conjugations. According to their theories, learning all this will help you express yourself better and avoid making so many mistakes when speaking. Ask yourself this question: How often do you think about grammar rules when you speak in your native language?  I believe that the most important thing for a language student is to develop fluency first. This has to be your main goal. When we are in the middle of a conversation, things go very fast. You can't pause for 30 seconds to think about how to structure a sentence. You need to speak at that moment. You need to be fluent. And how does this relate to mistakes? It's common sense. If you can express yourself more or less effortlessly, mentally, you don't have to look up or translate words. They just come to your mind. This way, you can spend more time focusing on other aspects, such as making fewer mistakes or improving your pronunciation. As I always say, the way to improve your fluency is mostly by listening. The more you listen, the more you acquire the patterns of the language. When I talk about patterns, I mean word patterns that are very commonly used. So, you no longer think word by word but by groups of words. A very positive effect from listening to content made by a native speaker is that you hear the language without mistakes, so little by little, you will end up using the same structures that are error-free. In short, developing fluency as the main objective helps us to speak without pausing and without translating mentally. Also, by automating speech, we can spend more time focusing on small mistakes we can make. To improve fluency, you must listen a lot and repeatedly. Contrary to what you thought, the material you listen to has to be easy to understand. You have to comprehend 90% of what you hear. Listening to something you like and can understand easily but for hours and hours will improve your fluency.   Read the Transcript here: https://speakenglishpodcast.com/

Hi everyone! I’m your English teacher Georgiana, founder of speakenglishpodcast.com. My mission is to help you to speak English fluently. In this episode, I’ll talk about the Christmas holidays. And after that, you’ll practice your English speaking with an exciting mini-story about a man dressed in red. Alright! Let’s start! Ah! It's Christmas at last! I don't know about you, but I love this time of year. I start to think about what presents to give to my family and friends. Normally I make a list, so I don't forget anyone. Can you imagine forgetting someone? That would be terrible! That's why I start very early to plan what presents to give to everyone. Finding the right gift for someone can be difficult, so what I usually do is search online for gift ideas. And buying online helps me avoid the holiday crowds. To really feel the Christmas spirit, I like preparing a pot with a delightful scent using orange, cinnamon, apple cider, and clove. I let everything boil throughout the day so that the fragrance spreads throughout the house. At this time of year, I also love to listen to Christmas songs. I can recommend some popular Christmas songs: “All I want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey. "Last Christmas" by Wham! "Let It, Snow! Let It, Snow! Let It Snow!” by Frank Sinatra. "Jingle Bell Rock" by Bobby Helms. and something from Michael Bublé’s Christmas album. Plus, I enjoy placing Christmas lights and decorations. I sometimes use social media to find unique decorations. Did you know that some Americans use popcorn threaded on a string to help decorate their Christmas Tree? Or that in New England, you can find some shops called "Christmas Shops." There they sell Christmas decorations and toys throughout the entire year! There are many classic Christmas movies that you can watch on TV at this time of year. Here are some examples: It's A Wonderful Life (1946) Holiday Inn (1942) A Christmas Story (1983) A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) Elf (2003) Bad Santa (2003) Love Actually (2003) The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017) And it wouldn't be Christmas without a tree! Christmas trees are the symbol of the season. I love having a real tree and decorate it along with my family and friends. The Christmas trees tradition started in Germany in the 16th century. Protestant reformer Martin Luther first added lighted candles to a tree to remind his children of the wonders of God's creation.  Nowadays, many Americans buy a fresh evergreen tree or a plastic model and decorate it with lights and ornaments.   READ the TRANSCRIPT here: SpeakEnglishPodcast.com 

Welcome to the Speak English Now Podcast, your resource for practicing your English speaking and listening. You will also learn about lifestyle and culture, language, vocabulary, and how to learn English more effectively. Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently.In this episode: • I’d like to talk about how speaking a different language can change your personality. • Later, a cool mini-story to practice your English speaking. Let’s get started! So, did you know that speaking a different language can change your personality? Yes, you heard me well! Studies show that depending on the language you speak; your personality can be affected. Studies show that speaking two or more languages can lead to a split personality. They say that many speakers have completely unique identities in each of the languages they speak. Apparently, the way you speak impacts the way you think, and it influences everything from how you make decisions to how you perceive color. Therefore, language is much more than just communication. Since the way you speak clearly affects the way you think. I can speak several languages, besides English. When I speak in German, for example, I pay attention to the way I interact with people, the way I organize my ideas and my thoughts, my emotions. All of these become profoundly influenced by the language I’m speaking. For example, whenever I speak in German, I become more rational. On the other hand, if I have a conversation in Spanish, I can observe myself behaving differently. It’s like being a different person. In this case, I feel more relaxed, more easy-going. To acquire a new self, you’ll need to immerse yourself in the culture. You can achieve that by taking a trip abroad, watching movies, interact with a native speaker or, listening to the Speak English Now podcast. Another key factor is how well you know the language. Of course, it’s not the same if your level’s low. The more you dominate the language, the more it influences your personality. My advice is that when you’re learning English, try to adopt a specific personality of the language. This way it’ll get easier and easier, and finally, you’ll speak English fluently and confidently. When you learn a new language, you’re not simply memorizing vocabulary and grammar rules – you also have the opportunity to adopt new elements of your identity. READ the transcript here: speakenglishpodcast.com

Hi everyone! I'm Georgiana; founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help YOU speak English fluently. Today, I’ll talk about how we use conditionals in English. After that, we'll practice them with a Point Of View Story. Ok, let's get started! I'm going to review the different conditionals in English. I don't recommend you to memorize them, but to understand them. You need plenty of contexts, and the best way to practice the conditionals is by using the Point of View story technique. Conditionals in English aren't complicated. I'm going to give you some examples: Zero conditional Here, we talk about things that are always true. For example: If you heat water, it boils. If you heat ice, it melts. If it rains, the grass gets wet. First Conditional We use the first conditional when we talk about a probable result. For example: If you study more, you'll pass the exam. If I have time, I'll help you. Second Conditional We use the second conditional in case we want to express less probability. I know you're busy, but if you went to the cinema, you'd enjoy the new Star Trek movie. If you studied more, you'd pass the exam. As you can see, this is more hypothetical. "If you went to the cinema", means you won't probably go, but if you went, then you'd like the movie. In the second example happens the same: If you studied more…it seems that you aren't currently studying enough. Third Conditional This third conditional is in the past. We talk about an alternative result about something that happened in the past. For example: If you had studied more, you would've passed the exam. If I had had more time, I would've helped you. If I had visited you, I could've helped you. In the third conditional, everything happens in the past, and we just express a different result if things weren't different in the past. Let's quickly review the first, second, and third conditional with a common example: If I have enough money, I'll buy a ticket to travel to New York. If I had enough money, I would buy a ticket to travel to New York. If I had had enough money, I would've bought a ticket to travel to New York. Can you see how the tenses change? Read the transcript here: SpeakEnglishPodcast.com

Hi, Everyone! I’m Georgiana, founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help YOU speak English fluently. In this episode: I’ll talk about passive vocabulary, and I’ll focus on the difference between active and passive vocabulary.After that, we’ll simulate a conversation with the Question & Answer technique. OK, let’s start! Like I’ve just mentioned earlier, in this episode, I’d like to focus on the passive vocabulary. There are two kinds of vocabularies that we all acquire in time, no matter whether it’s your native language or a foreign language. The first and more obvious one is the active vocabulary. These are the words we use when we speak or write. On the other hand, there’s passive vocabulary. And these are all the words we understand when we read or listen. Let me make myself clear: You fully understand the meaning of these words; you don’t just guess their meaning when you read or listen. However, you can’t use them in a conversation. It’s complicated to use passive vocabulary when you speak because understanding the words just isn’t enough. You’ll need to listen and read these words several times before they become part of your active vocabulary. At this point, you may think that using passive vocabulary is only difficult when you’re trying to speak in English, but unfortunately, you’ll find the same difficulty when using your mother tongue. Let me give you an example: Let’s say that you’re reading an article about the economic situation of a country. You fully understand the whole article, but if you had to speak about this topic, I’m convinced that you’d use words that you’re more familiar with. If you had to talk about the economic situation of a country, you’d use the active vocabulary and not the passive one. When it comes to English, it’s the same. You can only use about 20% of all the vocabulary you’ve learned. So, if you know 1000 words, you’ll probably use only 200 words. The best way to activate your passive vocabulary is by repetition. If you listen to the same audios many times, you’ll be able to transform passive vocabulary into active vocabulary. We tend to use the words we listen to more. For example, the verbs to be, to go or objects like car, paper, etc. These words are so common that they have become part of your active vocabulary from the very beginning. (END OF THE EXTRACT). Get the transcript in PDF here: SpeakEnglishPodcast.com

Listen to a new episode of Speak English Now Podcast, your favorite material for practicing your spoken and heard English. You will also learn about lifestyle and culture, language, vocabulary, and how to improve your English more effectively. Transcript: Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently. Today I'm going to talk about towns, where no one lives anymore for one reason or another.  With a mini-story, we will meet John, a man who, tired of his lifestyle, makes a radical decision.  Very good. Thank you for listening once again. We have reached 22 million downloads of this podcast; thank you very much for following me! If you want to help me, please share and recommend my website SpeakEnglishPodcast.com by mentioning my podcast. Thank you very much in advance.  Okay, let's get to today's topic. In every country in the world, there are villages where no one lives.  I find this phenomenon fascinating. There are several words you can use to describe such a town. They all mean the same thing: Abandoned: This means that those who lived in that area have left. Therefore, people abandoned the place at some point in the past. Uninhabited: This word implies that it was previously inhabited. The inhabitants inhabit a place. If those people leave and don't live there anymore, it becomes uninhabited. Ghost. A ghost town is simply a town without inhabitants, without anyone living there. This word sometimes gives a sinister air to the place. All kinds of legends can arise in certain abandoned places. Some people's imaginations can be very vivid. -Deserted merely means that there is no one there. For example: "The village was deserted, there was absolutely no one."  Now, let's use a little imagination. Imagine that you decide to move to a deserted town. Moving means going to live permanently in a new place. So, you would be the only inhabitant. You could put a sign with the name of the village and the number of inhabitants: one.  (END OF THE EXTRACT). Read the transcript here: SpeakEnglishPodcast.com  

Hi, everyone! I'm Georgiana, founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help YOU to speak English fluently. In today's episode: I'll be talking about one of the most celebrated holidays in the United States: Halloween. After that, you'll practice your speaking with a new mini-story, while enjoying my new Question & Answer story. Very well. Let's get started!  Halloween is a holiday celebrated on the last day of October. I would say it's very popular because everybody's excited about it, especially children. The word Halloween comes from an old English expression, "All Hallows' Eve," and it means the day before All Saints' Day.   Children of all ages really love Halloween because they can dress up in funny costumes and knock on their neighborhood doors shouting "Trick or Treat!". The neighbors usually give them candies. The meaning of the phrase "Trick or Treat" is interesting. In this context, "treat" means getting the candies, and "trick" implies the consequence of not getting the sweets. It's like an innocent threat children make. Of course, kids get really excited when they knock on stranger's doors in their neighborhood. Since Halloween originated as a celebration connected with evil spirits, the most common symbols are witches flying on broomsticks, ghosts, skeletons, black cats, etc. The black color is one of the traditional Halloween colors. Of course, pumpkins are also a Halloween symbol. I'm sure you've seen them in movies. People empty pumpkin and put a candle inside to make a lamp.  How do you make a Halloween pumpkin?  · The first step is hollowing out the pumpkin. · After we use a keyhole saw to cut the hole.  · When using a candle for illumination, you can cut the hole in the pumpkin's top. · For electric lights, make a hole in the bottom or side so you can hide the cord. The Halloween pumpkin is called Jack-O'-Lantern. It's common to see jack-o'-lanterns on doorsteps decorations before and on Halloween.  The name comes from an Irish legend about a man named Jack. He was so ungenerous that when he died, he couldn't enter heaven, but he couldn't go to hell either because he had told jokes about the devil. As a result, Jack had to walk and walk with a lantern until the Day of Judgment. Read the transcript here: speakEnglishPodcast.com

-I’m hooked on the Thunder Game series. -It’s Game of Thrones. -Ah, yes, that. The fire of Thrones. -Game. -Game of Thorns. Right? Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently. Have you ever wondered if you spend too many hours looking at your cell phone? Or maybe the computer. There is an expression in English that I quite like, called being hooked. It means to be excessively attracted to something and almost unable to resist it. For example: - I’m hooked on doing sports. - But I've never seen you exercise. - I have a lot of willpower, and I’m able to resist it. I have to admit that sometimes I spend too much time checking my cell phone. Sometimes it's almost impossible not to. My intentions are good. For example, I start watching the daily news and end up without knowing how, watching videos on Youtube. Maybe it's all a conspiracy of the whole Internet to distract me from doing the podcast episode of the week. Everything is designed to capture your attention. As I'm sure you know, everything you do on the Internet leaves a trace, so a lot of content is matched to your interests. For example, on Facebook, there is a video section. These videos are customized to your interests, and some of them really capture your attention. This creates all kinds of problems, both for teens and adults. Many kids find it difficult concentrating and studying. Every few minutes, they pick up the phone to see if they have new notifications or messages. Many specialists point out that this type of behavior can be classified as an addiction. And it affects everyone, regardless of age. Children imitate their parents, thus normalizing this behavior. Here is a small list of some typical symptoms of being hooked on a cell phone: You check it every two or three minutes. When you wake up, the first thing you do is looking at your cell phone, and the last thing when you go to sleep too. The truth is that it's very common to check your phone just when you wake up. I like doing that. At night, I prefer to read a bit. You check your phone when you're with friends or family. It's sad, but in many family gatherings, we all check our cell phones at some point. You eat while looking at your cell phone. If you are alone, you unlock your phone and start moving your finger vertically while disconnecting completely from real life. If you leave your phone at home, it feels like it's the end of the world. And, you cannot know for sure if it’s the end of the world because you can't check it on your phone. After making this list, it seems to me that I'm a little bit hooked, but only a little bit :) Read the transcript here: speakEnglishpodcast.com

Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently. Today you'll learn some more cooking vocabulary in English. And with a mini-story, you will improve your speaking. You'll see, it's like having a conversation with another person. Do you remember that I talked about my kitchen appliances in a previous episode and explained some techniques I use when cooking? I talked about using my blender to make a green smoothie, almond milk, soups, flours, batters, dough, nut butter, juices, and dips. I also mentioned how I loved using my instant pot to pressure-cook, steam, boil, and even make yogurt with it. I explained what a pressure cooker was, and how steaming works. Today I'll continue talking about my cooking habits and my favorite appliances and kitchen tools. I must say that I love buying a new kitchen appliance, and during the lockdown, I've purchased a lot of them. For some reason, everyone started baking, so I really felt that it was the best moment to purchase a KitchenAid stand mixer. If you don't know what this is, let me explain. It's a stand mixer; therefore, it's so much more convenient than a hand mixer. One of the reasons why I prefer using a stand mixer is because it allows me to multitask.   Read the transcript here: SpeakEnglishPodcast.com

Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently. Today, I will continue to talk about the English words my students love.  Later, you will improve your grammar with a point of view lesson, so don’t miss out because it’s worth it! If you haven’t heard the first episode on this topic, I recommend you do so. So, my idea for today is to comment on some of those words. I think it will be fun. Like in the previous episode, I will be commenting on the English words that my students have liked the most. Okay, so, here’s the first one: Faithfully (Jessica Alonso) My students have always been faithful, from the moment I’ve started teaching English. Thank you everyone, for being faithful! Yours faithfully. Skills (Issa Capp) Let me ask you a question. How do you improve your English-speaking skills? This one was easy. Right? You improve your speaking skills by listening to my premium courses and my podcast every day. Peace (Guillermo Navío) Who doesn’t want peace? Peace is the absence of hostility and violence; it’s a concept of friendship and social harmony. If peaceful conditions predominate in a society, all activities take place in their proper form. Energy (Puentes Andres) We all want to have more energy. If you don’t have enough of it, you can’t work or study, so, if we don’t have time to sleep, we choose to drink a lot of coffee. Delightful (Richard Moreno Diaz) Delightful is something or someone who is very pleasant, attractive, or enjoyable. Examples: “What a delightful day!” “What a delightful surprise!” “I wish you a delightful evening.” “What a delightful person!” I’d say that “delightful” is elegant and sophisticated, and you can use it in so many ways. Beautiful (Saga Saint) Beautiful is such an amazing word, but unfortunately, we tend to overuse it. Let’s learn some other ways to say beautiful: Instead of beautiful, say: Appealing Gorgeous Stunning Ravishing Pretty Lovely Dazzling Attractive Good-looking. Amazing (Marcela García) Amazing is something that causes great surprise. Some synonyms are: impressive, excellent, or astonishing. Examples: “What an amazing picture you have here.” “Ann was very impressive in the interview.” “Her facility for languages is astonishing.” “He congratulated me for my excellent exam results.” (END OF THE EXTRACT). Get the FULL TEXT at SpeakEnglishPodcast.com

Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently. In this episode, I’d like to include some food and cooking vocabulary. And with a mini-story, you will improve your English fluency. You’ll see, it’s like having a conversation with another person. You know, when I enter the kitchen, the first thought that I have is… Why am I here? Yeah. I’m hungry. That’s why. Now I remember. 🙂 I open the refrigerator and start scanning for some delicious food. Since I don’t buy ready-made food, I usually stare at the fridge for some minutes until it starts beeping. Then I close it and open it again to continue scanning. And I’m not saying my refrigerator isn’t well organized; it’s just that I’m looking for something that I can prepare in 1 minute, or preferably even less. Many times, I end up making a green smoothie. That’s a fast and easy way of getting all the needed nutrients. And plus, smoothies are delicious. By the way, a smoothie is a thick drink that you can make using fruits, vegetables, greens, seeds, milk, ice, etc. Like I said earlier, I usually end up making a green smoothie. Don’t panic. It’s green but really yummy. I add some water or milk, one avocado, 1/2 cup of pineapple, 1/2 frozen banana, 2 cups of spinach, and 1/2 cup of ice cubes. I put it at speed 10 for 45 seconds, and the smoothie is ready. Delicious! By the way, in case you were wondering, I use a Vitamix blender to prepare my smoothies. And I don’t use it only for that.  I also make frozen desserts with it, soups, I can make flours with it, almond milk, batters, dough, nut butter, juices, dips, etc. It’s very versatile. Whenever I’m not in the mood for a smoothie, and I want to eat healthy and fast, I use a pressure cooker or a frying pan. A frying pan is simply a metal pan with a handle that we use for frying foods. A pressure cooker is an airtight pot where the food is cooked quickly under steam pressure. I love using a pressure cooker because whatever I throw into the pot comes out delicious. I’m not here to promote any brands, but I’m really happy with my Instant pot cooker.   Read the transcript here: speakenglishpodcast.com

Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently. Today I'm going to do something different. I'm going to comment on my students' favorite words in English. It will be interesting. Later, you will improve your fluency with a fun mini-story, so don't miss out because it's worth it! I want to start by thanking you for your support. I also like your messages, where you describe your experience with the podcast and my premium courses. Well, some time ago, in the Speak English Now student group, I asked the following question: "What is your favorite word in English?" I was expecting a few comments, but in the end, there were more than a hundred. So, my idea for today is to comment on some of those words. I think it will be fun. Okay, so here’s the first one: Ewa Filipina says her favorite word in English is "mesmerize." I’d like to mention that the word mesmerize is considered by many one of the most beautiful words in English. It means to get someone's attention completely, so they can't think about anything else. Let's continue! Isaac Figueroa says he likes the word famous. Of course, many people want to be famous, or at least they admire a celebrity. I guess it's human nature. :) Juan Ambrosio said he loves the word love. I guess the word love is one of the most used in English. And we don't always use it to express our feeling of love for someone. The word love is so overused that I feel it has lost its true meaning. But still, it's a beautiful word. And if you say it to the right person, it can be very powerful. Pedro Ochoa likes the word apple.   I'm not sure why you like this word in particular, but when people hear this word, they think of a fruit or an iPhone. :)) I always admired Steve Jobs, and I believe he was a genius, primarily because of the name he chose for his company. Amanda Gues says her favorite word in English is "improve."Of course, if you are following my method, then your goal is to improve your English. So, Amanda, let us know how your English is improving. Let's continue! Jumita Rahmy likes the word Friday. And who doesn't? On Friday, you eat and even dress differently, it's the day when things end, and better things start, the day is shorter, and no bad things happen on Fridays. That's why everyone's looking forward to Friday. Lucilene Resende likes the word jeopardize. Jeopardize means to put something or someone in danger of being harmed or damaged. For example:"If I quit learning English, I will jeopardize my future." So, don't quit learning English. Follow my method. :) Kashif Hussain says his favorite word is gorgeous. Gorgeous is a great word, and I used it in my podcast episodes, mostly when I talked about the most beautiful English words. It's a word that can be used to compliment someone's appearance or their accessories, etc. I use it all the time! (END OF THE EXTRACT). Get the FULL TRANSCRIPT here: SpeakEnglishPodcast.com

Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently. In this episode: – I’m going to talk briefly about how to activate your English vocabulary. – Next, I will comment on the appearance of mysterious islands. Sometimes, on a given day, certain people have seen some structures on the horizon that have caused an element of surprise. What could it be? – Finally, we will practice fluency with a short mini-story of questions and answers—the best exercise to speak without translating mentally. First of all, I want to thank all of you who are writing to me. I read all the emails personally, and I also answer them myself. One question I sometimes get is this: How can I activate my English vocabulary? I’ve covered this topic before, but I think it’s worth remembering. Most of the time, students understand much more than they can talk. That is, they have a lot of passive vocabulary, but no active vocabulary ready to be used in a conversation. An easy way to improve, but sometimes not too obvious, is to listen to the same audio several times. This is one of the techniques I use in my premium courses, although you can also use this podcast. Let’s say you have short audio with some vocabulary and expressions you want to activate. If you listen to it once, even if you understand it, you will forget most things, but if you listen, for example, once a day for a week, you will surely activate an essential part of the vocabulary. Another way to increase the number of repetitions of words is to listen to a specific topic. This way, you are much more likely to hear many times the vocabulary that is characteristic of the topic. Finally, you can listen to the same author, even if they speak about different subjects. A useful resource is this podcast.   READ the TRANSCRIPT here: SpeakEnglishPodcast.com

Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently In this episode: • I’d like to help you to understand how to use words like Gonna, Wanna, Gotta, and similar. • Later, a point of view story to practice your English grammar, and consolidate the information that I’ll be teaching in the first part. Let’s get started! Are you confused about how and when to use the words GONNA, WANNA, and GOTTA? We refer to these kinds of words as contractions. What’s a contraction? A contraction is created when two words in a row come together and become one. For example: I am= I’m It is = It’s Do not = Don’t Will not= Won’t These are some contractions which are accepted as grammatically correct and are taught in all English courses. However, in this lesson, I’ll focus on the informal contractions. These are not taught in grammar books because their use is mostly colloquial. For example: If you say going to really fast, you can shorten it to GONNA by dropping the final sound. If you say want to really fast, it shortens to WANNA. These are informal contractions. You probably noticed that the grammatically correct English we learn in school is not the same as the colloquial English in the street. However, informal contractions are very common in colloquial English. That’s why you should familiarize yourself with them. You don’t need to start using them right away. The most important step is to make sure that you understand how to use these informal contractions. Many conventional teachers sustain that it’s wrong or inappropriate to use these colloquial contractions when speaking English in formal situations. But let me tell you that words like “gonna,” “wanna,” and “gotta” are perfectly OK to use in all spoken situations, both formal and informal. In the US, everyone seems to use “gonna” and “wanna”; even highly educated people use these words several times a day. People in business meetings, professors giving lectures, everyone. So, don’t worry. You can also use them, and you’ll sound just like an American.   Read the transcript here: SpeakEnglishPodcast.com

Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently. In this episode:         I'm going to give you seven ideas you can use when you perform repeated listening. After that, I'm going to read a Point Of View story. It' an excellent technique for improving your grammar. Ok, let's start! As you may know, I always encourage students to listen daily. Listening is the best way to deeply learn the different sounds, words, and expressions you find in English. It's how we learn our mother tongue. Also, it's vital to understand that listening to an audio several times helps you consolidate what you learn. However, some students complain that they get bored. It's normal. Our brain likes new and fresh content. In other words, we like the novelty. Here are some tricks, which will help you to keep your interest while you repeat the same audio material. Try to guess what the speaker will say next: At first, it may seem difficult, but since you repeat the audio many times, it's a stimulating game to play. Focus on the pronunciation of each word, especially the words you find more difficult to pronounce. Try to notice the subtleties of each sound. Concentrate on the intonation of each sentence. As opposed to the pronunciation of individual words, here, you need to pay attention to the "musicality" of the sentence: the rhythm and the "music" of the phrase. If you are listening to a mini-story (with questions and answers), try to answer faster. You can also try to give a longer answer. While you listen to the audio, imitate the narrator. Listen to the material and try your best to talk at the same time as the narrator. It may be hard, but it's fun! This technique is called "shadowing" and requires a lot of concentration. So, it's better if you pick an easy material. Try to move while listening. You can walk, run, wash the dishes, etc. Doing a different activity while listening to the same audio adds some variety. Listen to a friend. It's always more entertaining to share a task and to discuss the main topic with a friend. You will definitely lose track of time.   As you can see, repeating the same audio material doesn't need to be a tedious task. Using some of these powerful methods will help you to learn English patterns thoroughly.   Read the transcript here: SpeakEnglishpodcast.com

Hello, everybody! I am Georgiana founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you to speak English fluently. In this episode: •I'll be discussing some more about some of the most common phrasal verbs. •After that, you'll be able to practice your grammar skills with an interesting Point of View lesson. Ok, let's continue with the phrasal verbs. A phrasal verb is just a verb and a particle. For example, "get in." If you haven't checked out the first episode about phrasal verbs, please do it. Remember, you only need to learn the most frequently used phrasal verbs. Also, instead of learning all the different meanings of each phrasal verb, simply learn one or two common meanings. Ok, let's get started! Today, we'll play a bit with "get." Get along / get on Do you have friends? Then, you'll probably use this phrasal verb. It means to like each other. For example: I'm surprised how well I get along with my mother-in-law. The older and younger members get along well. I get along very well with foreign people. You can also use "get on" instead of "get along." It's exactly the same meaning. For example: I'm surprised how well I get on with my mother-in-law. The older and younger members get on well. I get on very well with foreign people. Go back / Come back / Get back Sometimes these phrasal verbs are confusing for the English students. First, let's see the difference between 'go' and 'come.' An example: Please, Jim, come here. I need to talk to you. Please, Jim, go to the supermarket to buy some food. As you can see, when Jim approaches you, he "comes." When Jim doesn't approach you and goes somewhere else, he "goes." Now let's add the word 'back': Jim, come back from the supermarket. I've just ordered a pizza. In this first example, Jim is at the supermarket and returns to where he was before. Another example: Tomorrow, Jim will have to go back to the supermarket to buy more food. In the second example, Jim goes to the supermarket again. He went the day before. As you can see, adding the word 'back' emphasizes the idea that you go again to a place or you come again from a place. So, how about "get back"? It has virtually the same meaning. Here’s not so important if you go or if you come. It sounds a bit more informal. We didn't get back from the movies until midnight. Call me when you get back. I visited my uncle in France two years ago, and I can't wait to get back! (end of the extract) read the transcript here: speakenglishpodcast.com

Hello, everybody! I am Georgiana founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you to speak English fluently. In this episode, I’m going to talk about the relationship between reading, writing, speaking, and listening. After that, I’m going to tell you a Point of View Story. Ok, let’s get started! As a language student, the main activities to learn a new language are: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. This is what we naturally do in our mother tongue. One key aspect to keep in mind is that we can categorize these activities as input and output. As you may guess, listening and reading are input activities, and writing and speaking are output activities. In other words, when you’re listening or reading, you are being exposed to the language, and when you’re writing and speaking, you are “producing” the language. The traditional approach tells you that the more you write and speak, the better. That’s why language schools insist on writing a lot and “practicing” your speaking with other students, sometimes in groups. This seems reasonable, but it’s not effective. There’s a lot of research that points out the contrary: Basically, to develop your English, you need to do input activities most of the time. Why is that? Because you can’t produce the language if you haven’t previously learned it, and the only way to learn it is through comprehensible input, as simple as that.  But then...is speaking and writing a waste of time? No, I didn’t say that.  When you speak in a conversation, you can see what areas of the language you need to improve. Then, when you listen again, you will naturally pay more attention to those areas. For example, if you’re in a conversation, and you have to describe something in the past tense. When you try to do it, you see that you make some mistakes. The next day, when you listen to your materials again, I bet you’ll pay more attention to the past. A good schedule may be listening for one hour a day (a course, a podcast, etc.) and practicing your speaking with a tutor or friend a couple of times a week. You will improve a lot.  Last but not least, there’s an interesting consequence when you listen and when you read: Listening will naturally help you with your speaking. Reading will naturally help you with your writing.   Read the transcript here: speakEnglishPodcast.com

Hello, everybody! I am Georgiana your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently. Speaking English is easier than it seems! You just have to use the right material and techniques. Today I will talk about one of the wealthiest people in the world. His name is Warren Buffett. Born in 1930 in Nebraska, Buffet is a fascinating character because of his inspiring story. As a child, Buffett showed interest in stocks. He was writing stock prices on the board in his father’s office. His father was a stockbroker and future congressman. And while nowadays most children play video games, Warren bought his first stock was at the age of 11 and filed his first taxes at age 13. Because like many children of the Great Depression, Buffett grew up to respect the value of money. He became so frugal that when he moved to New York to attend business school, he lived at the YMCA to save money. “YMCA” is short for the Young Men’s Christian Association. I also used the word “frugal,” which refers to someone careful when using money or food. For example: a frugal lifestyle. a frugal meal of bread and soup. However, you can replace the word “frugal” with the words “economical” or “sparing.” Let’s continue. Buffett started working at the age of 13 as a paperboy delivering newspapers in the morning and afternoon. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree, he enrolled in Columbia School of Business, where he graduated with a Master of Science in Economics. Only five years after his graduation, Warren started Buffett Partnership Ltd. (END OF THE EXTRACT). Get the FULL TEXT in PDF here:  www.speakenglishpodcast.com