Learning Advanced English and How to Speak without Thinking or Translating

- Hello, this is Jack from tofluency.com.

Now, when I make a new video here on YouTube

or when I give a live lesson

on Instagram or Facebook,

I usually get a comment from somebody

askin' me to teach them advanced English.

What people normally mean by this is

English that isn't taught in basic lessons.

Advanced grammar,

words and phrases that native speakers use,

like idioms and slang terms and phrasal verbs.

In fact, I received a message from somebody

on Instagram the other day,

talking about advanced English.

But listen to this,

because he told me that he has a high level,

that he has been following my method for months now,

but he doesn't have the confidence when speakin'

because he feels like he can't used advanced English,

that he isn't usin' advanced English enough.

And I understand that, because we want to impress people.

It's something that we want to do naturally.

And when it comes to English,

you want to impress people with your level,

to use words that are going to impress people.

But look at what my friend Jonathan,

who is also an English teacher,

said on one of my live lessons recently.

"Most conversations in English are based on basic English

"that sounds natural and automatic."

"Most conversations in English are based on basic English

"that sounds natural and automatic."

Think about that.

Native speakers or advanced speakers

use basic phrases,

but they do so in a way that is natural,

and also they can do it automatically.

And this means that people aren't

thinking about grammar rules,

or they're not translating while speaking.

And they're using the right sounds of English,

the right intonation, rhythm, and stress,

because what some people think is a basic phrase

is better thought of as a commonly used phrase.

Or basic vocabulary

is just commonly used vocabulary.

For example, think about the phrasal verb get up,

to get up.

This is something that is taught

in the first lesson of a language school.

This is something that is taught in beginner books,

and you know what this phrasal verbs means, right?

But can you use it in a natural way

without thinkin' about grammar rules?

Here are some examples.

I got up so early today.

I've been gettin' up really early recently.

He doesn't like gettin' up early.

There was an example of that phrasal verb

using the past tense.

One in the present-perfect continuous,

and one using like plus the gerund.

So, these were all used in different tenses

and in different ways.

So, ask yourself if you are able to use

this type of basic English

automatically and naturally.

If you are able to use basic English

without thinkin' about rules,

without thinkin' about the translation,

usin' the right phrase at the right time,

and sayin' it in the right way,

because it's important to know the difference

between knowing something and reachin' this stage

where things just flow.

Where you can say things automatically.

Knowing how to complete a sentence

usin' the third conditional

is different to bein' able to use the third conditional

automatically while having conversations.

And I'm sure you want to reach this stage

where things just happen,

where you can speak naturally,

and things just come out of your mouth magically.

Now, I do want to say that

learning advanced English is great,

and it's something that I recommend you do,

but don't neglect the basics.

Don't neglect these commonly used phrases

because these are the phrases that you're going to use

when speakin' in English.

If you've been followin' me for a while,

you'll know all about the method

that will help you get to this stage,

but if you're new or if you need a reminder,

check out the video that I've liked to in the description.

Now, here is a tip when it comes to

learning advanced English or any new words and phrases,

and it's this.

It's a simple one.

Learn the English that you are going to use.

Think about how you use your English now

or how you are going to use it in the future.

For example, let's say that you are a fitness coach,

but you want to teach people

about health and fitness in English.

Then it makes sense to learn words and phrases

related to this field, this industry.

Things like bench pressing,

the Paleo Diet, squatting.

But instead of just learnin' new words and phrases,

single words and phrases,

learn them through sentences.

Things like the Paleo Diet is terrible

or the Paleo Diet is somethin' you need to try.

And then get lots of repetition

with these phrases so that you internalize 'em,

so that you can start usin' them in a flexible way.

So interimly, know that native speakers

use basic phrases all the time

and that maybe you should put more focus

on using methods that will help you

use these phrases in conversations,

because these are the phrases that you need to know.

And when learning advanced English,

learn the type of English that you need to know.

Learn it in context.

And also, use my method to help you do this.

To learn more about my method, click over here

or watch one of our latest conversations

and notice how often we use basic words and phrases,

the types of phrases that you learned in your first class.

And if you're new here,

click that red button and subscribe to this channel

and consider turning on notifications too.

Thank you so much for watching.

Please share this with anyone who needs to see it,

and go watch one of those videos.

("Breathe" by Johan Borjesson)