English Breakthrough for Germans

In this episode I present some information and thoughts about why books are so important for our learning both from a cognitive perspective independent of language learning, and also from a language learning perspective. 

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In this episode, the Stories Words Tell, I look at the history of some words and explore how this can make it more useful and helpful when we are trying to learn vocabulary.

If have a story to connect to the vocabulary, it sticks in our brains better, and it makes learning fun!  

If you enjoy the episode, think about leaving a review and be sure to recommend the podcast to a friend!

In this episode, I talk to Susanne, an English and Spanish teacher from Germany, about how she developed her English and the things learners can do to improve outside the classroom.

We discuss the importance of reading and listening, learning through things you genuinely enjoy, becoming more confident when speaking, and making English part of your everyday life. Susanne also shares her experiences learning Spanish and explains how her own language-learning journey influences her teaching today.

A conversation full of practical ideas for anyone looking to improve their English on their own.

In this episode, I talk to Jörn about how he became a confident English speaker through using the language in real life.

We discuss his experiences learning English at school, travelling abroad, working with international colleagues in Berlin, getting used to different accents, and becoming less afraid of making mistakes.

Jörn also shares his advice for other German speakers: focus on communicating, don’t worry about understanding every word, and keep it simple.

I am currently learning French, and in this episode I discuss the strategies I am using and the reasons behind why I am doing what I am doing.

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Why is dubbing so common in Germany—and has it affected how confidently Germans speak English?

In this episode, I explore the history of German dubbing and some of the reasons it became so firmly established, from the growth of cinema after the Second World War to the size of the German-speaking market and the expectations of German audiences.

I also share the story of watching the French film Amélie with my German flatmates—and my surprise when everyone suddenly started speaking German!

We’ll look at:

🎬 Why Germany developed such a strong dubbing tradition

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#LearnEnglish #EnglishForGermans #EnglischLernen #LanguageLearning #GermanDubbing #Dubbing #LearnEnglishWithMovies

Discover five practical techniques to improve your vocabulary, pronunciation and speaking through reading: immersive reading, read and look up, shadowing, imitation, and summarising. Mike also explains why graded readers with audio are especially effective—and how to choose the right level for you.

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Caitlin reached approximately C1 German before she had even set foot in Germany. How did she do it?

In this episode, she shares how she built German into her daily life through listening, speaking, reading, writing and pronunciation practice. We also discuss why you don’t need to understand every word—and why speaking badly is a necessary step towards speaking well.

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Are you bad at remembering people’s names? It might actually have helped you develop better strategies for learning English.

In this episode, I share my own difficulties with remembering names and the techniques I use as a teacher to learn them. We’ll look at why repetition, personal connections and retrieval practice work—and how you can apply the same principles to remembering new English vocabulary.

You’ll learn three practical strategies to make useful new words stick.

Do you sometimes feel like you're just not good at learning languages? In this episode, I challenge that belief and explain why successful language learning is much more about strategy than talent.

Using stories from my own life, a football analogy, and practical examples from my teaching, I introduce my Cognitive Engagement Strategies for Effective Language Learning. You'll discover why some common learning methods are less effective than you might think, and learn practical techniques that can help you make faster progress in English.

If you enjoy the episode, I'd love to hear your thoughts. You can reach me at [email protected].

Thanks for listening!