Hi everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Time for English.

Every year BBC names 100 influential and inspirational women around the world. And this year two Japanese women made it onto the list. One of them is a 90-year old English learner, whose goal is to work as a volunteer interpreter in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.

Now, let's see if you know the difference between speaking English and speaking in English. Is there any difference to begin with? Yes, there is.

If you speak English, you are able to use English.

To speak in English means to use English rather than other languages to express yourself. In other words, when you say you speak in English, there's often a choice involved.

For example, I speak Japanese and English. So does Mary. We generally prefer to speak in Japanese. But when Mary's boyfriend joins us, we speak in English because he doesn't speak Japanese.

Now, would you like to practice together? I'll read an example sentence, so please repeat after me. Ready?

Would you prefer it if we spoke in English?