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Hey, hey. Welcome back to Pod and Chill. I'm Leo.
And I'm Gwen. It feels really nice to be here with you today. Today we want to talk about something that almost every English learner feels.
Yes, that moment when you know the answer in English, but you don't say it.
Like when you are at a restaurant in another country and you want to order, but you are afraid your pronunciation will sound strange.
Or my favorite at the airport. Someone asks you a very simple question and suddenly you cannot say anything in English.
We understand it. We really do. You are not the only one with this problem.
Yeah. Many learners told us the same story. And to be honest, I also felt this when I was learning French.
Oh, tell them more about it.
Well, I studied French for many years. But when I first traveled to Paris, I was too nervous to open my mouth. So, I just stayed quiet.
See feeling nervous is normal. Even for us who speaks English as our first languages we all have to start somewhere. Nobody is perfect at the beginning. So don't feel bad if it happens to you too.
Right. Today we're going to talk about how to stop overthinking and how to talk in English without thinking too much.
We'll share stories, examples, and also small challenges you can try today.
So, let's chill and start.
Speaking is often the hardest part. Many learners understand words on paper, but when they try to talk, they feel shy.
So, let's start with the first big problem for English learners. This is what we call overthinking, right?
Yes. One big reason is overthinking. When your brain thinks too much before you speak, some English learners think every word is like a big challenge.
Yeah, speaking feels hard sometimes.
They are scared that if they say it wrong, it will break in front of everyone. But the truth is, most people don't even notice small mistakes
And this makes them wait too long. Instead of just speaking, they repeat the word in their head again and again.
Yep. It's like standing by a swimming pool. You know the water is safe, but if you wait too long, swimming feels more scary.
When I was a kid, I stood next to the swimming pool for a whole hour because I was too scared to swim. Then my friend held my hand and swam with me. It was not scary at all. And it even felt fresh and fun.
It's the same with speaking English. If you stop holding that fear, speaking English will feel fresh and fun. And I promise you will want to speak English more and more.
Yeah, I've seen that a lot. Like, I remember one student in your class. You said his name was Ahmed.
Oh, yes. He is a shy man, right? Ahmed knew the answer. But when the teacher asked, he just stayed quiet. He said it felt like everyone was looking at him.
Wow, I can totally imagine that. That can make you very nervous.
Every time you see someone smiling at you, you think they're laughing at you.
Yes. Sometimes being afraid of people laughing is worse than actually saying the wrong word.
Exactly. And the real problem isn't the mistake. It's that thought in your head. What if they think I'm not smart?
Oh, this reminds me of Maria. She was in my French class. She was really good at writing. On every test, Maria always got high scores. But when she had to speak in front of people, she didn't know what to say.
Oh, so she was very shy and afraid her French didn't sound good.
Yeah. That fear made her quiet for a long time. And because she didn't speak, it took her much longer to use French well
Grammar and words were already strong, but all that knowledge stayed on paper, not in her mouth.
Yep. And the good thing is when she finally lost some of that fear, her French became much better. That shows the power of speaking, not only studying.
That's amazing. Well, when fear of grammar, pronunciation, and people's opinions come together, it makes us stay quiet.
Yes. And new English learners often keep the words inside. Even when they know the answer, they don't take the chance to speak.
And after a while, staying silent makes it even harder. You stop believing in yourself. learners start thinking maybe I'm not good at English.
But that's not true. You can improve, but only if you speak and accept mistakes. How do you feel when you make a mistake in your own language? It's not too bad, right?
Exactly. Mistakes aren't the problem. The real problem is staying silent.
Yes. If we say speak, we cannot stay silent. Here's something really important to remember when learning English, my dear friends.
But hey, just relax and enjoy what we share. Maybe with a glass of water and some fresh fruit next to you. Don't push yourself to remember everything right now. We will make it easy for your mind.
That's true. Thanks for reminding, Gwen. I got so excited that I forgot this point. Now, let's just chill and listen to what we share next. Nobody can learn a language without mistakes.
True. Even native speakers make mistakes. They stop, say words again, or say um, uh and nobody cares.
Exactly. Look at children learning to talk. They don't learn grammar first. They try words, make mistakes, and then learn.
That's right. Mistakes are not bad. Mistakes help you move forward. The goal is not to be perfect. The goal is to make people understand you.
Yes. The more you talk and make small mistakes, the more you learn. Your brain remembers what is correct and what is not.
So don't be afraid of mistakes. Every mistake is helping you improve.
But the thing is when we learn a new language, many people want to be perfect. It's hard to stop this feeling of I want to be perfect from the start. Because in the beginning, we feel very excited and full of energy.
Yes. Like when we buy new books, new pens or open a new app to study. We tell ourselves this time I will do it right. No mistakes.
Exactly. It feels like the first day of school. Everything is fresh and we don't want to make it dirty.
But language learning is not like a clean notebook. Mistakes are normal and they even help us.
True. However, this wish to be perfect can create many problems. Problems that make learners nervous, quiet, or slow.
These things often feel like traps. We fall into them without even knowing. So, let's talk about the first trap. Translating in your head.
Here we go. Many learners try to change every word from their own language into English.
Right.For example, in some languages, people say ticket go. If you translate that directly, the English sounds strange. In English, we say roundtrip ticket.
Yes. And if you do this word by word, your brain becomes very slow.
Exactly. Imagine this. You are at the airport. The staff asks you, "How can I help you?" Your brain starts working like a machine. First you hear the English, then you translate it into your own language, then you think of the answer in your language, then you try to change it back into English.
