Your Monthly Dose of English Best of February 2020
access your free language gifts of the
month right now here’s what you’re
getting this month first be making a
phone call cheat sheet want to be able
to talk on the phone in your target
language
then this conversation cheat sheet will
help you do just that you’ll learn all
the basic phrases questions and answers
you’ll need when making a call second
want to know the learning hacks
motivational tips and success strategies
for learning a language in 2020 then
you’ll want this exclusive 52 page ebook
download it now for free before we take
it down third words and phrases for the
dentist learn how to schedule a checkup
talk about a toothache and much more
with this one-minute vocab lesson fourth
can you talk about your zodiac sign then
this next one minute lesson is for you
if you want to learn you’ll learn how to
say the 12 signs in your target language
fifth the 32 words you’ll need for
language learning noun verb adjective
sentence grammar can you say these in
your target language if not you’ll want
this quick one-minute lesson sixth free
audio books for our members only unlike
our huge library of language learning
audiobooks save them to your device and
listen and learn they’re yours to keep
forever
and finally the deal of the month if you
want to finally master the language with
lessons by real teachers and our
complete language learning program take
the 12 month challenge and get 12 months
of premium or premium plus at up to 45%
off so to get your gifts and language
learning resources click the link in the
description below download them right
now before they expire
last time we talked about American
supermarkets and how they’re unique this
time we’re going to look at how much it
actually costs to live in New York City
when you think about America perhaps one
of the first things that might come to
mind is the bright lights and the fast
pace of the big city for sure in New
York City everyone who visits wants to
go to the big tourist locations Central
Park Times Square the Statue of Liberty
but how much does it actually cost to
live there in this video we’re going to
talk about the actual living costs of
New York City let’s start with the most
basic thing you need to live in New York
an apartment without an apartment you
can’t really say you live in New York
City but if you want to live in the city
you should be prepared to live in a
small space more than half of the
apartments in New York City are 700
square feet or smaller that’s about 65
square meters this could be for a studio
apartment which has no walls between the
kitchen and the bedroom or it could be a
one-bedroom apartment which does have a
separate bedroom these kinds of places
cost on average 1890 dollars or two
thousand one hundred dollars
respectively so expect to pay a pretty
high price if you want to live in the
city but keep in mind that a separate
payment is required for heat and water
in your apartment for an average
apartment about 915 square feet in New
York City about $145 is required for
utility bills
this covers heating electricity water
and garbage for Internet and phone
however that’s a totally separate
payment one of the best things about
living in New York City is how
convenient things are if you walk down
the street you can quickly find a coffee
shop a bookstore or a supermarket
because of this people who live there
rarely have cars it’s quite expensive to
keep one in the city instead people use
public transportation like buses or the
subway for a monthly transit pass you
can expect to pay about 120 dollars and
if you want to use a taxi fares start at
two dollars and fifty cents New York
City is known for its wide variety of
delicious restaurants you can find food
from all over the world you can get
anything
from a food cart hot dog to an expensive
steak dinner in New York City
because of this wide variety however
it’s hard to determine a specific
average for a meal with living in New
York City you can imagine going to
concerts shows baseball games and so on
but the cost of these can get pretty
pricey if you want to see the latest
film in New York City you can expect to
pay about $15 per ticket if you want to
do something a little more exciting and
check out a Yankees baseball game for
example it’ll cost you about $50 a
ticket and if you want to check out
Broadway and see one of the latest shows
you can expect to pay about a couple
hundred dollars for the best seats there
are lots of ways to determine the cost
of living in New York City but these are
just a couple important aspects so how
does New York City compared to big
cities in your country what are some
things that are different and what else
would you like to know about American
culture let us know in the comments hi
everybody my name is Alicia in this
lesson I’m going to talk about formal
request patterns these are a few
different patterns that you can use when
you’re making formal requests so these
are great for business emails and other
situations where you need to politely
ask for something I’m going to introduce
the patterns and then I’m going to share
a couple of examples as well these are
not the only patterns you can use
they’re just a few ideas to help you get
started so let’s take a look okay first
one let’s begin with the first one
you’ll see some of these patterns today
we’ll use the word wood at the beginning
remember we can use wood as a common
word to begin a request so the first
example includes this would you be so
kind as to something another thing
you’ll see in many of these examples is
the word - before kind of the extra
information portion this is a great hint
that we should follow this part with
some kind of verb so - plus the
infinitive form of over we’ll see a lot
of examples of this so the first one
I’ve included be so kind as to do
something so this is making a request
and this part be so kind as to
that the speaker is asking for the
kindness of the listener or the reader
in doing this action which we’re about
to describe so let’s look at an example
of this would you be so kind as to send
me the files so here the verb we’re
using is send as I said we need to
follow this two with the infinitive form
of the verb send and send me the files
finishes the phrase so would you be so
kind as to send me the files means
please send me the files but it’s a more
formal sounding request you’re saying it
would be really nice of you if you would
send me the files
it just means please send me the files
but it sounds more polite okay let’s
look at another one similar again this
one begins with wood and ends with two
in the introductory part of this pattern
however here we have possible would it
be possible to this sentence or this
pattern rather this is another way of
saying can you can you but would it be
possible to sounds much more formal than
can you or in some cases can I so let’s
look at an example of this one would it
be possible to discuss this later would
it be possible to discuss this later
again we have this 2 here which shows us
we should use the infinitive form of the
verb the regular form of the verb to
discuss this later this part would it be
possible to means can so in other words
can we discuss this later that’s what
this request is but it sounds more
formal would it be possible to discuss
this later we’re connecting if you’re
using this in speech we’re connecting
these sounds would it be becomes would
it be would it be possible would be
possible to discuss this later okay so
this is a good one to use for can
situations if you would use can in a
regular request you could try would it
be possible to in the formal request
okay let’s go along to the next one may
we ask you to may we ask you to this is
a formal way of saying
please please please do this thing so
again we’re ending the pattern with two
here we have this kind of confusing
maybe may we ask you so you know that we
use may to ask for permission to do
something but we’re also using ask so
really this combination make a very soft
request here I’m using we this we could
mean your group or your company or your
department perhaps so may we ask you to
is kind of making yourself sound quite
humble so you’re kind of lowering
yourself and making a request from the
other person but again this just means
please please we’re just using a more
formal expression again we’re going to
need to use the infinitive form here
because we see two at the end of this
introductory section so let’s look at an
example
alright may we ask you to submit the
application by tomorrow so again to our
infinitive form and here may we ask you
to submit the application by tomorrow I
phrased this as a question really if
you’re using please you could just say
please submit the application by
tomorrow period not a question mark here
because we’re being formal and polite we
say may we ask you to submit the
application by tomorrow so may we ask
you it’s like you’re asking permission
to ask for something from someone if
that makes sense so it’s kind of a very
soft expression but we’re phrasing this
as a question here again this just means
please submit the application by
tomorrow okay on to the next one the
next one is also a possibility
expression do you think you would be
able to so here we see would do you
think you would be able to this means
that in the future you’re asking about
someone’s future ability is something
that someone could do or would be able
to do in the future so do you think you
would be able to verb phrase here we
should follow this with the verb again
this part do
you think you would this is maybe kind
of softening it instead of would you be
able to it’s do you think you would be
able to hear as well a pronunciation
point this you would we reduce this to
you’d do you think you’d be able to do
you think you’d be able to in speech in
writing we can use the regular form the
non reduce the non contracted form let’s
look at an example of how to use this do
you think you would be able to have it
ready by tomorrow so this could be a
document for example do you think you
would be able to have it ready by
tomorrow if we want to make this really
really simple do you think you would be
able to have it ready by tomorrow is can
you have it ready by tomorrow that’s
really what this means it’s just a very
formal way of saying that do you think
you would be able to have it ready by
tomorrow so it’s quite soft it’s like
giving the other person a chance to say
no I’m really busy but it means can you
can you have it ready by tomorrow do you
think you would be able to have it ready
by tomorrow quite nice okay let’s move
along to the next one again we’re
starting this with wood so another soft
request pattern would you have some time
available to so this is asking about
someone’s schedule would you have some
time available to verb we need to follow
this with the verb so let’s look at the
example would you have some time
available to chat about this so again
here’s our to our verb to chat about
this in other case this just means do
you have time to chat about this but
this would you have some time available
in the future
in other words or do you think that it
would be possible to chat about this is
another way to say that so just a quite
formal expression again do you have time
to chat in other words okay let’s move
along to the next one for very kind of
direct requests but that are also formal
we
can use a pattern like this I would like
to request I would like to request here
you notice there’s no - at the end of
this so we should probably use a noun
phrase here there’s something that you
want to receive so I would like to
request something example I would like
to request your attendance at the
meeting I would like to request your
attendance at the meeting this is a
formal sentence which means please come
to the meeting please come to the
meeting so I would like to request you
can imagine this as meaning I want or a
need or please do this I would like to
request something I would like to
request a a letter I would like to
request an application form please I
would like to request your attendance at
the meeting as well so these mean I want
something but as I’ve gone over here try
to avoid using some of these expressions
informal requests I want and I need can
sound very casual and too direct
especially in business situations when
you’re making a request I tend to avoid
using these if you’re trying to give
some supporting information or your
requests maybe that’s okay so for
example I would like to request your
attendance at the meeting because I need
your approval for my project for example
in that case using I need could be okay
but if you make your request your first
kind of introduction to your request
using I want or I need in some cases it
might sound a little too direct
so please kind of be cautious I tend to
avoid these same thing with can I can I
can sound a little bit casual sometimes
so you can kind of feel the situation
and how close you are to the person
you’re speaking to or writing to okay
let’s move along to the next one the
next one is great in emails and written
correspondence so this is when you are
maybe introducing yourself in an email
or you’re introducing a request in an
email I am writing to request this is
very clear I like to use this when I’m
right
to someone that I don’t know I use this
after I introduce myself
hi my name is Alicia I’m from ABC
company and I am writing to request so
this is in other words why am i writing
to this person so I’m writing to request
a meeting I’m writing to request to
request this document for example I’m
writing to request noun phrase Here I am
writing to request a letter of
recommendation so in other words this is
the thing I want I’m writing to request
this thing this is great to use in
emails when there’s some specific thing
that you want and you want to describe
it quickly and clearly that’s quite nice
alright let’s move along to the next one
when you need to ask permission to do
something so here you’ll see we go back
to this too at the end of the pattern
meaning we should use a verb here may I
or may we have permission to in other
words is it okay to but this is a formal
way to ask permission example sentence
example sentence may I have permission
to use your video in an article so this
is actually I think this is a similar
similar to a comment we received on the
channel may I have your permission to
use your video in an article in this
case so in other words is it okay if I
use your video in an article this is a
much more formal a much nicer way to ask
if something is okay to do or not all
right let’s move on to the last pattern
for today
could you please could do you please
here you’ll notice I’ve used you you can
change this if you’ve changed this to
like could I please it means you want
something like you want to receive
something here you’re asking for someone
else to do something for you could you
please do something
example could you please let me know if
this is acceptable so this part let me
know if this is acceptable means please
let me know if this is okay acceptable
means okay really
but more formal so could you please let
me know if this is okay is what this
means but you can change this this you
to whoever like could he please give me
the information or could I please meet
with you later for example you can
change this could this could you
depending on the situation depending on
who is giving and who is receiving
information or a favor or so on so this
one there’s quite a lot of flexibility
with this so keep that in mind okay so
those are a few different patterns that
you can use when you’re making formal
requests so as I said this is really
good for business emails and formal
situation so I hope that you got some
new ideas of course if there’s something
else that you like to use in your formal
requests please let us know in the
comments hi everybody my name is Alisha
in this lesson I’m going to talk about
how to make negative requests by
negative requests I mean how to make
requests for someone not to do something
or to stop a behavior so I’m going to
talk about some formal and some very
casual examples of this I hope that it’s
useful let’s get started all right first
one the first one is probably the most
useful and the easiest to remember it’s
kind of polite a little bit but it’s
also very clear and direct the pattern
is please don’t verb please don’t verb
so put any verb here in the regular like
the plain infinitive form no change to
the verb just please don’t plus a
regular verb example please don’t take
my pens please don’t fire her so in
these examples my verbs are take and
fire please don’t take my pens
please don’t fire her so we can make
very simple ones too like please don’t
sit there or please don’t smoke for
example these are very quick short
direct easy to understand requests to
stop or not to do something okay let’s
go to a very formal expression you might
see this on signs or you might see this
in official rules in regular
policies for example this is not
something that is commonly used in
everyday speech please refrain from verb
ing so we tend to use the ing form of
the verb here please refrain from please
refrain from this refrain from means
don’t please don’t and instead of using
the regular infinitive form of the verb
here we use the ing form here so this is
like the more formal version of the
first pattern
please don’t burp to make it more formal
please refrain from verb in examples
please refrain from feeding the pigeons
so here feeding is in the ing form
please refrain from feeding the pigeons
if I want to use another simpler example
like in this sentence I used please
don’t smoke we could use that here
please refrain from smoking that’s a
very common one that you might see
posted in restaurants like on signs
please refrain from smoking please
refrain from ing form for a formal way
to say don’t do this behavior okay let’s
go on to three examples that are very
casual these are ones you’ll use with
kids
you’ll hear among close friends family
members and in some cases these are the
easiest to use because they’re so direct
first one stop verb + ing so this is
very very direct there’s no please
there’s no could you it’s just stop so
this is a very direct request stop verb
in examples stop hitting your sister
hitting is the ing form stop hitting
your sister stop looking at me so these
are very direct so we can imagine these
might be from like a parent to their
child or perhaps us to a close friend
for example so these are used in
situations where we’re very close to the
listener stop
ing in the verb form okay let’s go to
another one don’t plus a verb
sometimes if
the verb is very clear if the action is
very clear we drop the verb and we
extend this don’t sound so let’s look at
some examples with a verb first don’t
plus a verb it’s just like this please
don’t verb but even more direct more
casual don’t put your elbows on the
table so elbows remember this part of
your body and putting it on a table like
at a dinner table for example is
considered rude so don’t put your elbows
on the table don’t bless our verb and
some extra information here don’t put
your elbows on the table don’t chew with
your mouth open so chewing is the action
this action of your mouth and chewing
with your mouth open instead of closing
your mouth as you chew is also
considered rude so these are a couple
quick room maybe reminders from a mother
or father or other parent figure don’t
put your elbows on the table don’t chew
with your mouth open
don’t plus a verb so you might hear
especially young kids and kind of adults
who are having a little bit of fun with
language you might hear the verb getting
dropped so a great example would be mmm
like if a kid is fighting with their
brother or sister and the kid is getting
punched like there’s someone like that’s
hitting the kid the kid might just say
don’t
so because the action they want to stop
is quite clear like don’t hit me is what
the is what the speaker the little kid
means but they drop the the verb because
it’s very clear the unpleasant action is
very very clear in those cases you might
hear speakers drop the verb completely
don’t when it’s very clear we know which
action we don’t want so you might hear
that in lots of cases though we do
include the verb okay let’s go to
another one though a pair stop it and
stop that stop it and stop that so here
the difference is it and that this just
depends on the speaker’s feeling really
stop it means stop the behavior stop
that also it means stop the behavior
stop that is probably used
more when we want to point out a
behavior a little bit removed from us so
if I’m watching bad behavior across the
room I could say stop that stop that I
could say stop it as well if I want to
it just kind of depends on the speakers
the speaker’s mood a little bit so stop
it or stop that or quick commands again
often from parents to mean stop that
behavior to stop that behavior stop it
or stop that so you can use both of
those um maybe a question some of you
might have stop this stop this we don’t
use that one very much stop you could
say stop this car for example if you
want to talk about an object or
something that is moving that you want
to stop moving you could say stop this
car or stop this bus for example but
when you’re talking about behavior we
don’t use stop this we say stop that or
stop it interesting point okay let’s go
along to a very casual kind of more
common in the last maybe 10 to 15 years
I would imagine I’m not sure
specifically but this is when we see a
lot on the Internet these days and a lot
used among young people could you not
plus maybe do that sometimes this is
dropped so this is very similar to don’t
but what makes this interesting is it’s
phrased as a polite expression could you
could you is use in polite requests here
we’re using not though so could you not
do something could you not do that this
is actually not used in formal
situations yes we use could and you here
making us think oh well maybe it’s
formal but this is actually a very
casual expression could you not do that
we use this with that sort of intonation
could you not do that we use it with
close friends only
so examples could you not post such
embarrassing pictures of me online so
this is used with someone that we’re
quite close to we
make kind of a direct and slightly
sarcastic maybe request sometimes to
people so again as I talked about with
don’t if the action is very clear we can
drop this whole part of the sentence and
just keep could you not so if for
example maybe a close friend is singing
really really loudly in my ear I could
say could you not
or I could say could you not do that
which means please stop please stop so
this is kind of an interesting an
interesting pattern it sounds kind of
formal it seems like it could be formal
but it’s not actually it’s quite it’s
quite casual okay let’s go on to the
last one for today this one is a formal
expression if you could please not verb
we would appreciate it if you could
please not verb we would appreciate it
so again this might come from maybe a
service staff or you might see this on a
sign in a restaurant or perhaps add like
I don’t know some other kind of
gathering place where lots of people
visit so if you could please not regular
verb form we would appreciate it so a
formal expression at the beginning and
at the end so example if you could
please not feed the animals at the zoo
we would appreciate it so here’s my verb
feed the animals at the zoo I have an
object here we would appreciate it
or if you could please not smoke we
would appreciate it
so this is a formal request not to do
something and we include an appreciation
expression too so this is another nice
formal expression you can use if you
forget though this one is maybe the
easiest to remember it’s good and polite
situations good and casual situations
please don’t burp pretty simple so I
hope that this was useful for you of
course if you have some other patterns
that you know of or if you have any
questions please feel free to let us
know in the comment section
let’s begin with the basic definition of
this verb the basic definition of the
verb to put is to place something in a
location examples put your bag over
there don’t put your feet on the sofa
let’s look at some conjugations for this
verb now present put puts past put past
participle put progressive pudding
let’s talk about some additional
meanings for the verb to put the first
one is to write to write examples
put your name on this line she put her
name on the list so when we say put in
this way we refer to writing so you’re
adding some information to a written
document or a typed document as well so
can mean to write or like to type
information so put your name on this
line means like write your name or type
your name on this line in the second
example sentence she put her name on the
list it means the same thing she wrote
her name on the list or she added her
name to a list in some way it means
writing information ok let’s go on to
the second additional meaning the second
additional meaning is to use words to
express something to use words to
express something examples how should I
put this you’re putting it quite simply
so we can replace the word put with
express like how should i express this
in the first example sentence but we use
put because put sounds much less formal
than to express how should i express
this it sounds way too formal way too
polite instead we say how should I put
this we use that expression when we’re
not quite sure how to say something like
we’re maybe talking about a sensitive
topic and we don’t know the correct
words to use or it’s difficult to
explain you can say how should I put
this in the second example sentence
you’re putting it quite simply it means
you’re expressing things quite simply so
maybe it’s a complex situation but the
listener is explaining things or
expressing things maybe too simply so
the speaker in this case could say it
you’re putting it quite simply ok let’s
go on to the third meaning the third
meaning is rather open and kind of vague
which is to cause to be in a situation
to cause to be in a situation let’s look
at some examples this change puts the
whole company at risk you’re terrible
driving puts us all in danger so in
these examples we see put is used to
refer to a situation that some group of
people or some person is caused to be in
so in the first example sentence this
change puts the whole company at risk
this change causes the whole company to
be at risk in a situation of risk in a
condition of risk we use put to refer to
that to refer to being caused to be in
the situation of risk
the second example sentence is the same
your terrible driving this is the reason
why the people are in danger in this
example sentence your terrible driving
puts us all in danger your terrible
driving causes us all to be in a
condition of danger it’s very clumsy but
we use the verb put to make this quite
short and easy to say your terrible
driving puts us all in danger ok
there are so many variations so many
phrasal verbs to use with put yeah so
check and dictionary for more these are
just a few I’m going to introduce but
check a dictionary for this the first
variation for the verb put is put aside
to put aside so to put aside means to
stop thinking about something to seize
or to pause and activity while you do
something else
examples put aside your worries and
relax for a day I put my phone aside and
tried to focus on my work so in both of
these examples sentences we see that one
thing is kind of being moved away from
the focus so for example in the first
example sentence put aside your worries
it means like stop thinking about your
worries like put those to the side in
your mind like like don’t think about
those things for a while
so in the second example sentence I’m
talking about my phone where I’m saying
I can literally put my phone aside put
my phone to the side of the thing I’m
doing and focus on my work I put my
phone aside so we can use this to talk
about a concept in our minds or to talk
about a physical object as well okay
let’s go on to the next variation so the
next variation is to put someone down it
means to disrespect someone or to make
fun of someone to make them feel bad
about themselves some examples don’t put
down your classmates it’s rude his boss
keeps putting him down in front of his
co-workers so in both of these examples
we see situations where one person is
being disrespected by another person so
don’t put down your classmates it’s rude
so this in this case the listener is
maybe a kid in school who is
disrespectful to his or her classmates
so a parent or a teacher might say don’t
put down meaning don’t disrespect your
classmates don’t be mean to your
classmates don’t make fun of your
classmates so you know be kind to them
in other words don’t put down your
classmates
you could also say don’t put your
classmates down if you like that’s fine
too in the second example sentence we
see a work situation like his boss
always puts him down in front of his
coworkers means the boss disrespects
this person in front
his co-workers so it’s a disrespectful
situation again but one point about this
the expression to put someone down
refers to disrespect with regard to
humans however when talking about
animals like we had to put the cat down
and we had to put the dog down
it means usually due to some serious
sickness or some serious injury or
illness the owners of the pet usually a
pet or the animal decide that the pet
should have doctor-assisted death so to
put down an animal means to choose to
allow the animal to die peacefully
instead of suffering so we used that
expression I had to put my cat down this
is a much more soft expression than the
doctor killed my cat which is
essentially what happens but it’s
because of some kind of suffering or
some kind of illness or injury the owner
wants to prevent we use the expression
to put an animal down in those cases we
do not use this for people we don’t say
I had to put my brother down though we
do actually have an expression for
babies which which we use when we put
babies to bed like I’m going to put down
the baby for bed we do have that but
please be cautious of the differences
between animals and humans with this
expression to put someone down has very
different meanings ok let’s go on to the
next variation which is to put up with
to put up with means to tolerate
something examples I don’t want to put
up with this crazy schedule anymore
don’t put up with their bad behavior in
these examples put up with refers to
tolerating or being able to stand
something or continuing to live with
something in the first example sentence
I can’t put up with this crazy schedule
anymore means I don’t want to live with
this crazy schedule anymore I can’t
stand it I don’t want to do it anymore
in the second example sentence don’t put
up with their bad behavior it means
don’t tolerate their bad behavior so put
up with something means like to continue
living with something and we often see
it in the negative form as and don’t put
up with something
okay so those are a few new ways I hope
to use the verb put I hope that you
found something new and as I said there
are a lot of phrasal verbs that can be
used with put so please check a
dictionary if you’d like to see some
more how to improve your language and
speak more through preparation do you
think it’s possible to speak more of
your target language by preparing lines
ahead of time today you’re going to
learn one why you should prepare for
conversations ahead of time and two how
you can prepare for conversations in
your target language if you’ve always
wanted to speak more of your target
language but didn’t know how this tactic
will give you more to talk about how to
improve your language and speak more
through preparation okay let’s get into
part 1 why you should prepare for
conversations ahead of time if you’re a
beginner you can probably relate to this
when it comes to speaking you tend to
run out of things to say and that’s
because you don’t know enough of the
language to express yourself and that’s
where preparation comes in you may think
that the conversations we have in our
daily lives are spontaneous that you
can’t prepare for them you’re right to
an extent but imagine meeting someone
for the first time both of you will go
through some common questions and
phrases like what’s your name my name is
where are you from and how long have you
been studying the language as a language
learner you’ll have these kinds of
conversations with almost every native
you meet guaranteed they’ll always ask
you about how long and how you’ve been
learning and even with your friends some
conversations start the same way for
example you say things like hey how are
you how are things how was your weekend
my weekend was good and you let’s say
you went to a restaurant this weekend
man now you want to talk about it well
that allows you to prepare and learn
some phrases like I went to a restaurant
the restaurant had delicious food the
point is some questions and phrases come
up often in conversations so it makes
total sense to master them ahead of time
and you can always plan ahead and
prepare for things you want to talk
about when it comes time to speak you
know what to say how to respond and you
don’t
out of talking points as quickly so how
do you prepare let’s jump into part two
the first thing you can do to prepare is
check out our 25 questions you need to
know lesson series this series is
specifically designed to help you with
the first time conversations you’ll have
with native speakers you’ll learn the 25
most common questions and answers used
in conversations just listen to the
lessons repeat out loud then put what
you learn to use these will serve as
talking points so you can keep your
conversations going number 2 print out
the curriculum for this lesson series so
you can review all of the lessons at
once the curriculum gives you the lines
and vocabulary used in all lessons up
front so you can use this to review key
questions and responses this will allow
you to control conversations and ask
questions instead of just having the
native speaker ask you all the questions
in other words you’ll sound like a fluid
confident and experienced speaker number
three check out our printable
conversation cheat sheets this is
another free resource that gives you
lines and words for all kinds of topics
for example talking about hobbies your
family and much more number four ask
yourself what do you want to talk about
come up with some topics and for each
topic write out potential questions and
phrases that would come up in a
conversation for example if you want to
talk about restaurants you can have
lines like my favorite restaurant is my
favorite food is what’s your favorite
restaurant and then run these lines
through a translation app it won’t be
perfect but it will give you lines to
use that you can correct later number
five look for lessons that are related
to your topics with our lesson library
on our site we have hundreds of lessons
that teach you conversations so if
you’re looking for lessons related to
restaurants and food you’ll get all
kinds of conversations that you can use
for yourself and number six if you’re a
Premium Plus user get in touch with your
teacher via my teacher and try a
conversation with them they’ll help you
every step of the way
correct your writing and give you the
lines to use in a conversation that way
you can prepare ahead of time
when it comes time to speak you’ll know
what to say all right everyone here’s a
challenge for you
yes everyone watching this record a
30-second to 1 minute video or audio
clip tell us what’s your language
learning goal for 2020 if you do you’ll
win a one month premium flush
subscription to submit click on the link
in the description sign up for your free
lifetime account then fill out the form
attach the audio or video file and press
submit we may feature you in next
month’s episode so a lot of learners
will see you at your progress and will
hopefully get inspired to improve and
master the language to submit a
recording click the link in the
description and follow the instructions
on the page so thank you for watching
this episode of monthly review next time
we’ll talk about how to start
conversations talking points for
language learners most people don’t like
to hear this but consistent hard work is
one of the biggest factors in your
language learning success the course or
method you choose makes a difference too
but at the end of the day you write or
die by the work you put in the quantity
of time spent studying language doesn’t
necessarily determine the quality of
your study spending 3 hours a day
watching movies doesn’t help you learn
much if you’re not actively engaging
with the language in this video we’ll
talk about 3 ways to actively engage
your mind while studying a new language
number 1 think of your brain as a muscle
you’re probably familiar with the phrase
feel the burn
or maybe no pain no gain if you’ve been
to your local gym recently there’s a
chance you might have heard one of these
phrases or seen them plastered on a wall
there’s an idea in the world of sports
and workouts that the discomfort you
feel when running pumping iron or doing
some other physical activity is what
brings results during a healthy workout
the muscles of the body are effective at
a microscopic level the discomfort you
feel is your muscles being pushed to
their limit it’s the limit pushing that
strengthens your muscles so that over
time your performance increases in the
context of language learning it’s
helpful to think of your brain as a
muscle just as we need to push
physical limits when exercising we also
need to push our mental limits when
learning a foreign language
have we ever studied or practiced your
target language in a way that left you
tired or even exhausted if so you’ve
experienced what it’s like to push your
brain out of its linguistic comfort zone
number two practice active listening one
of the easiest ways to push your
language skills is to practice active
listening active listening is when you
listen to someone speaking your target
language and you do your best to
understand what you hear the best way to
accomplish this is by using audio that
you can’t completely understand on the
first listen preferably you want to use
audio that has subtitles or transcripts
for you to double-check your
understanding after you listen to it you
can use movies YouTube clips or even our
language program which has very useful
transcripts for each lesson during a
practice session you should listen to
the audios several times the first time
around it’s okay if little to no words
stick out to you simply make a mental
note of any words or sounds you
recognize the second time you listen
you’re likely to recognize a little more
than you did the previous time expect
similar results with your third or even
fourth time listening after you’ve hit
the ceiling of words you can decipher go
ahead and look at the language subtitles
or transcripts listen to the audio again
reading along with the text odds are
that you will see words in the text you
know but didn’t hear correctly you’re
also likely to encounter words that are
new to you completely as you play back
the audio and read along try to guess
what these words mean from the context
of the words around them after you have
read along a couple times feel free to
look up the remaining unfamiliar words
in a dictionary or translator app this
active listening exercise routine is a
great way to increase your listening and
comprehension skills while picking up
some new vocabulary along the way it
also allows you to learn new words in
context which itself is a powerful
method to help you retain what you study
number three practicing with native
speakers practicing with native speakers
is the epitome of pushing your language
skills using what you know to
communicate in real time is where the
rubber really meets the road try to
connect with a native speaker on a
weekly basis regularity is what makes
the difference when you’re learning a
foreign language if you live in a large
metropolitan area then there’s a
significant chance that there are some
local native speakers nearby try hitting
up a local language exchange or meetup
group to make the necessary connections
if you’re unable to find a practice
partner locally then you can take your
search online there are a number of
sites out there that help you find and
connect with other language learners
from around the world there are tons of
language learners around the world who
have learned or are learning a second
language you’re likely to find someone
who knows your target language and is
looking to improve their own language
skills as well learning a new language
isn’t always easy but it’s the
discomfort that comes with pushing your
ability in the language that produces
results in your studies don’t be afraid
to step outside of your comfort zone the
further away you get from your native
language the closer you’ll be to
attaining fluency also remember that
language learning is in every way a lot
like an adventure there will be fun
times and times when it feels like
you’re swimming up the proverbial stream
it’s by keeping your head up long enough
through these ups and downs that you
will experience the priceless
satisfaction that comes from learning a
foreign language just keep moving
forward let’s be honest it’s difficult
to learn a new language if you’re new to
a language it’s going to take consistent
and concentrated effort to start using
the language fluently
however this fact shouldn’t discourage
you while learning a new language is
hard it’s far from impossible in this
video will outline five tips you can use
to jump-start your language learning
follow these pointers to learn your
target language in a way that is
efficient and effective number one limit
your native language use when practicing
the idea here is that when you practice
with native speakers you do your best to
refrain from using your native language
this is generally harder the less you
know but if you can manage to stick to
this rule you’ll reap some huge rewards
if you commit to a known native language
practice session it’s not going to be
easy
most likely there will be some
frustrating if not painstakingly
difficult moments where you either have
trouble understanding the person you’re
talking to or you can’t say what you
want to say it’s precisely in these
moments that your language learning
muscles are built up to capacity the
process really isn’t all that different
from working out in the gym just replace
the physical burn of lifting weights for
the mental burn of thinking in a new
language in the end if there’s no pain
there’s no gain
obviously this no native language rule
doesn’t have to be written in stone
there are times when it’s more
beneficial to break out of the target
language box and have something
explained to you in your native language
however this should definitely be the
exception rather than the standard
number to have set times to practice
speaking throughout the week now that
we’ve discussed a good way to practice
speaking let’s delve a bit into when to
speak one of the best commitments you
can keep while learning a new language
is to set aside specific times to
practice speaking the language on a
weekly basis ideally these speaking
sessions are on set days at specific
times and formed part of your weekly
routine if you don’t make it a point to
set aside specific practice times you
run the risk of your language practice
falling through the cracks of your busy
schedule I recommend writing down your
practice times and hanging it somewhere
you can always see it you could also
input the times in to your phone and set
an alarm the point is to remind yourself
of your commitment every day so that it
doesn’t fall by the wayside number three
get picky about vocabulary whether you
practice with a podcast a friend at a
coffee shop or a teacher you’re going to
run into a flood of new and unfamiliar
vocabulary despite your best efforts
it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to pin
down every new word or phrase you hear
and study it later
thus you should pick and choose which
new words you focus on the defining
quality of each new word you learned
should be its practicality the more
useful of word or phrases to you in a
conversation the more important it is
that you learn it don’t feel like you
have to cram the entirety of your target
language into one week of study take it
one step at a time
few practical words here some more there
before you know it you’ll see your
vocabulary improved number four write
and practice short monologues this tip
can be a lot of fun begin by selecting a
topic you enjoy discussing then simply
write out a short monologue or speech on
the subject in your target language the
first thing you’ll notice while doing
this will likely be the holes in your
grammar and vocabulary but when you try
to write out your thoughts in a foreign
language you might inevitably hit
roadblocks you might not be able to
think of a word or know how to formulate
a specific idea or opinion yet this can
be great because these holes are the
exact areas where you should focus your
studies you can bring up these problem
areas in your next lesson or a browse
through your favorite language course or
textbook in order to find the answer
the constant process of finding these
language holes and filling them is what
keeps you moving along the path to
fluency once you finish your short text
it’s a great idea to practice reciting
it or even memorizing it the
memorization will help you internalize
the new grammar and vocabulary you’ve
learned reciting it will get your tongue
and mouth used to the sounds number 5
keep an up-to-date list on what you want
to learn throughout your studies you
should always have a sort of language
shopping list as you practice and study
you will most likely come across things
you’d like to be able to say but don’t
know how to yet especially if you follow
our previous tip write this wish list
down it’s one thing to learn the
vocabulary you pick up via a course or
podcast both of which are great it’s a
bit different when your vocabulary gets
personal learn the words that matter to
you either because they’re practical or
because you simply find them interesting
the more relevant the vocabulary the
more likely you are to retain it some
people might tell you it’s impossible to
learn a new language for whatever reason
but it’s important to remember that the
way you study and engage with a language
greatly affects how quickly or
effectively you learn it want to speed
up your language learning take your very
first lesson with us you’ll start
speaking in minutes and master real
conversations sign up for your free
lifetime account
just click the link in the description