ENGLISH PODCAST: 7 REASONS YOU'RE NOT FLUENT (YET!) & HOW TO MAKE YOUR DREAM REALITY

- [Jack] Today, I'm going to explain seven reasons why you're not fluent in English yet, and how to fix that, and these reasons, I think, are going to help you come up with a better plan so that you can continue your fluency journey with confidence. And before we get started, my name is Jack from tofluency. com.

Welcome to this lesson. If you enjoy it, then please subscribe to this podcast and my lessons in general, and also share it with a friend. The first thing to say is that the journey to fluency is a long one, and one that people on the whole underestimate in terms of what you need to do to reach that goal, and also how long it will take you.

But if you're listening to this, you already have that motivation and you have that desire to improve, and you know how important it is for you to reach the level where you are fluent. And I also just want to talk about fluency very briefly because people sometimes confuse fluency with a C2 level of English, one where people just think you're a native speaker, but I think fluency for a second language learner should be defined as the C1 level, and this is where you feel like you can understand virtually everything you hear. It's not clear in everything, but you have a great understanding of what someone is saying, and it's also one where you can express your ideas in a free way where you're not constantly thinking about how to say things.

Instead, it just occurs naturally. And I'll leave a link to how you can test your own level so you know exactly where you are, and then you can also read more about the C1 level of English and just what that actually means if you reach that level. But that's what we're going to use today for fluency, that C1 level.

Let's start with reason number one. Reason number one, and this is what you might tell yourself, is that you don't have enough time to learn English, you don't have enough time during the day to learn English. Now, I'm going to talk about this quite directly, because this is a common one and it's one I understand, because we all have commitments and we constantly say I'm so busy, I've got this to do, I can't find the time to do this.

However, if you do want to reach a high level, if you do want to have that fluent level of English, then you'll need to spend more time learning English, okay. You'll need to find the time to do this if you want to reach your goal quickly. And again, everyone is different.

Some people literally don't have enough time to do it, they don't have enough time during the day, but most people listening to this can do more, and I'm not talking about doing more so you're feeling stressed, but doing it in smart ways. For example, I think it's important to make learning English a priority, which means make it one of your number one goals. You can also listen to English while doing other things, which is maybe what you're doing right now, because a lot of people listen to this podcast while they're traveling or doing other things.

And also, number three is to change your environment, and we'll have more on that soon. But it's important to look at your calendar and the way that you spend your day, and ask yourself if you can study English instead of doing something else, and if you have a strong why, a strong motivation to do this, then it will overcome the how. And sometimes, saying that you're too busy is an excuse.

You just have other priorities. Maybe you watch TV instead, maybe you play computer games, you do other things, and if those things are more important, that's fine. Maybe your why isn't strong enough to find the time to do it, but if it is truly important to you, then make it a priority.

And like I said before, also find ways to learn English while doing other things and make it part of your environment, which we'll talk about later. Reason number two is that maybe you're not getting enough output. You're not doing enough output in English because for the most part, listening and reading is easier than writing and speaking.

It's easier to listen to a podcast and to read things than it is to spend some time writing on your computer or in a diary or finding the time to speak with somebody. Output is important because this is when you start to use your brain to create language, to create sentences, and this is a skill that needs practicing. So, make sure that you are getting enough natural speaking practice, so make it a priority to find the time to do this, to get some speaking practice.

Start using the To Fluency method where you repeat sentences. I'll have more on that in the description for you. And then also think about ways to find more time to do some writing.

And like I've said many times before, I think it's great practice to keep a journal and to write down your thoughts on a daily basis. Just get in the habit of doing that every day. Now with these methods, you'll need time to focus on this, so choose a time of day when you can concentrate on speaking and writing so that you can be consistent with it, and even if you only do 15 minutes a day, this is much better than doing nothing.

I've talked about my 10 plus method in the past. This is where you connect, you commit five, 10, 15 minutes a day to doing something, and you show up every day, you do it every day, and if you do more, great, if you don't, don't worry about it. Number three is to stop spending so much time learning grammar rules, okay.

Now before I talked about how you need to spend more time learning English, maybe, in most cases, but what you do with your time is also important, and I think that if you spend too much time learning grammar roles, then you're not going to progress at the rate you want to progress at. Now, knowing grammar rules can help. It can help you understand the way that the language is structured.

In order to have natural conversations in English and to understand people when they speak, you need to intuitively know grammar, you need to know grammar in a way where it feels right, and this is where you don't have to think about the rules when speaking or listening. Instead, you automatically use correct grammar, just like English speakers do, native speakers do, or people with a high level. They don't think about the rules, but they just use it correctly because it seems right to them, it feels right to them, and spending too much time on grammar rules is taking away time that you could spend doing something more effective.

And the key is this. You don't need to know grammar rules to use grammar correctly. So what should you do instead?

Well, I think it's important to repeat sentences so that you internalize grammar. Sentences teach you everything you need to know about grammar, and this is where you just learn it in a more natural way. Now I have made lessons before on this method and I'll leave a link to that in the description for you, so definitely check that out.

The sentence method is such an important one, and I highly recommend you watch that video and start implementing this method as part of your learning routine. Number four is that you're too shy to practice, you're too afraid to practice speaking English. Now, many learners tell me this.

They tell me that they feel too shy to speak in English or that they're afraid of making mistakes, and this is something I understand completely because when I lived in Spain, I used to be so nervous about speaking Spanish in front of others, and I was just petrified, which means really scared about making a mistake and everyone laughing at me. And there are two things that overcame this for me. The first one is I realized no one cares when you make a mistake, so when you're speaking in a foreign language, no one really cares about this.

Most people just want to be able to talk to you. They don't care if you make a grammar mistake. And the other thing was it was my ego because I wanted people to think that I had a really high level, so I didn't want to show them that maybe my level was lower.

So let go of that ego if you have this in terms of you're just scared to speak because you're worried about what others are gonna think and worried about what they might think about your level. So to overcome this, just know that it's okay to make mistakes and that it might be your ego stopping you. But if you want to go step by step, find somebody who you are comfortable with when practicing English.

Use small talk to ease your way into conversation and ask questions, ask people questions, and then also just really know that every time you practice, it's a way for you to improve, and it's to overcome those mistakes and to know that making mistakes is part of your journey. So overcome the shyness and find ways to really take this step by step if it is a big problem for you. Number five.

Okay, number five. Now like I said before, if you're enjoying this, then please share this lesson, this episode with a friend. Just click that share button and send it to someone right now.

But number five is you're waiting for the perfect opportunity to learn English. I've noticed this with a lot of my students in the past where they say I'll start studying English properly this summer when I have more time, when I finish this, when something else happens. And I'm sure you've said something like this before, where you thought okay, I'm gonna go to the UK this summer and I'll learn English then, and I'll go for two, three weeks, and I'll just immerse myself in the language and that's when I'm going to learn it.

But it's important to know, if you go to study abroad, it's not gonna fix all your problems. You need to be doing the right things before and after you go. And here's a quote by somebody I love following, AJATT, All Japanese All The Time.

Most people don't mess up by doing the wrong thing. They mess up by doing nothing. Most people don't mess up by doing the wrong thing.

They mess up by doing nothing. So it just means by doing something, that's gonna help you. Just do something today.

Find the time today to really learn English. It's just such an important thing to do to start that journey, and just to start getting the habit of learning English because if you keep waiting for the perfect time, you're just gonna wait, and wait, and wait. Number six is you're not consistent enough, okay.

You're not consistent enough when it comes to learning English. And we all go through stages where we're excited about something new. I'm sure you know the feeling when all you want to do is when you start something new is to do the new exercise that you have found or to just completely spend all your time learning how to play the guitar when you get your new guitar, or spend five hours today learning English because you get motivated about learning a new language, but it's important to know that motivation comes and goes and that feeling of excitement at the start usually wears off, it usually decreases, but the key is to be consistent no matter your level of motivation.

So no matter your level of motivation, the key is to stay consistent. Get into the habit of learning English. And here is a quote from Will Durant.

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. We are what we repeatedly do.

So if you constantly learn English, then you become somebody who can speak English. If you're somebody who constantly goes for walks, then you're going to be in better health. And don't wait for that perfect opportunity to improve.

Do the right things now on a consistent basis and create habits that you can stick to. Number seven, you're too stressed or you feel down about your level and your goals, okay. Now learning English is a journey, which is why I call my brand To Fluency.

It's talking about the journey to fluency. It's a focus on that journey so that you are making the most of it and so that you can actually achieve your goal. Because it's a journey, you should enjoy it.

You should enjoy it as much as you can. And I think that stress comes and the feeling of disappointment comes when you compare the level you have now to the level you want to have, so when you compare the level you have now to the level you want to have, and you know that you can't just magically start speaking English. And I think a lot of people when they start the journey or when they continue their journey, they get disappointed that they haven't reached their goal right now.

But if you just say okay, it's gonna take me some time to do this, it's gonna take me time to get there, and I'm gonna just enjoy the journey, I'm just going to enjoy the journey, I'm gonna enjoy it as much as possible, therefore, it's really gonna help you with this. And if you're constantly thinking about, ah, this is my level, this is where I want to get to, then you're going to feel down. It can make you just feel really depressed about it to be thinking about your level and where you want to be.

So that's why it's important to create that plan of action that will get you to a C1 level of English, and then execute. I love this word execute, which means do it, do your plan. Get into the habit of speaking English.

Have fun with it. Do things you enjoy. Read books you like.

Speak to people you like. Listen to things that interest you and smile while you learn. And you might think that the only thing that matters is fluency, but once you reach your goal, it becomes the new normal.

So, enjoy the journey, as this is what truly matters. So again, the seven reasons why you're not fluent in English is that you don't have enough time to learn English, you're not spending enough time each day doing it, you're not getting enough output, you're spending too much time on things that don't make a big difference like learning grammar rules. Maybe you're too shy to practice.

Maybe you're waiting for the perfect opportunity to learn English. Maybe you're not consistent enough, and maybe you're too stressed about your level, and your goals, and where you want to, what you want to achieve, and you're not giving yourself enough patience, and not allowing yourself to just focus on the journey and to enjoy it. I really hope you have enjoyed this lesson today, and again, if you have found it useful and you're not subscribed to my lessons yet, then click that subscribe button or the follow button, and if you are on a platform where you can leave a comment, then please let me know which one of these is most important to you, and then share this lesson with a friend.

Now my name is Jack from To Fluency. It is great to have you here. While you're here, why not listen to or watch and another lesson with me, and then go to the description to get my book, The Five Step Plan for English Fluency.

Okay, thank you so much for listening, and I'll speak to you soon. Bye bye.