[00:00:00] In this video I'm going to share with you three tips on how to speak and understand native speakers. 

So many people learn English from their native country with teachers from that country as well and they often speak English with their classmates or with people from their own country. That's not a problem.

[00:00:24] There is no problem with tutors, not from England or the United States or New Zealand or Australia. They can be as good as native English speakers. 

However, it's a very common problem that lots of people learn English to a good level, but when they go on holiday to England, they start working with British people, for example, they are like, whoa.

[00:00:47] Hold on a second. What language are they speaking? Because it doesn't sound like English.

[00:00:52] This can be really frustrating and annoying because you might think that you have a good level of English. 

Like you may have a B2 certificate and you're thinking, “I'm good at English. I'm an upper intermediate. I can speak fine. I can order food. I can have casual conversations. I can understand or even watch television,” for example.

[00:01:13] But when it comes to speaking to native speakers in the real world, it's a different experience.

[00:01:19] The first tip I have for you is learning more specific vocabulary related to that region, especially informal words, slang, and phrasal verbs.

[00:01:31] There is a TV show about crime in London called Top Boy, and the language used in that show is predominantly language that is used by working class or poorer areas in London. 

So, if someone like my parents watched that, who are middle class and from a town in the middle of the country, they might not understand a lot of the language that's being used.

[00:01:57] In the UK we have lots of different regions, and in those regions, they will have specific words for specific things. 

For example, there is a bread roll, and some people call it a bap, some people call it a roll, and some people in the north of England call it a barm cake. 

When I moved to Manchester, I didn't know what a ginnel was, it's an alleyway behind people's houses.

[00:02:23] While there are many specific vocabularies for these smaller regions, there will be some informal words, some slang words, and definitely phrasal verbs that are used all throughout the country.

[00:02:35] Phrasal verbs are particularly horrible and difficult because you may know the two words. 

For example, I'm looking forward to this weekend. You may know the word look. You may know the word forward, but you might not know that looking forward to something means that you are excited about something that's going to happen in the future.

[00:02:56] And even if you do know the two words or the three words involved in the phrasal verb, you might, well, you probably won't be able to guess what it means even with the context.

[00:03:07] So you have to learn these phrasal verbs. One of the ways that you can learn these phrasal verbs and informal and slang words is just by increasing your input. 

That is listening to more native speakers speak or listening to people who have lived in that country and used that dialect a lot as well.

[00:03:23] So if you're working with British people or moving to the UK, then I would recommend listening to podcasts or watching TV series or chatting to as many British people as you can. 

And then you will be exposed to more phrasal verbs, more slang, more idioms, for example.

[00:03:40] This is an automatic and subconscious way to absorb more vocabulary. There are lists online. If you search British vocabulary, phrasal verbs slang, you'll be able to find a long list of these on the internet. 

If you want to use flashcards or however you learn your vocabulary, you can do it like that.

[00:03:59] But that is my first tip is to learn the specific vocabulary, especially phrasal verbs, because they are horrible.

[00:04:08] My second tip is to increase your input again. And it's not just any old input, it's listening to native speakers speak. 

Because often when you are listening to materials made for people learning English, they may speak at a slower speed. than what they normally do. 

So, when you go into a normal conversation or when you are having a discussion with people and they're speaking at a normal speed, you might think, hold on a minute, they are speaking very fast.

[00:04:40] So you need to get used to that. You need to train your ears to be able to keep up the speed. It's okay. 

If you need to slow it down for now on YouTube and Other things, other video streaming services or podcasts, you can slow the speed down if that's necessary, but really try to work up to a normal speed and try to listen to as many native speakers speak casually and normally as they do.

[00:05:06] So if you are able to listen to content, podcasts, TV, where, where it's not designed for language learners, just listen to that as much as possible, because the speed can be very difficult. 

Like, I remember when I was learning Spanish and people would speak to me in Spanish, and I was just like, that sounded like one word, and he spoke for 30 seconds.

[00:05:30] It's not only the speed that you need to train your ears for. It's also the accents and very much like the vocabulary. 

We also have to think about choosing the accent that you're training your ear for. 

If you're going to move to the UK, move to the UK, working with British people, then listen to more British people, especially the people that, for example, if you are going to be working in Birmingham, watch Peaky Blinders.

[00:05:57] Find podcasts or celebrities who are from Birmingham and try to listen to the accent as much as possible.

[00:06:05] Listen to music artists, you know, the UK and the United States have a lot of music artists. They also have loads of TV and films. 

So, there is so much content out there for you to absorb and listen to and really train your ear by for that specific accent, if you are moving to the UK and you are finding it difficult to understand British people.

There's no point listening to Americans or listening to Australians, because even though you will be listening to English, you are listening to a different type of English and they may speak completely different, well, I know they speak completely different than people from the UK.

[00:06:42] The UK has so many different accents. So please try and like work out which one you really need to listen to more. But listening to British people in general will be helpful regardless of what city or region they're from.

[00:06:54] And the third tip is exposure and practice. For some reason, people, when they're learning a different language, find it a little bit scary when they're communicating with native speakers, rather than people also learning the language. 

I remember when I was doing my podcast with a YouTuber called Veronica.

[00:07:15] She is a Russian native speaker, and she speaks English perfectly. You can't really get much better than her as it comes… when it comes to someone who has learned it as a second language. 

However, she revealed to me when we're having a conversation or in one of our podcasts, that she still gets a little bit nervous when speaking to native speakers in English well, more so than she would do when speaking to an English learner, which was crazy to me because she is so good at speaking English.

[00:07:44] And this is not just an example or experience of hers. This is the experience for many people. So, one way to overcome this and combat this fear is just by exposing yourself to more native speakers. 

And even if you do live in a different country, then online, find a tutor, find a community like mine where you can speak to people.

[00:08:05] Actually, I'm the only native speaker in my community. So… but you can speak to me. But yeah, find native speakers. wherever, online, in person, and just get used to that experience of speaking to native speakers, because most of us are nice, I think. They're not going to laugh at you. They're not going to be mean.

[00:08:24] So I think with enough practice, repetition, exposure, these fears can go away, and they'll be… you'll be less scared when communicating with them, and if you're less scared, then communicating will be a lot easier.

[00:08:39] If you thought the video was useful or you found it enjoyable, then please consider subscribing to the channel because I do put out lots of different videos with a wide range of topics. 

Sometimes I give advice like this, sometimes I actually make my own content for people to listen to. And also, if you want to join my free English learning community, go in the description and you'll be able to join for free.