Think in English.

Stop translating in your head and speak fluent, natural English

without hesitation. In conversations and other situations where you need to be able
to process information quickly and respond immediately, translating in your head is
a big problem. It slows you down. It makes you hesitate. At times you’ll completely
miss out on the conversation because your chance to jump in has come and gone and
you’re still trying to translate.

On top of all that, a lot of slang, idioms and phrasal verbs can be difficult to
translate quickly — if at all! It’s really best for your fluency if you stop
translating in your head and learn to start thinking in English.

Thinking in English is very important to developing your fluency in English… so

let’s go! Here are my nine tips for thinking in English.

DO DAILY ACTIVITIES IN ENGLISH

Can you change your phone settings to English? How about talking to your pet in
English when you’re going for a walk? If you commute to work by train or bus could
you buy your fare in English?

LISTEN TO MORE ENGLISH FOR IMMERSION WITH NATIVE SPEAKERS

Turn on the internet radio, download podcasts, put Netflix or YouTube on in the
background while you’re doing your chores or work!

Your brain is so amazing that it will begin to recognize patterns and want to
follow them too!

TRY GUESSING OR PLANNING WHAT ENGLISH SPEAKERS ARE GOING TO SAY

When you predict the conversation based on experience, you’ll be more confident and
ready to respond.

Imagine the conversations that you want to have in the future and create them
before they happen so you feel more prepared. It may not go word-for-word how you
plan it, so be ready for change. You could write the conversation down and practice
it a few times.

STOP LEARNING EXCLUSIVELY THROUGH TRANSLATION

Observe, watch, hear, smell and relate vocabulary directly to its meaning — not the
word in your first language.

USE A MONOLINGUAL DICTIONARY

A bilingual dictionary is good for one thing — to put your coffee cup on so it
doesn’t leave rings on your table.

LABEL OBJECTS IN YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE IN ENGLISH

You can do this in your mind or actually on pieces of paper taped to the objects
(or use sticky notes). Start with everyday objects that you use every day! For
example, if I have a book at home and I am learning Portuguese I would label it
“livro,” or if I am learning Arabic then I would label it “kitab.” Every time I
look at it I am reminded to think that word!

TALK TO YOURSELF IN ENGLISH

Ask yourself questions and answer them.

Make up a short story about a person you see on your way to work.

You may want to do this in private when no one else is within earshot. It’s ok if
you are not sure if your grammar is perfect, or if you make a mistake. No one will
know! If you’re not sure if what you said to yourself is correct or not, then make
a note to yourself to find out! You can do some research online, or ask your
teacher or a native speaker friend later.

JUST START THINKING IN ENGLISH WITH A MANTRA

Even the smallest effort is better than nothing. Start with a mantra, or motto,
that will help you get started each day in English. For example, “My English is
getting better each day.”

THINK A LITTLE MORE IN ENGLISH EACH DAY

Start small. Make it a habit to think in English a little each day. Set an alarm if
it’s hard to remember to switch into English. Then use the timer on your phone or
computer to 1 minute to start and think only in English for that amount of time. It
doesn’t matter what you think about, or even if you just say a few of the same
phrases over and over. See if you can extend the time each day by 30 seconds!

English speaking tips: this playlist includes tons of great advice for speaking
English more fluently and confidently! Watch it and quickly improve your skills:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehZiyJOLSts&list=PLDmyXXns94k1dtoY4fL_Eg3Fy0oQMu1Ln

DON'T stay this! This playlist teaches you how to speak English more correctly,
more naturally, more like a native speaker! Avoid saying things that are incorrect
or just not common. Watch and immediately level up your fluency:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSA_kqEyGsM&list=PLDmyXXns94k3EIQ6aZMviIhs9fVFB-jHf

Are you struggling to understand native English speakers? You should definitely
check out this playlist about how to quickly improve your listening skills:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whWKE3Apnm4&list=PLDmyXXns94k0W5_OOLmp4pSPku9VfjdUE

TRANSLATE THIS VIDEO! �

Do your friends a favor and help to translate this lesson into your native
language! Contribute subtitles translations here:
http://www.youtube.com/timedtext_cs_panel?tab=2&c=UC9Pbt3q-ihROg1lmmmQdU2w

COME HANG OUT WITH ME!

� IG @gonaturalenglish
� TWITTER @gonaturaleng
� FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/gonaturalenglish

✉ Business inquiries: info@gonaturalenglish.com