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English with Thiago

Thiago Alencar

This is a podcast designed to help intermediate and advanced English learners communicate with more confidence, accuracy, clarity and awareness.

Hosted by Thiago Alencar, a Brazilian English Teacher with over 20 years of experience, this podcast deals with topics such as English pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, exam preparation, writing, listening, mindset and everything else related to English learning.

If you feel forever stuck at the intermediate level, this podcast is for you!

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https://studio.com/thiago

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#192
Wednesday · 57 min
How To CHANGE Someone's Mind | 5 Principles of Influence (C1 English Conversation)
📖Join My Next Cambridge Bootcamp:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/bootcamp📧Connect With Dr. JonRobert Tartaglione:https://www.influence51.com⭐Download The B2 Edge App: https://studio.com/thiago📣Speak English with Real People:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/community📓Get My Free Vocabulary Guide:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/pl/2148770947How To Change Someone's Mind | 5 Principles of Influence (C1 English Conversation)Why do smart people with good arguments fail to persuade anyone? In this English conversation, I talk to Dr. JonRobert Tartaglione — psychologist, behavioral scientist, and founder of Influence 51 — about the science of persuasion and what actually changes the way people think, decide, and behave.JonRobert earned his PhD in psychology at the University of Cambridge and now advises leaders at companies like McDonald's, Visa, and Nintendo. In this interview, he walks us through his Five Principles of Influence: why the human brain is not a computer, why loss aversion shapes every decision, how social norms drive behavior change, how values filter what people accept, why pushing harder makes people push back, and how framing and metaphors change the outcome of a conversation without changing a single fact.This is an unscripted, natural conversation between native and near-native speakers — ideal listening practice for B2 and C1 learners who want to understand real English at natural speed, and who want to communicate with more impact.What you'll learn in this episode:• Why humans are rationalizing creatures, not rational creatures• Why you should connect emotionally before you present your data• Loss aversion and the coin flip experiment• Why social rejection activates the same brain regions as physical pain• How social proof and social norms drive behavior change• Psychological reactance: why "Do not touch the art" makes you want to touch the art• Conversational receptiveness and self-generated persuasion• Message framing: 80% fat-free vs 20% fat• How metaphors change the way people solve problems
#191
September 16 · 1 hr 1 min
How to Get Hired, Keep the Job, and Get Promoted in English
📧Connect with Kurt:https://kurtuhlir.com/⭐Download The B2 Edge App: https://studio.com/thiago📖Join the waitlist for my next Cambridge B2 and C1 exams prep group:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/cambridge-exam-waitlist📣Join The Fluency Hub Community:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/community💻Book a 1.1 Call With Me:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/fluency-discovery-call📓Get This FREE GUIDE:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/pl/2148770947Most advice about English for work comes from teachers. This one comes from the other side of the table.Kurt Uhlir is a Chief Marketing Officer who has hired and led teams across six continents. In this conversation he explains what he actually looks for in candidates, why he often prefers working with people who speak English as a second language, and why most people who want a promotion are asking for the wrong thing.If you work in an international company — or you want to — this is the conversation to listen to twice.ABOUT KURT UHLIRKurt is a Chief Marketing Officer who has built and led teams across six continents. He holds more than 20 patents, and technologies he helped create are used every day by millions of people at companies like Apple, Microsoft, and Garmin. He is currently CMO at ez Home Search. He has been featured in USA Today, TechCrunch, NBC, and Wired — and he is a certified alligator handler. More on that in the interview.
#190
September 10 · 23 min
Let's Have A SERIOUS Conversation About Your English Level (B1 To C1 Explained)
⭐Download The B2 Edge App: https://studio.com/thiago📖Join the waitlist for my next Cambridge B2 and C1 exams prep group:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/cambridge-exam-waitlist📣Join The Fluency Hub Community:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/community💻Book a 1.1 Call With Me:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/fluency-discovery-call📓Get This FREE GUIDE:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/pl/2148770947You understand 90% of my videos without subtitles. So what's your level? Can you call yourself B2?It's the most common question I get on this channel, and today I'm answering it properly — including the uncomfortable part, which is about me, not about you.If you're working your way from B1 to C1 English and you've never been sure where you actually stand, this episode will change how you think about the question. Because the honest answer isn't a letter. It's something more useful than that.In this episode:→ Why understanding my videos is real progress but is NOT a measurement of your level → What the CEFR actually says about B2 listening (and why every descriptor has a condition attached) → Reception vs production — why understanding is the cheapest skill you own, and why it's been flattering you for years → Why you don't have just level, but something else — and why that's far more useful → My verdict: when you're allowed to claim a level, and when you're not
#189
September 3 · 15 min
Why Your English Stays Intermediate FOREVER (B2 to C1 Explained)
⭐Download The B2 Edge App: https://studio.com/thiago📖Join the waitlist for my next Cambridge B2 and C1 exams prep group:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/cambridge-exam-waitlist📣Join The Fluency Hub Community:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/community💻Book a 1.1 Call With Me:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/fluency-discovery-call📓Get This FREE GUIDE:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/pl/2148770947Most English learners reach intermediate level and stay there. Not for weeks. Not for months. For years.Not because they're not trying. Not because they're not talented. Because nobody has ever shown them clearly what actually needs to change — and what the gap between intermediate and advanced English really looks like from the inside.In this video, I'll show you exactly what separates intermediate from advanced English — and what you need to start doing differently if you want to stop being stuck where you are.You'll learn:1) Why moving from intermediate to advanced is not about learning more words or more grammar rules — it's something else entirely2) The vocabulary shift that happens at advanced level — and why it's not what most learners expect3) The difference between a mistake and a slip — and why understanding this distinction will change how you think about your own errors forever4) Why C1 speakers don't just know more English — they can do more with it, in more situations, with less effort5) The repertoire concept — what it means for your English and why expanding it is the real path to advanced fluency6) A real example from my own professional life that shows exactly what advanced English looks like when it matters
#188
August 26 · 50 min
How To Speak English So People Actually WANT To Listen
📖Join the waitlist for my next Cambridge B2 and C1 exams prep group:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/cambridge-exam-waitlist🗣️Want to work with Jay directly on your accent, executive presence, or communication clarity? Visit him at https://theaccentcoach.com/⭐Download The B2 Edge App: https://studio.com/thiago📣Join The Fluency Hub Community:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/community💻Book a 1.1 Call With Me:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/fluency-discovery-call📓Get This FREE GUIDE:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/pl/2148770947How To Speak English So People Actually Want To Listen | Accent Coach Jay Alexander PoultonWhat does an accent coach actually do — and why do CEOs, doctors, and executives from over 35 countries hire one? In this episode, I sit down with Jay Alexander Poulton, an ICF-credentialed executive leadership coach and founder of The Accent Coach, to talk about what he calls the "Authority Gap" — the distance between what a leader is capable of and what the room actually hears.We cover:- What an accent coach really does (and why it's different from working with a regular English teacher)- Real high-stakes situations where clear communication changes outcomes — from boardrooms to hospital rooms- How to balance keeping your identity and accent while still being understood- Standard North American English clarity vs. "sounding American"- The most common sounds and vowel pairs that trip up non-native English speakers- Why breathing, resonance, and articulation matter as much as pronunciation- How to build self-awareness of your own accent and speech patterns- Jay's #1 tip for instantly improving clarity and confidence when speaking English
#187
August 20 · 18 min
Why You Can't Speak About Complex Topics in English (Yet)
📖Join the waitlist for my next Cambridge B2 and C1 exams prep group:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/cambridge-exam-waitlist⭐Download The B2 Edge App: https://studio.com/thiago📣Join The Fluency Hub Community:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/community💻Book a 1.1 Call With Me:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/fluency-discovery-call📓Get This FREE GUIDE:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/pl/2148770947Do you understand many things in English but freeze the moment you have to explain something more complex? This is one of the biggest hidden gaps for learners moving from B1 to C1 English — you can follow a podcast, a TED Talk, or a documentary with no problem, but the second you're asked to explain an abstract idea, your fluency disappears.In this video, I put you through a live English stress test to show you exactly where this breaks down — and then walk you through the real process for fixing it.If you're an intermediate English learner working through the B1 to B2 plateau, or a B2 speaker aiming for C1 English fluency, this video will show you why "understanding" isn't the same as "speaking" — and what closing that gap actually looks like in practice.
#186
August 13 · 27 min
10 Things Advanced Speakers Do That Intermediate Ones Don't
📖Join the waitlist for my next Cambridge B2 and C1 exams prep group:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/cambridge-exam-waitlist⭐Download The B2 Edge App: https://studio.com/thiago📣Join The Fluency Hub Community:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/community💻Book a 1.1 Call With Me:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/fluency-discovery-call📓Get This FREE GUIDE:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/pl/2148770947You understand almost everything in English now — movies, podcasts, meetings — but the moment you open your mouth to speak, something feels off. In this video, I break down the 10 specific things that separate advanced English speakers (C1 level) from intermediate ones (B1 and B2 levels), based on over 20 years of teaching thousands of students through that exact transition.I'm grouping these 10 things into 3 categories — mindset, language skills, and daily habits — and sharing a personal story from my own Cambridge C2 exam that completely changed how I think about what "advanced English" actually means.🔓 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: ✅ Why perfect grammar doesn't automatically mean advanced English✅ The 3 mindset shifts that separate advanced speakers from stuck intermediate learners ✅ 5 language skills advanced speakers use that most learners never practice on purpose ✅ The 2 daily habits that make everything else automatic
#185
August 5 · 33 min
Why Comprehensible Input Is Not Enough, Analyzing Different Learning Hypotheses and How To Stop Feeling Stuck At English
⭐Download The B2 Edge App: https://studio.com/thiago📣Join The Fluency Hub Community:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/community💻Book a 1.1 Call With Me:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/fluency-discovery-call📓Get This FREE GUIDE:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/pl/2148770947Comprehensible Input Is NOT Enough. Here's Why Your English Is Stuck.You've heard it everywhere on YouTube lately: just listen, just watch, don't study, don't force anything — and one day English will "click." I need to be honest with you: that promise is incomplete.Comprehensible input is real. It's backed by real research, and for beginner to intermediate learners (A1 to B1), it genuinely works. But if you're stuck at B1 or B2 and wondering why hours of listening and watching haven't gotten you speaking confidently, this video is for you.In this episode, I break down:✅ What comprehensible input actually is — and who first proposed it✅ Exactly where it stops working, and why (with the research to back it up)✅ What "comprehensible output" is, and why input without it just isn't enough✅ Why deliberate practice is the piece almost nobody talks about✅ My own English learning story — which didn't go the way you'd expectIf you're serious about breaking past B1/B2 and building real speaking ability — not just understanding English, but using it — this is the most important video I've made in a while.Sources referenced in this episode:1. Krashen, S. D. (1985). The Input Hypothesis: Issues and Implications. Beverly Hills, CA: Laredo Publishing.2. Swain, M. (1985). "Communicative Competence: Some Roles of Comprehensible Input and Comprehensible Output in Its Development." In S. Gass & C. Madden (Eds.), Input in Second Language Acquisition (pp. 235–253). Rowley, MA: Newbury House.3. Norris, J. M., & Ortega, L. (2000). "Effectiveness of L2 Instruction: A Research Synthesis and Quantitative Meta-Analysis." Language Learning, 50(3), 417–528.
#187
July 23 · 1 hr 14 min
40 Habits That Silently Move Your English From B2 To C1
⭐Stop Feeling Lost! Try The B2 Edge App: https://studio.com/thiago📣Practice Speaking With Real People:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/community💻Speak with me on Zoom for 60 minutes:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/fluency-discovery-call📓Get This FREE GUIDE:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/pl/2148770947I just turned forty years old. And to mark the occasion, I decided to make a different kind of video.In this video, I share forty habits that in my experience — twenty five years as a learner and teacher of English — every successful advanced English learner has in common. Some of these habits are about English specifically. Some are about learning in general. And some are pure life lessons that took me forty years to fully understand.This is not a list of quick tips. This is a blueprint. A complete picture of what it actually takes to move from B2 to C1 — and eventually to C2 — in English. And unlike most content you will find on this topic, this goes far beyond study techniques. We talk about mindset, philosophy, the technical side of the language, communication as a human skill, and the life lessons that make all of it possible.Here is what we cover:▶ The mindset habits that make advanced English possible in the first place▶ The learning philosophy that separates B2 learners from C1 learners▶ The daily habits that advanced learners build over years of intentional practice▶ The technical side of English — what advanced communication actually looks and sounds like▶ Communication as a human skill — going beyond language into delivery, connotation and effect▶ Life lessons from forty years of living and twenty years of teachingWhether you are trying to go from B1 to B2, from B2 to C1, or finally understand what advanced English fluency actually requires — this is the video I wish someone had made for me when I was starting out.
#186
July 8 · 40 min
Your English Will Always Be Stuck At Intermediate (Until You Fix These Mistakes)
⭐Stop Feeling Lost! Try The B2 Edge App: https://studio.com/thiago💻Work with me 1.1: https://forms.gle/Wn98WnZ3PajswWoKA📓Get This FREE GUIDE to start upgrading your vocabulary:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/pl/2148770947If you have been learning English for years and still make the same mistakes — this video is for you.Most B1 and B2 English learners assume that with enough time and practice, their mistakes will naturally correct themselves. The science says otherwise. Some errors do not fade with time. They get stronger. They get faster. And eventually, they become permanent — unless you do something very specific to stop them.This phenomenon has a name. Linguist Larry Selinker first identified it in 1972 and called it fossilization. And in this video, we go deep into what it is, why it happens, and — most importantly — exactly how to fix it. Whether you are trying to go from B1 to B2, from B2 to C1, or finally break through the ceiling that has been holding your English back for years — this video is the one to watch.Here is what we cover:▶ What fossilization is and why it affects grammar and vocabulary — not just accent▶ The neuroscience behind why fossilized mistakes are so hard to unlearn (MIT research)▶ Why the correction method most teachers use is also the least effective — and what actually works▶ The single biggest cause of fossilization in B2 English learners▶ A step-by-step method for breaking a fossilized mistake — including the exact approach I used myself as a working English teacherThis is not about studying more. It is about studying differently. Deliberately. Intentionally. One mistake at a time.
#185
June 24 · 47 min
Your English Will ALWAYS Be Stuck At Intermediate (Until You Fix These 3 Things)
⭐B2 Edge Summer Sale (20% OFF): https://studio.com/thiago💻Work with me 1.1: https://forms.gle/Wn98WnZ3PajswWoKA📓Get This FREE GUIDE to start upgrading your vocabulary:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/pl/2148770947If your English has been stuck at intermediate for months — or even years — this video is for you.Most B1 and B2 English learners think the intermediate plateau is just a motivation problem. Study more, watch more videos, download another app. But the science tells a very different story.In this video, I break down the three real reasons your English stops improving at the intermediate level — and exactly what to do to fix each one. This is not opinion. This is based on decades of research into how people actually develop expertise, including the work of psychologist Anders Ericsson and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Scott Young.Here is what we cover:▶ Why vocabulary growth hits a wall at B1 and B2 English — and the mathematics behind it▶ The hidden trap that keeps intermediate learners stuck even when they are studying every day▶ The most important gear change in language learning — and why most people never make itWhether you are trying to go from B1 to B2, from B2 to C1, or break through the intermediate plateau once and for all — the answer is not more hours. It is better hours.
#184
June 17 · 15 min
Are You Accidentally Sounding RUDE in English? (5 Mistakes To Avoid!)
⭐Stop Feeling Lost! Try The B2 Edge App: https://studio.com/thiago💻Work with me 1.1: https://forms.gle/Wn98WnZ3PajswWoKA📓Get This FREE GUIDE to start upgrading your vocabulary:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/pl/2148770947Your grammar is correct. Your vocabulary is fine. And you might still be coming across as rude — without knowing it.This is one of the most overlooked problems in English learning at intermediate level and above. Not making grammar mistakes. Making register mistakes. Saying the right words in the wrong way for the situation.In this video, I'll explain what register is, why it becomes critical as you move from B1 toward B2 and C1, and walk you through the most common grammar patterns that non-native speakers use every day that accidentally come across as blunt, demanding, or rude in English.You'll learn:1) What register is and why it's the hallmark of truly advanced English — not just vocabulary or grammar2) Why language that sounds perfectly normal in your native language creates friction in English3) The modal softener mistake — why "Send me that file" lands very differently from "Could you send me that file?"4) Why "I want" almost always needs to become "I'd like" in adult professional contexts5) How to soften negatives so disagreement sounds collaborative, not confrontational6) The abrupt question problem — and the indirect forms that fix it7) The tense register mismatch that exposes non-native writers in professional emails8) The "you should" trap — and how to give advice without sounding preachyThe gap between B2 and C1 is very often not a vocabulary gap or a grammar gap. It's a register gap. And this video will show you exactly where it shows up — and how to close it.
#184
June 10 · 1 hr 16 min
Master The Present Perfect Once and For All | 1+ Hour Deep Dive Lesson (B2 English)
⭐Stop Feeling Lost! Try The B2 Edge App: https://studio.com/thiago💻Work with me 1.1: https://forms.gle/Wn98WnZ3PajswWoKA📓Get This FREE GUIDE to start upgrading your vocabulary:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/pl/2148770947"There was an accident here." "There has been an accident here." Both are correct. Both are perfect English. But they mean something completely different — and if you can't explain why, this lesson is for you.In this B2 English deep dive lesson, we go through every single use of the Present Perfect — Simple and Continuous — and compare it directly with the Simple Past. No shortcuts, no oversimplification. This is a full B2 English lesson built for intermediate learners who are serious about getting this right once and for all.Here's what we cover. Every use of the Present Perfect Simple — life experience, result in the present, unfinished time periods and duration. The Present Perfect Continuous and exactly when it replaces the Simple form.The critical contrast between Present Perfect and Simple Past — including the mistakes intermediate learners make most. Guided practice exercises we do together. And a final ten question quiz you do completely on your own.This isn't a tip video. This is a real B2 English lesson. Grab a pen.
#182
June 3 · 22 min
B2 Shadowing English Speaking Practice | Consistency
🔥 Want daily structured practice at B2 level?The B2 Edge app gives you AI-powered practice built around lessons exactly like this one — every single day, structured for B2 learners:👉 https://studio.com/thiago💻Work with me 1.1: https://forms.gle/Wn98WnZ3PajswWoKA📓Get This FREE GUIDE to start upgrading your vocabulary:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/pl/2148770947Fluency isn't built by watching videos. It's built by opening your mouth and practicing — consistently, every day, at the right level. That's exactly what this session is designed for.In this B2 English shadowing practice, we work with a paragraph built around the theme of consistency — one of the most powerful ideas in language learning and in life. The language is dense, natural, and packed with B2 level vocabulary so you can practice English speaking the way it actually sounds in the real world. You might even enconter a bit of C1 language as well! =)Here's how the session works. First you listen to me read the full paragraph at natural speed to get a feel for the meaning and rhythm. Then we shadow sentence by sentence — you repeat out loud, as close to my voice as possible. Finally, I read it one last time and you go through the whole thing on your own.This shadowing practice also doubles as a word formation workout. The paragraph is loaded with prefixes and suffixes — un-, re-, -ly, -tion, -ment, -en — all working naturally inside real B2 English sentences. If you want to go deeper on how those affixes work, check out the full word formation deep dive lesson linked below.👉 Word Formation Deep Dive — watch this next: https://youtu.be/YJL90pkf7ko
#181
May 27 · 1 hr 34 min
How Word Formation Multiplies Your B2 Vocabulary | 1+ Hour Deep Dive Lesson
⭐Stop Feeling Lost! Try The B2 Edge App: https://studio.com/thiago💻Work with me 1.1: https://forms.gle/Wn98WnZ3PajswWoKA📓Get This FREE GUIDE to start upgrading your vocabulary:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/pl/2148770947Most B2 learners try to grow their vocabulary by memorizing word lists. It doesn't work. In this full English lesson, I'll show you a smarter approach — one that lets you decode and produce hundreds of new words by understanding how they're built from the inside out.We're going deep on word formation — specifically affixes: prefixes, suffixes, and how they combine with root words to multiply your vocabulary across every topic and context you'll ever need at B2 level and beyond.This is a complete B2 English lesson. Not tips. Not a list. Real teaching designed for intermediate learners who are serious about reaching the next level.Grab a pen. This one's worth it.⏱ 1+ hour of real B2 English teaching✏️ Designed for B2 level learners ready to stop plateauing🎯 Part of the B2 Edge curriculum
#179
May 21 · 14 min
Why You Keep Saying The Same 50 Words in English (And How To Fix it)
⭐Stop Feeling Lost! Try The B2 Edge App: https://studio.com/thiago💻Work with me 1.1: https://forms.gle/Wn98WnZ3PajswWoKA📓Get This FREE GUIDE to start upgrading your vocabulary:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/pl/2148770947You've studied vocabulary for years. You know hundreds — maybe thousands — of English words. So why do the same fifty come out every time you speak? This isn't a memory problem. It's not a motivation problem. And it has nothing to do with how intelligent you are. It's a method problem — and once you understand it, you can fix it.In this video, I'll show you exactly why your brain defaults to the same comfortable words under the pressure of real conversation, why the vocabulary you've been studying isn't making it into your speech, and the system that actually moves words from passive recognition into active use.You'll learn:1) The comfort vocabulary trap — why your brain optimizes for safe words instead of precise ones2) The passive-active vocabulary gap — why recognizing a word and producing it under pressure are completely different skills3) Why studying vocabulary lists does almost nothing for your spoken English4) The production vehicle method — the same approach I use every day after 20 years of teaching5) A simple four-step system to move any word from passive to active starting today6) Why one word a day, done consistently, will transform your vocabulary range faster than any vocabulary courseIf your English feels limited — not because you don't know the words, but because you can't seem to use them — this video is exactly what you need.
#178
May 20 · 12 min
Make Your English Sound More NATURAL With These 12 Filler Words
⭐Stop Feeling Lost! Try The B2 Edge App: https://studio.com/thiago 💻Work with me 1.1: https://forms.gle/Wn98WnZ3PajswWoKA 📓Get This FREE GUIDE to start upgrading your vocabulary: https://www.englishwiththiago.com/pl/2148770947 Some native speakers use them constantly. Language teachers tell you to avoid them. They're both wrong — sort of. Filler words are not signs of weakness. They're the connective tissue of real conversation. They signal that you're thinking in English, not translating. They manage the flow. They make you sound like someone who actually belongs in the conversation — not someone reading from a script.In this video, I'll give you 12 filler words and phrases that will immediately make your English sound more natural and spontaneous. I'll tell you exactly what each one does, when to use it, and give you real examples for each one.But I'll also tell you something most videos like this leave out — the honest limits of fillers, and why overusing them can actually hurt your English at higher levels. I know this from personal experience. My own Achilles heel is "you know." I'll tell you about that too.You'll learn:1) Why filler words are fluency signals, not hesitation markers2) How fillers manage conversational flow and keep you in the exchange3) All 12 fillers in detail4) When each filler is appropriate — and when it's not5) The B1/B2 vs C1/C2 distinction: why fillers that help at intermediate level can hold you back at advanced level6) How to monitor your own filler habits without becoming self-conscious
#177
May 19 · 13 min
Why Some People Come Back From Abroad With The SAME English
⭐Stop Feeling Lost! Try The B2 Edge App: https://studio.com/thiago💻Work with me 1.1: https://forms.gle/Wn98WnZ3PajswWoKA📓Get This FREE GUIDE to start upgrading your vocabulary:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/pl/2148770947You know someone who moved abroad to improve their English. Maybe you've done it yourself. And yet — months later, sometimes years later — the English didn't change the way everyone expected. Why?In this video, I'm going to tell you the real reason moving abroad doesn't automatically improve your English — what the people who go abroad and don't improve all have in common — and how I reached Cambridge C2, the highest non-native English certification in the world, without ever leaving Brazil.You'll learn:1) Why "I don't live in an English-speaking country" is the most expensive excuse in language learning2) What actually happens when people move abroad — and why most of them recreate their home language environment within weeks3) The serial exchange student trap: why short programs abroad cost a lot and deliver very little4) Why one year of structured practice at home outperforms three two-month exchange programs5) The one thing you can control right now that matters more than your zip code6) How to create genuine English immersion from your home country — today, with the tools you already have25 years ago, I built a C2 level of English in Brazil with a borrowed grammar book, a notebook, and DVDs. Today you have the internet, YouTube, streaming services, and AI. There has never been a better time in history to live a fully English-immersed life from your home country. The plane ticket was never the thing standing between you and fluency. The daily habit was.
#176
May 18 · 16 min
Why Fast English Sounds Like a COMPLETELY Different Language
⭐Stop Feeling Lost! Try The B2 Edge App: https://studio.com/thiago💻Work with me 1.1: https://forms.gle/Wn98WnZ3PajswWoKA📓Get This FREE GUIDE to start upgrading your vocabulary:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/pl/2148770947You studied English for years. You know the vocabulary. You understand the grammar. And then a native speaker opens their mouth at full speed — and it sounds like a completely different language.You're not imagining it. And it's not your fault. The English you were taught was a controlled, slowed-down version of the language — designed to be understood in a classroom, not to reflect how English actually sounds in real life.In this video, I'll show you exactly what happens to English sounds at natural speed, why your ear was never trained to catch it, and the method I used to crack this myself — starting with nothing but songs and a notebook.You'll learn:1) Why the English you studied and the English you hear are not the same thing2) The 3 mechanisms of connected speech that transform every sentence at natural speed3) Linking — why word boundaries disappear and sounds merge into one4) Dropping (elision) — the sounds that simply vanish in natural speech, including 'gonna', 'wanna', and beyond5) Reduction — how unstressed words compress into something barely recognizable6) The critical 'can' vs 'can't' distinction that trips up even advanced learners7) How music and films trained my ear — and how you can use them the same way todayOnce you understand these three mechanisms, fast English stops sounding like noise — and starts sounding like patterns you can learn.
#175
May 15 · 16 min
Why Small Talk in English Feels Impossible (And How To Fix it)
⭐Stop Feeling Lost! Try The B2 Edge App: https://studio.com/thiago📓Get This FREE GUIDE to start upgrading your vocabulary:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/pl/2148770947You can write professional emails in English. You can follow complex conversations. You might even be at B2 level. And yet — the moment someone tries to make casual conversation with you in English, your mind goes blank.Small talk in English is one of the most overlooked skills in language learning. And it's costing intermediate learners real opportunities — at work, in professional networks, and in everyday life.In this video, I'll show you exactly why small talk in English feels so hard, why it matters far more than most learners think, and give you the exact frameworks and phrases you need to start making natural, confident conversation in English — starting today.You'll learn:1) Why English small talk feels harder than formal conversation — even for advanced learners2) The three real reasons you struggle with casual English conversation (and none of them are your fault)3) Why small talk is the entry point to every professional relationship you'll ever build in English4) The TGIF framework: a simple four-step system for starting and sustaining any conversation in English5) The three-beat pattern that makes small talk feel natural and effortless6) Ready-made English conversation starters, reaction phrases, and exit lines you can use immediately7) How I built my own English conversation skills from scratch — as a self-taught, introverted learner in BrazilWhether you're learning English for work, business, travel, or everyday life — this video will give you the tools to finally feel comfortable in casual English conversations.

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