My Secret to Speaking Fluent English

Summary

Natee from Thailand shares his journey to fluency in English without leaving home. He emphasizes the importance of building 'unconscious knowledge' through extensive listening and input-driven speaking practice, rather than studying grammar. Natee advises focusing on enjoyable English content and imitating native speakers to internalize the language's complexity naturally, akin to learning one's first language.

Takeaways

• 🌟 Unconscious knowledge in English is crucial for fluency, as it allows for automatic, effortless speech.
• 🚴‍♂️ Unconscious learning is like learning to ride a bike or play an instrument—it's automatic and doesn't require conscious thought.
• 🧠 Conscious knowledge, gained through studying grammar, is not as useful for speaking fluently because it requires active thinking.
• 🎧 Regular listening to English content is essential for becoming familiar with the language and improving speaking skills.
• 🎬 Consuming content you enjoy, such as movies, podcasts, and YouTube videos, helps maintain motivation and makes learning enjoyable.
• 📚 Avoid focusing on grammar lessons, as they can lead to overthinking while speaking English.
• 🗣️ Input-driven speaking practice, such as imitation techniques, helps improve pronunciation, rhythm, and vocabulary.
• 📢 Practicing with native speaker material allows for better exposure to correct grammar and vocabulary.
• 💡 Expressing content in your own words during practice helps develop improvisation skills and fluency.
• 🕒 Consistency in listening and speaking practice, even for short periods each day, leads to significant improvement over time.

Q & A

What is the main secret Natee shares for speaking English fluently?

The main secret Natee shares is building a high level of unconscious knowledge in English, which is the ability to perform tasks automatically without conscious thought.

What is the difference between unconscious knowledge and conscious knowledge in the context of language learning?

Unconscious knowledge allows you to use language automatically without thinking about grammar rules, while conscious knowledge requires you to think about grammar and syntax when speaking.

Why is it difficult to acquire unconscious knowledge in English through traditional study methods?

Traditional study methods like reading grammar books or watching grammar lessons on YouTube tend to develop conscious knowledge, which is not automatic and requires thought and attention when using.

How does unconscious learning differ from conscious learning in terms of awareness during the learning process?

Unconscious learning occurs without the learner being aware that they are learning, whereas conscious learning involves deliberate study and focus on the learning material.

Why is listening to English crucial for improving spoken English skills, even if the goal is not to improve listening comprehension?

Listening to English regularly helps to familiarize oneself with the language's complexity, making it easier to improve speaking skills without getting confused by the language's intricacies.

What is the role of reading in language learning according to Natee's script?

Reading in English can be beneficial, especially when combined with listening, as it helps familiarize oneself with the language's written form and can also reinforce listening skills through subtitles.

What type of content should one focus on when listening to improve English skills?

One should focus on content that they enjoy and are interested in, as this makes the learning process more engaging and less like a chore.

How can one practice speaking English without a conversation partner?

One can practice speaking English by talking to themselves about various topics, but Natee suggests input-driven speaking practice, such as imitating native speakers, for more effective learning.

What is the Imitation technique that Natee recommends for practicing spoken English?

The Imitation technique involves repeating after a native English speaker, word for word, while trying to copy not only the words but also the rhythm, pronunciation, and emotion in the voice.

How can one make the Imitation technique more challenging as their speaking proficiency improves?

As proficiency improves, one can increase the challenge by memorizing and repeating longer segments of speech, or by expressing the meaning of what they hear in their own words if they can't remember the exact phrasing.

What is the significance of practicing with input in the Imitation technique?

Practicing with input ensures constant exposure to proper English, helping learners to acquire new vocabulary and proper grammar, which aids in speaking and sounding more native.

Outlines

00:00

🗣️ The Secret to Fluent English: Unconscious Knowledge

Natee from Thailand shares her journey from poor English to fluency without leaving her home country. She emphasizes the importance of developing unconscious knowledge in English, which is the ability to use the language without conscious thought, similar to riding a bicycle or speaking one's native language. This type of knowledge cannot be acquired through traditional study or grammar lessons, which only provide conscious knowledge that requires deliberate thought. The key to achieving unconscious knowledge is to practice as if learning a first language, focusing on communication rather than grammar rules.

05:03

🎧 Listening as a Foundation for English Fluency

The second paragraph delves into the necessity of listening to improve spoken English. Natee explains that listening regularly helps familiarize oneself with the complexity of the English language, making it easier to speak without getting confused. She suggests consuming English content such as YouTube videos, podcasts, audiobooks, movies, and TV shows, preferably with English subtitles to enhance listening and occasional reading skills. Natee also advises choosing content that one enjoys to maintain motivation and interest in learning English.

10:06

🚫 Avoiding Grammar Lessons for Natural English

In this paragraph, Natee advises against consuming grammar lessons to prevent the habit of thinking about grammar while speaking, which can hinder natural speech. She shares her personal preferences for content related to Japanese culture and scary podcasts, as well as fantasy series audiobooks, to keep the learning process enjoyable and engaging. Natee also recommends listening to English during daily activities that don't require concentration, such as working out or doing chores, to maximize exposure to the language without taking away from leisure time.

15:09

🤔 The Limitations of Self-Talk and Online Conversations

Natee discusses the limitations of practicing English by talking to oneself or with other English learners online. She points out that self-talk does not introduce new vocabulary or correct grammar and pronunciation mistakes, while conversing with fellow learners exposes one to incorrect English and limits vocabulary expansion. Instead, she suggests focusing on input-driven practice with native English materials to improve speaking skills and sound more native-like.

20:11

🎙️ Mastering English Through Input-Driven Speaking Practice

The final paragraph introduces input-driven speaking practice, where one imitates or copies native speakers from materials like YouTube videos or podcasts. Natee describes her preferred Imitation technique, which involves listening to a native speaker and then repeating their speech, focusing on mimicking words, rhythm, pronunciation, and emotion. As proficiency improves, one can increase the challenge by memorizing and repeating longer sentences or expressing the same meaning in different words to enhance improvisation skills.

Keywords

💡Unconscious knowledge

Unconscious knowledge refers to the ability to perform tasks automatically without conscious thought, akin to riding a bicycle or speaking one's native language. In the context of the video, it is the automatic understanding and usage of English without the need to focus on grammar or syntax. The video emphasizes that to speak English fluently, one must develop a high level of unconscious knowledge in the language, which is achieved through practice and exposure rather than formal study.

💡Fluency

Fluency in the video is described as the ability to speak English naturally and automatically, similar to one's first language. It is the end goal of the learning process discussed in the script, where the speaker aims to achieve a level of unconscious knowledge that allows for effortless communication in English. An example from the script is the comparison of how one does not need to think about grammar while speaking their native language, which should be the case with English fluency as well.

💡Conscious knowledge

Conscious knowledge is the type of knowledge that requires active thought and attention to use, contrasting with unconscious knowledge. In the video, it is mentioned that learning grammar through books or lessons results in conscious knowledge, which is not as helpful for spoken English because it does not come naturally and requires constant mental effort. The video warns against relying on this type of knowledge for improving spoken English.

💡Input-driven speaking practice

Input-driven speaking practice is a method where one practices speaking by using English materials, such as videos or podcasts, to be exposed to native speech. The video script describes this as a way to improve pronunciation, rhythm, and grammar by imitating native speakers. It is a form of unconscious learning where the learner focuses on the meaning and natural flow of language rather than the grammatical rules.

💡Listening

Listening is presented as a crucial method for building unconscious knowledge in English. The video emphasizes that regular listening helps in becoming familiar with the language's complexity and makes speaking practice less confusing. It is a form of unconscious learning where the brain picks up language patterns and vocabulary without the listener's direct focus on learning.

💡Grammar nerd

A 'grammar nerd' in the video refers to someone who is overly focused on studying grammar rules. The script points out that such individuals may struggle with fluent spoken English because their conscious mind is too preoccupied with grammatical correctness, which hinders natural speech. It serves as a caution against excessive focus on grammar at the expense of natural language acquisition.

💡Imitation

Imitation is a technique within input-driven speaking practice where one repeats after a native speaker to improve pronunciation, rhythm, and overall speech patterns. The video script describes it as a way to learn and internalize the natural flow of English by copying not just the words, but also the intonation and emotion of the speaker.

💡Complexity

The term 'complexity' in the video refers to the intricate nature of the English language. The speaker mentions that without sufficient listening, one cannot handle the language's complexity, making it difficult to form sentences and practice new words. Becoming comfortable with this complexity through listening is essential for improving speaking skills.

💡Conscious part of the brain

The 'conscious part of the brain' is mentioned in the context of focusing on the information being communicated while speaking. The video explains that when speaking a first language, this part coordinates with the unconscious part to handle grammar automatically. However, when a person over-focuses on grammar due to study, it disrupts this coordination and hampers fluent speech.

💡Enjoyable content

Enjoyable content in the video refers to the type of media one should consume to learn English effectively. The speaker suggests that engaging with content that one finds interesting, such as movies, podcasts, or YouTube videos on topics one is passionate about, makes the learning process more enjoyable and sustainable. This approach helps in maintaining motivation and avoiding the feeling of English learning as a chore.

💡Input

Input in the video is the exposure to English through listening and reading materials. It is essential for building unconscious knowledge and becoming fluent in English. The script mentions that consuming a lot of content in English, especially content that one enjoys, provides the necessary input for the brain to learn and adapt to the language's nuances.

Highlights

Building unconscious knowledge in English is key to speaking fluently without conscious thought.

Unconscious knowledge allows performing tasks automatically, like riding a bike or speaking a native language.

Conscious knowledge requires thinking and focusing, which is not suitable for fluent spoken English.

Grammar study leads to conscious knowledge that hinders natural English speaking.

Speaking a language engages both the conscious and unconscious parts of the brain.

Grammar-focused learners struggle to speak fluently as their brain over-focuses on grammar.

Unconscious learning happens when learning occurs without awareness, like listening to a conversation.

Listening to English regularly is crucial for familiarity and ease in speaking.

Input-driven speaking practice exposes learners to native speech, improving vocabulary and grammar.

Talking to oneself or other learners can reinforce mistakes rather than correct them.

Imitation and shadowing techniques are effective input-driven practices for speaking improvement.

Practicing with material that contains native speech helps to sound more native and avoid developing bad habits.

Enjoyable content is most effective for sustained English learning without feeling like a chore.

Avoid grammar-focused content to prevent developing the habit of thinking about grammar while speaking.

Listening while doing other activities can help incorporate English practice into daily life without extra effort.

The Imitation technique involves repeating native speech to improve pronunciation, rhythm, and emotion.

As proficiency improves, the Imitation technique can be adapted to memorize and repeat longer sentences.

Expressing meaning in one's own words during Imitation practice enhances the ability to improvise and find words.

Transcripts

Hi, my name is Natee, and I'm from Thailand. Many  years ago, my spoken English was pretty bad. I had  

a lot of trouble expressing myself in English. But  then, I found a way to improve my spoken English.  

And I managed to become fluent while living in  Thailand. The methods I used can be done at home,  

from anywhere in the world. And in this video,  I'm gonna tell you how you can do the same. First,  

let me tell you the most important secret. To  speak English well, you need to build unconscious  

knowledge in English. Let me repeat that. If you  want to speak English fluently, you need a high  

level of unconscious knowledge in English. So,  what is it? Well, unconscious knowledge is the  

ability to do something without conscious thought.  It's the ability to perform a task automatically.  

For example, riding a bicycle, playing a musical  instrument, and speaking your native language.  

Unconscious knowledge is automatic. To use the  knowledge, you don't have to think about it. You  

don't have to focus your attention on it. That's  why you can ride a bicycle and talk to someone at  

the same time. You don't have to focus on the  movement of your legs. They move automatically  

on their own. It's also why musicians can sing and  play the instrument at the same time. With enough  

practice, the skill becomes automatic, and so the  hands and fingers can now move automatically. Now,  

think about how you speak your first language.  When you talk in your native language,  

do you think about grammar rules? Do you  think about syntax or sentence structure?  

No, you don't think about any of that, right? But  for some reason, every sentence that comes out of  

your mouth is grammatically correct. Even though  you're not thinking about grammar, everything you  

say makes sense grammatically. Why is that? Well,  it's because you have a high level of unconscious  

knowledge in your native language. So, if you want  to speak English well, you need to increase your  

unconscious knowledge in English. If you do that,  speaking English will feel natural and automatic,  

much like speaking your first language. So how do  you acquire unconscious knowledge? Unfortunately,  

this is very difficult to do. The problem is  that this type of knowledge cannot be taught.  

It cannot be acquired through study. You can't  improve it by reading grammar books or watching  

grammar lessons on YouTube. If you do that, you  will acquire a different type of knowledge called  

conscious knowledge. This type of knowledge is not  automatic. To use the knowledge, you have to think  

about it. You have to focus your attention on it.  This means that when you speak English, you have  

to think about grammar. You have to decide what  tense to use and all that stuff. And that doesn't  

work because when you're talking to someone, you  don't have time to think about grammar. If the  

other person says something to you or asks you a  question, you have to respond immediately. Sadly,  

many people love studying grammar. They love  watching lessons about tenses, prepositions,  

adjectives, and so on. They believe that it  will make them speak better. What they don't  

realize is that the knowledge they gain through  study is conscious, non-automatic knowledge,  

which is not very useful in spoken English.  The thing is, speaking a language involves  

two parts of the brain: the conscious part and  the unconscious, automatic part. When you speak  

your first language, the conscious part focuses  on the information that you want to communicate,  

while the unconscious part focuses on the  grammar. This coordination allows you to  

speak fluently. If you want to say something, you  can just say it. And the unconscious part will  

make sure that your speech follows the grammar  rules. The process is automatic. It's amazing,  

actually. But what happens when a grammar nerd,  you know, someone who studies a lot of grammar.  

What happens when they try to speak English?  Well, here's what happens. The conscious part  

now has to focus on the information and the  grammar at the same time. It has to focus on  

two things simultaneously, which is impossible  to do. This is why many students speak poorly  

despite knowing all the grammar rules. So don't  learn English through study. Instead, you have to  

learn English the same way you learned your first  language. We call this way of learning unconscious  

learning. What is unconscious learning? Does  it mean learning while you sleep? Actually,  

no. In this context, the word unconscious means  unaware. So, unconscious learning means you're  

unaware that you're learning something.  The learning takes place outside of your  

awareness. One example of this way of learning  is listening to a conversation in English. When  

you listen to a conversation, your goal is not to  learn English but to understand the conversation,  

right? But as you listen...as you focus on the  information, the unconscious part of your brain  

is learning English behind the scenes. You may not  be aware of it, but your brain is learning things  

like grammar, vocabulary, and many other things.  This is how you learned your first language. You  

didn't learn through study. You learned by  listening to people talking over and over.  

And you didn't try to memorize or understand any  rules. You just focused on the information and let  

your brain learn the language in the background.  So remember, when you learn English unconsciously,  

you get unconscious, automatic knowledge. when  you learn English consciously by studying grammar,  

you get conscious, non-automatic knowledge.  Now, there are two methods you can use to  

build unconscious knowledge. These are the only  two methods I used to become fluent in English.  

The first one is listening, of course. The second  one is input-driven speaking practice. Let's talk  

about listening. Listening is a very popular  method for learning English. Everybody tells  

you to listen to English. But is it really  necessary? I mean, what if you're not looking  

to improve your listening? If your goal is to  improve your speaking, why do you need to spend  

time listening? Why not just focus on speaking  practice? Well, here's the deal. Even if improving  

your listening is not your goal, you still need  to listen to English on a regular basis. In fact,  

it's impossible to become fluent without a lot of  listening. The reason is simple. Regular listening  

makes it easy to improve your speaking. You see,  the English language is very complex. If you don't  

listen to English very much, you'll never become  familiar with the complexity of the language. So,  

when you try to practice speaking, you will get  confused very easily. Forming a sentence will be  

confusing. Practicing new words will be confusing.  Everything will be confusing because your brain  

cannot handle the complexity of the language. On  the flip side, if you listen to English regularly,  

you will become comfortable with the language. So  the complexity will not confuse you as much. As  

a result, improving your speaking will be a lot  easier. That's why you need to listen to English  

regularly. You need to feed your brain with as  much input as possible. But what about reading?  

Should you also read in English? Well, if you  can do both listening and reading, that's great.  

That's even better. But if you don't have a lot  of time, I suggest you focus on listening because  

it helps you become familiar with the sounds of  English, you know, pronunciation, intonation,  

pitch, things like that. Besides, when you watch  a movie or a YouTube video with English subtitles,  

you are essentially reading in English,  right? So, even if you focus on listening,  

you will sometimes get to practice your reading  skills as well. So, make sure to consume a lot of  

content like YouTube videos, podcasts, audiobooks,  movies, and TV shows. If you don't understand  

the content and need to read subtitles, make  sure they are in English, not in your native  

language. At this point, you might have questions  like... What podcasts should I listen to? What  

movies should I watch? What content is best for  learning English? The answer to these questions  

is simple. The best content for learning  English is content you enjoy. For example,  

if you like travel, you might watch YouTube videos  about travel. If you are interested in business,  

you might listen to business podcasts. If you like  action movies, then watch action movies. Watch or  

listen to things you like. It's that simple. Don't  consume content you don't like just for the sake  

of learning English. If you do that, listening  will feel like a chore for you. It will be  

something that you have to force yourself to do.  When you listen to something you don't care about,  

you will get distracted and get bored. At some  point, you're gonna lose motivation and stop  

doing it. I don't have this problem because I only  listen to stuff that interests me. For example,  

I like Japan, so I'm subscribed to YouTube  channels about Japanese culture, Japanese food,  

and other things related to Japan. I love  scary stories, so I listen to a number of  

scary podcasts. I'm also a big fan of fantasy  series like Harry Potter, and I've listened  

to the Harry Potter audiobooks multiple times  now. So basically, I listen to things I enjoy.  

This way, I get to have fun and learn English at  the same time. By the way, there's one type of  

content I avoid, and that is grammar lessons. When  I'm on YouTube, I never watch videos about tenses,  

prepositions, adjectives, you know, all the  boring stuff. Because I know that if I consume  

this type of content, I will develop the habit of  thinking about grammar when speaking, which is not  

what I want. I want to speak English naturally  like I speak my native language. So, make sure  

you listen to things you find enjoyable and avoid  content related to grammar. How much time should  

you spend listening each day? The answer is as  much as possible. Like I said earlier, English  

is very complex, and so your brain needs a lot  of input before it can master the language. So,  

the more time you spend listening, the  better. If you have 30 minutes a day,  

listen for 30 minutes a day. If you have 10 hours  a day, listen for 10 hours. The more input you  

get, the faster your English will improve. But if  you're busy and don't have time, that's okay. Let  

me share a tip that has worked well for me. So, if  your listening is good enough, and you don't need  

to look at the screen to read subtitles, you can  practice listening while doing other activities.  

Personally, I like to listen while working out,  doing chores, or commuting. With this simple  

strategy, I've been able to listen to English  for at least 30 minutes every day without much  

effort. I don't need self-discipline to do this.  It's very easy to do. So, feel free to listen  

while doing your daily activities. But don't do it  while working or studying, alright? The activities  

have to be something simple. Something you can do  easily without concentration. With this approach,  

you really don't have to spend your free time  listening to English, which means you can dedicate  

some of that time to your speaking practice.  Practice is essential to improving any skill. If  

you want to speak English well, then you're gonna  have to practice. You have to open your mouth and  

speak some English. But what if you have no one  to speak with? What do you do then? Some people  

solve this problem in a simple way. They simply  talk to themselves in English. And I used to do  

that. When I was just starting out, I would talk  to myself about random topics. So one day I might  

talk about my job, the next day I might talk  about my hobbies, and so on. But after a while,  

I stopped doing it because there are two problems  with this approach. The first problem is that when  

you're talking to yourself, you're not learning  any new words or phrases, right? You're just  

practicing words and phrases you already know.  You're not learning anything new. The second  

problem is that if you make a lot of grammar  and pronunciation mistakes when speaking,  

this practice will not correct those mistakes.  If you practice by talking to yourself alone,  

you will keep making the same mistakes. So, after  practicing this way for a while, you might be able  

to speak more quickly, but your English will be  difficult to understand because you don't speak  

or sound like a native. You have your own way of  talking in English. So, if talking to yourself  

doesn't work, how about talking with someone  online? Unfortunately, the same problems still  

apply. If your speaking partner is an English  learner just like you, they probably make a lot of  

mistakes when speaking. So when you're talking to  them, you're exposing yourself to broken English,  

you know, bad grammar and incomplete sentences.  Also, your partner probably has a small vocabulary  

just like you, so talking to them isn't  gonna help expand your vocabulary. Now,  

don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that you should  never chat with other English learners. It's okay  

to do that from time to time. But if your speaking  needs a lot of improvement, then you should focus  

on something called input-driven practice. What  is it? Well, input-driven practice is when you  

practice with some type of English material. It  could be a YouTube video, a podcast, a movie, or  

anything that contains native speech. The idea is  that, by practicing with input, you're exposed to  

new vocabulary and proper grammar, which will help  you to speak and sound more native. Input-driven  

Practice usually involves imitating or copying a  native speaker. If you've ever heard of language  

learning methods like Shadowing or Imitation,  those are all input-driven exercises. Personally,  

I like the Imitation technique the most, so let  me explain how you can practice this technique.  

To get started, find an audio or video of a  native speaker talking. Try to find material  

where the speaker doesn't speak too fast. Once  you have the material, you're gonna listen to it  

to familiarize yourself with the speech.  You don't have to speak yet. Just listen  

and make sure you understand everything. Be sure  to look up words and phrases you don't know. Now,  

if the speech is long, you don't have to listen to  the whole thing. Just listen to the first 3 to 5  

minutes. After you finish listening, you're ready  to begin your practice. Play the speech from the  

beginning. This time, you're going to repeat after  the speaker word for word. So, after a few words,  

pause the audio and repeat what you hear out  loud. You don't have to wait until the end of  

each sentence because that might be too difficult.  You can pause mid-sentence and repeat 4, 5, or 6  

words at a time. When you imitate, try to copy not  only the words but also the rhythm, pronunciation,  

and the emotion in the voice. Copy everything  so that you sound exactly like that person. So  

that was one way to practice Imitation. But this  technique is flexible; as your speaking improves,  

you can make the practice more challenging to  match your proficiency level. For example, instead  

of repeating a few words at a time, you can try  to memorize and repeat one sentence at a time.  

If you come across a very long sentence,  and you can't remember the exact words,  

that's okay. The human brain is not very good at  remembering individual words or small details,  

but it's good at remembering meaning or key  information. So, if you forget the original  

sentence, try to express the meaning in your own  words. For example, if the original sentence was  

"Walking alone in a dense forest at night  is absolutely terrifying", you might say  

something like "Walking alone in a forest at night  is very scary." Or, if that's still too difficult,  

you can just say "Walking in a forest is scary."  The process of expressing something in your own  

words is really helpful. It improves your ability  to improvise and find the right words to express  

yourself. As you can see, there's more than one  way to practice Imitation, so feel free to do  

it however you like. The important thing is to  always practice with input to ensure constant  

exposure to proper English. So there you have  it. That's how you can increase your unconscious  

knowledge and become more fluent in English. A  lot of listening and a lot of speaking practice.