I know a lot of English words, but I can't speak! ACTION PLAN

Have you ever been in a situation where you know you need to speak English, but the words just won't come out? When

someone asks you a question and your brain just freezes. You know the words, you've seen them, you've read them a hundred times and they're somewhere right here in your brain, but when you

actually need to speak, nothing happens.

This is one of the most frustrating experiences for English learners. Here's

the thing. The problem isn't that you don't know enough English. It's that you haven't trained your brain to produce what you know. And today, I'm going to show you exactly why this happens and

how I'm fixing it for myself. When you

read or listen to English, your brain just has to recognize things. [music]

You match sounds or words to meanings you already know. It's relatively

passive. You have time to think. But

speaking, speaking is completely different. You're under pressure. You

different. You're under pressure. You

are shy. You're meeting this new person.

Your brain has to simultaneously pull the right words from the memory. Convert

those words into actual speech sounds.

Coordinate your tongue, lips, breathing, you listen to yourself, all under social pressure as well. This is why you might feel fluent in your head and then you

freeze when you're actually speaking.

Your inner voice doesn't have to deal with the physical part of the time pressure or real conversation. So let's

dive into the topic. Most English

learners spend 90% of their time on input, [music] watching videos, reading, listening to podcasts, and only 10% on output. Without regular [music] speaking

output. Without regular [music] speaking practice, words stay in your passive storage. Yes, you recognize them, but

storage. Yes, you recognize them, but you can't use them automatically, and you might have trouble even pronouncing them. Think of it like this. Watching

them. Think of it like this. Watching

cooking shows for years doesn't make you a chef. You need to actually cook.

a chef. You need to actually cook.

Studies show that when you try to speak, three things happen that don't happen when you listen. You suddenly notice the words you don't know. You test your theories about how English works. You're

forced to think consciously about structure. But there is more going on.

structure. But there is more going on.

Have you ever experienced knowing a word exists but being unable to recall it mid-con conversation? It happens because

mid-con conversation? It happens because words you rarely use have weak pathways in your brain. Similar words compete and

block each other. Stress literally

impairs your memory access. Less common

words are just harder to retrieve. And

then there is the psychological part.

Fear of making mistakes is the number one anxiety trigger for English learners. Research shows that anxious

learners. Research shows that anxious learners set impossibly high standards, worry about others opinions, and prefer to stay silent rather than risk being

[music] wrong. This creates a cycle.

[music] wrong. This creates a cycle.

Fear prevents practice. Lack of practice prevents improvement. And that

prevents improvement. And that reinforces the fear. [music]

Another thing is that many learners also think in their native language first and then translate. But translation slows

then translate. But translation slows your brain and doubles [music] the cognitive effort. Native like fluency

cognitive effort. Native like fluency means connecting English words directly to meanings and images, not routing through your first language. And it

takes time, but it's going to happen to you, believe me. And the last piece, fluent speakers don't think about grammar rules or word choice. Their

speech is automatic. This happens

through repetition that moves knowledge from unconscious effort to unconscious habit. [music] And there is this problem

habit. [music] And there is this problem with our traditional study methods.

Grammar drills, vocabulary lists. They

do not create that kind of repetition.

So now that we understand the problems, let's talk about the solutions, not the generic practice more advice. There are

techniques backed by research that actually work. Now, solution number one

actually work. Now, solution number one is to learn to paraphrase. Here's

something most English learners never think about, but native speakers [music] do it constantly. When you forget a word, you paraphrase. [music] You don't panic. You don't go silent. You say the

panic. You don't go silent. You say the same thing differently. And this is actually a trainable skill. Paraphrasing

forces your brain to think flexibly in English, not just retrieve one specific word. Instead of being stuck on, "Oh my

word. Instead of being stuck on, "Oh my god, I forgot the word for X," you learn to say, you know that thing where or it's like when this flexibility is what

separates fluent speakers from learners who freeze mid-sentence. Here's how to practice it. Take any sentence or

practice it. Take any sentence or concept and force yourself to explain it using [music] completely different vocabulary. Can't remember,

vocabulary. Can't remember, procrastinate, say putting things off until later. Can't find the word for

until later. Can't find the word for concept? Describe what it does. Give an

concept? Describe what it does. Give an

example. Break it down into smaller ideas. Your brain learns that there are

ideas. Your brain learns that there are infinite ways to express the same thing.

And that's [music] the real secret to fluency. To help you practice this

fluency. To help you practice this skill, we created a brand new feature in the Lingua Native app dedicated [music] to paraphrasing and concept explanation.

This new part gives you tricky sentences and words and challenges you to paraphrase them using completely different vocabulary or explain a word without naming it directly. Now, you can

either write your answers or speak them out loud. Both help with active

out loud. Both help with active vocabulary usage. But since you clicked

vocabulary usage. But since you clicked on this video because speaking is the challenge, I really recommend you practice by speaking. And the more you practice, the faster you'll bounce back

when you forget something. And it's one of the fastest ways to get unstuck in real conversations. And the coolest part

real conversations. And the coolest part is we built this entire feature in just a couple of hours using Replet. If you

haven't heard of Replet, it's a platform where you can create fully working apps and websites. Just describing your idea

and websites. Just describing your idea in plain English to your phone or computer. No coding background needed.

computer. No coding background needed.

Everything you need from hosting to secure collaboration is built in. Plus,

their connectors ecosystem means you can instantly plug in the tools you already use like notion, Slack, or Google Drive without tricky setup or extra accounts.

They've also launched AI integrations so you can use advanced models like OpenAI, Gemini, and Anthropic right inside your workspace. Zero configuration needed.

workspace. Zero configuration needed.

Just open Replet and start building. And

yes, there's even a mobile app for Apple and Android. So whether you're on your

and Android. So whether you're on your laptop or phone, you can build or update your projects anywhere. So if you've ever had an idea for a study tool, project tracker, or even something you

want to sell, check out Replet using the link in the description. And if you buy Replic, you'll get $10 in Replet credits to experiment and start building right

away. The links to Replet and the Lingua

away. The links to Replet and the Lingua Native app are in the description. Now,

let's move on to the next solution that can help you speak English naturally and easily. Solution number two is the most

easily. Solution number two is the most powerful technique you might not be using yet, and it's called shadowing.

Shadowing is simple but incredibly powerful. You listen to authentic

powerful. You listen to authentic English audio and repeat it immediately, speaking simultaneously or with a one to two [music] second delay, matching the speaker speed, rhythm, and intonation.

Unlike traditional repetition where you wait for a complete sentence to finish, shadowing forces you to process and produce language in real time at natural speaking speed. I call this the monkey

speaking speed. I call this the monkey methods. Basically mimicking whoever you

methods. Basically mimicking whoever you want to mimic. Research shows this activates the exact same brain regions used in actual conversation. Let's

practice shadowing right now. I'm going

to say a few sentences and I want you to repeat them out loud immediately after me. Don't worry about perfection. Just

me. Don't worry about perfection. Just

focus on matching my rhythm and inonation. [music] Ready?

inonation. [music] Ready?

Every time I practice, I'm getting better.

I am not afraid of making mistakes.

Mistakes don't mean failure. [music]

They mean I'm learning.

I have everything I need to become fluent.

How did that feel? Even just 30 seconds of shadowing starts building those natural pathways. Now, imagine doing

natural pathways. Now, imagine doing this for 10 to 15 minutes every day.

Just a couple of things to keep in mind.

Start with content that's at or slightly below your level. Don't make it too hard at first. Choose audio with an accent

at first. Choose audio with an accent you actually like listening to. Read the

transcript once so you understand what's being said. Then play the audio and

being said. Then play the audio and speak along at the same time. Focus on

matching the rhythm and inonation, not on being perfect. And as you get more comfortable, gradually increase the speed and difficulty. I have several videos you can use for shadowing

practice. I will leave all the links

practice. I will leave all the links below in the description box. And now,

let's move on to solution number three.

It's called mental rehearsal. This is

actually what a lot of athletes do. This

might sound unusual, but research shows that mentally rehearsing, vividly, visualizing yourself speaking before actual conversation activates the same brain [music] regions as physical

practice. Athletes like Michael Jordan

practice. Athletes like Michael Jordan have used visualizations for decades.

Now, neuroscience confirms this works for language learning, too. When you

imagine yourself speaking English, neurons fire in your motor cortex and speech areas, creating pathways that support actual performance. So, here's

how you practice. You find a quiet space [music] and close your eyes. You

visualize a specific speaking scenario in detail. What's the location? Who's

in detail. What's the location? Who's

around you? Imagine yourself speaking confidently and fluently and include sensory details. Hear your voice. See

sensory details. Hear your voice. See

facial expressions. If you stumble on a phrase, rewind and practice until it flows. And practice 5 to 10 minutes

flows. And practice 5 to 10 minutes before real situation. This mental

rehearsal also works best when combined with actual speaking practice. They

reinforce each other. Solution number

four, learn chunks, not just words.

Here's what fluent speakers do differently. They don't build sentences

differently. They don't build sentences word by word. They use preassembled chunks, multi-word phrases stored and retrieved as single units. Phrases like

as a matter of fact, by the way, and on the other hand, a processed as complete units in the brain and you learn them like that. This is why native speakers

like that. This is why native speakers can talk so fast. They're retrieving

readymade phrases, not constructing sentences from scratch. Studies show

that learners who focus on chunks are judged more fluent and their speech sounds more natural. Learning 100 to 200 highfrequency chunks can dramatically improve your fluency because these

building blocks recur constantly in a conversation. Here are some high

conversation. Here are some high frequency chunks you can start using in your daily conversations right now. I

was wondering if for polite requests to be honest when sharing your opinion.

It depends on when answering conditional questions. That reminds me of from

questions. That reminds me of from making connections.

I'm not sure. But when you're uncertain, by the way, for changing topics, as far as I know, when sharing information,

it turns out that when revealing results, solution number five, self-t talk, your personal speaking lab. Selft

talk means talking to yourself out loud in English throughout your day. I do it all the time. Research shows it's one of the most effective [music] techniques

for building fluency. Here is this amazing benefit. Zero pressure. No one

amazing benefit. Zero pressure. No one

judges your mistakes cuz you're talking to yourself. You can practice anytime,

to yourself. You can practice anytime, anywhere. You immediately identify

anywhere. You immediately identify vocabulary gaps. If you're explaining to

vocabulary gaps. If you're explaining to yourself what you're doing in English and you're like, "Oh, what is this? A

microphone? What is this?" A microphone stand. And here are some practical selft

stand. And here are some practical selft talk strategies. Narrate your day. I am

talk strategies. Narrate your day. I am

recording this podcast right now. I need

to remember to erase the files from [music] my SD card later. Have debates

with yourself. Argue both sides. Prepare

for situations like rehearse ordering food uh appointments presentations.

Retell stories. Summarize movies, books, or news. [music] Ask yourself questions.

or news. [music] Ask yourself questions.

Uh, what do I need to do today? How am I feeling? Did I forget about my workout?

feeling? Did I forget about my workout?

Start simple with short sentences. As

you get comfortable, increase complexity. The goal isn't perfection.

complexity. The goal isn't perfection.

It's frequent, low pressure practice that builds confidence. Solution number

six, please embrace your mistakes. This

is this perfectionism trap. I feel like a lot of us are perfectionists here. So,

perfectionism is actually one of the most destructive forces in language learning. Research consistently shows

learning. Research consistently shows that perfectionist learners experience higher anxiety. Yes. practice less and

higher anxiety. Yes. practice less and as a result achieve lower fluency than learners who embrace mistakes and don't care. [laughter] Here's the mindset

care. [laughter] Here's the mindset shift that you need from someone who's constantly criticized for her mistakes.

Mistakes are data, not failures.

Communication matters more than perfect grammar. What you say matters more

grammar. What you say matters more versus how you say it. Progress over

perfection. Celebrate improvement. I

didn't sound like this 10 years ago when I arrived here. You must speak imperfectly to eventually [music] speak well. It's a phase, you know. We'll get

well. It's a phase, you know. We'll get

through it. Native speakers make mistakes, too. They pause. They correct

mistakes, too. They pause. They correct

themselves. They search [music] for words. Here are some practical

words. Here are some practical strategies. Set process goals. Speak 5

strategies. Set process goals. Speak 5

minutes daily. Not outcome goals. Speak

perfectly. Practice in low stakes environments first. Self-t talk apps.

environments first. Self-t talk apps.

Supportive partners. Record yourself and focus on what you did well. And again,

remember, listeners care about you and your message, not your grammar. View

each speaking opportunity as practice, not as test. Learners who adopt a growth mindset and accept mistakes progress significantly faster than perfectionists. So, I decided to put all

perfectionists. So, I decided to put all of this together into a 30-day action plan. It's very practical and easy to

plan. It's very practical and easy to follow. So, week one, two, you build

follow. So, week one, two, you build foundation. Use Linguin Native app for a

foundation. Use Linguin Native app for a paraphrasing practice. 5 minutes daily.

paraphrasing practice. 5 minutes daily.

Then start shadowing five minutes daily.

That's it. With easy content, maybe shorts on YouTube, I don't know.

Whatever you prefer. Practice

self-taught narrating activities for 5 minutes. Learn five highfrequency chunks

minutes. Learn five highfrequency chunks per day. Week three, four, increase

per day. Week three, four, increase intensity. So you continue using the

intensity. So you continue using the Lingua Native app and shadowing with harder content for [music] 15 minutes a day. Add this speaking rehearsal thing

day. Add this speaking rehearsal thing for 5 minutes a day. [music] Then self-t talk with more complex topics for 10 minutes. Think in English for dedicated

minutes. Think in English for dedicated periods. Tell yourself like, "Hey, for

periods. Tell yourself like, "Hey, for the next 30 minutes, I'm gonna think in English." And you do it every single

English." And you do it every single day. And practice one full conversation

day. And practice one full conversation per week, maybe with an AI app, maybe with just yourself. So there you have it. All the reasons and all the [music]

it. All the reasons and all the [music] solutions. The only question is, will

solutions. The only question is, will you start today or not? We're wishing

you a great day with Kiwi. That's Kiwi.

Please subscribe to this channel to see more of me. Bye-bye.