English
日本語
한국어
简体中文
繁體中文
Italiano
español
Deutsch
Русский
And after meeting hundreds of students (and having thousands of lessons), I've gotten a lot of great questions. This article shares a few standout English questions I've gotten from this past month.
Now let's get to it!
1. "How can I sound like a native speaker?"
Sounding like a native speaker is advanced English. To sound more native, try focusing on these areas:
- Intonation
- Speed
- Pop culture knowledge and references
- Casual language and idioms
- Accent
2. "What are polite ways to say “no” in English?"
"No" by itself can sound direct and even rude. So here are some ways to say no more politely:
Language "plateauing" (slow or no new growth) is totally normal and pretty common. When you start learning a new skill, you improve quickly and learn new things all the time.
But after a while, learning new things gets harder as you develop more skills. So your language improvement feels flat, like a plateau.
Here are some things to try to take your English to the next advanced level:
"No" by itself can sound direct and even rude. So here are some ways to say no more politely:
- I'm sorry, I can't ___
- I wish I could, but ___
- If I'm being honest, I don't like ___
- Thanks for ___, but unfortunately I can't ___
- Raincheck? ("raincheck" is very natural and means no this time, but maybe next time)
3. "I feel like my English has plateaued; how can I reach the next level?"
Language "plateauing" (slow or no new growth) is totally normal and pretty common. When you start learning a new skill, you improve quickly and learn new things all the time.
But after a while, learning new things gets harder as you develop more skills. So your language improvement feels flat, like a plateau.
Here are some things to try to take your English to the next advanced level:
- Study a new or unfamiliar subject
- Speed up videos to text your listening
- Learn about more advanced topics
- Look for bad habits or gaps in your language
- Ask your language teacher to correct EVERY detail, even the small ones
4. "What's the best way to study English?"
The best way to study English is the way you like to study best.
The goal is to make English fun, so you'll keep showing up and actually enjoy the process.
There are some things that tend to work better though, like practicing real conversation with a native speaker and studying topics related to your passions or career.
There will always be more questions when studying English. So remember to never be shy and always ask if you're confused. We (teachers) love to answer them!
The best way to study English is the way you like to study best.
The goal is to make English fun, so you'll keep showing up and actually enjoy the process.
There are some things that tend to work better though, like practicing real conversation with a native speaker and studying topics related to your passions or career.
There will always be more questions when studying English. So remember to never be shy and always ask if you're confused. We (teachers) love to answer them!
Comments (0)