Name: Why You're Stuck at B1 (And how to "actually" reach C1)
Uploaded: 2025-11-22T21:01:10.000Z
Duration: 6 min 25 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

I was stuck at the same English level for years.

Past simple

But turns out, I was completely wrong about how improvement actually works.

If you feel like your English has hit a wall, like you're using the same vocabulary and sentence structures all the time,

like you're not making progress anymore, this video is for you.

Today I'm breaking down how to go from intermediate level to advanced level, or even a near native level.

I'm splitting this video into three different parts.

First, what is actually happening when you feel stuck.

Second, the mindset shift you need to make.

And third, I will give you some specific methods to help me break through, and maybe they can help you.

So first, what's actually going on when you feel stuck?

Basically, that's a kind of stage between a native level and a beginner level.

You can handle everyday conversations just fine,

but the moment the topic gets deeper or you are in a different environment, you can't find the right words.

You know what you want to say, but it doesn't come out right.

Every language learner goes through this, so don't panic.

You are not broken and you are not stuck forever.

First thing you need to understand is that language learning has diminishing returns.

What I mean is, the better you get, the harder it feels to improve.

When you're a beginner, everything is new for you.

You can learn 10 words and suddenly you can utter food for yourself.

But at intermediate level, your grammar is solid, your vocabulary is decent, your sentences make sense.

So progress feels invisible, actually, at this stage.

It is there, but it's slower and harder to notice.

And here's the other thing: most of us don't live in an English environment.

When you are traveling in a foreign country, you pick up language naturally because you need to survive, right?

But right now, you don't have that pressure to survive.

You can go days, weeks without needing to speak English.

So your brain doesn't prioritize this task.

It's just the reality of learning any kind of language without immersion.

So how can we actually make breakthroughs?

Here are some methods, practical methods.

This is a huge one, because most intermediate learners stay comfortable.

They talk about their day, their hobbies, what they ate for lunch.

And that's fine, but it won't push you forward.

Talking about abstract ideas, existential questions and emotions you can't easily name.

Why do modern people struggle with finding meaning in their work?

Now, in my native language, I actually could talk about this for 10 minutes.

How do native speakers structure arguments about this topic?

Using Quark AI's phone call practice feature.

I just open the app, select make a phone call mold, and

I can literally have a voice conversation with AI chat about this exact topic.

You're moving, but not going anywhere meaningful.

Have you thought about what aspects of work might bring you meaning?

The AI responses naturally asks for follow up questions.

When I don't know how to express something, I can ask it right in the middle of the conversation.

For example, I want to say, I think many people lack a sense of purpose at work because.

And if I get stuck, I quickly ask how to express being forced to compete endlessly in English naturally and native like.

And suddenly I have multiple ways to express the same idea.

This way, you are forcing yourself to think in English at a deeper level, but

you have the support to fill in the gaps as you go.

So just stop staying in your comfort zone.

You have strong opinions about topics that make you think.

Because that's when you are forced to expand your vocabulary, structure complex sentences and express nuanced emotions.

Good enough keeps you intermediate forever.

You get a general idea of a podcast, but.

Close your eyes and listen without the subtitles to a single sentence.

Instead of just listening, you actually transform what you hear into what you can actually say by yourself.

Every week I pick two or three videos and break them down sentence by sentence.

I pay attention to how they connect words, how they structure thoughts.

And I will talk about the topic I watched with my Dutch teacher and try my best to use some of the expressions in that video.

Think about nuanced differences between languages.

They listen not alone, maybe understand 80% and move on.

Subtitles ListPlay Video

Why You're Stuck at B1 (And how to "actually" reach C1)

stick

mindset

decent

prioritize