Name: The Only Skill You Need to Become Fluent in English
Uploaded: 2026-02-07T03:56:06.000Z
Duration: 11 min 7 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...

To-infinitive

When we start learning a new language, we jump straight into grammar, try to memorize hundreds of words, and

Modal verbs - A2

then get frustrated when we still can't speak or understand native speakers.

Today I want to talk about the one skill that can make your learning way more effective.

Honestly, I think this is the skill you should start with when you are learning any new language.

And I know what you are thinking, but what about speaking?

You can't speak what you don't understand.

If you can understand what you hear, all the other skills, speaking, reading, even writing will naturally follow.

And let's be honest, we don't have eight hours a day to study English.

That's why it's all about making the most of the time you have.

I actually made a separate video about 10 fun ways to practice listening.

But today I want to share five strategic ways to use it.

So it improves your speaking and builds your vocabulary.

That's the difference between just hearing English and actually understanding and using it.

But before we continue, don't forget to like and subscribe to my channel.

And the first tip is Listen intentionally.

Don't get me wrong, background listening is great.

It works when you're cooking or cleaning, for example.

But if you want to make listening the bridge to fluency, you need to take it to the next level.

That's why I highly recommend to listen intentionally.

And it means not just having something playing in the background.

I'm sure you've spent hours listening to your favorite songs, shows or videos and you are still asking, why can't I use these phrases myself?

Or why do I understand the general meaning but freeze on advanced or conversational expressions?

It's because you don't actually focus on understanding.

So pick short, manageable pieces and really pay attention.

Ask yourself, what words or phrases do I recognize?

Can I summarize what I just heard in my own words?

Make sure it's mostly understandable but a little bit challenging right at your level.

Next time you put on a video, don't just watch it with half attention.

Start with 1 minute, then gradually increase your focus time.

For example, I love stretching and I often watch workouts in English on YouTube.

But one day when I had to teach myself, I thought, wait, have I actually been listening closely to the trainers?

So I started paying attention not only to the exercises, but

also to the words, the rhythm, the intonation.

It helped me not just understand, but also use that vocabulary in my own teaching practice.

You can do this along the way or pause and note words and expressions.

For example, let's watch a short chat clip from Julian's Treasure's Talk.

I'll play just a few seconds and we'll take notes together.

We spend roughly 60% of our communication time listening, but we're not very good at it.

So it's not just about winning or losing.

It can also mean to stop having something.

We spend roughly 60% of our communication time listening.

Alright, we spend roughly 60% of our communication time listening.

All right, here I'm writing down word roughly.

For example, there were roughly 80 people at the party and then were not very good at it.

It means to remember or hold onto something in your memory.