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  • - Hey, everyone, I'm Teela with Deep English.

  • Thanks for joining me for another lesson today.

  • Today, we'll be learning how to think in English.

  • It's so important to learn to think in English

  • because when you can think in English,

  • you can communicate without translating

  • every word in your head, and this is so important

  • because it allows you to contribute to conversation

  • more rapidly, with more ease,

  • you can answer questions more quickly.

  • Basically, learning to think in English

  • is a huge step toward fluency.

  • Oh, I'm so happy that you joined me today

  • for this important lesson.

  • But before we get started,

  • I want you to take a moment to subscribe to our channel.

  • If you subscribe, then you'll be sure

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  • as soon as they come out.

  • Subscribe.

  • Okay.

  • Very cool.

  • So, let's get started.

  • I've got five tips for you today.

  • My first tip for learning to think in English

  • is to get comfortable talking to yourself

  • in English.

  • So, for many people, talking to themselves

  • feels really awkward, and I understand

  • that it does feel a little awkward.

  • But the thing is, you're probably talking to yourself

  • right now and you don't even realize it.

  • You might be saying something to yourself,

  • like, this chick's crazy

  • or, I wonder what her books are about.

  • I hope you're paying more attention to the lesson than that,

  • but my point is we're constantly talking to ourselves.

  • So, the thing is I want you

  • to start talking to yourself in English,

  • to talk to yourself in your head in English,

  • and to talk to yourself aloud in English.

  • So, I have a few tips for those of you

  • who don't usually talk to yourself in English.

  • If you do talk to yourself in English,

  • feel free to share some tips below in the comments.

  • So, my first tip for learning to talk to yourself in English

  • is to start very simple.

  • Begin by talking to yourself

  • when you're brushing your teeth, for example.

  • So, when I was learning Spanish, while I brush my teeth,

  • I really like to talk to myself in my head, of course,

  • because I couldn't talk with my mouth, in Spanish.

  • So, I might say something to myself,

  • like, (speaking in foreign language).

  • So, what happened to my hair?

  • I look like a crazy chick.

  • So, maybe noticing my hair in the morning.

  • And so, that's where you can start.

  • Just notice your face, notice your hair,

  • notice the things you like about yourself,

  • and talk to yourself intentionally in English.

  • Another good tip

  • is to talk to yourself on your way to work.

  • Or if you work from home,

  • to talk to yourself before you start work.

  • So, you can talk aloud or in your head

  • about what you have to do that day.

  • So, maybe you have a meeting,

  • you have emails you have to send, you have a big project.

  • So just talking to yourself

  • about those things, but in English,

  • all right?

  • My third tip for talking to yourself in English

  • is become a narrator.

  • So, to narrate means to tell a story about something.

  • You've probably watched a movie

  • where there was a voice in the background

  • telling everyone what was really going on.

  • And so, you, my friend, can become this person, this voice.

  • So, I really like to narrate or tell stories in my head

  • about my two, small dogs.

  • I like to pretend that they are serious businesswomen.

  • And so, I can narrate their lives.

  • I can look at them and pretend

  • that maybe they are going to a business conference,

  • but I can use Spanish.

  • So this allows me to practice different vocabulary

  • that otherwise I may not be able to use

  • and it helps me to stay in a place

  • that feels really fun and playful,

  • and I think that's important as well.

  • So, here's my fourth tip for talking to yourself in English.

  • My tip is to choose an object anywhere in the room

  • and spend one full minute describing that object.

  • So, using all the words you know to describe that object.

  • Maybe the color, the texture, what it makes you think of.

  • So, the key here is that for one minute,

  • you continuously talk.

  • So, you don't want to take any breaks to look up a word

  • or anything like that.

  • Just use the words you already know.

  • This will really help you with your fluency,

  • and the next time you see that object,

  • you will automatically begin to think in English,

  • and that's really, really important.

  • So, I suggest you do this three times a day for a minute.

  • And for those of you who are already talking to yourself

  • or aloud in English,

  • like I said before, feel free to comment below

  • and tell us how that's going for you

  • or if you have any additional tips for us.

  • Okay, let's move on.

  • My second tip for how to think in English

  • is to get rid of your bilingual dictionary, to throw it out.

  • Most of us think that our bilingual dictionary

  • will help us to become fluent.

  • But the truth is it probably will not

  • and it's probably hurting us.

  • A bilingual dictionary is most helpful

  • for beginners who are just beginning

  • or for people who like to travel

  • and who are just visiting a country

  • but don't care about learning the language,

  • and that's not you.

  • You care about fluency, so that's why it's time

  • to throw the bilingual dictionary out

  • because when you use a monolingual dictionary,

  • an English-only, one language dictionary,

  • you prevent yourself from translating things word for word.

  • So, the next time

  • that you don't understand a word in English,

  • instead of looking it up in a bilingual dictionary

  • with your native language,

  • look it up instead in an English-only dictionary.

  • This is so helpful because you'll learn so many words

  • as you read the definition

  • and you'll also learn so many new words

  • that are similar to the one you're looking for.

  • So, the dictionary that I suggest

  • is Merriam-Webster's beginner's

  • or learner's English-only dictionary.

  • This is an excellent dictionary with simple definitions

  • that can really help you take your next step

  • toward fluency and toward thinking in English.

  • Okay, let's move on to my third tip for thinking in English.

  • This tip is when you're in a conversation

  • and you don't know a word,

  • instead of stopping

  • to look the word up, describe the word instead.

  • So, for example,

  • let's say that I am supposed to go to lunch

  • with someone outside but I forgot my coat.

  • And so, I don't want to because it will be cold.

  • So let's say I want to communicate this with the person

  • but I've forgotten how to say the word for coat.

  • If I'm in the conversation on the phone,

  • I can say, I would love to go out to lunch with you

  • but I think I'll but the cold

  • because I forget

  • that piece of clothing

  • that is almost like a sweater

  • that keeps you warm in the winter.

  • So, describe the word instead.

  • You might feel a little silly doing this at first,

  • but it's so helpful

  • because you will stay within the flow of the conversation,

  • and that's what fluency is.

  • Fluency is not perfection.

  • It is being able to flow, to be fluid in your conversation.

  • So the next time you're talking with someone

  • and you forget a word, just describe the word instead.

  • The other person will probably have fun

  • guessing what you're trying to say.

  • So, I have a little challenge for you right now.

  • Pick out an object in the room

  • and describe it in English in the comments.

  • Let's see if other people

  • can guess the name for the object in English.

  • So, see if you can describe it really well

  • and we'll see who can guess

  • the name of the object in English.

  • Okay, let's move on.

  • Number four.

  • My fourth tip for how to think in English is a simple one.

  • It's to keep a diary and to keep a to-do list.

  • So, to keep a diary, this means just to daily,

  • maybe write a paragraph in English.

  • Whenever we are writing in any language

  • that we are trying to learn,

  • it gives us an opportunity to really relax,

  • to take our time, and to kind of explore

  • whatever comes to mind for us.

  • We can use new vocabulary.

  • We can practice new sentence structure.

  • And whenever we write something down,

  • it helps our brain to remember it.

  • So, this also works very well with a to-do list.

  • So, a to-do list is a list of things that you have to do.

  • So, maybe take the garbage out, do the dishes.

  • Write all of these things down in English.

  • And then when you're doing those things,

  • you might even be triggered

  • into thinking in English while you do them.

  • Okay, let's move on to my fifth and final tip

  • for learning to think in English.

  • This fifth tip is to create a mantra in English.

  • A mantra is a word or a phrase

  • that you can repeat to yourself

  • that will remind you of something.

  • So, it's usually a word or phrase that is simple,

  • that helps you to be intentional,

  • and helps you to stay positive.

  • So, for example,

  • I suggest creating a mantra in English

  • that you can say right when you wake up in the morning.

  • Before you speak in your native language,

  • your first words can be in English.

  • This will be amazing

  • because it will automatically turn your brain on to English.

  • A good mantra for the morning might be something,

  • like, you wake up and you say to yourself

  • every morning in English, I am amazing

  • and I am excited about learning more English today.

  • Very simple, very positive,

  • and it turns your brain on to English right away.

  • I also suggest that you use a mantra at night,

  • right before bed, the last words you say of the day

  • can be in English.

  • And so at night, I suggest that you say something,

  • like, I'm really proud

  • of all the English I learned today.

  • I'm excited to learn more English as I dream.

  • Again, very simple,

  • but if you have the last words of the day be in English,

  • it will help you to dream in English

  • and for your subconscious to even kind of flag English words

  • so that they're easier to remember for you when you wake up.

  • Okay, so those are my five tips for how to think in English.

  • I hope you enjoyed this lesson as much as I did.

  • I think it's one of the most important lessons

  • that I've created so far,

  • so, it was really fun to share it with you.

  • If you liked this video, feel free to give us a Like,

  • to give us a comment, subscribe to the channel.

  • And if you're interested in more free English lessons,

  • click below to sign up for a free lesson.

  • Thank you guys so much.

  • I can't wait for our next lesson together.

  • See you later.

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