Open Draft - with Fabio Cerpelloni

Watch this on YouTube - http://youtu.be/SYP6EeQIX3Q?hd=1 My private email list - https://fabiocerpelloni.com/private/ Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/fabiofacebookpage *** Some say, “Want to know the best way to get fluent in a language? Don’t study grammar! Speak instead!” Great advice. I agree. You can get fluent in a language without studying its grammar and you do have to speak to improve. My Italian partner Aloha, for example, has never opened a grammar book but she can communicate well in English because she learned it while working in Australia and New Zealand. She still makes some grammar mistakes though, so studying grammar is what might help her notice these imperfections to refine her English and communicate even better. So “Don’t study grammar! Speak instead!” would be the best advice for you if you tend to bury yourself in grammar books and never get out in the real world to use the language. But if you're like Aloha, then no, I don’t think that would be helpful. It's so easy to find general advice about anything these days. But what may work for one person in one specific situation may not work for another. I believe this is especially true in language learning as learning a language is a highly personal activity that doesn’t just involve learning rules and words, but also self-esteem, identity and self-confidence. Please consume advice responsibly :)

Start a podcast in English. It'll help you develop your language skills in so many ways. You'll develop fluency by speaking at length using the English that you already have. You'll listen to yourself and discover what you can do well, which will help you become more confident. You might have to prepare your episodes and search for words you don't yet have in your brain. This will expand your vocabulary. You might use words you've recently learned, which will help you review and reinforce vocabulary you've already acquired. You'll be listening to yourself and notice what errors you tend to make so you can get rid of them. If you decide to write the show notes, you'll get writing practice. If you decide to have guests, you will have conversations with others, share stories and learn from other people. This list could go on forever. Podcasting can help you solve language problems without spending money on courses, classes, and programs. And I’m saying this against my own interest as I sell courses, classes and programs, so I hope you believe me when I say that podcasting can take your English not to the next level, but to the top level. It's free, doesn't require any expensive audio equipment and it can make learning English fun and motivating. Anyone can do it.  You may say, "I don't have enough English!" No worries. You don't need to have mastered English to start a podcast in English. But you'll master English as a result of having a podcast. Daniel Goodson, a learner of English who started a podcast to get more fluent, said to me, "It's 100% sure that you'll improve drastically if you start your own podcast. Guaranteed. If you do it on a regular basis, of course. 100% guaranteed." Start a podcast. I really hope you’ll do it. Episode Links Watch this episode on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pziB6O8Mt1Y My private email list - https://fabiocerpelloni.com/private/ Find me on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/fabiofacebookpage

In this episode, I have a conversation with Daniel Goodson. Daniel is a learner of English from Switzerland who started podcasting back in 2016 as a way to improve his fluency.  On his show, My Fluent Podcast, he chats with language learners, teachers, friends and polyglots. He's interviewed dozens of people, including Luke from Luke’s English Podcast. I used to be shy", Daniel said, "but having lots of conversations on my show made me more confident with handling personal relationships in real life too." My Fluent Podcast is not the only show he has. He's also the host of The Vocab Man, a podcast where he teaches new English expressions he learns.  Have you ever heard of a more interesting way to learn vocabulary than this? I haven't. You'll hear us talk about: How and why Daniel started a podcast. How he invited Luke Thompson from Luke's English Podcast. How Daniel's English improved as a result of podcasting. Some of the guests Daniel had in the past. I hope you'll be inspired to start your own show too. Episode Links Daniel's show: My Fluent Podcast - https://www.myfluentpodcast.com/  The Vocab Man - https://www.myfluentpodcast.com/short-stories/  Daniel and I on My Fluent Podcast (YouTube) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwBgDOBS4u4&t=1426s Daniel and I on My Fluent Podcast - https://www.myfluentpodcast.com/personal-storytelling-to-improve-in-your-target-language-a-podcast-interview/ A blog article I wrote about starting a podcast as a way to improve - https://fabiocerpelloni.com/start-podcasting/  My New Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/fabiofacebookpage/  My private email list - https://fabiocerpelloni.com/private/

Most people I know don't read enough. I never read enough either. But I think that if you're not reading you're missing out on something that can really help you improve yourself and your life. I hope this is helpful. You can watch the video version of this episode on YouTube. Here's the link - http://youtu.be/QuEQguRO_Zk?hd=1 Any comments or questions? Email me - all my contact info is on my website - www.fabiocerpelloni.com

My thoughts on making language mistakes.  I hope this is helpful.   There's a video version of this on YouTube. Here's the link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kDOvcF01u8    My website - https://fabiocerpelloni.com/    The podcast episode I mentioned in the video - https://fabiocerpelloni.com/chris/

A few thoughts on reading books in English.  Here's the blog post I talk about in the episode - https://fabiocerpelloni.com/english-books/ I hope this is helpful. Please email me any questions or comments. All my contact info is on my website - fabiocerpelloni.com

A student recently asked me what I did to go from an intermediate level of English to an advanced level. This is what I replied. I hope it helps. Please feel free to send me your comments and questions. All my contact info is on my website - www.fabiocerpelloni.com.

This is the second half of the conversation with Christian Saunders from Canguro English. If you haven't listened to the first half, I suggest that you listen to the previous episode first.     (https://fabiocerpelloni.com/christian1/) In this episode, Christian and I  talk about: why the concept of "best method to learn a language" is misleading. why Christian would love to burn all language textbooks. Christian's opinion about using ChatGPT for language lessons. the only word I remember from 3 Spanish classes I took in 2015 and why I remember it. why teachers can't really be blamed for how languages are taught. why it would be hard to overcome cultural limitations and the impact these limitations on language learning. language mistakes. Christian's online Academy and projects. some fun facts about Christian's YouTube videos. Episode Links Christian's English Test - https://canguroenglish.com/test-your-english/  Christian's website - https://canguroenglish.com/ The Academy - https://canguroenglish.com/academy/ Free discussion session on 25 February - https://fabiocerpelloni.com/events/ My private email list - https://fabiocerpelloni.com/private/

There are language teachers who make inspiring and educational content, and Christian Saunders from Canguro English is one of them. Christian is my favorite English teacher on YouTube, not least because we share the same teaching philosophy. His YouTube channel has over 300,000 subscribers and Christian uses it to "change the way the world learns English".  He's always told his learners the truth: learning a language is hard and it takes many years. I agree. Let me add that learning a second language is one of the most rewarding things you could ever do in your life. In this episode, which is part 1 of the conversation I had with him, Christian and I talk about: what language is how Christian became an English teacher whether or not the language skills of a teacher matter what's wrong with the way languages are taught what Christian thinks of language levels (A1, A2, etc.) why Christian decided to become a YouTuber Any comments? Questions? Feedback? Feel free to get in touch with me. All my contact details are on my website - www.fabiocerpelloni.com  Episode links Canguro English (Christian YouTube channel) - https://www.youtube.com/@Canguroenglish  Christian's website - https://canguroenglish.com/  Free book discussion session on 25th February - https://fabiocerpelloni.com/events/ Fabio's private email list - https://fabiocerpelloni.com/private/

In this episode, I tell a personal story that might make you reflect on how you try to avoid uncomfortable situations. Listen to what happened to me in August 2022 while I was camping in Portugal. It might give you something to think about.  Episode Links Join my private email list at https://fabiocerpelloni.com/private/ for:  announcements about my bookclubs and programs special discounts language learning tips nonfiction book recommendations inspiring true stories free events I organize content updates (new blog posts, podcast episodes and more)