How I Practice English Every Day by Myself

Hi everyone. Welcome back to my channel. Long time no see, right?

I know I haven't made a long video in quite a while, but I promise I promise to myself and I promise to you that I'm going to get better at this. My goal is to be more regular and consistent with creating long videos, not just shorts. So today, I wanted to share with you what I do to practice English every day by myself.

Over the years, I've developed a system that works really well for me and I try to be as consistent as possible with this routine because it helps me to maintain my English level and also keep improving, keep learning something new every day. Of course, not every day looks the same. We all have busy lives.

Sometimes I'm exhausted or I simply don't have enough time to follow all the steps of my routine. But what I'm about to show you is more or less what my English routine looks like. And yeah, one important thing to mention is that I do not live in an English-speaking country.

In fact, I've talked about it in my previous videos. I have never been to the US or Canada or the UK. So, since I'm not surrounded by native English speakers, I have to create this environment for myself in order to practice English, I can't just go outside and pick it up naturally, you know, on the streets.

Um, and I thought if I can do it, you can do it as well. So, without further ado, let's get into it. So, the first thing I do is consume content in English.

Nowadays, we spend a lot of time watching YouTube, Netflix, and other streaming platforms. So, I simply choose to do it in English. If I'm going to spend time watching something, I might as well improve my English at the same time, right?

Often times, I watch YouTube while having breakfast alone, for example, let's say my husband is not at home or he's working. Um, I know this is not super healthy. The scientists say that you're not supposed to do it, but I can't help it.

I'm really into travel vlogs, and my favorite YouTubers are Kara and Nate. They're an American couple who travel around the world, and their videos are incredibly inspiring. Plus, I absolutely love their personalities.

And on top of that, I get to listen to natural American English, which is another huge bonus. And as for TV shows, I usually watch them with English subtitles. Yes, I do put the subtitles on.

Uh but not because otherwise I don't understand the characters. That's not the case at all. It just helps me to notice interesting vocabulary, useful expressions, grammar structures that I can later use um in my lesson material uh that I create for my students.

and also this way I draw inspiration for my content. When it comes to recommendations, I honestly think that TV shows and movies are a matter of personal taste. Everyone enjoys different genres.

For example, I for some reason do not connect with the majority of modern TV shows and movies. Um, every time there is a new TV series on Netflix, I give it a chance. I watch an episode or two, but most of the time it just doesn't keep me interested.

I don't know, maybe there's something wrong with the movie industry in general, or there's something wrong with me. I can't figure it out. Um, but the fact is I always end up going back to the classics, The Office, How I Met Your Mother, um, Friends.

Yeah, those are the shows that I can rewatch over and over again. If you have any recommendations, if there is a movie or a TV show that completely blew your mind, please leave them in the comments. I'm always looking for something good to watch.

Next, I keep a vocabulary list. Whenever I come across an unfamiliar word or expression, I write it down in my notes app on the phone. And every now and then, I go back to it and review this list.

And if I notice that I have forgotten a word, I look it up again. I make a few example sentences with it. It helps me to retain the information.

I used to really like flashc cards. I know they're incredibly effective, but for some reason, I don't know. I just don't use them anymore.

Maybe I've become a little lazy, but if flashc cards work for you, definitely keep using them. They are a fantastic learning tool. Next, I practice shadowing.

If you don't know what shadowing is, it's when you listen to a native speaker and repeat what they say almost immediately trying to copy their pronunciation, rhythm, stress, and intonation for a long time and then moved to San Francisco. So the first full year of school that I did in school like traveling with a tutor was fourth grade. In every language, we use the muscles of our tongue, lips, and jaws very differently.

So, shadowing helps our mouth get used to these new movement patterns, which in turn helps us to produce English sounds more accurately. And I normally don't do super long videos. I practice shadowing right before my classes to warm up my muscles, my mouth.

And I believe that even one minute of shadowing can be very effective. Next thing that I highly highly recommend is reading out loud. I read a lot and I try to read out loud even though my husband kind of hates it.

He says that it sounds like I'm quietly whispering curses. But all jokes aside, it's incredibly beneficial, you guys. It makes your brain work really hard.

It improves your pronunciation, your grammar. It helps you notice how sentences in English naturally flow. Doesn't like me, she said to herself.

And at once, this possibility became an established certainty. John had refused to come because he didn't like her. He didn't like her.

I don't know, maybe it's just my feeling, but reading makes me feel smarter. It's like with food, you know, healthy food and junk food. After eating junk food, I usually feel guilty.

Same way after consuming a lot of content, watching a lot of stupid videos on social media, I feel guilty. I feel like I've just wasted my precious time. And with reading, I feel like I'm feeding my brain healthy food.

It's almost like a book is a huge bowl of salad for my brain, if it makes any sense. And I'm not extremely picky with what I read. Sometimes it's self-help books, novels, science fiction, autobiographies.

It really depends on my mood. And last, but definitely not least, I teach English. I mentioned that in my previous videos that teaching is one of the best ways to improve your own English.

When you explain something to others, it helps you understand it and remember it much better. Many of my students are quite advanced, so they often challenge me with difficult grammar questions or topics. And when I'm preparing lessons for them, I'm learning, too.

I do a lot of research. I look things up. And all of that deepens my own understanding of the language.

A fortune. If something is crazy expensive, yeah, you can say costs a fortune. Uh, all right.

Now, I'm not saying that everyone has to become an English teacher. Of course not. But this could be a great idea, you know, to teach maybe your children, your friends, family members, etc.

Okay, my microphone is dying. I have to charge it. But that's pretty much it for my daily English routine.

Thank you so much for watching and spending some time with me today. And now I would love to hear from you guys. What do you do to practice English by yourself?

Do you have any habits that help you stay consistent on your journey? I would love to hear from you. Please share in the comments.

Let's exchange some good ideas with each other. And of course, like this video and subscribe. And I'll see you in the next one.

Bye-bye.