hello my name is Tom I am a student of English this is my story I want to tell you about my life in Paris I want to tell you about my exciting teacher you can read my story you can learn English with me it is a beautiful spring day and I am walking by the sen River I see a man sitting on a bench I don't know him but he looks friendly I hear him talking on the phone in English I don't understand much of what he is saying but I know he speaks English fluently
I also want to speak English but I am a beginner I don't know many words however this is an opportunity for me to speak English I decide to try to talk to the man I say some sentences in my basic English Eng and he understands what I say I don't know many words and I speak slowly but the man is kind and patient I am able to have a simple conversation with him I tell him that I want to learn English he is happy to hear that and he tells me that he is from the
United States He is visiting Paris for a vacation we speak for about 10 minutes then it's time for me to go home while I am thanking him for talking with me he gives me his email address he tells me I can write to him in English if I want to practice and then we say goodbye this is how my journey in learning English begins after this meeting I decide to work on my English skills more I translate text and I watch movies in English I work on my English for 2 hours almost every day in
6 months I am able to speak quite well it is great but I want to know more I decide to go to Paris to study English at a language school there I really look forward to my first lesson the lesson is on Monday on my first day at school I meet my teacher and the other students in the class my teacher is a young man he is very nice he asks everybody to introduce themselves and say where they are from then the lesson starts our teacher asks us how we studied English before and what we
suppose is the best method to learn English I tell my teacher that I like translating songs and other texts but I don't know what the best method to learn English is our teacher says that he will teach us a very effective method which is based on using the language our teacher tells us that we will not have to study and we will not use textbooks we will immerse ourselves in the language it is great for me since I don't like studying and I don't like textbooks then we speak about what we should focus on when
we learn a new language our teacher tells us we need languages for communication languages help us say ideas and understand ideas so when you learn a new language the best way to learn is to use it for exchanging ideas this is what we will do in our course most of the time we will speak you spoke a lot when you learned your native language as a child and you should speak a lot when you learn English as an adult unfortunately many students spend a lot of time memorizing new words or learning grammar rules they don't
use English for speaking they study about the language but they don't use it very much of course you need to learn new words and new grammar but you don't actually have to study them during this course I will show you a very simple and effective way on how to learn new words and grammar I like what our teacher says our lesson continues we speak about our hobbies and what we do in our free time we speak in pairs or with our teacher it is great and we speak for the entire lesson I enjoy it so
much I have never spoken so much English during one lesson in my life I have never leared this way before I am happy and I look forward to the next lesson I go to school on Tuesday again one of the students asks a question that is interesting for me she asks what is the best way to learn new words our teacher says there are many things you can do to learn new words I will tell you what is statistically the most effective way for learning new words it is reading when people read when they learn
a new language they learn twice as as fast as people who don't read it is good to read for at least 30 minutes every day I want to show you what you should do if you want to get the maximum gains from Reading first it is very important that the book or text which you read is interesting for you it is important that you enjoy reading the book can be a nice story or it can have some useful information for your job or your hobby don't read a text that isn't interesting for you it is
also good to read a text in which you know most of the words when you don't know many words you can get frustrated you always want to enjoy everything you do while using English it is good to choose a text which is interesting and also suitable for your level when you read the text and you see a word that you don't understand you get a dictionary and you look up the word then you continue reading you don't have to write the word anywhere you don't have to make a list of new words you don't have
to try to remember the word you only focus on understanding the text when it is clear to you what the word word means you continue reading anytime there is a new word for you you do the same reading also has another great Advantage when you read you learn new words and you also learn how every word is connected to other words in the sentence then you can see how to link the words correctly this way of learning new words is very effective give it a try and you will see how fast you can learn new
words then we continue with the lesson we speak about the situation in France and about the best jobs for students this is good for me because I want to have a job I want to do something after my class I ask other students if they know where I can find a job they tell me that I should go to a job center the job center offers a lot of jobs for students this is good for me and I am happy that I know where I can find a job when my day at school is finished
I go to the job center I don't know what jobs I can do so I ask the lady at the job center what the best job for a student is the lady tells me that they have some good jobs for students she tells me that I can be a barista or a server in a cafe I tell the lady I have no experience doing these jobs she tells me that my English is good enough to work at the cafe the training is not difficult and I can have more chances to speak English than being a
cleaner she tells me that I can start my job on Thursday it is all good for me I'm happy that I have a job where I can practice English on Wednesday I go to school again there is one student in the class who is quieter than the other students he is from Japan when our teacher asks if we have any questions for her this student from Japan says that he has a question he says that he has a big problem with pronunciation he knows that his pronunciation is not very good but he doesn't know how
to improve it he doesn't speak much because he doesn't want others to listen to his bad pronunciation he says that he reads and watches films in English a lot he understands very well but he also wants to improve his speaking he asks if there is something he could do to improve his pronunciation when my teacher hears this she says okay I will tell you something about pronunciation and how to practice it I I will also teach you a great technique that can help all of you to be better at pronunciation first we have to look
at Why students have problems with pronunciation when we speak we have to move our mouth we have to use muscles in our mouth we all do that the problem is that when you speak English sometimes you use your muscles the same way you would use them in your native language then your pronunciation is different from the pronunciation of native speakers this happens to many students who learn English almost everybody has a bit different pronunciation than they should have in fact it is not a big problem because usually people understand what you want to say even
though your pronunciation is not perfect however you can work on your pronunciation and make it better there is a great technique that can help you a lot the name of this technique is shadowing the technique is very simple when you do shadowing you simply copy the sound that you hear immediately after hearing it when children learn their first language they learn it by copying they copy after their parents again and again until their pronunciation is perfect you can learn English pronunciation in the same way this is what you can do take some video or audio
recording that is not very fast and that you understand very well you listen and you copy what you hear when you hear it that is all then our teacher goes to wwwo youtube.com and she searches for the shadowing technique she finds a good video where the shadowing technique is well demonstrated we watch the video then we all try to do shadowing for about 3 minutes then our teacher tells us shadowing is also good when you are preparing for a presentation or a speech you can find a video or audio related to your topic and practice
shadowing it will help you improve your pronunciation and also get more comfortable speaking if you practice shadowing every day even for just a few minutes you will notice a big Improvement in your pronunciation over time I think this is great advice I decide to try shadowing when I watch English videos at home after the lesson I thank my teacher and go home to practice Thursday is my first day at my new job in a cafe I am excited but also a little nervous I meet my boss Mr Martin who is very kind and explains everything
to me I will be a server taking orders and bringing food and drinks to the customers I think this is a great opportunity to practice my English at first it is a bit difficult to understand everything the customers say especially when they speak quickly but I try my best and ask them to speak slowly if I don't understand most of the customers are very patient and happy to help me as the day goes on I get more comfortable and start to enjoy my job in the evening I feel tired but happy I think that working
in the cafe will really help me improve my English on Friday I go to school and meet my friends from the English class we have a fun lesson where we talk about our favorite movies and books after the lesson I ask some of my classmates if they want to go for a coffee with me they agree and we go to a nearby cafe we talk about our experiences in Paris and share tips on learning English I find out that two of my classmates Anna and Roberto also work part-time in cafes we laugh and share stories
about our jobs it is nice to have friends who understand what it is like to learn a new language and live in a foreign country we decide to meet every Friday after class to practice English together and have fun I am happy to have new friends and look forward to our meetings the following weeks are very busy I go to school every morning and work in the cafe in the afternoons I also meet my friends on Fridays to practice English I feel that my English is improving every day I understand more when people speak to
me and I am getting better at expressing my thoughts one day our teacher gives us a special assignment she asks us to prepare a short presentation about our hometowns I choose to talk about Paris the city I love I spend a lot of time preparing my presentation I write down what I want to say and practice it several times I also use the shadowing technique to improve my pronunciation when the day of the presentation comes I feel nervous but I am also excited to share my story I talk about the beautiful places in Paris like
the Eiffel Tower and the loua museum I also mention the small cafes and bakeries that I love my classmates listen carefully and after my presentation they ask me questions I am able to answer all their questions in English and I feel proud of myself our teacher says that I did a great job and that my English has improved a lot I am happy to hear that my hard work is paying off as the months pass I continue to learn and grow I enjoy my classes my job and my time with friends my English is getting
better every day and I feel more confident speaking it I remember the day I met the The Man by the s River that simple conversation changed my life and set me on a path to learning English now I can speak English well and I have made many friends from different countries I'm grateful for all the opportunities I have had and the people who have helped me along the way I look forward to continuing my journey learning more and experiencing new adventures in this beautiful city of Paris learning English has opened many doors for me and
I can't wait to see where it will take me next one day while browsing online I come across a local language exchange group the group meets every Friday evening at a nearby cafe to practice different languages I think this could be a great opportunity to practice my English with native speakers and other Learners I decide to join the next meeting when I arrive the cafe is bustling with people chatting in various languages I introduce myself to the group leader a friendly man named David he welcomes me and explains how the group works we pair up
with different partners throughout the evening to practice speaking my first partner is a woman named Lisa she is a native English speaker from the United States who is learning French we agree to speak English for half of our conversation and then switch to French at first I am nervous but Lisa is patient and encouraging we talk about our Hobbies our favorite places in Paris and our reasons for learning new languages as the evening progresses I meet more people and practi practice speaking with them each conversation boosts my confidence I realize that speaking with native speakers
helps me improve my pronunciation and learn new Expressions by the end of the evening I feel more comfortable and motivated to continue attending these meetings during the weekends I continue to explore Paris with my friends we VIs visit Mont Mart a historic district known for its artistic Vibe we climb the Steep streets and enjoy the stunning view from the top of the hill we visit the sacur Basilica and Marvel at its beauty monm Mar is filled with artists painting and selling their work and we spend hours wandering through the Charming streets and absorbing the atmosphere
another weekend we take a trip to the Palace of Versailles the palace is magnificent with its opulent rooms and vast Gardens We join a guided tour in English which helps us learn about the history and significance of the palace walking through the Hall of Mirrors and the beautiful gardens I feel like I am stepping back in time we also explore the Latin quarter known for its vibrant student life and historic sites we visit the pantheon where many famous French figures are buried and the Beautiful Luxembourg Gardens the Latin quarter is filled with bookstores cafes and
Lively streets it's a perfect place to practice my English while in enjoying the rich culture of Paris as my English improves I start to feel more confident about looking for a better job working at the cafe has been a great experience but I want to find something that will allow me to use my English skills more I update my CV and start applying for jobs where I can use English after a few weeks of searching I get an interview at a small international company they are looking for a customer service representative who can speak both
English and French I prepare for the interview by practicing common interview questions with my friends from the English class when the interview day arrives I am nervous but ready I meet with the hiring manager a woman named Sophie she conducts the interview in both English and French and I am able to answer her questions confidently a few days later I receive a call from Sophie she offers me the job I am thrilled and accept the offer immediately this new job is a big step forward for me and I am excited to start on my first
day at the new job I am both excited and nervous the office is located in a modern building in the business district of Paris when I arrive sopie greets me and introduces me to my new colleagues everyone is friendly and welcoming Sophie gives me a tour of the office and explains my responsibilities my job involves answering customer inquiries helping with orders and providing support in both English and French I will be working with a small team of international colleagues which means I will have many opportunities to practice my English throughout the day I get to
know my new co-workers I meet John from the UK Maria from Spain and Ahmed from Egypt we all speak English together and it feels great to be part of such a diverse team by the end of the day I feel more comfortable and confident in my new role as part of my effort to improve my English I decide to join an English book club I find a local club that meets once a month to discuss a book chosen by the members the club is open to both native speakers and English Learners at the first meeting
I meet the other members of the club there are about 10 of us and everyone is very welcoming we sit in a circle at a Cozy Cafe and the discussion begins this month's book is a novel by Jane Austin I have read the book in preparation for the meeting and taken notes on the parts I found interesting the discussion is Lively and engaging everyone shares their thoughts and interpretations of the book I am a bit shy at first but as the conversation progresses I start to participate more the other members are supportive and encourage me
to share my ideas it's a wonderful way to practice speaking English and to learn from others Paris is a City full of cultural events and I take advantage of every opportunity to immerse myself in English-speaking activities I attend English language theater performances film screenings and lectures these events are not only entertaining but also great for improving my listening skills one evening I attend a lecture at the American library in Paris the lecture is given by an author who writes in English and it's fascinating to hear about her experiences and insights after the lecture there is
a Q&A session and I muster the courage to ask a question it feels great to be part of the conversation and to practice my English in a real life setting as I continue my journey of learning English I make friends from all over the world my English class the language exchange group and my job introduced me to people from different countries and cultures we share our experiences learn from each other and support one another one of my closest friends is Anna from Poland we often study together help each other with English and explore Paris we
visit museums go to language exchange events and even travel to nearby cities on weekends our friendship in riches my experience and makes my time in Paris even more enjoyable after attending several language exchange meetings I decide to host my own event I talk to David the group leader and he supports the idea we choose a date and a venue and I start planning on the day of the event I am both excited and nervous I have invited people from my English class my colleagues and other friends I have made in Paris when the event starts
the cafe fills with people speaking different languages and having fun I lead the group through a few Icebreaker activities to help everyone get to know each other we then split into Pairs and small groups to practice speaking the evening is a huge success everyone enjoys the event and I feel proud of myself for organizing it my journey of learning English continues and I am always looking for new ways to improve I take an advanced English class participate in workshops and practice speaking every day I set new goals for myself such as giving a presentation in
English and writing writing a short story one day our teacher gives us a creative writing assignment we have to write a short story in English I decide to write about my experiences in Paris and my journey of learning English writing the story is challenging but rewarding it helps me reflect on my progress and see how much I have grown at my new job I am asked to give a presentation in English about our customer service strategies this is a big challenge for me but I see it as a great opportunity to practice my English and
improve my public speaking skills I prepare thoroughly for the presentation I write my speech create slides and practice in front of a mirror I also ask my friends from the English class to listen to my presentation and give me feedback when the day of the presentation arrives I feel nervous but prepared I stand in front of my colleagues and begin to speak as I go through my slides I focus on speaking clearly and confidently to my relief the presentation goes well my colleagues applaud and Sophie tells me I did a great job as I look
back on my journey of learning English in Paris I feel a sense of accomplishment and pride I have worked hard faced challenges and made significant progress I have met wonderful people made lasting friendships and created Unforgettable memories learning English has opened many doors for me it has improved my job prospects enriched my cultural experiences and allowed me to connect with people from different backgrounds my journey is far from over and I am excited to continue improving and exploring new opportunities with my newfound confidence and skills I decide to set new goals for myself I want
to become fluent in English travel to English-speaking countries and make maybe even start learning another language I also want to continue exploring Paris and make the most of my time here I create a plan to achieve my goals I will continue taking Advanced English classes participate in language exchange events and practice speaking every day I also plan to read more English books watch English movies and listen to English English podcasts one of my biggest goals is to visit an English-speaking country after saving up some money I decide to take a trip to England I plan
to spend a week in London exploring the city and practicing my English when I arrive in London I am amazed by the vibrant atmosphere and the rich history I visit famous landmarks
