English with Thiago

Thiago Alencar
  • 5.0 (20)
  • Language Learning
  • Updated Weekly

This is a podcast designed to help intermediate and advanced English learners communicate with more confidence, accuracy, clarity and awareness. Hosted by Thiago Alencar, a Brazilian English Teacher with over 20 years of experience, this podcast deals with topics such as English pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, exam preparation, writing, listening, mindset and everything else related to English learning. If you feel forever stuck at the intermediate level, this podcast is for you! Download the B2 Edge app: https://studio.com/thiago

  1. 2d ago

    Let's Have A SERIOUS Conversation About Your English Level (B1 To C1 Explained)

    ⭐Download The B2 Edge App: https://studio.com/thiago📖Join the waitlist for my next Cambridge B2 and C1 exams prep group:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/cambridge-exam-waitlist📣Join The Fluency Hub Community:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/community💻Book a 1.1 Call With Me:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/fluency-discovery-call📓Get This FREE GUIDE:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/pl/2148770947You understand 90% of my videos without subtitles. So what's your level? Can you call yourself B2?It's the most common question I get on this channel, and today I'm answering it properly — including the uncomfortable part, which is about me, not about you.If you're working your way from B1 to C1 English and you've never been sure where you actually stand, this episode will change how you think about the question. Because the honest answer isn't a letter. It's something more useful than that.In this episode:→ Why understanding my videos is real progress but is NOT a measurement of your level → What the CEFR actually says about B2 listening (and why every descriptor has a condition attached) → Reception vs production — why understanding is the cheapest skill you own, and why it's been flattering you for years → Why you don't have just level, but something else — and why that's far more useful → My verdict: when you're allowed to claim a level, and when you're not

  2. Sep 3

    Why Your English Stays Intermediate FOREVER (B2 to C1 Explained)

    ⭐Download The B2 Edge App: https://studio.com/thiago📖Join the waitlist for my next Cambridge B2 and C1 exams prep group:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/cambridge-exam-waitlist📣Join The Fluency Hub Community:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/community💻Book a 1.1 Call With Me:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/fluency-discovery-call📓Get This FREE GUIDE:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/pl/2148770947Most English learners reach intermediate level and stay there. Not for weeks. Not for months. For years.Not because they're not trying. Not because they're not talented. Because nobody has ever shown them clearly what actually needs to change — and what the gap between intermediate and advanced English really looks like from the inside.In this video, I'll show you exactly what separates intermediate from advanced English — and what you need to start doing differently if you want to stop being stuck where you are.You'll learn:1) Why moving from intermediate to advanced is not about learning more words or more grammar rules — it's something else entirely2) The vocabulary shift that happens at advanced level — and why it's not what most learners expect3) The difference between a mistake and a slip — and why understanding this distinction will change how you think about your own errors forever4) Why C1 speakers don't just know more English — they can do more with it, in more situations, with less effort5) The repertoire concept — what it means for your English and why expanding it is the real path to advanced fluency6) A real example from my own professional life that shows exactly what advanced English looks like when it matters

  3. Aug 26

    How To Speak English So People Actually WANT To Listen

    📖Join the waitlist for my next Cambridge B2 and C1 exams prep group:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/cambridge-exam-waitlist🗣️Want to work with Jay directly on your accent, executive presence, or communication clarity? Visit him at https://theaccentcoach.com/⭐Download The B2 Edge App: https://studio.com/thiago📣Join The Fluency Hub Community:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/community💻Book a 1.1 Call With Me:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/fluency-discovery-call📓Get This FREE GUIDE:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/pl/2148770947How To Speak English So People Actually Want To Listen | Accent Coach Jay Alexander PoultonWhat does an accent coach actually do — and why do CEOs, doctors, and executives from over 35 countries hire one? In this episode, I sit down with Jay Alexander Poulton, an ICF-credentialed executive leadership coach and founder of The Accent Coach, to talk about what he calls the "Authority Gap" — the distance between what a leader is capable of and what the room actually hears.We cover:- What an accent coach really does (and why it's different from working with a regular English teacher)- Real high-stakes situations where clear communication changes outcomes — from boardrooms to hospital rooms- How to balance keeping your identity and accent while still being understood- Standard North American English clarity vs. "sounding American"- The most common sounds and vowel pairs that trip up non-native English speakers- Why breathing, resonance, and articulation matter as much as pronunciation- How to build self-awareness of your own accent and speech patterns- Jay's #1 tip for instantly improving clarity and confidence when speaking English

  4. Aug 20

    Why You Can't Speak About Complex Topics in English (Yet)

    📖Join the waitlist for my next Cambridge B2 and C1 exams prep group:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/cambridge-exam-waitlist⭐Download The B2 Edge App: https://studio.com/thiago📣Join The Fluency Hub Community:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/community💻Book a 1.1 Call With Me:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/fluency-discovery-call📓Get This FREE GUIDE:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/pl/2148770947Do you understand many things in English but freeze the moment you have to explain something more complex? This is one of the biggest hidden gaps for learners moving from B1 to C1 English — you can follow a podcast, a TED Talk, or a documentary with no problem, but the second you're asked to explain an abstract idea, your fluency disappears.In this video, I put you through a live English stress test to show you exactly where this breaks down — and then walk you through the real process for fixing it.If you're an intermediate English learner working through the B1 to B2 plateau, or a B2 speaker aiming for C1 English fluency, this video will show you why "understanding" isn't the same as "speaking" — and what closing that gap actually looks like in practice.

  5. Aug 13

    10 Things Advanced Speakers Do That Intermediate Ones Don't

    📖Join the waitlist for my next Cambridge B2 and C1 exams prep group:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/cambridge-exam-waitlist⭐Download The B2 Edge App: https://studio.com/thiago📣Join The Fluency Hub Community:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/community💻Book a 1.1 Call With Me:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/fluency-discovery-call📓Get This FREE GUIDE:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/pl/2148770947You understand almost everything in English now — movies, podcasts, meetings — but the moment you open your mouth to speak, something feels off. In this video, I break down the 10 specific things that separate advanced English speakers (C1 level) from intermediate ones (B1 and B2 levels), based on over 20 years of teaching thousands of students through that exact transition.I'm grouping these 10 things into 3 categories — mindset, language skills, and daily habits — and sharing a personal story from my own Cambridge C2 exam that completely changed how I think about what "advanced English" actually means.🔓 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: ✅ Why perfect grammar doesn't automatically mean advanced English✅ The 3 mindset shifts that separate advanced speakers from stuck intermediate learners ✅ 5 language skills advanced speakers use that most learners never practice on purpose ✅ The 2 daily habits that make everything else automatic

  6. Aug 5

    Why Comprehensible Input Is Not Enough, Analyzing Different Learning Hypotheses and How To Stop Feeling Stuck At English

    ⭐Download The B2 Edge App: https://studio.com/thiago📣Join The Fluency Hub Community:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/community💻Book a 1.1 Call With Me:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/fluency-discovery-call📓Get This FREE GUIDE:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/pl/2148770947Comprehensible Input Is NOT Enough. Here's Why Your English Is Stuck.You've heard it everywhere on YouTube lately: just listen, just watch, don't study, don't force anything — and one day English will "click." I need to be honest with you: that promise is incomplete.Comprehensible input is real. It's backed by real research, and for beginner to intermediate learners (A1 to B1), it genuinely works. But if you're stuck at B1 or B2 and wondering why hours of listening and watching haven't gotten you speaking confidently, this video is for you.In this episode, I break down:✅ What comprehensible input actually is — and who first proposed it✅ Exactly where it stops working, and why (with the research to back it up)✅ What "comprehensible output" is, and why input without it just isn't enough✅ Why deliberate practice is the piece almost nobody talks about✅ My own English learning story — which didn't go the way you'd expectIf you're serious about breaking past B1/B2 and building real speaking ability — not just understanding English, but using it — this is the most important video I've made in a while.Sources referenced in this episode:1. Krashen, S. D. (1985). The Input Hypothesis: Issues and Implications. Beverly Hills, CA: Laredo Publishing.2. Swain, M. (1985). "Communicative Competence: Some Roles of Comprehensible Input and Comprehensible Output in Its Development." In S. Gass & C. Madden (Eds.), Input in Second Language Acquisition (pp. 235–253). Rowley, MA: Newbury House.3. Norris, J. M., & Ortega, L. (2000). "Effectiveness of L2 Instruction: A Research Synthesis and Quantitative Meta-Analysis." Language Learning, 50(3), 417–528.

  7. Jul 23

    40 Habits That Silently Move Your English From B2 To C1

    ⭐Stop Feeling Lost! Try The B2 Edge App: https://studio.com/thiago📣Practice Speaking With Real People:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/community💻Speak with me on Zoom for 60 minutes:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/fluency-discovery-call📓Get This FREE GUIDE:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/pl/2148770947I just turned forty years old. And to mark the occasion, I decided to make a different kind of video.In this video, I share forty habits that in my experience — twenty five years as a learner and teacher of English — every successful advanced English learner has in common. Some of these habits are about English specifically. Some are about learning in general. And some are pure life lessons that took me forty years to fully understand.This is not a list of quick tips. This is a blueprint. A complete picture of what it actually takes to move from B2 to C1 — and eventually to C2 — in English. And unlike most content you will find on this topic, this goes far beyond study techniques. We talk about mindset, philosophy, the technical side of the language, communication as a human skill, and the life lessons that make all of it possible.Here is what we cover:▶ The mindset habits that make advanced English possible in the first place▶ The learning philosophy that separates B2 learners from C1 learners▶ The daily habits that advanced learners build over years of intentional practice▶ The technical side of English — what advanced communication actually looks and sounds like▶ Communication as a human skill — going beyond language into delivery, connotation and effect▶ Life lessons from forty years of living and twenty years of teachingWhether you are trying to go from B1 to B2, from B2 to C1, or finally understand what advanced English fluency actually requires — this is the video I wish someone had made for me when I was starting out.

  8. Jul 8

    Your English Will Always Be Stuck At Intermediate (Until You Fix These Mistakes)

    ⭐Stop Feeling Lost! Try The B2 Edge App: https://studio.com/thiago💻Work with me 1.1: https://forms.gle/Wn98WnZ3PajswWoKA📓Get This FREE GUIDE to start upgrading your vocabulary:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/pl/2148770947If you have been learning English for years and still make the same mistakes — this video is for you.Most B1 and B2 English learners assume that with enough time and practice, their mistakes will naturally correct themselves. The science says otherwise. Some errors do not fade with time. They get stronger. They get faster. And eventually, they become permanent — unless you do something very specific to stop them.This phenomenon has a name. Linguist Larry Selinker first identified it in 1972 and called it fossilization. And in this video, we go deep into what it is, why it happens, and — most importantly — exactly how to fix it. Whether you are trying to go from B1 to B2, from B2 to C1, or finally break through the ceiling that has been holding your English back for years — this video is the one to watch.Here is what we cover:▶ What fossilization is and why it affects grammar and vocabulary — not just accent▶ The neuroscience behind why fossilized mistakes are so hard to unlearn (MIT research)▶ Why the correction method most teachers use is also the least effective — and what actually works▶ The single biggest cause of fossilization in B2 English learners▶ A step-by-step method for breaking a fossilized mistake — including the exact approach I used myself as a working English teacherThis is not about studying more. It is about studying differently. Deliberately. Intentionally. One mistake at a time.

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About

This is a podcast designed to help intermediate and advanced English learners communicate with more confidence, accuracy, clarity and awareness. Hosted by Thiago Alencar, a Brazilian English Teacher with over 20 years of experience, this podcast deals with topics such as English pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, exam preparation, writing, listening, mindset and everything else related to English learning. If you feel forever stuck at the intermediate level, this podcast is for you! Download the B2 Edge app: https://studio.com/thiago

Information

  • Creator
    Thiago Alencar
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    163
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Thiago Alencar
  • Show Website
    English with Thiago

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