English with Thiago

Thiago Alencar

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. Jun 3

    B2 Shadowing English Speaking Practice | Consistency

    🔥 Want daily structured practice at B2 level?The B2 Edge app gives you AI-powered practice built around lessons exactly like this one — every single day, structured for B2 learners:👉 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/2148770947Fluency isn't built by watching videos. It's built by opening your mouth and practicing — consistently, every day, at the right level. That's exactly what this session is designed for.In this B2 English shadowing practice, we work with a paragraph built around the theme of consistency — one of the most powerful ideas in language learning and in life. The language is dense, natural, and packed with B2 level vocabulary so you can practice English speaking the way it actually sounds in the real world. You might even enconter a bit of C1 language as well! =)Here's how the session works. First you listen to me read the full paragraph at natural speed to get a feel for the meaning and rhythm. Then we shadow sentence by sentence — you repeat out loud, as close to my voice as possible. Finally, I read it one last time and you go through the whole thing on your own.This shadowing practice also doubles as a word formation workout. The paragraph is loaded with prefixes and suffixes — un-, re-, -ly, -tion, -ment, -en — all working naturally inside real B2 English sentences. If you want to go deeper on how those affixes work, check out the full word formation deep dive lesson linked below.👉 Word Formation Deep Dive — watch this next: https://youtu.be/YJL90pkf7ko

    23 min
  2. May 21

    Why You Keep Saying The Same 50 Words in English (And How To Fix it)

    ⭐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/2148770947You've studied vocabulary for years. You know hundreds — maybe thousands — of English words. So why do the same fifty come out every time you speak? This isn't a memory problem. It's not a motivation problem. And it has nothing to do with how intelligent you are. It's a method problem — and once you understand it, you can fix it.In this video, I'll show you exactly why your brain defaults to the same comfortable words under the pressure of real conversation, why the vocabulary you've been studying isn't making it into your speech, and the system that actually moves words from passive recognition into active use.You'll learn:1) The comfort vocabulary trap — why your brain optimizes for safe words instead of precise ones2) The passive-active vocabulary gap — why recognizing a word and producing it under pressure are completely different skills3) Why studying vocabulary lists does almost nothing for your spoken English4) The production vehicle method — the same approach I use every day after 20 years of teaching5) A simple four-step system to move any word from passive to active starting today6) Why one word a day, done consistently, will transform your vocabulary range faster than any vocabulary courseIf your English feels limited — not because you don't know the words, but because you can't seem to use them — this video is exactly what you need.

    14 min
  3. May 20

    Make Your English Sound More NATURAL With These 12 Filler Words

    ⭐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/2148770947 Some native speakers use them constantly. Language teachers tell you to avoid them. They're both wrong — sort of. Filler words are not signs of weakness. They're the connective tissue of real conversation. They signal that you're thinking in English, not translating. They manage the flow. They make you sound like someone who actually belongs in the conversation — not someone reading from a script.In this video, I'll give you 12 filler words and phrases that will immediately make your English sound more natural and spontaneous. I'll tell you exactly what each one does, when to use it, and give you real examples for each one.But I'll also tell you something most videos like this leave out — the honest limits of fillers, and why overusing them can actually hurt your English at higher levels. I know this from personal experience. My own Achilles heel is "you know." I'll tell you about that too.You'll learn:1) Why filler words are fluency signals, not hesitation markers2) How fillers manage conversational flow and keep you in the exchange3) All 12 fillers in detail4) When each filler is appropriate — and when it's not5) The B1/B2 vs C1/C2 distinction: why fillers that help at intermediate level can hold you back at advanced level6) How to monitor your own filler habits without becoming self-conscious

    13 min
  4. May 19

    Why Some People Come Back From Abroad With The SAME English

    ⭐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/2148770947You know someone who moved abroad to improve their English. Maybe you've done it yourself. And yet — months later, sometimes years later — the English didn't change the way everyone expected. Why?In this video, I'm going to tell you the real reason moving abroad doesn't automatically improve your English — what the people who go abroad and don't improve all have in common — and how I reached Cambridge C2, the highest non-native English certification in the world, without ever leaving Brazil.You'll learn:1) Why "I don't live in an English-speaking country" is the most expensive excuse in language learning2) What actually happens when people move abroad — and why most of them recreate their home language environment within weeks3) The serial exchange student trap: why short programs abroad cost a lot and deliver very little4) Why one year of structured practice at home outperforms three two-month exchange programs5) The one thing you can control right now that matters more than your zip code6) How to create genuine English immersion from your home country — today, with the tools you already have25 years ago, I built a C2 level of English in Brazil with a borrowed grammar book, a notebook, and DVDs. Today you have the internet, YouTube, streaming services, and AI. There has never been a better time in history to live a fully English-immersed life from your home country. The plane ticket was never the thing standing between you and fluency. The daily habit was.

    13 min
  5. May 18

    Why Fast English Sounds Like a COMPLETELY Different Language

    ⭐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/2148770947You studied English for years. You know the vocabulary. You understand the grammar. And then a native speaker opens their mouth at full speed — and it sounds like a completely different language.You're not imagining it. And it's not your fault. The English you were taught was a controlled, slowed-down version of the language — designed to be understood in a classroom, not to reflect how English actually sounds in real life.In this video, I'll show you exactly what happens to English sounds at natural speed, why your ear was never trained to catch it, and the method I used to crack this myself — starting with nothing but songs and a notebook.You'll learn:1) Why the English you studied and the English you hear are not the same thing2) The 3 mechanisms of connected speech that transform every sentence at natural speed3) Linking — why word boundaries disappear and sounds merge into one4) Dropping (elision) — the sounds that simply vanish in natural speech, including 'gonna', 'wanna', and beyond5) Reduction — how unstressed words compress into something barely recognizable6) The critical 'can' vs 'can't' distinction that trips up even advanced learners7) How music and films trained my ear — and how you can use them the same way todayOnce you understand these three mechanisms, fast English stops sounding like noise — and starts sounding like patterns you can learn.

    16 min
  6. May 15

    Why Small Talk in English Feels Impossible (And How To Fix it)

    ⭐Stop Feeling Lost! Try The B2 Edge App: https://studio.com/thiago📓Get This FREE GUIDE to start upgrading your vocabulary:https://www.englishwiththiago.com/pl/2148770947You can write professional emails in English. You can follow complex conversations. You might even be at B2 level. And yet — the moment someone tries to make casual conversation with you in English, your mind goes blank.Small talk in English is one of the most overlooked skills in language learning. And it's costing intermediate learners real opportunities — at work, in professional networks, and in everyday life.In this video, I'll show you exactly why small talk in English feels so hard, why it matters far more than most learners think, and give you the exact frameworks and phrases you need to start making natural, confident conversation in English — starting today.You'll learn:1) Why English small talk feels harder than formal conversation — even for advanced learners2) The three real reasons you struggle with casual English conversation (and none of them are your fault)3) Why small talk is the entry point to every professional relationship you'll ever build in English4) The TGIF framework: a simple four-step system for starting and sustaining any conversation in English5) The three-beat pattern that makes small talk feel natural and effortless6) Ready-made English conversation starters, reaction phrases, and exit lines you can use immediately7) How I built my own English conversation skills from scratch — as a self-taught, introverted learner in BrazilWhether you're learning English for work, business, travel, or everyday life — this video will give you the tools to finally feel comfortable in casual English conversations.

    16 min

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
20 Ratings

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

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