https://yourenglishtoolbox.com/episodes/194-understand-english-but-struggle-to-speak-learn-from-juan-s-story/ This podcast is created through a human-led editorial process. Every episode concept, educational strategy, narrative direction and final editorial decision is developed and reviewed by people committed to making English learning meaningful. Artificial intelligence supports script development and editing, while ElevenLabs provides the synthetic voices of our hosts. Human judgement leads the process; technology supports its production. For four episodes, we have been telling you about a man from Barcelona who arrived in Wolverhampton with one suitcase and a sentence he practised in the shower. The bus stop in the rain. The fourteen questions. The three days ill in bed. The night he made room for somebody at a party. Today, Juan joins Martin and Julia for a longer conversation. No list of rules to memorize — just one honest account of the year he actually had. He expected the hard part to be speaking. It wasn't. “I understood everything, and I was in nothing.” He talks about tired English and why the words feel further away at ten at night than at six. About February: three days ill, forty people in his phone, nobody told — and the comfortable explanation he gave himself at the time. And about being ashamed to ask people to repeat, until he found a clearer way to describe what happens when we pretend to understand. He is honest about what did not work: a seven-month app streak that was never a conversation, five comfortable months in a Spanish-speaking group, and waiting for a day when his English would be ready — a day that does not exist. Then there is his mother, who asked him the same question every Sunday at seven for seven months, and the June evening he could finally answer it honestly. What you will learn today: The difference between understanding English and feeling part of a conversation.How asking someone to repeat can show interest — and why one clear question helped Juan in a café job interview.The everyday English he learned at work: sorted, cheers, no worries — and when “You all right?” is a casual greeting or a genuine question.Why “just talk to people” can be true but unhelpful, and what Juan would tell himself fourteen months ago.Vocabulary in context: to take part, tired English, to nod, to catch something, sorted, cheers, no worries, you all right?, a streak, to be ready. His last thought of the series: an imperfect conversation is not practice for a real conversation. It is the real conversation. That completes Small Talk in English. Each episode stands on its own, so start wherever you like. Keywords: learning English abroad, moving to England as a student, how to make friends in a new country, speaking English with confidence, conversation in English, are you alright meaning British, tired English, small talk in English, English for immigrants, English for expats, English conversation practice, slow English podcast, English listening practice, learn English, English podcast for intermediate learners, Your English Toolbox, English transcripts, intermediate English, IELTS speaking practice, Cambridge B2 First, C1 Advanced #SlowEnglishPodcast #YourEnglishToolbox #LearnEnglish #EnglishListeningPractice #EnglishPodcast #SmallTalk #EnglishConversation #StudyAbroad #LearnEnglishOnline #StudyEnglish #IELTS Free study materials Download the complete learning materials for this episode: • Full transcript (PDF)• Vocabulary guide (PDF) Español: Transcripción y vocabulario en español disponibles en la web.Deutsch: Transkription und Vokabular auf Deutsch auf unserer Website verfügbar.Français : Transcription et vocabulaire en français disponibles sur notre site web. فارسی: Your English Toolbox پادکستی برای یادگیری زبان انگلیسی با سرعت دلخواه شماست. با گوش دادن به توضیحات روشن و داستان‌های جذاب، مهارت شنیداری انگلیسی خود را تمرین کنید، واژگان کاربردی، اصطلاحات انگلیسی و عبارت‌های روزمره را یاد بگیرید و با اطمینان بیشتری از زبان انگلیسی استفاده کنید. برای دسترسی به متن کامل و واژگان این قسمت به زبان فارسی و انتخاب سرعت پخش مناسب خود، به وب‌سایت ما سر بزنید. Follow Your English Toolbox on X and Instagram. 💬 We’d love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this episode, leave a comment, share your thoughts, or tell us how you’re using these tips to improve your English. Your feedback helps us grow and create even better content for you. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
