Maybe you have to talk English on the phone, and it’s uncomfortable. Or you want to understand series in “standard” English.
Not understanding can be especially uncomfortable in high-stakes situations (des situations à forts enjeux) like job interviews on the phone.
When I was learning French, it was one of the worst aspects of talking to people.
It sounded like all the words were running together (se confondaient). Even today, I sometimes hear things wrong, like when my husband once asked “Tu veux que j’éteigne ?” and I heard “T’es une petite châtaigne”. Try reading both sentences out loud (à haute voix). They almost sound similar… 🙂
If you’ve taken English lessons and felt that there was a gap between the class audio and real English you know what I’m talking about.
In today’s video, you’ll get more practice understanding REAL spoken English, even when the words run together.
Plus, you can use this technique with ANY recording (enregistrement) of real spoken English.
elllo.org is a great site for improving your comprehension. The International Dialects of English Archive (IDEA) is also a very good site for listening to real people speaking real English.
To boost your comprehension, you need to work consciously (consciemment) on understanding.
I’m sorry to tell you, but just watching heaps of (des tas de) episodes of Mentalist is not going to drastically increase (augmenter drastiquement) your comprehension. Sorry…
I’m sure you also work with Indians, Chinese, and other nationalities.
That means that, in addition to my American accent, you also have to get used to (s’habituer à) different accents.
I hope that what you’re learning on The Speak Better, Feel Great Blog is helping you get used to hearing real spoken English. After you watch this week’s episode, I’d love to hear from you.
If you have to work with different nationalities and accents, what are some techniques that you use to cope (faire face à une situation)?
Remember to share as much detail as possible in your comment. Your advice can help the hundreds of readers who visit Speak Better, Feel Great each day. You may have the tip (l’astuce) that will help someone else understand better.
It’s beautiful that English as an international language helps people of different cultures communicate and work together. English connects us to people who are very different, but also very similar to us.
Thanks a lot for improving your English with me. I’m on a mission to bring up the English level of la France entière, and you’re helping me reach my goal. I appreciate you.
P.S. If you have a colleague who would feel better in their job if they improved their English comprehension, please forward (faire suivre) this email. It will give them the tools to be more comfortable in their work, rather than feeling frustrated when hearing English.
Have a great week in English,
Christina
