- Hey, everyone, I'm Teela with Deep English.

Thanks for joining me for another lesson today.

Today, we'll be learning how to think in English.

It's so important to learn to think in English

because when you can think in English,

you can communicate without translating

every word in your head, and this is so important

because it allows you to contribute to conversation

more rapidly, with more ease,

you can answer questions more quickly.

Basically, learning to think in English

is a huge step toward fluency.

Oh, I'm so happy that you joined me today

for this important lesson.

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Okay.

Very cool.

So, let's get started.

I've got five tips for you today.

My first tip for learning to think in English

is to get comfortable talking to yourself

in English.

So, for many people, talking to themselves

feels really awkward, and I understand

that it does feel a little awkward.

But the thing is, you're probably talking to yourself

right now and you don't even realize it.

You might be saying something to yourself,

like, this chick's crazy

or, I wonder what her books are about.

I hope you're paying more attention to the lesson than that,

but my point is we're constantly talking to ourselves.

So, the thing is I want you

to start talking to yourself in English,

to talk to yourself in your head in English,

and to talk to yourself aloud in English.

So, I have a few tips for those of you

who don't usually talk to yourself in English.

If you do talk to yourself in English,

feel free to share some tips below in the comments.

So, my first tip for learning to talk to yourself in English

is to start very simple.

Begin by talking to yourself

when you're brushing your teeth, for example.

So, when I was learning Spanish, while I brush my teeth,

I really like to talk to myself in my head, of course,

because I couldn't talk with my mouth, in Spanish.

So, I might say something to myself,

like, (speaking in foreign language).

So, what happened to my hair?

I look like a crazy chick.

So, maybe noticing my hair in the morning.

And so, that's where you can start.

Just notice your face, notice your hair,

notice the things you like about yourself,

and talk to yourself intentionally in English.

Another good tip

is to talk to yourself on your way to work.

Or if you work from home,

to talk to yourself before you start work.

So, you can talk aloud or in your head

about what you have to do that day.

So, maybe you have a meeting,

you have emails you have to send, you have a big project.

So just talking to yourself

about those things, but in English,

all right?

My third tip for talking to yourself in English

is become a narrator.

So, to narrate means to tell a story about something.

You've probably watched a movie

where there was a voice in the background

telling everyone what was really going on.

And so, you, my friend, can become this person, this voice.

So, I really like to narrate or tell stories in my head

about my two, small dogs.

I like to pretend that they are serious businesswomen.

And so, I can narrate their lives.

I can look at them and pretend

that maybe they are going to a business conference,

but I can use Spanish.

So this allows me to practice different vocabulary

that otherwise I may not be able to use

and it helps me to stay in a place

that feels really fun and playful,

and I think that's important as well.

So, here's my fourth tip for talking to yourself in English.

My tip is to choose an object anywhere in the room

and spend one full minute describing that object.

So, using all the words you know to describe that object.

Maybe the color, the texture, what it makes you think of.

So, the key here is that for one minute,

you continuously talk.

So, you don't want to take any breaks to look up a word

or anything like that.

Just use the words you already know.

This will really help you with your fluency,

and the next time you see that object,

you will automatically begin to think in English,

and that's really, really important.

So, I suggest you do this three times a day for a minute.

And for those of you who are already talking to yourself

or aloud in English,

like I said before, feel free to comment below

and tell us how that's going for you

or if you have any additional tips for us.

Okay, let's move on.

My second tip for how to think in English

is to get rid of your bilingual dictionary, to throw it out.

Most of us think that our bilingual dictionary

will help us to become fluent.

But the truth is it probably will not

and it's probably hurting us.

A bilingual dictionary is most helpful

for beginners who are just beginning

or for people who like to travel

and who are just visiting a country

but don't care about learning the language,

and that's not you.

You care about fluency, so that's why it's time

to throw the bilingual dictionary out

because when you use a monolingual dictionary,

an English-only, one language dictionary,

you prevent yourself from translating things word for word.

So, the next time

that you don't understand a word in English,

instead of looking it up in a bilingual dictionary

with your native language,

look it up instead in an English-only dictionary.

This is so helpful because you'll learn so many words

as you read the definition

and you'll also learn so many new words

that are similar to the one you're looking for.

So, the dictionary that I suggest

is Merriam-Webster's beginner's

or learner's English-only dictionary.

This is an excellent dictionary with simple definitions

that can really help you take your next step

toward fluency and toward thinking in English.

Okay, let's move on to my third tip for thinking in English.

This tip is when you're in a conversation

and you don't know a word,

instead of stopping

to look the word up, describe the word instead.

So, for example,

let's say that I am supposed to go to lunch

with someone outside but I forgot my coat.

And so, I don't want to because it will be cold.

So let's say I want to communicate this with the person

but I've forgotten how to say the word for coat.

If I'm in the conversation on the phone,

I can say, I would love to go out to lunch with you

but I think I'll but the cold

because I forget

that piece of clothing

that is almost like a sweater

that keeps you warm in the winter.

So, describe the word instead.

You might feel a little silly doing this at first,

but it's so helpful

because you will stay within the flow of the conversation,

and that's what fluency is.

Fluency is not perfection.

It is being able to flow, to be fluid in your conversation.

So the next time you're talking with someone

and you forget a word, just describe the word instead.

The other person will probably have fun

guessing what you're trying to say.

So, I have a little challenge for you right now.

Pick out an object in the room

and describe it in English in the comments.

Let's see if other people

can guess the name for the object in English.

So, see if you can describe it really well

and we'll see who can guess

the name of the object in English.

Okay, let's move on.

Number four.

My fourth tip for how to think in English is a simple one.

It's to keep a diary and to keep a to-do list.

So, to keep a diary, this means just to daily,

maybe write a paragraph in English.

Whenever we are writing in any language

that we are trying to learn,

it gives us an opportunity to really relax,

to take our time, and to kind of explore

whatever comes to mind for us.

We can use new vocabulary.

We can practice new sentence structure.

And whenever we write something down,

it helps our brain to remember it.

So, this also works very well with a to-do list.

So, a to-do list is a list of things that you have to do.

So, maybe take the garbage out, do the dishes.

Write all of these things down in English.

And then when you're doing those things,

you might even be triggered

into thinking in English while you do them.

Okay, let's move on to my fifth and final tip

for learning to think in English.

This fifth tip is to create a mantra in English.

A mantra is a word or a phrase

that you can repeat to yourself

that will remind you of something.

So, it's usually a word or phrase that is simple,

that helps you to be intentional,

and helps you to stay positive.

So, for example,

I suggest creating a mantra in English

that you can say right when you wake up in the morning.

Before you speak in your native language,

your first words can be in English.

This will be amazing

because it will automatically turn your brain on to English.

A good mantra for the morning might be something,

like, you wake up and you say to yourself

every morning in English, I am amazing

and I am excited about learning more English today.

Very simple, very positive,

and it turns your brain on to English right away.

I also suggest that you use a mantra at night,

right before bed, the last words you say of the day

can be in English.

And so at night, I suggest that you say something,

like, I'm really proud

of all the English I learned today.

I'm excited to learn more English as I dream.

Again, very simple,

but if you have the last words of the day be in English,

it will help you to dream in English

and for your subconscious to even kind of flag English words

so that they're easier to remember for you when you wake up.

Okay, so those are my five tips for how to think in English.

I hope you enjoyed this lesson as much as I did.

I think it's one of the most important lessons

that I've created so far,

so, it was really fun to share it with you.

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