Do you consider yourself fluent in English, and if not, why do you think some other people are perceived to be more fluent even if they don’t know more than you? The question is: What does it mean to be fluent in English or any other foreign language? In this post I’ll talk about that […]
Paralinguistics and how to sound like a native
Every now and then some of my Polish and American friends would tell me that they sometimes forget I’m not a native Polish or English speaker. As a side note, these are two languages I’ve learned as an adult. But it’s not because I never make mistakes. I’m not perfect and I’m definitely not sharing […]
Do you need feedback when you learn English?
Let’s talk about the power of feedback when we learn English. Do you actually need feedback? And why are some people so annoyed when they get corrected? Through my experience as an English learner and now a teacher, I’ve come to realize that there are two groups of learners – those who don’t want immediate […]
The power of feedback and how it can help you
A couple of weeks ago, I received an email from Luca Lampariello, a polyglot I follow on social media, about receiving feedback when learning a foreign language. He argues that it is indeed very beneficial for learners to receive feedback, but it depends on the student’s level and the way the feedback is given. In other […]
Common questions during job interviews in the US
When I was working on my Master’s degree at the University of San Francisco, one of my professors told us a story about a Korean man who had applied for an open position at the university. The interview went great, my professor said. The candidate was knowledgeable and pleasant to talk to; he answered all […]
Six things I didn’t do when I was learning English
There is a difference between learning English as a Second Language (ESL) and learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL). The former is learning the language while you are in an English speaking country (the US in my case) while the latter means that you study it while you are in your home country or […]
What does it mean to be fluent in English?
Do you consider yourself fluent in English or are you waiting to reach this “perfect” level when you will no longer make any mistakes and speaking English will feel as natural as speaking your native language? What does it mean to be fluent in another language anyway? When I started college in the US, I […]
Almost native: the power of an adverb
The power of body language
When we study a new language, we usually think about using correct grammar, memorizing vocabulary, and learning how to pronounce words correctly. But there is a very important aspect to mastering a foreign language that has been a little neglected – body language. I remember once talking to an American guy; actually he was talking […]