This is a video in slow English to help you practice your listening comprehension.
To be out here working online.
I'm going to try and work on the four skills of a language today.
That is speaking, listening, reading, and writing.
Little Wilson is going to be joining me all day.
We will go for a walk too.
I am from the UK, but I also really enjoy studying languages.
I am studying Spanish at the moment.
I have been studying Spanish for About a year and a half, I think.
Honestly, the first year of studying Spanish, I was obsessed.
Like every single day I was studying for two to four hours every day.
Nowadays, I honestly, I have not been studying very much.
I'm quite busy, so I don't have a lot of time to study.
Today, I want to get back on track.
I want to start studying again.
I want to actually take my language learning seriously because I want to be C1.
I want a C1 in Spanish, okay?
I am obviously going to study Spanish, but I will translate all of my exercises into English and I will put everything in the description.
So if you want to study with me, then you can.
We are going to start the day with speaking so let's go.
He always tries to find the spot with the sun.
We should probably feed Wilson.
He, he needs to eat.
So I think for many people that speaking is probably the hardest part about learning a language.
It's normal to understand more than you can say in a language.
I try and have spanish class about once a week.
Ideally i would do more, but i'm quite busy.
So yeah, for me it's about once a week.
For the speaking portion of our video, today i am going to be having my class on italki, and italki are the sponsor of this video.
Italki is a language learning platform where you can have one-to-one lessons.
So lessons that are personalized to you.
You can speak with a real native speaker and you can practice both your speaking.
Have you taken lessons before?
At university I did a beginner course, but since then I have done like a few conversation classes but I don't like, I don't study.
Italki has over 30,000 teachers and over 150 languages. to choose from.
So you can find a teacher who also speaks your native language if you are a beginner.
It is pay per lesson, so no subscription, and you can find a time that works for you and your schedule.
If you buy $10, you get $5 off your first class by using my code Evie.
These discounts are only available to the first 50 users, so if you want to improve your speaking skills, click through the link in the description to start your language learning journey.
I don't know why, but every time I speak to somebody new I get so nervous.
But Marisya was so nice to me.
She was so nice, so she speaks like how many languages?
Like four or five, maybe even six languages.
So I think she really understood what I was trying to explain and the problems I'm having at this sort of upper intermediate level.
One of the things I always like put off in my language learning.
So if I put it off, I avoid doing it is. writing.
So I think really I should focus on some writing skills.
I'm gonna drink a kombucha with ice, some ice cubes.
Cheers.
We are now in the office.
I am at my desk.
Honestly, I think writing is probably my weakest, my weakest skill.
Honestly, if I need to write something important, I feel like it's really easy for me to just use a translator or use AI.
Honestly.
So it means that I don't write.
I don't write very often.
I'm going to ask AI to give me some prompts.
In general, in life, I try not to use AI very often because it's very bad for the environment.
I also, I try and use my brain.
I try and actually think as much as much as possible.
But in this instance for learning.
I am going to use it to give me some questions to try and practice answering.
I have just typed, give me three questions to answer in Spanish.
I also have here a timer.
I have a timer set for 25 minutes.
I am going to try and write for that entire time.
I will then take a five minute break.
I'm going to use pen and paper.
The first question I'm going to answer is if you had the opportunity to live in any country, where would you live and what would you do when you get there?
I will leave these, I will leave these questions down below in case you want to try as well.
But the timer is going to start now, so let's go.
My camera just turned off for no reason.
I still would love to live in a Spanish speaking country one day.
Yeah, and what would i do when i get there?
I said work online.
Next sake.
That means i've got to start again.
Okay, it's time to lock in.
We're gonna answer.
Should the government um limit the use of social media, Let's go.
Another one done.
And that is the end of my writing practice.
And yes, by the way, Wilson is with me.
He's here.
So the next plan is we need to practice our reading skills.
And I think I want to go outside to do this.
I'm going to head to a cafe.
Let's go.
Me and Wilson have just arrived to the cafe and I think here we're going to do some reading.
I've brought my Kindle with me.
I can grab it here.
Here it is.
I actually i really enjoy using my kindle for reading in spanish because it has a feature where, if you do not understand a word, you can just click on it and it will give you the translation.
It will give you the translated version and it helps because it means that I don't have to stop and get my phone out and Google the translation of a word.
Right now, I have started reading A Court of Thorns and Roses in Spanish.
This is a book that I have read in English.
It's good to try and read a book that you have already read.
It just helps you know the story.
This is going to be my first time reading a fantasy book.
I think fantasy is one of the hardest genres, one of the hardest types of books to read in another language, because there are so many made-up words and difficult expressions like how often do you hear the word dagger in English?
But in books, in fantasy books, that word is super common.
I am going to head into the cafe now with Wilson and we're going to have a coffee and read for a little bit.
Thank you.
I'm with Wilson right now.
We are going for a walk and this is another really good time to practice listening.
When you have a level that is more intermediate, You can start listening to things in English without like visual cues, without having a screen in front of you to help you know what the discussion is.
Right now, for example, I am going to listen to an audiobook.
I'm going to throw the wall for Wilson.
Wilson!
I have been listening to Sunrise on the Reaping, which is the new Hunger Games book.
And I actually have bought it in Spanish as well.
So I'm going to listen to Sunrise on the Reaping in Spanish.
Where is it?
That's what I'm going to listen to.
It's very windy.
I have with me my headphones, my little headphones.
They're little earbuds, and Wilson has lost his ball.
Audiobooks are also really good because you can change the speed, so sometimes I listen at like 08 speed to help me understand.
On the way here too, honestly, I was speaking Spanish in the car by myself.
I know.
Often it's easy to think oh, I need a teacher to speak the language I'm learning, but try, practice speaking.
Try and practice speaking by yourself, you know?
I speak in the car.
I imagine scenarios and just speak to myself and honesty.
It's a good way to practice your fluency and your confidence, and I can try and discuss things that I'm not 100 sure I know how to say.
It's a good way.
It's a good way to practice.
It's super windy today.
It's really cold.
I've managed to find a little corner, a little corner of this field that's a bit more sheltered.
There is less wind.
But I don't think we will be out here for long today.
Wilson loves it though.
I'm going to throw the ball again.
We are playing fetch.
When the dog chases the ball and brings it back, that's fetch.
Playing fetch.
Thank you, boy.
OMG.
We've just got back from the walk.
It is 5pm.
I feel good about today.
I'm now feeding Wilson his dinner.
Kinda gross.
But I feel like I've been really productive today.
And I definitely feel like.
I feel like I know now the things I have to work on in particular.
So definitely for me, the most difficult part of today was when I was trying to write the more complex answers, like when I was writing.
OMG, it was so hard.
I'm now giving Wilson his dinner and I'm gonna go and watch some YouTube or maybe even Netflix in Spanish.
One of the best language learning tips I have is Honestly, you need to see YouTube and TV series as studying.
So for me, watching YouTube, that counts.
That counts as studying, okay?
There's lots of things that I enjoy watching in Spanish.
I like watching vlogs.
So one of the channels I really love in Spanish is this girl, Mariana Zamora.
Zamora.
I don't know.
I love her.
She is so beautiful and she is from Mexico, but she lives in Salt Lake City in the US and I just I love her videos.
I love her.
I think she's just gorgeous.
Love.
Another thing I like watching is I've been watching Love is Blind, which is a series on Netflix which I really enjoy.
I watched Love is Blind Argentina and now I'm watching Love is Blind Mexico.
Difficult content is OMG.
Wilson has a ramp so he can get on the sofa with me.
We are now sat in the living room together.
I think I'm going to watch YouTube.
OK, I'm going to watch Mariana.
Here she is.
It was really, really cold on the walk with all of that wind.
So I'm going to warm up and watch some YouTube.
I mean, when I listen to YouTube videos, when I watch YouTube videos, I do not have subtitles.
I never, ever use subtitles and I don't look up words that I don't understand.
I just know.
Try and understand from the rest of the sentence.
I have definitely hit like two or three hours of listening to spanish today and reading and speaking.
So honestly, i'm feeling, i'm feeling good.
I think i needed this to, I don't know, feel motivated about Spanish again.
I needed this to feel motivated again.
And yeah, you know, next stop c1.
Honestly i'm not sure i have b2, but i'm gonna keep going.
You know, language learning is such a long process.
I actually don't know if it ever really ends um.
So I always say the most important thing is to enjoy it.
Hopefully you can fall in love with the language that you're learning.
I have another video on my channel where I recommend my favorite YouTube channels in English.
I will link that at the end of this video in case you need some inspiration for channels to watch.
But yeah, that just leaves me to say thank you so much for watching this video and I will see you in the next one.
Bye!
Thank you very much.
