I have a student with a very high level of English. He gives presentations, runs workshops for large groups, and works with top-level executives at big international companies. So you might be wondering… why did he want English classes?
The answer is simple. He didn't feel like he could express himself in English in the same way he could in his first language.
In his first language, he is known for being quick, with sharp, funny, and insightful comments on many topics. But in English, he felt more serious and slower. In short, he didn't feel that his personality came through when he was communicating in English.
This is more common than you might think. Maybe you feel the same way about your English. You can communicate with people and they understand you, but you don't feel that they really see you in the same way people do in your first language. You might notice that you sound more formal, more distant, or more careful than you really are.
This often happens because of the way we usually learn and use English. Over time, we collect English from many places: textbooks, classes, workplaces, emails, “polite” phrases, and safe expressions. None of these are wrong, but they don't always allow us to express ourselves in the way we want. Instead, we can end up performing someone else's English.
Think of it this way. It would feel very strange if I said, “Hey man, whatcha up to?” or “Yo yo yo, what's up bro!” These phrases don't match my personality at all… but for a teenage boy, they might be perfect!
Sometimes we get so focused on using English “perfectly” that we lose the personality that comes from small mistakes, natural reactions, and playful language.
So how do we make our English truly ours? A useful question to ask yourself is not, “Is this correct?” but, “Does this sound like me?”
This is one reason why I include a lot of conversation in my classes. I want you to have the space to discover how to talk about the things that matter to you in a way that feels natural, not in the way a textbook tells you to.
As a final note, the student from the beginning of this email feels much more like himself these days. I still remember the day he told me:
“Natasha, I gave a lecture in English this morning, and it was perfect. It felt exactly like me.”
“Natasha, I gave a lecture in English this morning, and it was perfect. It felt exactly like me.”
When you use English, do you feel like you're performing… or connecting?
Resolva exercícios e atividades acadêmicas
Encontre o professor particular perfeito
Tutoria com Inteligência Artificial
Tecnologia do ChatGPT. Use texto, áudio, fotos, imagens e arquivos.
