The power of discipline!

Hey, friends! What’s up?

Trying to think in English?Today I would like to talk about one of my favorite subjects: how to think in English! Yes, if you follow my work on YouTube and here on the blog, you know that I’m a big fan of this subject.

I believe the secret to learning a language is to think of it as much as we can until the language becomes part of us.
When I started thinking in English, I faced many challenges. It was not a simple process. It took time and dedication. Even though I had been studying English for a while, I had never given thought to the importance of thinking in English.
To be quite honest, I only fully understood how important it was to work on my brain when I moved to Boston and realized my English was not as sharp as I thought it was.

I thought of my native language way too much and as a result, I felt like I was always late to give an answer to someone’s question or to express myself. That’s why I am writing this article today.

I would like to show you 3 possible reasons why you have trouble practicing this mental exercise. I will also give you ideas on how to improve but keep in mind that you need to do your share.
Although these ideas may help you understand what you can change in your study routine in order to do this exercise more effectively if you don’t have the discipline you won’t achieve consistent results. But here we go, let’s take a look at the reasons, shall we?

Lack of grammar and vocabulary

The first bump in the way is the lack of grammar and vocabulary. Many students underestimate the importance of studying grammar. I read in so many Facebook groups, youtube comments, and so many other forums that English grammar is irrelevant; all you need to do is watch TV series and translate songs and you will learn English.
This is absolutely wrong! However, I understand why many English students “fear” English grammar. Most of these students have had a terrible experience with grammar, or have paid for courses that only focused on grammar and completely ignored the other important skills and consequently, they now believe English grammar is “bad” for you.
If you don’t have the necessary knowledge of grammar points, I would say a minimal knowledge of grammar, you will not be able to think in English. The same applies to vocabulary. You need vocabulary. Without these two items, you can’t think in English.
Make sure to dedicate some time to grammar and vocabulary. That way you are building the necessary foundation to help you start thinking in English.

No preparation

Oh boy! This is such a common problem! To be very honest with you, I have a similar problem in French. I just wanna start thinking, the same way I do in English, but without prior preparation, I can’t really do it. I get stuck because I run out of ideas of what to think about or even worse I sometimes can’t even think of ideas. Preparation is the real deal! Now, preparation will only work if you have enough grammar and vocabulary. If you don’t have it, hit the books and study a bit more.

You stop when you don’t know a word

There is nothing wrong with stopping when you don’t know a word. The problem is to “give up” when you don’t know a word. When I get stuck in French, I try to think of a different way to say that phrase. I keep looking for a different solution until I get one. If ultimately I can’t find anything, I take notes on the word I didn’t know to search it later.

That’s not what many students who are trying to think in English actually do. They usually stop doing the exercise altogether when they have a problem like this not to mention the students who get demotivated and stop doing the exercise and never try again.
When you get stuck because of a word you don’t know don’t give up. This is exactly why you are doing this exercise. You are training your brain to find solutions in English. When you get stuck, that means your brain is telling you what you need to study.
These are the three reasons why I believe you are not making the progress you want. Thinking in English is a long road, but I promise you, you can do it!
What do you think? did you like this post? I would love to read your comment! Share it with your friends on your social media and spread the word about thinking in English.
Thanks!
Teacher Prix