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Hey everyone, welcome back to Learning English Podcast. I'm Leo.

And I'm Gwen. Great to have you with us today. So Leo, do you have anything interesting to share today?

Oh, yes. I was talking to a foreign friend yesterday. He's learning English, but he has some problems with speaking.

Let me guess. He has trouble speaking, but he can read and listen well, right?

How did you know, Gwen? He said, "My brain is fast when I listen, but when I speak, it just dies."

Uh, yes. The classic brain shutdown. Many English learners struggle with that.

He told me he keeps translating in his head. He thinks in his mother tongue, French, and then translates word by word into English. And in the end, he can't say a single word in English. Right.

Exactly.

That's translation mode. Many learners fall into this trap.

I realized he's not alone. A lot of learners feel the same way.

Yes, Leo. So, today we're here to answer one big question. How can you train your brain to think in English without translating first?

That's an important question, Gwyn. This episode might be a bit longer, but it's packed with key ideas and practical tips you can actually use.

It's designed for B1 learners, but strong beginners can follow along, too. We'll explain useful vocabulary and recap everything at the end.

All right, ready to stop translating and start thinking in English?

Let's do it.

Have you ever had this moment, Leo? You can read books, watch videos, even listen to podcasts in a foreign language just fine. But the moment you need to speak, your brain suddenly goes offline.

Oh, I know that feeling. That was exactly me when I started learning a new language.

And many people learning English feel the same way.

Yes, they often think, "I can't speak English well because I'm not good at languages." But that's a lie your brain tells you. If you can understand English when you read or listen, your brain is clearly not stupid.

Exactly. Speaking problems are usually not about intelligence. They're about thinking habits and training. Most learners were trained to understand English, not to actually use it. They memorize grammar rules, learn long vocabulary lists, and do exercises where the answer is already there. So their brain becomes really good at recognizing English but terrible at producing it.

Yes. Then comes the speaking moment. The brain says, "Okay, first think in your native language, then translate it into English, then check the grammar, then panic." That's four steps for one sentence. No wonder the brain freezes.

It's like trying to run while doing math in your head. Of course, it feels slow, stressful, and exhausting. The real problem is not you're bad at English. It's your brain is using the wrong system.

Your brain needs a new habit. Thinking directly in English, even if the English is simple or imperfect.

And the good news is habits can be retrained. You don't need to be smarter. You just need to train differently.

That means anyone can speak English fluently if they change the way they practice. I can't wait to know if we want our brain to think in English. What's the first step?

Easy. You need to feed it first.

Feed it like breakfast.

Yep. English doesn't magically appear in your brain overnight. Your brain needs food. And that food is input.

Input through your ears and your eyes. Listening and watching.

Right. And here's the key point. The input must be easy and suitable.

Yes. Many learners make the same mistake. They jump straight into very hard content and think, "It's okay. I'll get used to it." But instead of getting used to it, their brain just gives up and says, "Nope, too much. I'm out."

That's why we recommend starting with easy English, even A1 level content. Some learners feel shy about that. They think A1 is too basic for me.

But that step is incredibly important. Think of it like food. If the food is too heavy, your brain can't digest it.

Vol295.日常英语学习Stop Translating in Your Head