RealLife English: Learn and Speak Confident, Natural English #462 - 4 Things You Should Do To Get To Advanced English
Dec 2, 2025
Tips for breaking through the intermediate plateau and why subtitles can be a crutch. Practical listening-only practice to train your ear without visuals. How connected speech and reductions make real conversations sound different. The role of idioms, phrasal verbs, and word formation in sounding more natural and fluent.
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Progress Isn’t Linear
- Progress in language learning is not linear and plateaus are normal.
- Continued study and the right focus will help listening catch up with reading.
The Subtitles Test
- Andrea describes watching a show with English subtitles versus without them.
- Removing subtitles often makes learners feel like beginners again, which she says is normal.
Practice Listening Without Visuals
- Listen to English regularly without visual aids like subtitles or transcripts.
- Use podcasts and close your eyes to train pure listening skill.