English with Natasha

28/08/2024

When speaking a different language, we often feel rushed and pressured to respond right away. For some reason, we feel like the faster we respond, the better we look.

I promise you - this is a myth.

🙅‍♀️ Please do not feel pressured to respond right away.

🙅‍♀️ Please do not feel pressured to speak fast.

🌱 Allow this to be your permission to slow down.

A slower pace allows our brain time and space to process information more effectively.

Talking slowly helps us think more clearly and feel less nervous, leading to better communication and increased confidence.

So next time you feel rushed, pressured, or nervous - pause, take a breath, and know that it's okay to slow down.

Tag a friend who needs this reminder today 💜

22/08/2024

Absolutely true. 🌟

In fact, research shows that mistakes are crucial for growth and learning. 🌱

As you navigate learning or mastering English, remember that each misstep is a valuable opportunity to improve and adapt, each error helps you refine your skills and build resilience.

Whether it’s a language barrier or a daily hurdle, embrace these moments—they’re stepping stones to success! 💪✨

They can also make for some pretty funny stories! Like the time I lived in The Netherlands and tried to buy a new kettle with not the slightest clue of the Dutch word for kettle. I tried to gesture while explaining in terrible Dutch what this appliance is used for. I was so very embarrassed 🤦‍♀️ but now I know the word and I'll never forget it! 😅

30/07/2024

13/03/2024

I recently spoke with a student about personal values and how her values motivated her to take English lessons. ⁠
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Personal values can be defined as one's judgement of what is important in life. In other words, when you value something, you give it priority. ⁠
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This week I invite you to think about what you value (or prioritise) in your life.

Some examples can be:
🔹financial security
🔹peace
🔹family
🔹connection with nature
🔹health
🔹constant growth

Remember that writing in English about something meaningful to you can increase your chances of remembering vocabulary when in conversation. So of you value connection (or even reflection), this is a great practice for you! 📝

I'd love to hear some of your values. Let me know in the comments 👇💜

13/03/2024

Do you have certain phrases you use to agree or disagree with someone?

What about phrases to ask someone to repeat themselves or clarify something they have said?

Entering a discussion with these kinds of phrases can prepare you to manage a conversation with more ease.

More ease equals more confidence. 💅

More confidence equals less worrying about making mistakes and more room to focus on building connections. 💬 💟

21/11/2023

I have lived in a few different countries in my life. I have also travelled to many places. Because of this, I have learned words and phrases in various languages. But I simply don't remember all the words that I've learned along the way.

Has this happened to you?

I'm sure it has. It happens to all of us.

Our brains are constantly making space for new information. This means that they will "clean out" old information that doesn't seem relevant to us anymore. Anything that is not repeated, our brains may deem to be irrelevant.

On the other hand, 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

What does this mean? Simply put, if you want to retain your new vocabulary, you have to use it! Repeat, repeat, and repeat again.

The more often you repeat something, the stronger the neural connection becomes, and the easier you can recall information or repeat an action.

𝗧𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲:
🔹When you learn a new word, write it down.
🔹Write it again, in an example sentence.
🔹Use it in a conversation.

What new words or expressions have you learned that you want to practice? Put them in the comments and start the process of strengthening that connection. Don't let your hard work go to waste. 

With love 💜

17/11/2023

I love it when clients send me messages like this 😍⁠
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To all my past clients who I've walked through the interview process with: ⁠
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I wish I could take credit! ⁠
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But YOU are the one who sat in that interview. ⁠
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YOU are the one who learned to manage your nerves and impress the hell out of the interviewers. ⁠
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YOU are the one with the skills and experience. ⁠
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It is YOUR expertise that landed you the job. I just helped you to communicate this a little bit better 😉⁠
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Honestly, I have so much admiration for anyone who pulls off an interview in a language that is not their native tongue. Interviews are scary on their own. Doing it in another language?? I take my hat off to you 👏⁠
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Cheers to all my clients who are becoming as confident in their English communication as they are in their fields of expertise 💜

15/11/2023

I've said it before and I will say it again: 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞, 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬!⁠
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We are more likely to remember events that hold a lot of emotion and meaning for us. It is the same with language. We are more likely to remember new words if we think about what they mean to us and if we give them an emotional connection of some kind. ⁠
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With this in mind, I'd like to introduce you to my 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐬. ✨⁠
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Every Wednesday, I will give you one thought-provoking question that is designed to help you build an emotional connection with the English language. ⁠
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Keep an eye out for the first question, which will be posted later today.

𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧? Leave your favourite emoji in the comments if you'll be joining me on this writing journey 🌻

10/05/2023

Imagine this: You've just learned a new word that you're super excited about! 🤩 You're waiting for the perfect moment to bring it into conversation, but that moment doesn't seem to arrive...

And when it finally does, you're not actually 100% sure how to use the word in a natural sounding sentence. *panic* 😖

Let me suggest another way.

Words do not exist alone. They have other words that they naturally combine with. Think of

📸 "take a photo"
🥘 "do the dishes"
🏦 "open an account"

These are all examples of word combinations.

In English, we call these collocations.

A great way to expand your vocabulary is to spend some time learning collocations.

Great! But how? 🤷‍♀️

✨Read articles or short stories and pay attention to the word combinations
✨Listen to podcasts
✨Watch movies, series or videos (big fan of Ted Talks!)
✨Google - type in "topic" + collocations and see what comes up (eg: business collocations)
✨Ask your English teacher (we love talking about collocations 🤓)

What's your favourite podcast or Ted Talk? Put it in the comments and let's help each other learn! 👇💜

08/05/2023

Hi there 👋

I thought it was time to introduce myself again!

I'm Natasha, founder of English with Natasha.

I am passionate about empowering women to be as confident in their English communication skills as they are in their field of expertise. 👩‍⚖️👩‍⚕️👩‍🏫🙋‍♀️

I do this by helping women to overcome language and self-confidence barriers and to become clear and confident English communicators. 💅

The best part of my job is when clients tell me things like:

💜 "I don't feel embarrassed anymore to speak English."
💜 "I felt confident to speak up and give my opinions."
💜 "I got the job!"

Because when women support women, incredible things can happen 💪💪💃

Ladies I want to know: what is your field of expertise? Can you show me what your job is using only emojis? Put it in the comments 😁

Here's mine: 👩‍🏫📚💻💭