[0:00]Are you stuck at B1? Maybe you understand a lot of English when you read or listen, but when you have to speak or when it comes to understanding fast native English, it just feels impossible. Look, you're not alone. After teaching B1 and B2 learners for 20 years, I have identified two main reasons why learners feel stuck at this level. So in this video, I'm gonna tell you exactly what to do to reach a solid B2 level of English and finally unstuck your English. So let's get started here. Look, I know exactly how you feel. After all, I also had to learn English on my own, and I had no help back then. I also experienced this plateau myself, but the problem was that since I was learning alone, I had no idea what I, what I was doing or what was happening. I didn't have anybody guiding me through that process. So there was a lot of trial and error until I eventually got out of the plateau. And even though it took me a long time to do it, eventually, it worked. Nowadays, I have both the Cambridge C1 and C2 level certificates, and I have been teaching English and helping them get out of this plateau for 20 years now. But today, in this video, I wanna tell you what actually works to go from B1 to B2. This is not some crazy hack, magic pill or miraculous solution. What took me years to figure out, I'm gonna share with you in this video, so I think it's worth talking about first, what the plateau is. What is the plateau? The plateau in English is a period when learning slows down. At this stage, it's much harder for you to see progress, and it's a moment where your receptive skills are not aligned or synced with your production skills. What I mean by this is that your abilities of consuming English passively, maybe reading or listening are very good at this stage. When you read a text, you understand a lot of it. When you listen to a video or podcast, you understand a lot of it, if not all of it, but your production skills, speaking and writing, they are not at the same level as your reading and listening. Now, why does this happen? Think about it. You have spent most of your time up until now consuming English passively. We call it the input, and while input is great, at some point you have to do more than that. You have to move beyond just consuming English passively because this approach of input is very effective, especially when you are at beginner stages of language learning. When you are a beginner, a pre-intermediate learner, yes, you wanna have as much input as possible, but at some point, as you probably know by now, it's not enough. So remember this, the main reason why you feel stuck is because you understand more English than you produce. There is this disconnect between your passive receptive skills and your active production skills. Now in my 25 years of experience, both as a learner of English and a teacher of English, I have identified two types of plateau that learners usually experience at this stage. Now see if you are in one of these stages, the first stage or phase of the plateau is The Fluency Trap. The fluency trap. I would say that this phase is very common among people who have just recently got to a B1 level. If you are at this stage, it means that you understand a lot of English, but you speak very little. You lack confidence to speak. You sound a little slow or even robotic when you try to speak English out loud. And you need to think a lot. You need a lot of time before speaking. This is phase one, the fluency trap. The main problem here at this stage of the plateau is your lack of confidence, lack of flow, and lack of fluency. You understand a lot, but you don't feel confident, natural, or fluent enough to express your ideas, both in speaking and in writing. Don't neglect writing. Alright, it's all part of the package here. So how to fix this? First of all, keep consuming English passively as you have already been doing for probably months or years. But now you have to increase your production level. You have to produce more English, not simply consume it. Alright? In other words, you need to write more in English and speak more in English. Now, when it comes to improving your fluency, there are some areas you can look at. The first area is your pronunciation. How is your pronunciation in English? Are you able to pronounce the words correctly most of the time? Are you familiar with the sounds of the language, how the letters are pronounced individually combining words, connected speech, your familiarity with connecting sounds in between, uh, words in order for it to sound more fluent? More smooth. So how is your pronunciation? If you haven't been paying much attention to your pronunciation up until now, now is a perfect moment for you to start learning more about that. You should be learning about pronunciation and deliberately, intentionally practicing the sounds of English, getting the sounds right. That's one area you can look at to improve your overall fluency and confidence in the language. Another area you can look at is your processing speed. How is your processing speed? When you listen to somebody talking to you or asking you a question, are you able to respond right away or you need to process what you just heard for a while before being able to say something about it? So look at that. I mean, are you able to respond quickly to people when they talk to you, or even when you are watching a movie or listening to a podcast, imagine somebody in the movie says something, are you able to pause and right away offer a response to that, to that thing that you heard or not? So that means that your processing speed needs to increase. Another area you can look at here is your ability to connect phrases when you speak. Because I find that B1 learners, they usually speak isolated sentences, one after the other without much connection between the sentences. That hurts your fluency and your flow, your naturalness when you speak. Let me give you an example here. Look, I can tell you that, uh, I love movies, so listen. I love to watch movies. My favorite types of movies are action and drama. Last night I was watching a great movie with my family. It was fun. You see, this is a typical B1 level type of production because I am communicating correctly. Yes.
[7:44]Simple phrases, yes, but they're not really connected. I'm not really connecting the phrases with one another. It's just isolated phrases, one after the other. Now listen to this. One of my favorite things in the world is watching movies. I love action and drama. For you to have an idea, I was watching this great action movie last night with my family and we had a blast. It was a great time. You see the difference? Now, I am introducing here a couple of phrases to connect my ideas. For example, one of my favorite things in the world is. You see, and then I talk about the movies or for you to have an idea. We were doing this last night, you see, this sounds more conversational, so I find that B1 level learners struggle with this, struggle with connecting ideas and the sentences. So take a look at your English. Maybe this is an area that you can look at, how to better connect your sentences when you speak. Now, when it comes to improving your overall level of confidence in English, um, well, you gain confidence doing something by doing it a lot. Over a long time, frequently and repeatedly, alright? So if you don't feel confident enough to speak English yet, that is an indicator that you need to speak more. You need to speak more. Otherwise, you will never develop the confidence to do it. So how can you develop your confidence more? You can start practicing speaking alone first through shadowing. Shadowing is when you listen to a video or a podcast and you actively try to imitate the speaker, the pronunciation, the tone of voice, the intonation, the feeling, so you can practice shadowing by yourself at home. You can also record yourself. This is an excellent habit for you to develop, record yourself speaking about different topics, and then listen back and you become your own critic. You analyze your level of fluency, your level of, uh, the words you use, how you connect your ideas. So if you don't do that yet, develop the habit of recording yourself, listening to your voice, listening to yourself, speaking English. For that, I have my Speaking Accelerator program, which starts now on September 15th. That could be a great opportunity for you to practice that for three weeks. I'm gonna send you questions you record via audio messages. Your answers to those questions, send them to me on Telegram. I listen to them and give you feedback. So the speaking accelerator might be a good opportunity for you to practice exactly that. Link the description. Another thing you can do to practice or improve your confidence is you need to practice with other people. Eventually, yes, it is a good idea for you to practice speaking alone through shadowing videos or even recording yourself, but look at some point, you're gonna need to practice speaking with other people. Human beings are social creatures. We need others, we need connection. And we learn through connection, through interaction. So eventually you're gonna have to find a group of people or someone to practice having conversations in English regularly with. For that, I have my Fluency Hub, my private community. It's like my private community/conversation club where learners get together twice a week to have conversations about topics that I give them. And you can also meet with me once a month for a coaching session. So you can also consider joining my Fluency Hub for that. Another option when it comes to getting people to talk to you is, if you can afford, getting help from a teacher, maybe you can have, uh, a one-on-one teacher there, a private teacher for you to practice conversation and speaking with once a week or twice a week for a few months, or even for a year. For that. If you're interested, you can also book a one-on-one call with me. I call it the Fluency Discovery Call. This is a 90-minute zoom call where you and I will be there. I'll be listening to you and I'll help you, uh, diagnose exactly what your level of English is at the moment and what to do next to keep progressing and keep improving, you see? So I offer solutions to all these points here. You know, if you need to record yourself, there is the accelerator. If you need people to have conversations with, there is the Fluency Hub. And if you need one-on-one help, just book a Fluency Discovery Call with me and I can help you figure out what your current level is. Alright, you can do it all by yourself, but if you need extra help, all the links are here in the description of the video. Okay, we have just covered phase one. Stage one of the plateau. You understand a lot, but you don't speak enough, and you lack confidence and flow. Now, let's talk about phase two of the plateau, phase two, or reason two, why you feel stuck. I call it the proficiency trap. Now it's not the fluency trap anymore, it's the proficiency trap. This is a little bit more of a advanced stage. First of all, yeah, there is a difference between fluency and proficiency. Remember this, fluency is all about the flow. It's about speaking with confidence naturally without many pauses in between, without much hesitation. This is fluency. Proficiency, on the other hand, is about what you can do in the language, is about your arsenal of possibilities, the things you are able to talk about, to produce and to understand. In English, if you wanna learn more about the difference between fluency and proficiency, I did an episode, I made an episode about this here on the channel. I'm gonna leave the link to the episode here in the description. You can watch it later after seeing this video. Okay, but the proficiency trap, which is phase two of the plateau, it's very common among people who have been B1 level learners for a while already. These people have more experience with the language and now they are starting to move more to B2 level. They might be B1+ level learners or even tapping into B2 already, but a low B2 level. Now, if you are in this stage speaking and confidence, no problem for you anymore. So by now you speak English much more. You sound more confident when you speak. You have good flow. When you share your ideas, you don't hesitate to speak. You have very good listening skills, meaning that a person asks you a question, you are able to immediately, right away offer a response so you don't think too much before speaking, and you can hold everyday conversations easily. There are intermediate learners who are at this stage, but they still feel stuck. Why? Because the main problem here now is not your fluency anymore. It's not your confidence to speak, but it's your level of accuracy, precision in the language. Yes, you might sound confident when you speak. You might be able to have conversations with people and travel and work in English, but you still make many mistakes when you speak. You are using the same words all the time when speaking, you are using the same grammar structures all the time. It means that your vocabulary and your grammar structures when speaking are very limited. Yeah, maybe you, you just keep using simple present, simple past and future to speak. And that's it. And because of that, because your level of vocabulary and grammar structures, is very limited when speaking English, you are not able to properly talk about abstract topics. And being able to talk about more abstract topics and concepts is a key trait of a solid B2 level learner. Remember this at B1. You can talk about everyday things, concrete things. You can talk about your job, you can talk about your family, your hobbies, your routine. You see concrete, everyday things. But at B2, you should be able to also talk about more abstract things. Abstract concepts, things that are not so concrete. You have to use more of your imagination and activate your ideas better to, uh, offer your opinions and thoughts about these topics. And for that, you need to use different words and different grammar structures. Let me give you a couple of examples here. If I ask you this question, tell me about your weekly routine. This is an everyday topic for you to talk about, and a B1 level learner should be able to answer that question without any problems, and then you can go something like this. Oh, on Mondays I usually wake up at 6:00 AM and I go to the gym, I exercise, then I come back home, I take a shower, I have breakfast, and then I go to work. You see? Talking about everyday things, pretty straightforward, B1 level. Now what if I ask you this. If you had all the money in the world, what would you do with your life? Whoa, you see? Oh, you see, now we are talking about something a little bit more abstract because this is not true. This is not a real scenario, it's a hypothetical scenario, and now you have to think a little bit more to answer that question, and then you could say something like, Ooh, that's a good question. Well, if I had all the money in the world and if I didn't have to work ever, I would probably start a charity organization or maybe pursue this hobby that I've had or this interest I've had since I was a kid. You see? So this is a little bit more abstract as a topic for you to talk about. What about this question? Do you believe AI will replace humans in the future? Whoa, you see? So in order for you to offer a proper, more effective answer to this question, you need more language. You need more words, different words to express your thoughts more precisely. You need more grammar structures also to express yourself effectively answering that question. In other words, you need more proficiency, more hardcore knowledge of the language, not just the flow. You see the difference? So if you are a B1+ to B2 level learner who feels stuck, and you can communicate already in everyday conversations that might be holding you back, you have to increase your level of hardcore knowledge of the language and use this knowledge, use different grammar, use different words. Now, how to fix this. The main areas you can look at at this stage are vocabulary, and by vocabulary I mean learning more phrasal verbs, learning more idioms and colloquial phrases and using them. So do a little self-assessment. Think to yourself when you speak English, do you use a lot of phrasal verbs or do you use phrase of verbs regularly when you speak English? If not, increase that. What about idioms? You know, idiomatic expressions like spill the beans. Let people walk all over you. I'm feeling over the moon today. What about expressions like that? Do you use them when you speak English from time to time, or not? Time to use them more. Colloquial phrases as well, like everyday phrases. So. One area you can look at now to get out of that plateau is vocabulary, but those kinds of, um, words and expressions. Another area you can look at is the grammar. First, look at the verb tenses. Do you use the same verb tenses all the time when speaking English? Are you stuck using simple present, simple past, and simple future all the time? For example, if I ask you a question like this, what are your plans for next year? And if you only answer that question with Will, oh, next year I will do this, I will do that, I think I will do this. If you only use Will to talk about the future, this is limiting your level of proficiency in the language and fluency overall, and it's keeping you at B1, because to talk about the future, yes, you can use Will, but you can also use Going to or "Gonna", and you can even use present continuous. You are doing something next year, you see? What about the perfect tenses? Do you use phrases with, have you know, I've been doing this, I've done that. Do you use those kinds of structures frequently, or even conditionals? Oh, if that happens, that will happen or passive voice. That should be done. Something must be done about that, or even prepositions. At this stage, your use of prepositions should be more precise, more accurate. I know the propositions are tricky for learners to get right, but in order for you to become a solid B2 level learner and beyond, you need to start using propositions more correctly when you speak, when you write in English. So. Are you using propositions correctly most of the time? You see, so these are some areas you can look at to fix this phase two of the plateau of being stuck. And of course, at this stage, you should be consuming more challenging content. By that I mean watch TED Talks, podcasts about deeper topics, longer podcasts, about deeper topics, lectures, documentaries, not just comedy TV shows, for example, sitcoms. You see? So identify where you are stuck. Which phase of the plateau you are right now? Remember, phase one is lack of confidence, lack of speaking, lack of fluency. To fix that, you gotta speak more. Phase two means that you already speak, you already sound confident and you operate very well in English already, but you still make many mistakes. You use the same words all the time. You use the same grammar structures, so you gotta come back to the books. Yeah, and uh, do some hardcore studying in order to, you know, move past that. Alright? Now, regardless of which phase you find yourself in right now, phase one or phase two, let me share with you now some critical mistakes that keep you at B1 forever. Keep you stuck at B1 forever, and also some general tips. Listen, mistake one, waiting for perfect grammar. Perfectionism is the enemy of progress. Many B1 learners refuse to speak until their grammar is flawless or perfect. This creates a vicious cycle. You need to speak to improve speaking, but you won't speak because you're not perfect yet. Watch the solution, make mistakes, learn from them, and keep speaking. Communication is the goal, not flawless grammar initially. Mistake two, only consuming never producing. If you're only listening and reading without speaking and writing, you're only building half the bridge to fluency. Input without output creates passive knowledge that doesn't transfer to active communication skills. The solution. Balance consumption with production. For every hour of listening, spend at least 30 minutes actively speaking or writing. Mistake. Three, avoiding challenging topics. Don't always stick to safe subjects like hobbies or daily routines. Push yourself to discuss more complex or abstract ideas like politics, philosophy, scientific concepts or cultural analysis. This intellectual stretch is essential for B2 development. Mistake four, ignoring pronunciation. Clear pronunciation helps others understand you and builds your own confidence. Many B1 learners focus solely on vocabulary and grammar while neglecting how they sound. Poor pronunciation can hinder or hurt communication even with perfect grammar. Now let me share with you some tips as well to track your progress and stay motivated, because I know that this intermediate plateau can be very discouraging, right? You study, you practice, but you still see very little progress if any progress. So here's a recommendation, monthly recording comparison. You can try recording yourself, discussing the same topic monthly. Pick a B2 level subject and return to it every 30 days. Then compare recordings to see improvements in fluency, vocabulary and confidence. This is tangible evidence of progress, and when you see evidence of progress, this is incredibly motivating. So you can pick the topic that I just asked you earlier. Do you believe that AI will replace humans in the future? Spend 30 days recording your answers to that question, sharing your thoughts, maybe a one short message, one two minute audio message per day, then next month you go back and listen to all your messages and do it again. So try that exercise, recording yourself about the same topic for 30 days. Also, it's important that you celebrate your wins, your milestones. For example, did you understand a whole movie without subtitles? Did you just have your first 30 minute conversation entirely in English? Did you successfully articulate a complex opinion? So celebrate these wins. They are proof and evidence that you are moving forward. You are making progress. And also, make sure you are specific when it comes to setting your goals. Set weekly micro goals. For example, this week I'll use five new conditional phrases when I speak English, or I'll listen to three podcasts at normal speed. Small, specific targets create momentum and confidence. So to recap, remember the plateau happens because there is a disconnect between your receptive skills and your productive skills. There are two phases to the plateau. Phase one is the fluency trap. If you are here, you understand a lot, but you speak very little, so you need to speak more, develop more flow, more confidence, more naturalness when speaking. Now, if you are in phase two, you are slightly more advanced. This is the proficiency trap. Now you speak with confidence. You don't hesitate, you don't pause so much. You don't think too much before speaking. You have good flow. You have good fluency, but you still make many mistakes or your vocabulary and grammar when you speak are very limited. So now you have to come back to the books, do some hardcore studying and learning, and be intentional about using the new words, expressions, and structures, uh, you are learning in order to break out of that phase two. And then you can become a solid, B2 level learner, and then you can worry about becoming C1 and eventually C2 level. Keep consuming content passively, but start producing English more often. Your priority right now if you feel stuck, is something more active, active production, active listening, active speaking, active writing. Listen, the journey from B1 to B2 isn't linear. There will be days when you feel like you're regressing. This is normal. Language acquisition involves periods of rapid progress, followed by consolidation phases. Trust the process, maintain consistency, and focus on long-term trends rather than daily fluctuations. Document your journey through voice notes, learning journals or video logs. Not only does this provide evidence of progress, but it also helps to identify patterns in your learning and areas that need more attention. Moving from B1 to B2 isn't about magic, it's about strategic, consistent effort. The techniques we've covered today form a comprehensive system for breakthrough. The path requires discipline, but the reward, confident, fluent English that opens academic, professional, and social doors is absolutely worth it. You have all the tools you need. Now it's time to implement them consistently. But now let me ask you, what have you been doing to get to a solid B2 level? Share your experience here in the comment section below. I am curious to read your experience, and if you have made until the end of this video, it means that you are serious and committed about your English learning. So. Let me invite you to book a one-on-one call with me, the Fluency Discovery Call. This is a 90 minute call on Zoom. You and I will talk for one hour and a half. I'm gonna be listening to you closely and I'm gonna help you diagnose your current level of English, if you are stuck at this plateau, and I'm gonna give you an action plan for you to go to the next level. Alright, so if you need some more guidance, book a one-on-one call with me. Link in the description. And of course, if you wanna learn more about the difference between fluency and proficiency, which we just discussed in this video, you might wanna check out this next episode. It's gonna be worth it.
