This is a video with advice on how to use videos with transcripts to improve your English.

You can  watch the video on YouTube here:

Transcript

This video has subtitles – you can listen to me and read at the same time.

That makes it nice and easy for you, doesn’t it?

However, I don’t think it’s a good idea to watch videos with subtitles every time.

There are no subtitles in my recent videos.

This probably makes it difficult for you to understand everything the native speakers say in their interviews.

But, I believe it is better for your English to survive without subtitles.

There are no subtitles when you talk to people in real life, right?

So it is better to practise your listening without relying on subtitles.

When you watch a video with subtitles (like now), you are not really listening like normal. You’re reading too.

If you always do that, you will find it difficult when you actually talk to people in English.

So, when you watch the video interviews on this site, don’t worry if you don’t understand everything.

If you want to understand every word in the video interviews, you can. You don’t need subtitles.

Here’s how:

1. Watch a video with interviews in it (e.g. London Video Interviews Pt.1)

Try to understand as much as possible, but don’t worry if you can’t understand everything.

These are native speakers, talking naturally, so it might be difficult.

2. Then, find the transcript to the video by going to http://teacherluke.podomatic.com

It’s a good idea to print the transcript if you can. You could highlight the text and then paste it into a Word document, then print it.

3. Next, read the transcript and listen to the video at the same time.

Underline words or phrases that you don’t understand.

Think about differences in the words in the transcript, and the way the speakers say them in the interview.

4. After that, study the words / phrases that you don’t understand.

Do this with a dictionary, or by googling the words.

Google is good because you can find lots of examples of a new word being used in other situations.

Remember that some phrases may be idiomatic – so you might have to guess what they mean.

Use your intelligence! Be a ‘text detective’.

5. After you’ve studied the transcripts, watch/listen to the interviews again but without the transcript.

Watch the speakers’ mouths when they speak and think about how they pronounce the words and sentences.

Now, you should be able to understand the interviews completely, at the same level as a native speaker.

6. Read the transcript out loud.

Actually say the words, and try to copy the way they are pronounced in the interviews.

Don’t just stop at listening and understanding – it’s really important to combine skills and convert listening comprehension and pronunciation awareness into speaking practice.

Have fun, but don’t make a fool of yourself by reading the sentences out loud in public!

7. Try to remember any words or phrases in the interviews which you think are useful.

8. Practise by recording yourself talking about good/bad things about your city, or about London.

Listen to the recording. Try not to be embarrassed by the sound of your own voice. This is natural. Just listen to yourself in order to get a better understanding of your speaking, so you can work on your weak points.

Don’t forget to feel good about what you do well too.

This is a much longer process than just watching a video with subtitles, but I think you will agree that in the long run it is much better for your English.

It is much better to learn to listen by actually listening and looking at the speaker’s face, not by reading subtitles.

Also, if you follow the steps above you can train yourself to listen well and learn about vocabulary, pronunciation and speaking too.

That’s it!

Enjoy the videos…

Bye bye bye bye bye bye bye bye bye!

Full Transcript Available Below
To download the audio for this episode, right-click here.

More interviews with native English speakers in London. Transcripts & definitions available below. This video was filmed in Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Chinatown and Picadilly Circus in the centre of London.

Hello learners of English, here is the transcript for the second video with interviews in the centre of London.

Use these videos as an opportunity to practise listening to authentic English conversations in a natural context. It’s a good chance to get exposure to English by native speakers, especially if you don’t live in an English speaking country.

Transcript

Graphic design student: Hello
Luke: So, how long have you been in London?
Graphic design student: Two weeks
Luke: Really? What do you do?
Graphic design student: Err, graphic design. Camberwell, School of the Arts.
Luke: Ok. So, your first two weeks.
Graphic design student: First two weeks. It’s quite a big impact. Very big, lots of people, and it’s quite expensive as well.
Luke: Ok. What’s the best thing about it?
Graphic design student: Err, night life. Very good night life. It’s got, you know, erm… If you go to the right places… A lot of action, erm, you know, a lot of friendly people as well.
Luke: Excellent. What about the worst thing?
Graphic design student: Depends on where you go. I mean, there’s quite a lot of, err, muggers about, dodgy people looking at your weirdly. You want to just, turn, turn away from them
Luke: Ok yeah
Graphic design student: Apart from that, generally a lot of people are quite nice. I mean, there’s some people that shove about, but, you know, you’ve just got to deal with it.
Luke: Ok, thank you very much
Graphic design student: That’s ok
Luke: Cheers.

Luke: So, hello
Girl in red scarf: Hello
Luke: Where are you from?
Girl in red scarf: I live in Redhill, which is about half an hour away from London
Luke: Ok, erm, how long have you lived there?
Girl in red scarf: Two weeks!
Luke: Ok. Everyone’s been living in London for two weeks for some reason. So, what’s London really like then?
Girl in red scarf: London, well, London’s a really really massive place which can be quite overwhelming, but it’s not that scary after you’ve, you know, got stuck in there. Erm, London has everything you’d ever want, if you’re into theatres, art, education, night clubs, anything. Erm, I would say, just get stuck in there and go for it!
Luke: Ok, great, and what’s the worst thing about London?
Girl in red scarf: The worst thing… oooh the worst thing… err, I think the worst thing would have to be the pollution. It’s probably not as bad as some countries, but you always feel like you’ve got black fingernails.
Luke: Ok. Thank you very much.
Girl in red scarf: Thank you

Real Londoner girl (who hates pigeons): Hi!
Luke: So, are you from London too?
Real Londoner girl (who hates pigeons): Yes, I am
Luke: Ok, so how long have you lived here?
Real Londoner girl (who hates pigeons): Err, my whole life. Luke: Ok, so you’re a real Londoner
Real Londoner girl (who hates pigeons): Yes, a real Londoner
Luke: Ok, what’s it like then, living here?
Real Londoner girl (who hates pigeons): What’s it really like? Erm, well I think it’s fantastic. It’s nice to live in such a cosmopolitan place with lots of things to do. You can never say that you’re bored or have nothing to do because then that’s all down to you, so…
Luke: What’s the best thing about it?
Real Londoner girl (who hates pigeons): Erm…
Luke: You might have just answered that
Real Londoner girl (who hates pigeons): Yes I think I have. Just the variety and everything you want to do. Lots of things for different age groups, there’s always something for someone to do. I would say the best thing is, like, the cultural little occasions that we have, like Chinese New Year and things like that, where you have big street parties. I would say that’s the best thing.
Luke: Ok, what about the worst thing?
Real Londoner girl (who hates pigeons): Oh… I don’t like to answer that question
The girl with the red scarf (off screen): Pigeons!
Real Londoner girl (who hates pigeons): Oh yeah! I hate pigeons! I hate pigeons! They’re just…
Luke: What’s wrong with them?
Real Londoner girl (who hates pigeons): They’re diseased!
Luke: They’re diseased. Flying rats.
Real Londoner girl (who hates pigeons): Yes
Luke: Right?
Real Londoner girl (who hates pigeons): Yeah. That’s the worst thing, I don’t dislike anything else.
Luke: Ok, thank you very much
Real Londoner girl (who hates pigeons): You’re welcome
Luke: Cheers

Smartly dressed couple: Hi
Luke: So, are you from London
Smartly dressed girl: Err, we’ve just moved here, yeah.
Luke: Just moved here, right, so err… How long have you been here?
Smartly dressed girl: Err… We’ve been here for a couple of weeks.
Luke: Ok. Everyone I’ve interviewed today has been in London for, like, two weeks. I don’t know why… So, what’s London really like then? What do you think?
Smartly dressed guy: Err, it’s a huge place. There must be about 10 million people living here. It’s got a lot of good things, bad things. It’s vibrant, it’s multicultural. It’s got fantastic places to eat, fantastic places to go out in the evening.
Smartly dressed girl: Fantastic theatre, fantastic restaurants. Fantastic museums, art galleries. Absolutely loads of stuff.
Luke: Ok
Smartly dressed guy: It’s a fast paced place. People seem to be moving around a lot faster than in the rest of the country
Smartly dressed girl: Sometimes that can get quite a bit much, you know. People sort of rushing everywhere all the time
Smartly dressed guy: But it’s interesting, but there’s also negatives to living here
Smartly dressed girl: It’s very congested, it’s very expensive. Err, extremely expensive, public transport is expensive. It’s hard… it can take a long time to get anywhere
Smartly dressed guy: And there’s also a lot of pollution, and crime as well. So, if you come to live here I think it’s about finding the right enclave…
Smartly dressed girl: Yeah, the right neighbourhood to live in, definitely…
Smartly dressed guy: And having friends. Set up your own community of friends, rather than knowing your next door neighbour.
Luke: Yeah. Ok, thank you very much
Smartly dressed guy: No worries
Luke: Cheers, bye bye
Smartly dressed girl: Cheers, bye

Vocabulary definitions

Here are some definitions of some of the vocabulary in the video.

night life – social life at night, for example clubs and bars
a lot of action – lots of exciting things happening, and lots of nice girls to meet
muggers – criminals who might steal things from you in public (e.g. attack you and steal your bag)
dodgy people – people who are strange and can’t be trusted
looking at your weirdly – looking at you in a strange way
turn away from them – look/turn in the other direction
shove about – push people when in a large crowd (e.g. pushing people when getting on or off a crowded train)
you’ve just got to deal with it – you have to just learn to live with it. You can’t let it make you unhappy.
massive
overwhelming – having such a great effect on you that you feel confused and do not know how to react
if you’re into theatres, art, education, night clubs, anything – ‘to be into something’ means to be interested in it, or to enjoy it
just get stuck in there – get involved without hesitation or fear
and go for it – just do it!
pollution – dirty air caused by cars, bad air conditioners etc
a cosmopolitan place – a place with lots of people from all over the world (positive adjective)
Pigeons – very common birds which you find in the city (see the video at about 3:33)
vibrant – full of energy and activity in an exciting way
multicultural – involving people from many different cultures
fast paced – with a quick lifestyle (e.g. people rushing about everywhere, walking very quickly, in a hurry)
get quite a bit (too) much – be stressful and annoying
congested – full of traffic, lots of traffic jams
the right enclave – a small area within the city in which you live and feel comfortable
neighbourhood – part of town in which you live