Train Your Brain to Speak in English | Stop Translating & Start Thinking in English

[00:00:05][music] [music] Hello everyone. Welcome back to the Jack and Julie podcast on our channel, Simple English Talks. I'm so incredibly happy you're here with us today for another amazing English lesson. Hey there, everyone. Great to see you all again.

[00:00:25]We've got a really exciting and powerful topic for you today that will completely change how you speak.

[00:00:31]>> Oh, yes, it really will. You know, just this morning, I was thinking about how much people struggle with trying to sound natural when they speak English.

[00:00:40]>> It's so true, Julie. Today, we're going to talk about a secret weapon in the English language, and that is the incredibly versatile verb get. We're going to look at how this one little word can help you train your brain to think like a native speaker and boost your real English level.

[00:00:57]>> That's right. By the end of this episode, you'll be able to use the word get in at least three different everyday situations, replacing those stiff textbook words with real natural phrasing. We want to hear from you right now before we even dive in. Please go ahead and leave a comment below telling us where you're listening from today. We love reading your comments.

[00:01:20]>> Yes, please do. And before we move forward, make sure to hit that like button and subscribe to the Jack and Julie podcast right now so you never miss out on our weekly lessons.

[00:01:30]>> Awesome. Now that you've subscribed, let's jump straight into our first main section and unlock the power of this amazing word. Let's start with the absolute foundation of how we use this word in daily life. The most common way native speakers use get is to replace verbs like buy, obtain, receive, or fetch. The basic structure formula here is very simple. Subject plus verb plus object. Exactly. It's that simple structure. Let me give you a few concrete examples so you can hear how it sounds. Instead of saying I bought a new phone, you can say I got a new phone.

[00:02:08]Instead of saying, "I received a letter," you can say, "I got a letter."

[00:02:12]Or instead of saying, "Please fetch some milk," you can say, "Please get some milk." Those are perfect examples, Jack.

[00:02:20]I actually used this exact structure today when I told my brother that I got a nice coffee from the cafe down the street. It sounds so much more relaxed than saying, "I purchased a coffee."

[00:02:30]>> Wow, it really does. Hey, Julie, did you get that coffee hot or iced? Oh, I got it iced because it's so warm outside today. See how naturally we just use that in our conversation?

[00:02:42]>> Yes, it just flows perfectly. Now, I want to address our listeners directly out there. Think about your day today.

[00:02:50]What is something that you bought or received recently? Go down to the comments right now and type a sentence using the subject plus verb plus object formula with get. For example, write, "I got a new book." Or, "I got a gift."

[00:03:04]That's a great practice prompt. Now, let's talk about how to make sentences negative or change the variation using this basic concept. When we want to say we didn't buy or receive something in the past, we use didn't get. For example, I didn't get the email you sent yesterday or he didn't get the job he interviewed for.

[00:03:25]>> That's an important point. Can you listeners think of a time you didn't get something you expected? Can you try saying out loud right now, I didn't get the message. Go ahead, try saying it out loud.

[00:03:37]>> It's so important to practice speaking out loud while you listen to us. So, to wrap this up, remember that anytime you think of words like buy, receive, or obtain, you can almost always use get instead to sound more natural.

[00:03:52]>> Absolutely. And that brings us to the end of our first foundational section on using get as a simple way to show ownership or receiving.

[00:04:01]>> Now let's build on what we just learned and look at a closely related use of this verb. This next concept is where get means become or it shows a change in state or condition.

[00:04:12]>> Oh, this is a huge one for real English level fluency. We use this when something transitions from one state to another and we often combine get with an adjective.

[00:04:23]>> Yes. For instance, think about real life situations like the weather or your feelings. Instead of saying it is becoming dark outside, native speakers will almost always say it's getting dark. Or if you haven't eaten all day, you don't usually say I am becoming hungry. You say I'm getting hungry.

[00:04:42]>> That's so true. Let's do a quick dialogue demonstration for everyone.

[00:04:47]Julie, are you ready for our meeting later?

[00:04:50]>> Oh, I'm starting to get nervous about it, Jack. There are going to be so many people there.

[00:04:55]>> Don't worry, you'll do great. Just don't get stressed out before it even starts.

[00:04:59]>> Thanks, Jack. I'll try to stay calm and not get angry or upset if things go wrong.

[00:05:04]>> See how we used getting nervous, get stressed, and get angry. This is how we talk about changing emotions. Now, let's quickly compare formal versus informal usage here. In a formal business essay, you might write, "The company became successful." But in a casual conversation with a friend, you would say, "The company got successful." Get is much more conversational and friendly. Definitely. Let's do a quick practice activity together right now. I have three specific tips to help you master this get plus adjective structure. First, pay attention to physical feelings like getting tired, getting hot, or getting cold. Second, think about emotional changes like getting excited or getting bored. Third, notice situations like getting married or getting lost. Those tips are gold, Julie. I highly encourage all of our amazing learners to pause for a second and write your own examples in the comments using get plus an adjective.

[00:06:04]Tell us about a time you got excited or a time you got lost. I can't wait to read those stories in the comments section. It's the best way to train your brain to stop translating from your native language.

[00:06:15]>> It really is. So, to review the key points of this section, remember that get plus an adjective simply means to experience a change or to become something new. Moving right along, let's explore a third major application of this wonderful verb. This section is all about using get to mean arrive at a place or to understand an idea.

[00:06:37]>> These are two incredibly practical everyday scenarios that you will hear in almost every movie, TV show, or casual conversation.

[00:06:46]>> Let's start with arrival. Instead of saying, "What time did you arrive at the train station?" A native speaker will ask, "What time did you get to the station?" Or if you're calling a friend, you might say, "I just got home."

[00:06:59]>> Yes. Let me give a detailed example with some context. Imagine you're traveling and you want to know when the flight lands. You can ask your friend, "When do you get to New York?" It sounds so smooth and natural compared to when do you arrive in New York. Now, let's look at the other meaning for this section, which is to understand. This is a brilliant tip for politeness and naturalness. If someone explains a complex grammar rule to you and you finally comprehend it, you can simply smile and say, "Oh, I get it now."

[00:07:31]>> Exactly. The tone and delivery here are really important. If you say, "I get it," with a happy rising tone, it means you understand and you're happy. But if you use a flat tone and say, "I get it," it might sound like you're annoyed that someone is repeating themselves. So, make sure your delivery matches your feeling. That's a fantastic observation about tone, Jack. Let's do a mini practice. I will say a sentence that is confusing and you respond using get. Hey Jack, did you know that the word get can be used in over 20 different ways?

[00:08:06]>> Wow, really? Hm, I didn't get that at first, but now that you've explained it so clearly, I totally get it.

[00:08:13]>> Perfect response. Now, for everyone listening to us, please encourage yourself to speak out loud with us right now. Say this sentence out loud. I get it. Come on, don't be shy. Say it out loud.

[00:08:26]>> Excellent job to everyone who just practiced out loud. To wrap up this structural review, keep in mind that get can mean arriving at a destination or capturing the meaning of a joke or an idea. Now that we've covered the main uses, it's time to talk about the common mistakes section. We all make mistakes when learning languages. And honestly, Jack and I make them all the time when we try to speak new languages, too.

[00:08:50]>> Oh, absolutely. There is no shame in making mistakes. It's just part of the journey. Let's look at three or four common errors that English learners make with the word get.

[00:09:00]>> The first big error is adding the preposition to when it's not needed.

[00:09:04]Many learners say, "I got to home at 6:00." But that is incorrect. Let's show the incorrect versus correct usage side by side. Incorrect, I got to home.

[00:09:15]Correct, I got home.

[00:09:17]>> The reason why this is wrong is because the word home acts as an adverb of direction here, so it doesn't need the preposition to. Another common mistake is overusing get in very formal writing.

[00:09:30]For instance, writing, I got a letter from the president in a formal business report sounds a bit too casual. A better alternative for formal writing would be, "I received correspondence from the president."

[00:09:42]>> That's a great alternative, Jack. Let me share a humorous example of a mistake.

[00:09:46]Once a student wanted to say they were becoming tired, but they accidentally said, "I'm getting old." While it was funny and technically correct grammar, it wasn't what they actually meant to say at that moment.

[00:09:59]>> That's hilarious. Another common slip is confusing get with have. Learners sometimes say, "I get a car," when they actually mean, "I have a car right now."

[00:10:10]Remember, get shows the action of obtaining, while have shows that you already own it. Let's do a practice prompt for each mistake type. Listeners, look at the sentence. Yesterday, I got to school late. Is that correct or incorrect? Think about it. Yes, it's correct because school needs the word to unlike the word home. I want to reassure all of our learners that making these little slip ups with prepositions or informal tones is completely normal.

[00:10:40]Don't let fear stop you from practicing.

[00:10:42]>> Exactly. Every mistake is just a stepping stone closer to your ultimate real English level goals.

[00:10:49]>> Well said, Julie. That brings a very encouraging wrap-up to our common mistake section for today. Let's move into our interactive practice section where we can put your brain to the test with a fun game called choose the correct sentence.

[00:11:03]>> I love this game. We're going to present four different situations with two options each and you have to decide which option sounds like a natural native speaker using our target word.

[00:11:13]Situation number one, you want to tell your friend that you bought a beautiful jacket yesterday. Option A, I obtained a beautiful jacket yesterday. Option B, I got a beautiful jacket yesterday. Which one is better?

[00:11:27]>> Option B is definitely better for a casual conversation because I got a jacket sounds warm, natural, and friendly. Whereas obtained sounds like a police report.

[00:11:36]>> Situation number two, you want to tell your coworker that you are starting to feel sick. Option A, I'm getting sick.

[00:11:44]Option B, I'm becoming sick. Listeners, please say your answer out loud right now. I hope everyone said option A. We always use get with physical states like getting sick, getting tired, or getting better. It perfectly shows that transition of health.

[00:12:00]>> Situation number three, you want to talk about your arrival at the airport?

[00:12:04]Option A, what time do we get to the airport? Option B, what time do we get at the airport? The correct one is option A because we always use the preposition to after get when we talk about arriving at a specific destination except for words like home or downstairs. Situation number four, you want to challenge yourself to create a sentence. We want you to choose your own adjective and make a sentence right now.

[00:12:29]For example, you can write, "I get happy when I listen to the Jack and Julie podcast."

[00:12:34]>> Oh, that's a beautiful sentence choice, Julie. Remember, when you practice like this, always emphasize real conversation and communication over absolute perfection. We've made it to the conclusion and wrap-up of today's episode. I'm feeling so enthusiastic about everything we've covered today, and I hope you are, too.

[00:12:53]>> We covered a lot of ground today. To wrap it up neatly, let's list the three main uses of get that we learned. First, we use it to buy or receive something.

[00:13:02]Second, we use it to show a change of state, meaning to become. And third, we use it to talk about arriving at a place or understanding an idea.

[00:13:11]>> You all did an absolute fantastic job today. Please give yourselves a massive round of applause for taking this time to train your brain to think in English.

[00:13:20]>> Before we say goodbye, we have one final reflective question for you to answer.

[00:13:25]What is one situation this week where you can use the word get instead of a textbook word?

[00:13:30]>> Think about that question and drop your answer down below. If you loved this lesson, please make sure to like this audio, share it with a friend who is also learning English, leave a comment, and don't forget to subscribe to the Jack and Julie podcast on our channel right now. Thank you so much for hanging out with us today and working hard on your real English level. We appreciate every single one of you.

[00:13:53]>> Keep practicing, keep staying positive, and keep speaking out loud every single day.

[00:13:58]>> You've got this. See you next time.