Talking About Your Future, Plans & Dreams in English | English Podcast for Easy English Conversation

Added: 2026-05-12

[00:00:00]I want to ask you one question and I do not want the safe answer. I want the real one.

[00:00:08]>> What do you actually want for your life?

[00:00:13]Not what you are supposed to want, not what is realistic, not what makes sense given your circumstances.

[00:00:22]>> What do you actually want?

[00:00:24]>> Most people when asked this question in their own language, they hesitate. They qualify. They soften the real answer with practicality.

[00:00:35]>> And in English, most learners have never even tried to answer this question because they did not have the words.

[00:00:43]>> Today, you get the words, the exact English phrases for talking about your plans, your dreams, and your goals in a way that sounds natural, confident, and completely real. And along the way, you might discover something that saying your dreams out loud, even in another language, makes them feel more possible.

[00:01:08]>> Because words make things real, and real things can be pursued.

[00:01:16]>> Stay with us.

[00:01:17]>> Hello everyone. Welcome to Speak Unstoppable, the podcast where we help you speak English naturally and confidently through real, honest conversations.

[00:01:28]>> I'm John.

[00:01:30]>> And I'm Maria. So happy you're here with us today.

[00:01:33]>> This episode is for B1 to B2 learners, intermediate to upper intermediate level English.

[00:01:41]>> How are you feeling today, John?

[00:01:43]honestly hopeful because this topic talking about the future it is one of my favorites because hope is one of the most important things a person can have in any language.

[00:01:59]>> Same. Before we start, thank you for being here for being someone who still has dreams worth talking about.

[00:02:08]>> Let's go.

[00:02:09]>> Okay. I want to give you a situation and I want you to imagine yourself in it.

[00:02:17]>> Tell us >> you are at a dinner or a party or a professional event and someone a native English speaker turns to you and says, >> "So, what are your plans for the future?

[00:02:35]What are you hoping to do?"

[00:02:37]>> And you freeze. Not because you do not have plans, not because you do not have hopes, but because in that moment in English you cannot find the words >> and the moment passes and you gave a vague half-formed answer and internally you felt frustrated because your actual dreams, your real plans, they are so much bigger and more interesting than what came out >> today. That never happens again.

[00:03:15]>> Because today we give you every phrase you need for every version of that question in every situation where your future comes up. short-term plans, long-term dreams, professional ambitions, personal goals, hopes that feel almost too big to say out loud.

[00:03:38]>> All of it in real natural English.

[00:03:42]>> And here is something I want you to notice as we go through today's episode.

[00:03:47]>> What's that? Every time you say a phrase about your future out loud in English, something happens inside.

[00:03:57]The future becomes slightly more real, slightly more concrete >> because language shapes reality. And when you can articulate your future clearly in English or in any language, you are already one step closer to it.

[00:04:15]Maybe you have big dreams you have never said out loud, not even in your own language.

[00:04:21]>> Today, you say them in English, and you discover how it feels. Okay, let's start with the simplest version of future talk, short-term plans, the next few weeks or months.

[00:04:37]>> Because in everyday English conversation, this comes up constantly, at work, with friends, with family.

[00:04:48]>> What are you up to this weekend? Any plans for the holidays? What's next for you? and having natural fluent answers to these questions, it makes every English conversation easier.

[00:05:02]>> Let's learn the structures and say each one out loud.

[00:05:06]>> Structure one, I'm planning to >> this is the most common structure for near future plans.

[00:05:19]Confident, clear, natural. I'm planning to visit my family next month.

[00:05:27]>> Say it. I'm planning to visit my family next month.

[00:05:32]>> I'm planning to start a new project at work.

[00:05:36]>> Say it. I'm planning to start a new project at work.

[00:05:40]>> Structure two. I'm thinking about >> This is slightly less certain. It suggests you are considering something but have not fully decided. I'm thinking about taking a short course to improve my skills.

[00:05:56]>> Say it. I'm thinking about taking a short course to improve my skills.

[00:06:02]>> I'm thinking about making some changes to my routine.

[00:06:06]>> Structure three. I'm hoping to >> This expresses desire combined with some uncertainty. You want this, but it depends on circumstances. I'm hoping to finish this project by the end of the month.

[00:06:21]>> Say it. I'm hoping to finish this project by the end of the month. I'm hoping to have some time to relax over the holidays. Structure four. I've been meaning to.

[00:06:34]>> This is for things you have intended to do but have not yet done. It sounds very natural and very honest.

[00:06:42]>> I've been meaning to learn more about finance. I just haven't found the right time yet.

[00:06:48]>> Say it. I've been meaning to learn more about finance. I just haven't found the right time yet.

[00:06:55]>> I've been meaning to call them. I keep putting it off.

[00:06:59]>> Put it off means to delay doing something. To keep postponing.

[00:07:05]>> These four structures, they cover almost every short-term future conversation.

[00:07:12]Practice them with your own real plans.

[00:07:16]>> Coming up, long-term goals and the phrases that make ambitious dreams sound natural and confident.

[00:07:28]Okay?

[00:07:29]Bigger, further, the long-term goals. These are the ones that matter most and the ones most learners find hardest to express in English >> because long-term goals, they require more nuance, more complexity, more precision.

[00:07:51]>> Structure one. My long-term goal is to >> direct, clear, confident. My long-term goal is to build something of my own. Something that reflects who I am.

[00:08:07]>> Say it.

[00:08:08]My long-term goal is to build something of my own. Something that reflects who I am.

[00:08:16]>> My long-term goal is to reach a level of financial security where my family has real options.

[00:08:25]>> Say it.

[00:08:26]My long-term goal is to reach a level of financial security where my family has real options.

[00:08:34]>> Structure two. In 5 years, I see myself.

[00:08:38]>> This is one of the most common questions in job interviews and the most natural way to answer it.

[00:08:45]>> In 5 years, I see myself leading something I am genuinely proud of.

[00:08:51]>> Say it. In 5 years, I see myself leading something I am genuinely proud of.

[00:08:59]>> In 5 years, I see myself more settled with a clearer sense of where I am going.

[00:09:06]>> Structure three. What I am working towards is >> this phrase emphasizes the journey, the active pursuit rather than just the destination. What I am working towards is a life where my work and my values are fully aligned.

[00:09:24]>> Say it. What I am working towards is a life where my work and my values are fully aligned.

[00:09:33]>> What I am working towards is fluency.

[00:09:36]The kind where I stop thinking and just speak.

[00:09:40]>> Say it. What I am working towards is fluency. The kind where I stop thinking and just speak.

[00:09:50]>> Ultimately, what I want is to feel like I used my potential, like I did not leave anything important undone.

[00:09:58]>> Say it. Ultimately, what I want is to feel like I used my potential, like I did not leave anything important undone.

[00:10:11]That sentence, it is one of the most powerful things a person can say in any language. Okay, this section, it is my favorite because these are the phrases most learners never practice but need the most. The dreams, the ones that feel ambitious, maybe even a little unrealistic, the ones you sometimes think about and then dismiss.

[00:10:43]>> Today we say them out loud in English.

[00:10:49]>> Because here is what I have discovered.

[00:10:51]When you say a dream out loud in any language, it changes its status from fantasy to possibility.

[00:11:01]>> Phrase one. I've always dreamed of >> I've always dreamed of building something that helps people in a real way.

[00:11:10]>> Say it. I've always dreamed of building something that helps people in a real way.

[00:11:17]I've always dreamed of speaking English so naturally that I forget I am speaking a second language.

[00:11:25]>> Say it. I've always dreamed of speaking English so naturally that I forget I am speaking a second language.

[00:11:34]>> Phrase two. One day I want to >> one day. This small phrase it is one of the most powerful in the English language. It holds hope and patience at the same time.

[00:11:49]>> One day I want to look back and feel genuinely proud of what I built.

[00:11:55]>> Say it. One day I want to look back and feel genuinely proud of what I built.

[00:12:02]>> One day I want to have the kind of freedom where I choose how I spend my time.

[00:12:09]>> Phrase three. It might sound ambitious, but I want to >> This phrase acknowledges that the dream is big without apologizing for it.

[00:12:20]>> It might sound ambitious, but I want to create something that outlasts me.

[00:12:26]Something that continues to help people even when I am no longer actively involved.

[00:12:32]>> Say it. It might sound ambitious, but I want to create something that outlasts me.

[00:12:41]Phrase four, if everything goes the way I hope.

[00:12:45]>> This phrase combines dream with humility. You know things do not always go to plan. But you still have a vision.

[00:12:56]>> If everything goes the way I hope, I will be doing work I love with people I respect in a way that also gives me time for the things that matter most.

[00:13:08]>> Say it. Fill in your own version. What does your if everything goes the way I hope look like?

[00:13:17]>> Say it out loud right now in English.

[00:13:21]>> Okay, one more important skill because talking about dreams and goals in English there is a balance. You want to sound confident, ambitious, clear about what you want, >> but not arrogant, not overcertain, not dismissive of the challenges.

[00:13:44]>> And English has specific phrases that achieve exactly this balance. Phrase one, I am working hard towards underscore underscore underscore.

[00:13:57]It is not easy but I believe it is possible.

[00:14:01]>> This phrase shows ambition a and humility confidence a and d realism.

[00:14:09]>> Say it with your own goal. I am working hard towards underscore underscore underscore.

[00:14:17]It is not easy but I believe it is possible.

[00:14:21]>> Phrase two. I am not there yet, but I am closer than I was.

[00:14:29]>> This phrase, it is one of the most mature things a person can say about their progress.

[00:14:35]>> It does not claim arrival, but it demonstrates movement, direction, growth.

[00:14:44]>> Say it. I am not there yet, but I am closer than I was.

[00:14:50]>> Phrase three. I do not know exactly how, but I know what I want and I am figuring it out.

[00:14:59]>> This is the honest, humble confidence of someone who has a clear destination and is still finding the path.

[00:15:08]>> It sounds real because it is real. Most people with genuine ambition feel this way most of the time.

[00:15:16]>> Say it. I do not know exactly how, but I know what I want and I am figuring it out. Can I say something about the relationship between language and dreams, >> please?

[00:15:30]>> Most people when they think about their future, they think in their first language. Their dreams live in that language, their hopes, their ambitions.

[00:15:41]>> And then when they try to express those dreams in English, something is lost.

[00:15:47]because the words are not yet connected to the feelings.

[00:15:50]>> But here is what happens with practice, with consistent repeated practice of these phrases attached to your real dreams, your real goals, your real ambitions.

[00:16:05]>> The English words start to connect to the feelings, to the reality of what you want. And when that happens, when you can talk about your future in English with the same feeling as in your first language, >> you have crossed into real fluency. the kind that changes how you move through the world >> because you can express yourself fully in both languages, in both worlds.

[00:16:34]>> And the opportunities that come with English fluency, the professional connections, the international doors, the wider world, >> they become accessible to the full version of you. Not a simplified version that can only talk about basics. The full version with all your dreams intact.

[00:16:57]>> Your dreams deserve real words in every language you speak.

[00:17:03]>> Remember this. The future you cannot describe. You cannot fully pursue. Give your dreams words in English and watch how real they become.

[00:17:17]>> Say it again.

[00:17:19]The future you cannot describe, you cannot fully pursue. Give your dreams words and watch how real they become.

[00:17:30]>> Starting today with today's phrases, word time.

[00:17:36]>> Word one, ambition.

[00:17:39]This means a strong desire to achieve something significant. Example one, her ambition was clear. She spoke about her goals with conviction and specificity.

[00:17:51]Example two. Ambition in English learning means more than wanting to improve. It means having a specific vision of who you want to become.

[00:18:02]>> Word two, articulate.

[00:18:05]This means to express something clearly and effectively in words. Example one.

[00:18:12]Once she could articulate her goals in English, they felt more real and more achievable.

[00:18:20]Example two, articulating your thoughts in English, even imperfectly, is the whole practice.

[00:18:29]Do it daily.

[00:18:31]>> Word three, conviction.

[00:18:35]This means a firmly held belief speaking with complete confidence in what you are saying. Example one, he spoke about his future with conviction and people around him believed in it too. Example two, speak your English with conviction even when you are uncertain.

[00:18:58]Confidence is part of the message.

[00:19:00]>> Word four, aligned. This means in agreement, moving in the same direction, consistent with each other. Example one, she wanted work that was aligned with her values, not just a job that paid well. Example two, when your English practice is aligned with your real interests, it becomes something you look forward to rather than something you endure.

[00:19:28]>> Word five, ultimately. This means in the end when everything is considered most fundamentally example one ultimately what I want is a life where I feel that I used my time well. Example two ultimately English fluency is not about grammar. It is about connection about being understood and understanding others.

[00:19:56]>> Word six outlast. This means to last longer than something or someone else.

[00:20:04]To continue after others have ended.

[00:20:08]Example one, she wanted to build something that would outlast her. That would continue to help people even after she was gone. Example two, the habits you build outlast the motivation that created them. Build good habits. Word seven, pursue.

[00:20:29]This means to follow and try to achieve something, to actively work towards a goal. Example one, he pursued his dream with consistency. Small steps every day without giving up. Example two, pursue English, not because it is easy, but because what it opens is worth the effort. Word eight, envision.

[00:20:57]This means to imagine something as a future possibility, to see it in your mind clearly. Example one, she could envision exactly what she wanted. And that clarity gave her direction. Example two, envision your English fluency. What does it look like? Sound like? Where are you when you use it? That image is your direction. One thing to do today.

[00:21:25]>> Finish these three sentences out loud in English right now.

[00:21:32]>> Sentence one. In one year, I want to >> Sentence two. My biggest long-term goal is underscore underscore underscore.

[00:21:46]>> Sentence three. One day I dream of underscore underscore underscore.

[00:21:54]>> Say all three with your real answers, with your real dreams out loud.

[00:22:02]>> And here is your sentence template for today.

[00:22:05]>> My dream is underscore underscore underscore. It might sound ambitious, but I believe it is possible. and I am working towards it one day at a time.

[00:22:20]>> Say it now out loud.

[00:22:23]>> My dream is it might sound ambitious but I believe it is possible and I am working towards it one day at a time.

[00:22:38]>> Fill in your real dream. Mean every word. Say it like you believe it >> because saying it in English is already the first step toward it.

[00:22:50]>> Comment challenge time.

[00:22:52]>> One question and the most important one.

[00:22:56]>> What is one dream you have never said out loud in any language. Say it now in English in the comments.

[00:23:06]>> Use this sentence. A dream I have never said out loud before is and today I am saying it.

[00:23:15]>> Write it in English in the comments.

[00:23:20]>> Because your dream deserves words and today it gets them. Because your dream deserves words. And today it gets them.

[00:23:30]>> We read every comment. Everyone. Please give this a like.

[00:23:37]>> Subscribe to speak unstoppable.

[00:23:40]>> Thank you for being here.

[00:23:42]>> The future you cannot describe.

[00:23:45]>> You cannot fully pursue.

[00:23:48]>> Give your dreams words >> in English >> and watch how real they become.

[00:23:55]>> Bye everyone. B.