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Fast or slow speach? Hi you all! Everything alright? My listening comprehension sucks! (Is it bad language? Or vulgar? It seems so common, I really don't know. Sorry if it is not polite). So, an iTalki member suggested me two ESL podcasts. In the first one texts are read slowly, in, say, a professional manner. Naturally chances are that I can comprehend a bit more. The second podcast uses a more day-to-day speech rate. It also uses more slangs, for example. I should, therefore, understand much less. Which way do you think I should follow? Why? Thanks a lot! Francisco.

Corrections · 8

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Fast or slow speech?

Hi you all! Everything alright? [We find this corny in English]


My listening comprehension is horrible. sucks! (Is it bad language? Or vulgar? It seems so common, I really don't know. Sorry if it is not polite). [You may use this in informal writing and in dialog for the proper context.]

So, an iTalki member suggested to me, two ESL podcasts. In the first one, the texts are is read slowly, in, say, a professional manner. Naturally, chances are that I can comprehend a bit more. The second podcast uses a more day-to-day speech rate. It also uses more slang.s, For example. I should, therefore, understand much less.

Which way do you think I should follow? Why?

Thanks a lot!
Francisco.

 

You need both ways.  The first one teaches you how to speak properly and slow enough to understand and build your confidence.  If you cannot understand what is spoken at a fast rate, you can never learn anything.  If a person speaks too fast, you can ask that person to slow down.  It would be the same advice you give to a person learning Portuguese.

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Fast or slow speach?

Hi you all! Everything alright? (Everything good?)


My listening comprehension sucks! (Is it bad language? Or vulgar? It seems so common, I really don't know. Sorry if it is not polite). (it's fine...it's just casual)

So, an iTalki member suggested to me two ESL podcasts. In the first one texts are read slowly, in, say, a professional manner. Naturally chances are that I can comprehend a bit more. The second podcast uses a more day-to-day speech rate. It also uses more slangs, for example. I should, therefore, understand much less.

Which way do you think I should follow? Why?

Thanks a lot!
Francisco.

 

I guess it depends on what you are learning English for!  I would focus on the day-to-day podcast if you are just learning for fun.  Honestly, I never realized how often I talk in expressions and slang until I started studying Portuguese and realized I couldn't figure out the translations haha! Of course it is important to learn formal speech as well; however, if I were in your position I would spend more time with the normal podcast.  Good luck and let me know if you need any help :)

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Hi Kevin and Irina, much appreciated comments.
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I couldn't hear foreign languages very long time (more 19 years), but I started to work as an accountant and I had to listen to lots of informations and I had only one way for getting of information - listening. After that I started to hear languages more better. I started to learn English again. I use a very hard way for it because I can understand foreign speech only after I write English phrases. I have written three coursebooks which I studied on English courses. I was writing them during almost two years and I finished one course for speak English. Now I can understand simple phrases which my partner speaks. I can't understand only difficult phrases because I don't have such vocabulary and I just started to learn these words. In Russia we have one way for learning foreign languages - you listen to text during three hours every day only for listening. At the beginning you don't understand what you listen to, but after some times you start to understand this text. My friend listen to one book in Spanish which he knows in Russian and now he starts to understand it. He also uses coursebook of Spanish.
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"Sucks" is not vulgarism. It's just informal. Personally, I think practising listening at the native speed will be more useful. After all, improvement is most rapid when one is outside of one's comfort zone ;) Good luck!

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