What I learnt after reaching C2 in English

[@landrey1791]

Man, it's so realistic) I always wonder what the hell is wrong with people who claim to know English literally a year after they started learning. This is ridiculous. Sure, if you want to meet a few strangers while on vacation and have a little chat, well maybe that's OK, but it is NOT knowlendge of the language (I'm saying about high level). It take years, not months. Even after years of learning English or another language you will feel like this is not enough (pretty good, but definitely not enough). The other day I realized this fact and, you know, I became much more relaxed in terms of feeling at what level I am, what should I do to improve my skills, how long it takes me to reach the desirable level etc. For now, I'm quite comfortable at my current level because I can understand people, I can clearly express my thoughts without long awkward pauses (I'm sure that many people are familiar with that)) but from time to time I still think that this is not enough)))

[@sharondancu5353]

I enjoyed this!

[@Theyoutuberpolyglot]

Many people think learning a language is all about learning words, sentences and idioms. English native speakers learn subjects like philosophy, historic, maths at school through a language, which is English. Language is also about culture aspects. For me, a language is a bridge which allows me to reach further information. I do agree with you. If you want to reach a high level of a language, you have to know about the culture, traditions, historic facts about the country or countries which the language is spoken. For a casual conversation or a dialogue about very familiar topics, we don't need to achieve the C2 level. A B2 level is fair enough to get by in most situations. I do consider myself fluent in English to a certain degree. You can always improve and enlarge your vocabulary, but you have to get out of your comfort zone to hit a higher level. People have to understand that languages are related with knowledge. You read a medicine book through a language. Without a language, we can't acquire knowledge or information that we hear or read in the media.

[@magiclake9454]

перестань скобки так использовать, просто пиши ":)". Тебя не понимают так

[@magiclake9454]

@@Theyoutuberpolyglot not only that, you also have to kind of rewire your brain into thinking in English, as corny as it sounds.

[@Catimixto]

I learned english in 2 seconds

[@Theyoutuberpolyglot]

1. Who cares if you sound native or not. You sound fluent and precise.

[@soundoftoday10]

Actually I understood it way better than to a native. I think that's an advantage for him, but maybe a disadvantage for me😂😢

[@Theyoutuberpolyglot]

We should place emphasis on understanding what we hear. It’s silly to judge someone by their accent when you understand everything he or she says to you.

[@Theyoutuberpolyglot]

@@soundoftoday10 You understand him better than native speakers. Well, he speaks clearly in the video. You might not understand unclear English. Native speakers don’t care about grammar and pronunciation. If you want to understand native speakers you should listen to native speakers more often than someone who speaks clearly and nicely. This also applies to other languages. Don’t forget about the registers and regional dialects. Someone who lives in a farm doesn’t speak in the same way as a university professor. Teenagers don’t use formal language in informal conversations.

[@imdee9024]

I'm a native English speaker and your English is phenomenal. Hats off to you. No one should worry about sounding native. I live in South Africa and though I am a native speaker, I wish I had a Brittish accent. When I went to Europe on holiday, they were fascinated with my accent. The reason you sound great is because you have mastered intonation and you use great vocabulary. Well done. You should be proud.

[@KevinAbroad]

That's such a nice comment. Thank you!

[@AidasRusa]

Your English is superb. I have been learning English for about 19 years now and I am not bad at writing, I don't mention grammar mistakes etc. I am good,very good at reading. I'm good at understanding and still struggling when watching movies without subtitles. I am still not good when I talk, I would say I am not bad,even I have been living in England. for 16 years.

[@KevinAbroad]

Thank you! I'm sure your English is great if you have been learning for such a long time. Often, we get very self-critical instead of seeing how much progress we've done ❤️

[@h.p.brownsaucecraft7966]

I know people that were B2, possibly C1 in French get chastised in Paris for speaking “horribly” and everyone immediately, and annoyed, switched to English everywhere.

[@KevinAbroad]

Saddest language story I've ever read.

[@quantus5875]

Yeah - love your comment. I find it interesting how culture varies -- like in Brazil if you can speak at B2 level -- Brazilians will tell you how great your Portugues is - it may not be -- they're really just expressing joy that you're trying.

[@frankbougrasse8047]

Please don't generalize about French people due to a bad experience. It's well known that people in Paris can sometimes be a bit cocky or snobbish but they are not the essence of France at all... However, the majority of French people appreciate foreigners make an effort to speak the language, and a true French person would never blame you for speaking broken French...

[@surfnet5302]

This is the most realistic opinion I've ever heard. Most people would only talk about how easy it is to learn a language. They see it as an encouragement, which is strongly required, but at the same time devastating everytime you fail to progress. The struggle and the pressure that you undergo to learn a language is not minor.

[@KevinAbroad]

Thanks. I agree! I don't even think I have ever associated "language" with "easy" on my channel. I simply don't believe it's ever easy. It's disempowering to think of it this way. It takes away the hard work you put into it I feel

[@surfnet5302]

Exactly

[@eugene_loca]

I'm russian. And I'm listening and understanding french human via English language. It's amazing!)))

[@pedrooliveira8770]

I'm Brazilian and I'm reading a comment written, in English, by a Russian about a French guy whose speaks English. Mind blowing

[@KevinAbroad]

E o francês também é português :D

[@margaritadankova5061]

I totally can relate. Hi from Russia, lol

[@eugene_loca]

@@margaritadankova5061 lol. Hi from Kazakhstan!!!))

[@margaritadankova5061]

@@eugene_loca I think it's kinda weird but whatsoever, I love English :D

[@ernestocolladoo]

I’ve met two people who learnt Spanish “very late in life” (one in their 20’s and the other in their 30’s or so) and both of them sound as native as I am. In the time I spoke to them maybe they just asked me about a word once. The first one is a mid-20’s Brazilian boy and the other a woman from Rumania. Their Spanish was literally spotless. And the craziest thing is that I think both of them learned Spanish in 2 years to get that level. At least the Brazilian boy who i literally didn’t know was a foreigner until he mentioned. My theory is that this might be due to a combination of talent (meaning effort, consistency and good ear) and very likely the difficulty of the language sounds. Like, if I remember correctly, both of them clearly had a foreign accent in English, but I’m idk about the English learning journeys. Also, as a Spaniard, I used to practice more my Italian and try my accent harder and I could fool Italians back then and my general level wasn’t even high (Spanish and Italian share most of the sounds, but have different accents when it comes to their musicality mostly). And I’m guessing same thing happens with the two people I mentioned before. They both spoke Romance languages that shared similarities. English just has so many difficult sounds that are so precise, the vowel sounds specially… And again, my two examples from before, the boy in particular I talked to for hours for many days and I can assure you I’d never seen anything like that, he had been learning Spanish for two years only (he moved to spain knowing nothing). So, I wanna think there’s the slightest “hope” that miracles can happen. I’m not really obsessed with sounding native at this point, but it’s just so lovely and kind of inspiring that at least very few people can actually achieve the unachievable, it helps me sleep better at night 😂 but everyone has an accent anyway obviously and we’re as kings and queens as these other special beings 🩷❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜

[@dominus.8923]

Hello,Sir,very thanks,greetings.

[@marcellofadda9474]

Hi from Sardinia. I've studied English for decades (I'm 60 now) and I do confirm that there's always something new you come across and never heard before. Among all the accents I like the RP best (I think it's the most "elegant"), but who cares if you keep a bit of your accent. It's a peculiarity that helps distinguishing yourself from other persons. And BTW thank you for being so sincere...🖐️🤠

[@KevinAbroad]

Thank you for your comment Marcello!

[@mariamelkoraini7373]

What is RP?

[@marcellofadda9474]

@@mariamelkoraini7373 Hi. Received Pronunciation. A sort of recognized pronunciation that persons that speak in radio/video programs often use...look it up online...you'll get a thorougher explanation... (what is your nationality?)

[@marcellofadda9474]

@@mariamelkoraini7373 ---> en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Received_Pronunciation

[@mariamelkoraini7373]

@marcellofadda9474 thank you for clarification

[@ozkanelmas434]

Thank you man I'm at B1-B2 currently and I want to improve it to C1-C2 level and this video has motivated me too much. I think I'll start with reading intermediate level books to advanced level, and also I've got some native friends to talk to me

[@KevinAbroad]

Nice!! Good luck :)

[@mekhribonibragimova4632]

Please share your books.We're at the same level and goals are also the same

[@ozkanelmas434]

@@mekhribonibragimova4632, You can add me on Discord, so we can message each other and improve our English.

[@beyourself4996]

My English is also B2 too i need to get C1 so i can move my own 😭😭😂😂👏👏

[@ozkanelmas434]

@@beyourself4996 I hope you get it

[@costanzacaligari4083]

I've always struggled with feeling that my level in English wasn't "enough". Now I realize that a lot of people feel that way 😅 Great video! Very helpful 😊

[@KevinAbroad]

It's super common! It took me a while to realise it was a confidence issue which had nothing to do with my English!

[@KevinAbroad]

Thanks for the nice words 😊

[@LearnEnglishwithNetflix]

Excellent! You're English is great and you have the right mindset. Thanks for sharing your journey! I will share it with my students.

[@LearnEnglishwithNetflix]

Also, I thought you were Dutch, not French, since really good English speakers from the Netherlands usually come the closest to native speakers of English.

[@KevinAbroad]

@@LearnEnglishwithNetflix thank you for your compliments 😊😊

[@rashifarsya]

Thank you, I have an obsession to sound like a native speaker, watching your videos makes me realize that it’s not so realistic. English is so tricky, especially how you have to stress a certain syllable in order to sound right. But eventually, making mistakes here and there, once in a while is completely normal for non native speakers.

[@KevinAbroad]

I'm glad I could help 😊

[@thesmokecriminal5395]

It's a quite realistic goal tbh with you, but it also requires a lot of hard work and dedication

[@moi-up6nx]

I would say its native speakers that tend to make mistakes, and we are learners speaking too perfectly , thinking about grammar all the time,that makes sound non-native 😂

[@mcmerry2846]

Don't speak like a native...native speakers actually speak pretty bad...aim perfection (native is not perfection)

[@alexk5390]

Making mistakes is also ok for native speakers. I bet you do make mistakes in your native language as well.

[@juanalberto9731]

This video’s absolutely breathtaking, congrats mate! By the way, Accent reduction classes can make people sound as a native speaker, even though, only based in standard pronunciation

[@KevinAbroad]

Thank you very much!!

[@johnshnider2705]

I'm an english native speaker, Your so much better then me at speaking and you have a great selection words which are delivered very clearly, not being fluent is ok and being more determined to learn a language for a long time is impressive :) the people who youve mentioned that say they learn english in a year. let me tell you, that sounds like a flex and just not possible to some extent. thanks iv subscribed

[@KevinAbroad]

Thanks for your comment :))

[@federicoglez820]

Feel you, bro! I studied Japanese for so long and even when I became a translator I always thinking that’s not enough!!

[@frankbougrasse8047]

I can understand you 100% You sound very clear! As a French person, I have to say... I’m a bit jealous of your speaking skills and pronunciation... Hope that I can reach that level of fluency soon...

[@KevinAbroad]

You can do it! It took me a lot of practice but with dedication you can do it! If that helps at all, I have a video in which I explain how I learnt English. It's a little long 😆

[@eugenekhristo7252]

Amazing English pronunciation. French people usually have really thick accent and it's almost impossible to understand them 😅 Your pronunciation is top-notch

[@KevinAbroad]

That is very kind of you, thank you! 😊

[@stumoss7010]

As a native speaker from England, I would say that many people who have learnt English proficiently as a second language actually have a better grasp of the language than native speakers. You have to bear in mind that English that is taught in most schools is awful compared to the English that is taught as a second language. It wasn't until I looked into learning to teach English as a foreign language that I came across grammatical terms such as past perfect, present progressive etc.. So although most native speakers know to converse this way naturally we don't necessarily understand why English is grammatically spoken the way it is because we haven't studied it as in depth as a proficient English learner. Regional accents also make many native English speakers lazy with the language and we incorporate a lot of slang into the way we talk with each other without even realising it mostly.

[@Audrey-on7si]

I agree with this. People who learned English as a second language ask me really difficult questions that I never had to think about. I have to use a dictionary often. Just to add on, I would consider myself to be a native English speaker since I grew up in the US my whole life, but I took an AI test on the internet created by the University of Cambridge, and I got a B2. I do not have a large vocabulary, my grammar isn't perfect, and I take awhile coming up with what to say, which is why I think I got placed in B2. These points would make me seem like I'm "not a native speaker." However, I think that my "nativeness" comes from being able to use words in the right context, understanding most of what people are saying, and being able to express myself no matter how many sentences it took to get to that point. Also, a couple people thought I had a European accent which is kinda weird since I don't know anyone who is European and I've only been to Europe for spring break (1 week).

[@sfyn3496]

Absolutely true, Agreed with what you said. I am not a native speaker, The English taught in countries as a foreign language is drastically different (to say we are taught to converse in formal way). I remember when I watched native speakers speak on yt. I was very suprised and to the extent I thought I have yet to learn the language to be able to understand a native speaker.

[@lucievec6683]

Shocking!!!!

[@LNVACVAC]

On CPE/C2 informal, gentry, and middle-class vernacular use of english will certainlly not be tolerated and deflates scores to CEFR C1 level. Political correctness and general textual/thematic politeness is also imposed/expected with similar effects. On CPE/C2 you are expected to write and speak almost flawlessly in General to Advanced Received Pronunciation/Grammar/Style, following the "New Oxford Style Manual" (post 2010), Fowler's "Modern English Usage, Revised Edition" (post 1997 - Burchfield and Fowler), and Gower (2014) "The Complete Plain Words", and most 1950 to 1970 grammar guides. Post 80's Grammar manuals are adulterated by leftie (cultural studies) scholars and their teleology. In resume at C2 level you need to demonstrate you are able to write and speak like Royalty, Nobility, Clergy, Government Ministers, Doctoral Professors, Embassators and Foreign Representatives, High Hierarchy/Prestige Office Elected Officials, and notable writters from The Times, Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press, as well as proofreaders and copy-writers in ultra high-stakes bussiness. Anyway you must not use technical jargon or words in obsolescence unless it is expressly adequate to the theme, and situational context proposed on each test section. Soft to Middle strenght Indian and commonwealth accents (non-UK) are tolerated but will get you a lower to middle A score tops. On CAE high-middle class American and International English will get you CEFR C1's C to B Scores, and Multicultural London English will get you a CEFR B2 score tops if you have luck and they realize your first language or your family's first language isn't english. General Received English Pronunciation/Style and Grammar is still ideal if you are aiming at a C2 or a High B C1 Grade through CAE. Which certification will be apropriate to you will depend on how much time you intend investing. A fine way of studying for C2 is getting your Cambridge Delta. I would recomend you study for CAE and CPE concomitantly, sit a CAE test first and then go for a Delta Degree if you score middle to top C1, or even enroll an English Literature Degree. Only after a C2 will be relevant unless you work in million-dollar stakes bussiness. C1 Bussiness will get you past most Bussiness Carrers and Undergraduate University Courses up to an MBA. CAE is the ideal for other areas of inquiry. FCE is the test if you don't want be an academic. With an B at CAE/C1 ou are able to work as text translator or interpreter on most Academic and Low Stakes settings as long as you have equivalent C2 skill at your own mother language (which most people also doesn't possess) and understand the Status Quaestionis of the intended discussed topics. MOST NATIVE SPEAKERS WILL NEVER EVER OPERATE IN A GENERAL/CONSERVATIVE RECEIVED ENGLISH LEVEL LET ALONE PASS A C2 EXAMINATION OR EVEN GET A C1 HIGH B SCORE on CAE. It's not even a matter of how much or long you study or practice english, but a matter of general and verbal fluid intelligence. You get a B at CAE as a native you are a language geek and you are on the top 20% general and verbal intelligence population stratum.

[@ExemplaryEnglishSpeaker443]

Native English speakers rely on implicit memory to use the language effectively. In most cases, learning and consciously applying grammar rules isn’t necessary. Our brains are wired to adhere to English grammar rules in order to form meaningful sentences. Languages are developed for communication, not perfection. Slang and other aspects of informal speech are natural components of all languages. They don’t necessarily indicate that people who use them are incapable of using their language formally. In fact, switiching between language registers is a skill most people possess to at least some degree. Explicitly studying English grammar doesn’t guarantee more fluid or correct application than a native speaker. A significant portion of C2 English learners frequently make grammatical mistakes that a native speaker wouldn’t.

[@victorbergman9169]

Perfect Video! There are those who lose their accent in a foreign language (Dashan etc.), but it is such an arduous amount of work that it is just not worth it. What is important is being able to understand and being able to communicate

[@KevinAbroad]

Completely agree! Thanks for your comment :)

[@victorbergman9169]

@@KevinAbroad no problem!

[@Angel-yp5kl]

This video should be viral, with all that people telling you that you can become completely fluent on 6 months, it's very normal to see lots of people getting demotivated by not being as good as they think they "should" be.

[@KevinAbroad]

Haha yeah. I appreciate your comment. Do feel free to share this video!

[@quantus5875]

Many people can reach B2 in a language after a year -- but it would have to be a full-time effort, like 6-8 hours a day, every day. At 8 hours a day for a year -- I think it's possible to reach C1. Now how many people can devote that much time in a year to learn a language? -- probably only a few -- that why normally it will take years for people to reach B2/C1.

[@TheAnarchist99]

Great video as well as insightful and relatable. My native language is Spanish and I personally started learning English from the scratch and at the age of 16, I will go as far as saying that I couldn't even string basic thoughts in English at the time, let alone speak fluently. It was so bad that I thought I was mentally handicapped and I blindly belived that and that thinking was so ingrained in me that even up to this day , sometimes I feel like my English is still bad because I still make mistakes (I'm aware that it's perfectly normal but I still gets caught up in these thoughts). I'm 22 years old now and I've come a long way but to be fair I was fooling around most of the years I was "learning English" out of sheer laziness and demotivation, of those 6 years of learning only 3 have been fruitful , the rest of the time I got stagnant but found the way out fortunately :) That thinking about stepping out of your comfort zone is a changer , in my case what I did was to start watching TV series/films and listening to podcasts on a regular basis a year ago , and oh boy, it was difficult. I could barely make out what they were saying because my listening was so bad, and British English was gibberish for me at the beginning but after a year I don't struggle nearly as much as I used to and I'm actually quite comfortable , although sometimes I still have to rewind to understand a bit better. The same goes for reading books, it took me quite a while to get the hang of them but my vocabulary broadened and my reading speed skyrocketed. Funnily enough is that many people in my country assumed I lived in an English speaking country, or that I started learning as a toddler when the reality is that I've never even taken english courses in my lifetime and I started learning English from zero almost in my late teens and I've never left the country, but inexperienced people can't grasp such idea and take me as a liar and therefore they don't usually believe my backstory ,on top of that my english isn't even that great , at most it's scratching the advanced level or just barely in it. Sometimes It's great to look back on your past self and see that you've made it further than you would've ever thought but human beings are peculiar as in we're never fully satisfied and we're always striving towards perfection which has it's advantages and downsides. Hopefully in a couple of years I will be able to say confidently that my English level is C2 , but for the moment I'm always improving. Greetings from Colombia.

[@KevinAbroad]

Well, based on that comment, your English is grand!

[@78marga]

Kevin! Your accent in Spanish is so so so closed to native speakers!

[@78marga]

Curiously, have learnt the word "doable" thanks to this video hahahaha

[@KevinAbroad]

@@78marga Hahaha Gracias Margaaa :). I hope work is going well :)

[@78marga]

It is going fantastically. But last year you were very missed!!!! I am sure you know why 😃. Mwah!

[@KevinAbroad]

I do 😂😂😂

[@user-bj5ol5zs5g]

I am about to take the CAE exam and your advice has helped me a lot to feel less pressure.

[@sayitsayuri8951]

Me: I wanna sound native! Also me: .... why tho? When I was younger I really wanted to reach native level in Japanese but after a few years of study I wondered why I'd ever wanted that in the first place. Don't get me wrong, I still would love to master pronunciation because pronunciation and speaking have always been my favorite part of learning language, but I no longer stress importance of perfectly natural grammar and flow of speech.

[@dawidkocik7081]

I've been studying the language for three years now and I've made immense progress. I am currently at a B2+/C1- level and I am really fluent. I don't have trouble understanding most of clear speakers by hears and expressing myself freely.

[@seoulmate1360]

I love how you immediately made your point at the beginning by saying we will never sound native. Amen to that!

[@KevinAbroad]

;)

[@ericlind6581]

That’s not a bad thing. People that speak with an accent can be more intriguing.

[@reginaceliafavareli7087]

Hello Kevin, congrats on your amazing and dow-to-earth video. Your points of view do resonate with mine. I'm from Brazil and due to our "mongrel complex" - the feeling of inferiority because we were colonized, I suppose, Brazilians regard accent as the most important thing when it comes to learning English. I had my first experience when I lived in the US and witnessed lots and lots of Brazilians trying to emulate American accent without regards to grammar and vocabulary. I understand that such strong accent can hinder understanding, but giving up our identity is a horse of a different color. Back to Brazil and being an English teacher for many years, I feel underestimated for not sounding like a native American or British since I have my Brazilian accent. As you said and I couldn't agree more, sooner or later we will give away where we are originally from no matter how beautiiful our English sounds like ... We just should be proud of our roots and avoid being someone else. I admire you had the gutsto say it all!

[@KevinAbroad]

Thank you for your comment! I think as an English teacher it's actually better that you have a non-native accent. Most speakers of English are non-native. Indeed, native speakers of English are a minority. Therefore it's more important for your students to be exposed to a non-native accent than a native one. Of course they should be exposed to both. But it's not a disadvantage at all to be an English teacher with a non-native accent ;).

[@SuprTorrent]

I would like to tell you, it's quite realistic to say ; when it comes to the pronunciation, reaching the native speaker's level is tough , yet it is doable, it's how much you indulge yourself in the process of learning that gets you up there.

[@quantus5875]

I think you can maybe achieve close to perfect pronunciation -- but like the author of this video says -- people will still be able to tell that you are not native because of other things like cultural context and word choice. My favorite example is I have a Brazilian girlfriend who grew up in Brazil and moved to the U.S. in when she was 30. When she goes back to visit her family in Brazil -- all of her friends will tell her she doesn't sound native -- once she stays there for like a month -- those comments go away -- I find that very interesting.

[@divinesuperb6123]

Not only to be fawning over myself in vain, but i'm an example myself of a person who's managed to reach the C1 level in almost 3 years (Proudly, as C2 is the highest, officialy). I'm admitting that it wouldn'tve been possible if i hadn't been fully immersed, including being in UK for 3 months, then keep learning and/or practicing activities that imply English from 1 up to 10 hours a day at home, by myself. My first contact with English was in UK (best starter, i'd add). Since then, i've been learning non stop, as much as i could. I adore this language, i really love every single thing when it comes to English. I hope you'll read this comment, because i also wanna specify, as a person who's in love with English (not a rambling ass), that i agree with some of your mentions and stataments, still it's more about the mindset in your case. Even though your English is "perfect", the lack of self-esteem outweighs the Knowledge and make you fall into the category "Capable, but not enough to show the capability". I sincerely appreciate your efforts, you've come a long way, you deserved everything you acheived, be proud of you! I wish you the best from now on! ✌✌💪💪👌👌

[@KevinAbroad]

Well done! Your dedication paid off :D

[@Mae_018.8]

You commented a while ago but I just want to say that your English is amazing and I hope you are very proud of yourself, I’m a native English speaker and I’m trying to learn a language other than English and I understand how difficult it is, I aspire to learn more languages and I think it’s amazing that you managed to become so proficient in a second language

[@quantus5875]

Awesome video! Best video I've seen on this topic! I love your dicussion on how people will never become native. Yes, native isn't really a level -- so it's hard to explain. You did a great job with it!

[@KevinAbroad]

Thank you for your comment!

[@RitaJuleGran]

You're French? I honestly can't tell. WELL DONE! 👏 0:24 when you said "That's just not my thing" you sounded native!

[@KevinAbroad]

Haha thanks! :). Yes, I am French

[@rosalindamattera2753]

Your speed of thought - speech is really equal to a native

[@KevinAbroad]

Thanks! :D

[@Alex.Shalda]

Really insightful video revealing paramount concepts about how one should perceive their acquired language skill. Shifts the paradigm!

[@KevinAbroad]

So happy to hear!!!

[@Alex.Shalda]

Im preparing for the CPE exam, and you suggest a good point, that I will never call myself even a bilingual, nevertheless, I think i can accept this thought, taking into account the benefits of being exposed to the English speaking world is immeasurable 😃

[@marafernandadelarosadelato4117]

I agree with you; having reached the C1 level that is so realistic and straightforward at the same time.

[@exploringthedrbymaxpena567]

Highly encouraging video for foreign language learners.

[@KevinAbroad]

I'm glad!

[@lindaha]

Very underrated video, Kevin! I liked it very much and thanks for being so honest! :)

[@KevinAbroad]

Thank you Linda!

[@mcmerry2846]

5:40 THIS IS THE BEST PART... I hate fake polyglots who "learn a language in one weak". In my opinion, 5-6 years is a great time to speak like a master

[@quantus5875]

Agreed. Most of the languages that a polyglot learns are IMO at B2, some really devoted ones (that spend tons of time at language learning) might have C2 in their native, maybe one more at C2, one at C1, and then the rest as B2s. Still impressive -- but yes when someone tells you they speak 4 or 5 languages -- most are going to be at ~B2.

[@josefamarques3001]

I am agree on 110%. Well done! I am definetely a follower now.

[@KevinAbroad]

Welcome! :)

[@joananeto9607]

So well put, refreshing!

[@pranee31]

Thanks for this video, Kevin. I really appreciate it.

[@KevinAbroad]

Thank YOU for watching it!

[@Joshlikesblueberrywaffles]

Very good english Blud you should be a G2, your really good and you unlocked over 1 billion opportunities for friends. Damn

[@KevinAbroad]

Hahahahaha

[@izzankiaizkychannel]

I am fatih from indonesia. Thanks for sharing your experience. I think youre almost native indeed. Very nice and fluent pronunciation. Frankly I want to reach c2 level like you. I wrote all your speech here in m.word for my fluency practice. Thanks..

[@KevinAbroad]

Thanks :). Good luck!

[@dyegodinizsouza]

Hi, thank you for sharing your experience with us.

[@KevinAbroad]

You're welcome. Thank you for taking the time to write a comment :)

[@labellavitall]

I’ve just taken up learning French again and one of the things that makes me feel better about my mistakes is acknowledging all the times I mess up what I’m saying /hearing/writing in English when I am a well-educated 42 year old native English speaker, so of course my French cannot possibly be perfect!

[@KevinAbroad]

That's very true! I definitely have times when I'm not sure how to spell a word or whatever in French. I'm a qualified French teacher 🤣. I'm never ashamed of looking up a word in front of my students because no one can truly master a language to perfection (unless they spend years on it but I've got a life to live 🤣)

[@amarabakayoko9689]

Thanks for sharing 🙏

[@thedavidguy01]

I like your point about your accent being a starting point for conversations. When I'm in France I often get that question about where I'm from and I often respond exactly the same as you and ask where they think I'm from. Nobody has ever guessed the USA (or any English speaking country), which I take as a compliment. The most common guess I get is Germany or some Scandinavian country. Where do people think you are from? Your accent is not obviously French and your vowels sound British.

[@KevinAbroad]

Ahaha it's funny to have ppl try to guess your accent, isn't it? I get various answers! For non-natives speakers I'm sometimes British. But native speakers sometimes struggle so they base themselves on my looks ahah. People have assumed I was Austrian before! Or they just don't believe me when I tell them I'm French ahah

[@krzysztof_puchta]

@@KevinAbroad Non-native speaker here, I could recognize you are French. But I have heard quite a lot of French people speaking French, Spanish or English, so I am familiar with the sound. You speak English very good though!

[@charliesomoza5918]

Excellent explained!! Thanks!

[@alina_elena]

I really like your English and attitude.🤩

[@KevinAbroad]

Thank you :)

[@Mae_018.8]

If anyone here is learning English and dont feel like they are good enough don’t feel discouraged if you are struggling because English is often difficult even for native speakers, secondly don’t worry too much about trying to reach the highest level in English because unless you are doing formal writing you probably won’t need many of those words, thirdly if you find a video of someone who is teaching English especially if they themselves are not a native speaker I recommend fact checking what they are saying to make sure it is accurate because I have noticed that certain creators on KZbin and tiktok are not always correct with their lessons, and finally from a native English speaker I wish you luck and I believe in you (also if you come across this and you are learning English feel free to ask me any questions I would love to help you ❤️)

[@jamilamussa7250]

Thanks a lot for your kindness

[@fatma_seen]

I have foreign friends but they're not native and as you said they also make mistakes while speaking, so I'd love to have a discussion with you if you'd like.

[@Mae_018.8]

@@fatma_seen yes of course what do you want to discuss?

[@fatma_seen]

@Mae_018.8 not a certain thing, I just would like to chat if you don't mind.

[@jzs_tms]

Amazing video, I enjoyed it a lot!

[@jjackandbrian5624]

As a native english speaker i can converse just fine even with people who only speak a little english. The most important thing is to know many words, and grammar will come later. As long as you know lots of words and their meanings, you can be understood most of the time with only a little trouble. This is especially true for european language speakers because of the relatively similar grammar between all European languages.

[@MyItalianCircle]

I totally agree with what you say about sounding like a native. I never encountered anyone who could speak Italian like a native, even those who have an Italian spouse and have been living in Italy for many years. BUT does it really matter, as long as you can communicate smoothly?

[@KevinAbroad]

Exactly. It does NOT matter! 😉

[@lucievec6683]

Seriously? I thought Italian was not that difficult.

[@bananalemon9145]

Thanks for uploading. Haven't done this year yet.

[@KevinAbroad]

What do you mean? :)

[@thesmokecriminal5395]

Great vid lad! Really enjoyed watching it!!!

[@KevinAbroad]

☺️

[@alaaalfadhel1938]

The third point was so useful for me .. Thanks

[@KevinAbroad]

You're welcome!! :)

[@aradia1651]

I really loved your video!

[@KevinAbroad]

Thank you!

[@angelinalovesbeauty]

Yes, so many great points in this video! I'm Swedish and I think my English level is completely fine, however there will always be times were it feels insufficient like you mentioned.. I recently started (trying) to learn French and it's a completely different story though.The structure of the language is like a maze to me, so foreign. And the grammar is a nightmare too haha. Do you have any recommendations on resources I could look into as a French newbie? One that I have been loving is the KZbin channel InnerFrench. Hugo speaks in such a way where it's easy to comprehend even for me. Any other tips would be much appreciated though! If one day I'm able to sing along to Loic Nottets new song "Mr/Mme" and get all of the lyrics. I have made it by my standards lol. Keep up the good work on your channel! :)

[@sapphire2166]

Excellent video!!

[@KevinAbroad]

Thank you :).

[@fbcihan]

Excellent video which has motivated me to study English! :) Btw, I'm also learning English and Dutch to become a language teacher in the secondary school in Belgium. But I struggle with learning the vocabulary. Well, I saw in your previous videos that Anki works good for you. But that's not so for me, plus I have difficulties to study on screens. So, could you possibly make new videos to demonstrate the how-to's of learning voc on paper, please? How should we organise our notebooks...? What did you personally do during your studies at school?

[@KevinAbroad]

Thanks for your comment, I'm glad! As for learning vocab, it's definitely a video I need to make. Stay tuned as they say! ;)

[@WhiteNights-bp2ev]

I think the only thing that makes C2 English learners to seem obvious for native speakers that they are not native in English is their accent, and all the other things that you mentioned in the video like being familiar with the history of a country where the language is spoken, its pop culture, being able to understand what kind of way of using vocabulary sounds natural/unnatural and etc. is very easy to learn since C2 level means that you are exposed to the language completely.

[@jankoszuta9835]

Great video

[@vivicristina5304]

Thank you for sharing ... really good content

[@KevinAbroad]

You're welcome!

[@unmagicalmushroom]

6:38 Just to zoom in on what he’s saying as an English teacher. Normally here we would say “a small minority” and even though I understood what he meant and it made sense, I would notice the mistake in a conversation if I were looking for it… And he’s at C2 level and by all means speaks quite eloquently.

[@KevinAbroad]

Hahaha I hadn't picked up on that :)

[@h.m1653]

You're wonderful Kevin ^^

[@KevinAbroad]

Thank you! You too!

[@h.m1653]

@@KevinAbroad 😁😁😊😊🌷

[@josejavierlopezacosta4741]

Thank you Kevin for having ruined my life in 12 minutes!!!

[@KevinAbroad]

Lol oh no, why?

[@josejavierlopezacosta4741]

@@KevinAbroad I was kidding bro!!! I really enjoyed your video!!!

[@Phonetician_]

I speak RP ( received pronunciation) accent and and people say you sound completely native even better then them and I suppose so even though I'm not native. But I'm not claiming it by myself. I can say I've been living with it And it's part of my life. I love it. I want say based on my experience to be sound completely a native or much closer need to do few things such as : 1.learn phonetics first ( you all know letter such as a.,b, c. And there are two or three sounds therefore you have to master these sound first even before learning these dam 26 letters. And put these sounds into the words and after mastering it(words) u can develop a tone of speaking) or u can work on them together it depends on your convenience and work on this unless u master these perfectly. Well I know it is hard but in a course of time u can nail it like me. 2. Listen best native speakers(podcasts, BBC Radio,best native intellectuals and so on. and speak with shadowing technique. 3.talk to best native speakers or learn from them on various social media platforms. I suppose 1 or 2 out of hundred can get this level or much closer ( talking about best accent) but not impossible. Like me, if u can make it part of ur life then the world is your oyster. thanks so much. Ufff 🥴it's been long writing well thanks hope u could get some help😊thanks

[@KevinAbroad]

I think the reason why ppl say that you speak "better than them" (it's happened to me too) is because people think that RP is the best prononciation. This belief comes from the toxic language attitude that there is a proper way to speak English and a bad way to speak English. Thankfully, it's not true. But a lot of ppl still think like that. Interestingly enough, it's not necessarily a good idea to only listen to BBC English because RP isn't spoken by many people in the UK. So you would end up only focusing on a way of speaking that almost no-one speaks.

[@Phonetician_]

@@KevinAbroad yes people think it ur accent has some qualities of RP but cannot be considered as well spoken RP accent coz as I can here some words u speak has affect of ur native language as well. I agree people think so because it is more sophisticated and better way of speaking I've read even some Americans don't like their accent and have a dream of speaking this accent. I speak RP I'm not saying it's better than others I've read when people also native speakers need jobs or people want to pass an interview they prefer this accent and you can't deny it. that so I've heard many people want to speak RP And as far as I know 2 or 3 percent population of UK speaks RP accent and I know many very good speakers of RP accent. And well it depends on person's choice or his ability or the way he has been learning. It doesn't matter whether few people speak it or many.

[@thesmokecriminal5395]

With some hard work you can sound like a native speaker accent-wise, not sure about the grammar part tho, but people who reach native-like proficiency in a foreign language definitely exist, Charlize Theron is one of them

[@quantus5875]

Don't know what Charlize Theron's level is -- so can't comment on that -- I would just argue that there is a difference between very close to native and native. So agree, "native-like" you can reach -- but would just say "native-like" and "native" are a little different.

[@thesmokecriminal5395]

@@quantus5875 nah U can sound native, it's hard but can be done, most ppl just don't care that's why it's so rare

[@andybliss5965]

Wow great pronunciation, especially words like point and anyway. Would have been impossible to know you're French. My dream would be to be c2 in French

[@KevinAbroad]

Thank you for the compliment Andy!

[@thewryneckarchivist]

Would you say the "Write and Improve" website is accurate on estimating your Cambridge English level? If so, to what extent is it accurate? On my worst days, I would score right about the B2 level, whereas on my best days, C2. I am keen on improving for self-education!

[@KevinAbroad]

I have no idea, never heard of that website haha. But the only most accurate way to assess your level is to do a formal exam. But if you don't, being able to do things like reading/writing an academic essay or being able to read and understand the news on say, the New York Times, on virtually any topic is a good indicator. People tend to think they're C2 because they speak English fluently. But C2 level is something only a highly educated native speaker would reach (I.e. not all native speakers are C2). Also, unless you were exaggerating as a joke, you can't go from B2 to C2 depending on the day 🤣. The gap is massive.

[@callmez55]

I agreed. Sounding native is impossible if you weren't born or if you didn't raise in the country which the language is your target to learn

[@ahmedisag6386]

Many of my English learners from Libya neglect basics and jump to acquiring what they describe a native "cool accent"..I think every body's accent is an identity! How can one live in Africa and has a British/American accent? Poor lads

[@festimkupa4280]

to learn a new language you have to be good all rounder at your own language too

[@sapphire2166]

Right on point!!

[@urielsosa3594]

I’ve got a C2 English level and still feel like my English is not as good as It should be :(

[@KevinAbroad]

Oh I feel the same all the time.

[@soukainaaitabdellah4995]

I hope i could do the same as you did . I started to learn English because i wanna apply to many jobs and they need a native English i don’t have anyone to talk with and sometimes i lose the energy that keeping me on pls any advice could help me

[@joshuddin897]

Trust me many english natives would struggle to pass the C1 exams. Just watch TOWIE Jeremy Kyle Show. Love Island. The participants are really thick!!!

[@Mae_018.8]

You commented this a while ago but I just want to say that English is often difficult even for adult native speakers it can be a very difficult language and I think it’s amazing to be where you are (or were when you commented if it had changed)

[@davidedemasi4424]

I'm an italian student in my last year of high school and afterwards I want to take a gap year to improve my english. Hopefully I'll be able to obtain a C2 in a year or so. But as you said It's undoable to learn a language and become fluent in a short period of time. In fact I've been studying english since I was in kindergarten (as any country I surmise) and really improved thanks to youtube and reading in the past few years. God willing in a decade (If I will be living abroad) I could sound more or less like a native speaker. Anyway I really hope next year I'll be able to pass the C2 exam.

[@KevinAbroad]

Good luck with all that!

[@lazar190]

Did you succeed?

[@thibautbenoist1236]

Salut l'ami! Super vidéo. Je passe mon CPE dans 3 mois. Wish me luck!

[@KevinAbroad]

Good luck! :)

[@TonyMontana-pe6vf]

I like your statement of "you will never sound native". I can testify it myself, because, I am also proficient in english and have lived in an english speaking country, and spoken in english for over 20 years, and sound almost like a native. But, I do not really sound like 100% native; which I do not mind it at all.

[@Sasha-Good]

Good job.

[@naturalezainfinita399]

I've been studing english for a long time and I would like to have your level!! That would be enough for me!!

[@KevinAbroad]

You will if you keep working hard don't worry! :D

[@naturalezainfinita399]

@@KevinAbroad thank you very much!!

[@jaime9927]

1:26 I'm a native English speaker, and you sound native to me...

[@KevinAbroad]

I'll take it as a compliment, thank you! :D

[@beyourself4996]

English is great I understand what you talking about my English is I thought it was elementary but I shocked when i saw after a years its B2 but i need to move one in C1.

[@sunnyside287]

Can I just say again that I love your channel! It's has inspired me to start my own and speak about nerdy language things :) As to this topic, it's soooo true. First, I can hear your French accent BUT only because I love French accents. They are sexy as f*ck. Second, non-linguists have a very romantised view of "succeeding in language learning". They think that once you've learnt it for a bit, you'll be perfect. And that there is a "know well" and "don't know well" points in the language. The reality is that it's very individual and I view proficiency as "can do" things you have rather than "Oh I have this level". Because we can both be C2 but actually unable to do some things one of the other does if you see my point. Thirdly, definitely agreed about the time it takes to really learn a language to be able to say "I speak it". For me it takes about a year to be able to be present in work conversations and say something, but I'm in no way fluent in the language. Some people stop at that, and that's fine, but if you really want to have a near-native level, you're talking about 10 years minimum of everyday work. I also have a slight accent and I make mistakes in English still, but I don't really care as people can understand me perfectly fine and my English is more than enough for my purposes:)

[@KevinAbroad]

I'm so flattered Sofia! Thanks! I agree with everything you said. Language and bilingualism is messy as hell. It really isn't that straightforward.

[@josephmarks5046]

I appreciate you :)

[@Claire_16]

Exactly - It's not realistic to sound native. I live in Switzerland, surrounded by Swiss people who speak great English. Only twice have I spoken to someone and been shocked by how perfectly native they sounded. On inquiry, both had a British parent.

[@xave3829]

I know a large portion of your video was focused on the fact that you will never sound like a native speaker, but I have to say; your syntax/word choice is basically identical to a native speaker. Maybe that's just the power of the mighty C2 LOL. Only difference I noticed was that you say "you will" a lot while you're speaking quickly, whereas native speakers use contractions like "you'll" a lot more often during fast, spoken english. Just thought you'd appreciate that observation lol ...currently monolingual but learning Japanese right now, wish me luck! :)

[@KevinAbroad]

Ahah good luck!! I'm learning Japanese too And thanks for the comment :)

[@kristinasadauskaite4294]

Oh my gosh, this video has been so motivating and helpful, Kevin! Thanks for that! Plus I will really appreciate if you answer my question - how did you manage to move to England and study there? I mean, did you win any grant or scholarship that fully covered your tuition or something?

[@KevinAbroad]

I'm glad!! I did an Erasmus. They gave me some money but it covered only about half of my expenses (which is already amazing, I'm not gonna complain!)

[@moi-up6nx]

Thanks! I have to accept this idea that I'm not going sound like a Native ever maybe my life would be easier then

[@josephnguyen4548]

I’m Vietnamese, and I have never encountered one person who sounds like a native in Vietnamese. Some do sound like a native at times, but not all the time.

[@KevinAbroad]

Yes I feel like it's definitely possible to sound native sometimes but usually there's a giveaway when you start listening to the person

[@PallyZhen]

Can u sound native if you are a native in an English speaking country but spoke another regional language in your childhood, before switching to speaking English extensively in adulthood?

[@KevinAbroad]

Yeah, it's kind of a common occurance I'd say

[@PallyZhen]

@@KevinAbroad I observed this too, it seems that even tho they barely speak English before adulthood, the shared culture and growing up experience with other native speakers could help greatly for them to sound native.

[@Koptina]

Even if I've been learning English for a decade (it's a compulsory course during school years here in my country), and just got my C1 certificate, there are still tons of things to learn in so many aspects... so yes those videos talking about how one MASTERS a dozen of languages in just a few years, they are ridiculous and misleading. Moreover, I don't even think I have a sufficient efficency in my mother tongue, learning languages or in any other field is just a lifelong process. PS: about the impossibility of being truly native, I've been struggling with the acceptance of that fact, so that you pointed it out actually encouraged me a little bit:) I'm trying to come to terms with that

[@KevinAbroad]

Congrats on your C1!! And I'm glad you felt encouraged by it. I have had some ppl telling me I'm discouraging ppl just cause I couldn't do it myself. My intention is obviously the opposite

[@pensatoreseneca]

How about those of us that are trilingual cause we grew up speaking three different languages and have lived more or less an equal amount of time in three countries ( currently living in a fourth one ) ?? I mean those of us that speak almost at a native level , but still have an accent that only natives can spot , an accent because we were never fully surrounded by the language 100% as most people have been since they were born .

[@KevinAbroad]

What about them? ahah

[@pensatoreseneca]

Kevin Abroad I’m not native in any language

[@KevinAbroad]

@@pensatoreseneca How do you mean? If you grew up speaking 3 languages then you're a native speaker of 3 languages I would say :). I grew up speaking 2 and I'm a native speaker of two languages

[@madhavdate7226]

Hi. This is Madhav Date from India (Maharashtra state) now on the wrong side of 70 (age being 72). I have a very sound knowledge of English vocab,grammar, idiomatic expressions, phrasal verbs etc and on the dint of the same I am toying the idea of giving a shot to the c2 exam of proficiency in English in next 3/4 months. I have a gut feeling that I will be through in the same and am looking forward to appearing for exam. Someone should guide me whether my decision is correct or otherwise and give me pointers. A bunch of thanks in advance.

[@angerventing2694]

The accent problem is that most people aren't willing to give up their identity formed in their native language. I have a theory that apart from being talented, the reason I can sound very close to native in most foreign languages I know, before I can even get a grasp on the grammar, is that my culture has failed me, I've never been able to establish myself as a respected member of society in my culture. I am an outsider, a lonely wolf, so I am looking to take on other identities in other languages, so I have less trouble quickly acquiring a near native like accent in a foreign language. Or it is just all bullcrap and I am just talented or as some people point out, musically gifted, allowing me to just imitate any foreign sound. It is not to boast, although I am probably boasting anyway already as I sort of believe any human action is driven by the desire to boast or at least by some sort of pride anyway, so it makes no difference. But nonetheless, a nice theory, already pointed out by Matt vs Japan I believe, which got me thinking a bit more about this as I am surely an example of somebody with likely an underdeveloped identity, although anybody my age already should have reached some sort of state of developed identity. So does this defect in one's personality allow them to reach accent mastery or is it just my wishful thinking that I have some sort of benefit from something otherwise quite tragic?

[@the-language-learner]

Hello kevin, merci pour cette vidéo. Do you think that french students who have a bachelor of english in France would pass a certificate like CPE easily ?

[@KevinAbroad]

Hi! I don't know what CPE is. What is it?

[@the-language-learner]

@@KevinAbroad cambridge proficiency exam

[@KevinAbroad]

@@the-language-learner I see. I think it depends. When I did my PGCE, some people had a very good level (C1), others were more around B2. Basically it depended on how much effort they put into their studies. So I would say that yes, if you work really hard you could pass it. But I presume that as for any exam, you need to practice it as each exam has its own different format. I hope that makes sense.

[@the-language-learner]

@@KevinAbroad alright thanks

[@utkarshajoshi3644]

can you tell me the alternate sentense for this ,"I left from home at 1 o'clock in a huff to Tata's office on saturday."

[@KevinAbroad]

?

[@verdadsiempre1435]

Excellent video! I think you're very right. And, let me give you my personal opinion based on my experience... Native speakers (British, Irish,...) don't care at all (or at least not as much as you/me) about how your accent sounds. Just because they have grown up with so many foreign neighbours around that they are more used to different accents than what you really think. They really don't care at all if you are French, Scottish, Serbian,... For sure they'll say your English is great.

[@KevinAbroad]

Thanks for watching! :)

[@dmitrygromada3655]

My feeling, the word choice of a native speaker is deeply associated with the emotional context they've been immersed in since childhood. So, how could it be possible to do the same thing being out of the context? The C2 is just a fantastic achievement.

[@KevinAbroad]

Yeah definitely!

[@yakupcnar6731]

I thought you would give some good tips about how to reach at C2 level in English but you mostly mentioned about general stuff which we already know.

[@KevinAbroad]

You should have read the title of the video better ;).

[@yakupcnar6731]

@@KevinAbroad Fair enough. :) My mistake..

[@jorgenfa7819]

You are wrong! The sky is the limit and getting a native level is totally doable. A shiny example of that would be Vladimir Pozner who has managed to learn not two but three languages to the level of a native speaker. His Russian is staggering good and a lot of Russians think he’s one of them. (he works on the TV). Word-choice is not something unattainable, either. The more books you read, the better you are. It just takes time to acquire nativity. Also, that’d be a flat-out assumption to say that a person can’t learn culture to be able to understand references.

[@KevinAbroad]

So one person out of a few million will be able to pass off as a native speaker. Technically doable, but in practice only a handful get there :).

[@olgabagildinskaia7415]

His father is actually Russian. So it's not surprising that he sounds native... Idk if his father spoke to him in Russian but if he did then we can consider that pozner is a native speaker of Russian.

[@jenniferlucyfletcher]

Can you give me an example of a non-native english speaker who sounds english? In 40 years I've never encountered one.....

[@KevinAbroad]

I've had a few people who honestly sound pretty damn close. But it's sooo incredibly rare.

[@jorgenfa7819]

venyaPak on youtube @@jenniferlucyfletcher