Ethan Zinho – part 2

6)  Why is making use of expressions so important?

In English, we use expressions and phrasal verbs all the time–more than in many other languages, I believe. Since I became and English teacher, I’m much more aware of the language and I’ve noticed this more than ever. This is why if you want to be fluent and to sound more like a native speaker, it’s crucial that you master the use of expressions in English. Pay particular attention to how they are used in context, like when you are reading or listening to English.

 

7)  You have proven yourself as a great leader and community builder.  So, do you see yourself as an inspiring teacher / learner?  How could you inspire people to be part of RLE project?

Thank you! It’s extremely flattering to hear you say that. Honestly, I had never seen myself as a leader before getting involved with RLE, but I am feeling more and more like a community builder and a leader, with lots of help and support from our members of course. I think as someone who has learned several languages, I can be an inspiring teacher. But to tell you the truth, I’ve been more inspired myself by some of our amazing members. I’ve been inspired to improve my own language learning. I’ve discovered new ways to learn languages. This alone is a great reason to become a part of our project. You can connect with some of the best English learners in the world, who will inspire you to take your learning to the next level.

 

8)  As a language learner, what are your daily habits?

On a busy schedule, I admit that I can’t commit as much time to improving my languages as I would like to. But I try to spend at the very least a few minutes each day. My favorite tools are probably music, online radio, Anki, and chats. As I said earlier, music is a great language learning tool that all of us can benefit from because almost everyone listens to it everyday anyway. I go through a process learning song lyrics, and then I listen to songs a lot and I even sing along. I’m not by any means a great singer. But it helps me to mimic pronunciation and to improve my speaking and even confidence in the use of vocabulary, expressions, and even grammatical structures. Music can teach us a lot about how people actually pronounce certain words and phrases. When I’m working on my computer, I often turn on a radio station from another country (in a different language) using TuneIn. Just hearing the language in the background adjusts your brain to the subtleties of the tongue–that is, pronunciation, intonation, morphing, etc. You don’t need to understand everything. Over time, you will become more accustomed to hearing the language and understanding native speakers will become easier. It’s unbelievable, but it really works!

 

9)  Suppose you have invited me to take part in the RLE community, why should I accept your offer?

Well, if you’re passionate about learning English, it’s a great, FREE way to connect with other learners and teachers, so that we can grow together! There is so much terrific material within the community that you can’t find anywhere else: music, videos, events, games, discussions, travel, articles, vocabulary, grammar, expressions, exercise, and more! Why spend a bunch of money on classes when you can learn and grow with 11,000+ other learners? Just spend a few minutes every day in the RLE community and I promise you’re English will improve, and you’ll probably make some friends, too!

 

10)  What are the next plans for Real Life English project?

Hmmm… that’s confidential and on a need to know basis. Just kidding. Well, I’m not going to reveal all of our plans right now. But I would like to share that Real Life English is expanding to Rio de Janeiro and Barcelona in the coming months. If you live in or near Barcelona, please feel free to contact me: [email protected] . If you live in or near Rio, give Trevor a shout: [email protected].

And if you live in or near our headquarters in Belo Horizonte or you’d like to help us bring RLE to your city, contact us at: [email protected]

It’s been a pleasure being here with you, Rodrigo. I hope everyone benefits from this interview and don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions. Cheers!

 

That’s all for this week, guys! Keep up the good work and invite your friends to join the best English learning community of the world! Would you like to be the next person to be interviewed by me? If so, just participate actively in the RLE community, bring nice ideas and help your mates. I’m looking forward to speaking to you.

 

Cheers!