"Sorry for my bad English"

There are two phrases I hear a lot of students say. And those are, my English is terrible, or sorry for my bad English. But be careful, because these two phrases are dangerous to your English learning. Why? Well, if you constantly describe your English as bad or terrible, or you're apologizing for it, and you say things like, I can't speak English very well, eventually you will begin to believe that it is true, and those negative thoughts will make you less confident, and then your progress in English fluency will be slower. You might even give up completely, because you believe you can't do it. The people who are most successful in achieving goals are people who believe that they can do it, and people who make that goal part of their identity. So, even if your English is not perfect, tell yourself, I am an English speaker. I am learning to be fluent, and I am making good progress. Can you see how that phrase is a lot more positive? It doesn't say you're perfect, but it expresses the fact that you're learning in a positive way, without negative words, or without apologizing. Here are some more ways that you can say you're an English learner, without using words like bad or terrible. I'll give you some phrases you shouldn't say, and give you some replacement phrases. So, don't say, my English is terrible, or my English is bad. Instead, say, I'm working on improving my English. The focus of the second sentence is positive, improving, and it shows that you're actively working on making your English better. Don't say, sorry for my bad English. Instead, say, English isn't my first language, so please excuse any mistakes. The second sentence explains that you're not a native speaker, and asks for patience and understanding, without using the word bad to describe your English. Don't say, I don't understand. Instead, say, could you repeat that, please? Could you rephrase that, please? Or, could you speak a little slower, so that I can understand you better? Asking the other person to repeat, means you want them to say it again, using the same words. Asking the other person to rephrase, means you want them to say it again, using different words. And the last sentence asks the person to speak slower, but still focuses on the positive, understand you better, and not the negative, I don't understand, or I can't understand. What about when you're speaking English, and the other person doesn't understand you? Well, if you say something, and the other person looks confused, don't worry. Maybe it's that they just didn't hear you, or they weren't paying attention. It's also possible that they're not yet accustomed to your accent. So, to check their understanding, you can ask, does that make sense? If the other person says no, then say, let me try again. Or, let me clarify. Then say your sentence again. You can try repeating it, using the same words, rephrasing it, using different words, or speaking a little bit more slowly, and being especially careful with the pronunciation. So, those are some more positive phrases you can use, instead of describing your English as bad or terrible, instead of focusing on the negative, and focusing on your mistakes. But let me give you one extra tip that will really help you keep a positive mindset about your English. And that is to keep an English success journal. There's so much to learn in the English language that most students focus on their difficulties, and their imperfections, and you just keep thinking about all the things you don't know yet, and all the mistakes you might be making. But, you can change your perspective and learn to think more positively by keeping an English success journal. So, every time you make some progress, or you have some small victory in your English learning, write that down in a notebook, or in a document on your computer, or on your cell phone. Here are some simple examples. Today, I learned three new words and used them in sentences. Today, I understood how to use the present perfect tense. Today, I practiced listening for 15 minutes. Today, I remembered a word without using the dictionary. Today, I understood some of the phrases in a song or movie. Today, I successfully made a phone call in English. These successes can be big or small. The important part is that they show progress and improvement. Then, on those days when you're feeling kind of depressed about your English, or when you don't have much motivation, you can go read your success journal to see all the wonderful progress you've made. And this will help increase your confidence and encourage you to keep going. How about starting your success journal today? Write down one thing you've learned from this video. I want to see you both succeed in learning English and enjoy the process of learning, and so that's why I made this video encouraging you to think and speak in a positive way about your English skills, even if they're not yet perfect. Another thing that can help you improve your skills and feel more confident about your progress is joining a course at Espresso English. The lessons inside our courses are organized and teach you step by step, so you'll never have to search all over the internet for things to study. Just follow the path and take the next lesson in the sequence. You can learn more about all our courses by clicking on the link in this video's description, and you can also take some free sample lessons to see how exactly each course can help you. Thanks for watching, and remember, your English is not bad. It's simply a work in progress, and that progress should be celebrated. Bye for now.