349. How to Become an Expert in English (or Anything Else!) (English Vocabulary Lesson) episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 18, 2025 · 22 MIN

349. How to Become an Expert in English (or Anything Else!) (English Vocabulary Lesson)

from Thinking in English · host Thomas Wilkinson

EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ ⁠https://nordvpn.com/think85⁠ Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! What does it really take to become an expert English speaker? How do some people reach such a high level of fluency, while others seem to struggle for years without much progress? Is it talent? Luck? Or something else? Recently, I rewatched a fascinating video from one of my favourite YouTube channels, Veritasium, titled “The Four Things It Takes to Be an Expert.” The video looks at the science behind how people become truly skilled at something, whether it's music, sports, or academic subjects. As I watched, I realised that the ideas in the video are incredibly relevant to English learners. So, in this episode of Thinking in English, I want to take the four key principles from that Veritasium video and apply them directly to learning English. These principles can help guide your study, improve your skills, and ultimately help you become an expert speaker of the language. This episode was originally recorded as a Bonus Episode for my Patreon community a year ago... subscribe to Patreon for more great episodes. Let’s get started! Veritasium's Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eW6Eagr9XA Conversation Club - https://www.patreon.com/thinkinginenglish⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TRANSCRIPT - https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2025/08/18/349-how-to-become-an-expert-in-english-or-anything-else-english-vocabulary-lesson/⁠ AD Free Episode - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/thinkinginenglish⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Thinking in English Bonus Podcast -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.patreon.com/collection/869866⁠⁠⁠⁠ YouTube Channel -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@thinkinginenglishpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠INSTAGRAM - thinkinginenglishpodcast (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thinkinginenglishpodcast/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Borough by Blue Dot Sessions Contact [email protected] to advertise on Thinking in English. Thinking in English is part of the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Airwave Media podcast network.⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ ⁠https://nordvpn.com/think85⁠ Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! What does it really take to become an expert English speaker? How do some people reach such a high level of fluency, while others seem to struggle for years without much progress? Is it talent? Luck? Or something else? Recently, I rewatched a fascinating video from one of my favourite YouTube channels, Veritasium, titled “The Four Things It Takes to Be an Expert.” The video looks at the science behind how people become truly skilled at something, whether it's music, sports, or academic subjects. As I watched, I realised that the ideas in the video are incredibly relevant to English learners. So, in this episode of Thinking in English, I want to take the four key principles from that Veritasium video and apply them directly to learning English. These principles can help guide your study, improve your skills, and ultimately help you become an expert speaker of the language. This episode was originally recorded as a Bonus Episode for my Patreon community a year ago... subscribe to Patreon for more great episodes. Let’s get started! Veritasium's Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eW6Eagr9XA Conversation Club - https://www.patreon.com/thinkinginenglish⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TRANSCRIPT - https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2025/08/18/349-how-to-become-an-expert-in-english-or-anything-else-english-vocabulary-lesson/⁠ AD Free Episode - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/thinkinginenglish⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Thinking in English Bonus Podcast -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.patreon.com/collection/869866⁠⁠⁠⁠ YouTube Channel -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@thinkinginenglishpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠INSTAGRAM - thinkinginenglishpodcast (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thinkinginenglishpodcast/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Borough by Blue Dot Sessions Contact [email protected] to advertise on Thinking in English. Thinking in English is part of the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Airwave Media podcast network.⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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349. How to Become an Expert in English (or Anything Else!) (English Vocabulary Lesson)

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EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ ⁠https://nordvpn.com/think85⁠ Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! What does it really take to become an expert English speaker? How do some people reach such a high level of fluency, while others...

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