How to Improve Your Vocabulary and Speak 10x Better

So you’re learning some new English vocabulary — but then there’s a problem. You can’t use the words in conversation. It’s frustrating, I know. You learn all these words. You understand them. But they refuse to come out when you speak, and so you keep using the same basic words again and again. Let me explain why this happens. You see, when people try to improve their vocabulary, they go about it in two ways. The first one is passive learning or memorization. This includes watching vocabulary lessons on YouTube and memorizing words with language apps. The problem is, this approach is totally passive. You’re not practicing words and phrases out loud, and without practice, you won’t have the skill you need to use the words in conversation. Some people know this, so they rely on a more active approach — sentence repetition. This is where you repeat example sentences from language apps or YouTube videos out loud. Unfortunately, shallow practice like this doesn’t work so well. Why? Because these sentences don’t have any context. They’re not part of a story or a conversation. Context is important when building vocabulary. Without it, it’s hard to understand how to use the words in real situations. So, if you want to speak English with a wide vocabulary, forget about passive learning. Forget about repeating random sentences. Instead, you need to focus on context-based practice. Context-based practice means you practice vocabulary out loud in meaningful context. You’re using words inside stories or conversations. If this sounds complicated, don’t worry — it’s easier than you think. In this video, I’ll share two powerful techniques you can use. I’ll also include demos so you can see them in action. Method #1: Imitate Native Speakers Do you still remember how you built vocabulary in your first language? How did you go from using basic words to a rich vocabulary? Did you watch lessons on YouTube? Did you practice with language apps? Of course not. That's not how you learned your native language. When you were a baby, you learned to speak by copying the words and phrases your parents used, right? You learned vocabulary through imitation, especially in the beginning. So, if you want to upgrade your English vocabulary, use the same approach. Learn how to use words in conversation by imitating native speakers. It’s the best way to get started. If you want to learn words related to travel, for example, just find a video about travel and repeat after the speaker. It’s really simple. This practice is more effective than repeating random, isolated sentences. When you practice imitation, every sentence you repeat has meaningful context. It’s part of a story or a conversation in the video, and this helps you understand how the words are actually used. Let’s see the technique in action: About 5 years ago, I decided I was going to start traveling. I decided to start traveling 5 years ago. I was gonna explore the world. I wanted to explore the world. And as you can see behind me, I picked up a lot of souvenirs from my trips. Um, I bought these souvenirs during my trips. Okay, so here’s what I did in the demo: First, I repeat each sentence exactly, just like the speaker. Then I say it again, but in my own words. I do this to make the practice more engaging. Now, if this feels too hard for you, you can just repeat each sentence word for word. That's okay. But at the very least, try to show some emotion. Say the words like you mean it. This trick will make everything feel more real. The more you engage with your practice, the better you’ll remember vocabulary. Method #2: Practice Storytelling with AI Chatbots

If you tell ChatGPT or Gemini you want to practice vocabulary, it’ll probably start a conversation with you — you know, asking you all kinds of questions to help you practice. This is a great exercise for advanced learners, but what if it’s too hard for you? What if, when you hear a question, your mind goes blank — and you don’t know what to say? What if you can’t keep up with the conversation? You see, if you struggle to find the right words quickly, conversation practice can be quite overwhelming. So, let me suggest an alternative approach — practice vocabulary through stories. Learning words through a story limits the scope of your practice. You stay focused on one small topic and one small set of words, making the practice less daunting. This method has two simple steps. Step 1: Tell the chatbot to create a story with some useful vocabulary. This story will be the context for your practice. Step 2: Practice telling the story with help from the chatbot. This will make the words stick and become part of your everyday speaking. Let’s go over each step in detail. Step 1: Create a Story Let’s say you want to practice travel vocabulary. You can say, “Tell me a personal story about travel” or with travel vocabulary. ” Or if you don’t have a topic in mind, you can just say, “Tell me a personal story with useful vocabulary. ” These are just examples — you don’t have to use the exact words. And even if you speak broken English, that’s okay — the chatbot will still understand you. But make sure to include the word ‘personal’ or something similar. If you don’t use this word, you might get a children’s story — something like, “Once upon a time, there was a cute little rabbit who wanted to travel the world. ” That’s not the kind of story we want. So, to get a more realistic story — the kind we hear in real life — use words like personal, casual, or conversational. I’ll include these words and some useful prompts in the video description. Be sure to check it out later. Now, let’s see it in action. I’ll request a story from ChatGPT. Hey there! What’s going on? Tell me a personal story about travel. Sure. So, last summer, I decided to visit Japan for the first time. I was super excited but also a bit nervous because I didn’t speak Japanese. One day… That’s too long. That’s way too long. Use 30 words or less. Sure. I wandered around Kyoto, got a bit lost, then a kind local helped me find my way, and we ended up enjoying matcha ice cream together. That’s perfect. Er, repeat the story again. Speak slowly this time. Of course. I wandered around Kyoto, got a bit lost, then a kind local helped me find my way… As you can see, the first story I got was too long, so I told ChatGPT to use 30 words or less. This prompt is useful if you want something short and easy to remember. The number 30 is just an example. Feel free to use whatever number you want. Step 2: Practice Telling the Story You can go about this in many different ways. The easiest approach is to ask the chatbot to repeat the story, one sentence or one part at a time, and repeat after the chatbot. Let’s see that in action. This time, I’ll speak broken English to show you that even beginners can use this method. Okay, repeat story. One sentence, one time. I will say after you. Alright. I wandered around Kyoto. I wander around Kyoto. Got a bit lost. Then a kind local helped me find my way. Then a kind local help… err, sorry, I forget. Can you repeat again? No problem. Then a kind local help me find my way. Now, if you want the practice to be more interactive, instead of repeating the story word for word, you can ask questions or try to say things in your own words. Let me show you what I mean.

Okay, I want to practice story again. Repeat one part, one time. You got it. I wandered around Kyoto. I wander around Kyoto. Um, what does wander mean? Wander means to walk or move around without a specific destination, usually in a relaxed way. So I can say I walk around Kyoto, right? Exactly. “I walked around Kyoto” is another way to say it. Okay, so I walk around Kyoto. What happen next? Next, you got a bit lost. Okay, I I walk around Kyoto, and then I got a bit lost. Perfect. Then a kind local helped you find your way. And then a kind local help me find my way. What does local mean? Local refers to someone who lives in that area. So a kind person from Kyoto helped you. As you can see, stories can make vocabulary practice so much easier. Give it a try. Bonus Step: Make Up Your Own Story Now here’s something even more fun — come up with your own story and let the chatbot fix it with proper grammar and sentence structure. This is a brilliant way to learn how to say things correctly. And the story doesn’t have to be real — you can totally make it up. Let’s say you want to practice the phrase "lose your temper. " Here’s how you might go about it: I will tell you my story, and I want you to fix it. Sure. Go for it. I’ll listen carefully. One day, I talk to my friend on the phone. He say something it angry me. I lose temper. So I close the phone. I stop the call. So that’s my story. Please tell the story but better. Alright, here’s a polished version. One day, I was talking to my friend on the phone. He said something that made me angry. So I lost my temper and ended the call. Okay, can you repeat that story? One part, one time. I want to practice. Sure. This method is really fun and engaging. In addition to building your vocabulary, it’ll help you speak more like a native. So there you have it — two ways to improve your vocabulary and speaking skills: imitation and storytelling.