Hi, I'm Georgiana, your English teacher. Thanks for joining me for a new episode of the

Speak English Now podcast. If you want to help, please share the podcast on social media. That would mean a lot. Thanks. Before we start, visit my website,

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how to enhance your English fluency.

Okay, let's start.

Today I'd like to take a closer look at a common issue faced by many learners of English,

the proper usage of various verb tenses, as well as the potential

mistakes they can make. First, you should bear in mind that native speakers tend to use

fewer verb tenses when speaking compared to when they are writing. In other words,

spoken language is more direct and simple, and that's good news. So why does this happen? We can consider how to articulate our ideas best, select suitable

grammar structures and more when writing. However, when speaking, there is no time to think about

how to construct a sentence.

Secondly, when learning a language, there is often a conflict between two components.

These two elements are fluency and self-correction.

By fluency, I mean the ability to produce the language with few pauses,

and by self-correction, I mean the perception that what you're saying may be wrong,

and consequently, you self-correct. To illustrate this point, let's assume that

Tom is an English learner, with a low level of fluency. Tom has to make a significant effort

to find the right words, finishing sentences, and so on.

He is probably mentally translating from his native language to English and the other way around.

While Tom is in a conversation struggling to finish sentences,

the last thing Tom can think about is whether... struggling to finish sentences,

...