Listening is powerful, but it must be comprehensible.

Hi, I'm Georgiana, and I'm back with a new episode of the Speak English Now podcast,

the podcast that helps you speak English fluently without grammar or textbooks.

Before we start, get the transcript. Visit speakenglishpodcast.com slash podcast.

Okay, let's start.

You already know that I insist on one thing again and again.

You need to listen a lot.

You need to listen every day.

And you need to repeat the same lessons many times,

because repetition helps you consolidate vocabulary, grammar patterns, and

pronunciation in a natural way. But today, I want to make something very clear, because

some students misunderstand this idea.

Listening is powerful only when the content is comprehensible.

In other words, you should understand most of what you're listening to.

And if you don't, you're not really training your brain. You're mostly training your frustration.

Here's the rule for today. You should understand at least 90% of what you listen to. Yes, 90%. If you understand about 90%, your brain can relax and follow the message, and you can

notice new words and expressions naturally. If you understand much less than that, you will feel lost,

and your progress will slow down a lot. Why 90% is the magic zone?

Let me explain it with a simple example. Imagine you listen to a podcast episode and you

understand almost everything.

You might miss a few words here and there,

but you still understand the story, the main idea, and the intention of the speaker.

...