How to Speak English like a Native by Watching These YouTubers

I usually get students asking me how to speak like an English native. Here’s what I suggest to them (and what I suggest to you as well). Think of all the hours you spend on YouTube each and every day doing “useless” stuff such as watching music videos, getting cooking recipes you never even use or following vlogs that couldn’t be further apart from your lifestyle. Now, what if you switched all of that time for learning new things… on YouTube?
Okay, I admit it – now it sounds like an impossible idea. I don’t think I could do this myself.
But, what if you devoted just a fraction of your “YouTube time” to watching educational content that can truly benefit your English fluency? Oh, and you’d have to do so on a regular basis… Who knows, maybe this could sort of become your go-to method for learning languages online.
Before I recommend some of my favorite YouTubers in the English learning community, let’s take a look at “how” exactly YouTube can help you speak like an English native as well as how it compares to other online learning options, such as online tutoring and mobile apps.

Learn at your own pace

When it comes to devoting yourself to learning via YouTube, you’re not bound by time or place. The flexibility is one of the key things that differentiates YouTube classes from online tutoring or even traditional classes. Even if some language learning channels provide courses or series on particular topics, you can still watch all the clips at whatever pace suits you the most.

Make variety your best friend

All YouTubers in the English learning community have a very distinct personality, teaching approach, and… well, content. But, this variety is good for you. It is exactly what you would find in a native-speaking environment. Some channels are very vocabulary- or grammar-centric while some do it all. Either way, I advise you to make the most out of this variety on your journey.

Embrace every bit of detail

The thing I believe separates learning English via YouTube from online tutoring or mobile apps is the fact that you get all of this detail that benefits your fluency but in a very entertaining manner. You see, YouTubers are not bound by rules of traditional teaching and they can easily spend more time than is needed on a particular topic to help you understand it.
Moreover, they allow you to look at certain real-world scenes and immediately connect it to your learning instead of just “visualizing” it through your imagination. Oh, and there are so many videos, which allows you to analyze every single move of your “instructor” – from the way they move their lips when pronouncing certain words to body posture and tone.
Well, now that I’ve persuaded you to take YouTube more seriously and put all the time you spend there to good use, here are four of my favorite YouTubers whose content can truly help you become a better English speaker.

To Fluency

Kicking off the list, we have To Fluency. With your favorite teacher Jack, you’ll learn all the tips and tricks you’ll need on your way to… well, “to fluency”! With a keen focus on speaking and listening on top of some great grammar and vocabulary lessons, Jack’s videos are entertaining, conversational, and rooted in speaking English in a more effective way.
The channel offers a variety of series, such as “Advanced English Conversation Lesson” or “Learn Conversational English”, where Jack and partner Kate teach (and show) you “how” to have conversations in English in real-life scenarios as they give pretty valuable advice. Jack also offers a free ebook for English learners titled “The 5-Step Plan for English Fluency”, which helps to accelerate your improvement toward an advanced level of English proficiency.
What I probably value the most about Jack’s videos though is that they have this unique “growth” aspect to them, as he always (and I mean always) provides a healthy dose of motivation, diving into some pyschological hurdles that keep you back from reaching that next goal, learning new vocabulary or mastering a hard grammar rule.
It’s something English learners simply need to hear to stay on track to native-like fluency!

EnglishClass101

Want to speak real English from your very first lesson? EnglishClass101 is the YouTube channel for you! With more than 2 million subscribers, Alisha and her team tend to provide something for everyone, regardless of their current English proficiency level.
If you’re willing to invest anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes each day to learn how to speak like an English native, then this is as good as it gets. The channel features several hundred videos which cover real-life scenarios and analyze them to the very last detail to help you truly get a grasp of “how” native speakers in the United States talk in the real world.
The level of variety in their content is simply amazing! They also offer a full language learning program and have their own TV channel which runs 24/7 via YouTube Live. Isn’t that awesome?! Give this channel a go and subscribe right away!

Eat Sleep Dream English

Everyone, please say hello to Tom, one of my colleagues and favorite English teachers in the world. I’ve been subbed to this guy’s channel for several years now and let me tell you – he has helped even me learn a bunch of new words on the go. That’s how good and entertaining he is!
Although vocabulary-centric with some grammar rules here and there, Tom’s content has this unique spark you rarely see in teachers, which makes you “want to” learn almost everything he throws at you. He’s detailed, gives well-structured lessons, speaks very clearly and at a pace which I find suitable for basically any learner out there. Plus, he’s very active on social media and likes to interact with his followers, which also gives you an added chance to chat with a native.
Contrary to the example above, Tom speaks with a very distinct British accent, which provides you with a genuine experience of how native speakers in the UK actually talk. Do me a favor and hit that subscribe button on his channel immediately, okay? I guarantee you won’t regret it!

Speak English with Vanessa

If you’re looking for someone who knows exactly what you’re going through on your language learning journey, then Vanessa’s YouTube channel should be the very next thing you visit after reading this article. Vanessa’s content encompasses almost all spheres of the English language, from vocabulary, phrases, and grammar lessons to live interviews and Skype sessions with her students who are confidently boasting their native-like fluency thanks to Vanessa.
Apart from mere instructional videos, she likes to include tests in her videos, which makes them highly interactive and also gives you the opportunity to test your knowledge without anyone criticizing you or “killing” your motivation to learn. It’s exactly why she has a series called “The Fearless Fluency club” – sounds so cool, right?
Vanessa also offers a free ebook called “5 Steps to Becoming a Confident English Speaker”. Let me tell you, it is a great resource that you can digest on the go and improve your reading skills and motivation. If you ask me, confidence goes a long way toward learning how to speak like an English native. Give Vanessa a go and start learning English with her today!

Learn How to Speak Like an English Native using LingQ

Did you know that you can import YouTube videos into LingQ?
But why would you want to do this? Well…

Using LingQ, you can pull the transcript from the YouTube video (as long as captions are enabled). Remember, the more you read, the better you’ll become at the language you’re learning.

LingQ is ultra-convenient. You are able to look up all the new words you come across and pull up one of LingQ’s dictionaries. This saves you time by not having to open up other tabs and searching for other online dictionaries. You can also click the word to hear how it’s pronounced.

You can test your knowledge by using LingQ’s SRS which will create flashcards for you. Use a variety of testing methods including dictation, multiple choice, and fill in the blanks.

Finally, you can do all this on your phone using LingQ’s mobile app! Listen to the audio and read along with ease in order to get the best out of your self-studies. 🙂 Give it a try.
To quickly recap, you can import any YouTube video into LingQ as long as it has the captions. Doing so allows you to read, listen, and learn in an organized fashion.
Good Luck!
Join LingQ for free today!

Check out polyglot and LingQ cofounder Steve Kaufmann’s YouTube channel for more great language learning content!

We’re often asked: is English hard to learn? Well, not if you enjoy the learning process! That’s why there’s LingQ, which allows you to learn English from content you love! This means you can catch up on your favourite English Netflix series or podcasts while furthering your language skills. Check out LingQ today to get started!

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Jasmin Alić is an award-winning EFL/ESL teacher and writing aficionado from Bosnia and Herzegovina with years of experience in multicultural learning environments.