Full Transcript:
Hello, everyone. How’s it going on? Welcome to this special one minute pill, why is it so special today? Because I’ve got great news, great news at the end of the pill. Okay.
Today on My Fluent Podcast, we’re going to catch up with Alvaro who you may already know from episode 84, how Alvaro overcame his stuttering, for those who didn’t listen to that episode, I highly recommend to do so. Alvaro is also an English teacher and has his own YouTube channel and Instagram account in which he publishes the so-called one minute pills in which he explains some difficulties of the English language. And I wanted to know from him what inspired him to start out with this one minute pills. And I must say the way, how he explains things and shares his stories is just amazing. I could listen to him hours and dollars without getting bored at all.
Daniel: And just a quick note here. Remember that. My Fluent Podcast is also on YouTube. And over there, there is a transcript available. Now let’s get to the interview, catching up with Alvaro .
Daniel 2:
Okay. So hello again.
Alvaro: I would suggest that we cover various topics today. Maybe about some methods that you are using with your students and we can go over your one minute pills.
Daniel 2: Yeah, yeah, All right.
Perfect. Perfect. Well, if you want, I can tell you the story of the pills. The story is nice. It’s a funny story about the pills now, how they were created. And then how are you started with that?
Alvaro: Yes, that would be great. Yes.
Daniel 2: I was, I was on my terrace. Okay. I was on my terrace with my children. And then well I love beer and I was having a kind of beer and there is a brand of beer, there is a brand of Spanish beer called Mahou Mahou. and my son who was seven at that time, he said he wanted to say the word mountain.
And he said mountain or something like that. He didn’t pronounce it correctly. And I corrected him immediately and I say, no, no, it’s Mau Mau mountain, mountain. And as I was drinking a kind of that beer called Mahou I said, you see Mahou mountain, mountain, mountain. So you need to okay, good.
And all of that. So I just, I just took him to bed. I was a bit tipsy, I have to say. So then I just, I just took into bed and I’ve sent my friends these anecdotes, you know, just telling them, I told them a story about a man who was climbing up a mountain and it was so hot and then suddenly he found a lot of beer of these brands, you know, Mahou.
So Mahou mountain Mount mountain. So then I told him, please never forget how to pronounce mountain properly because here in Spain, every single one, just pronounces it badly, you know, I mean, they don’t know. So they laughed a lot about that. You know, they say, okay, Mahou mountain.
I will never forget that. They say, I will never forget that. Have you got more tips about that? And I said, no, this is something stupid. You know, I am just half drunk here, you know, and this is something that I send to my friends. So then they suggested that I could send this to my students. So I started with that and then my students, the feedback was so good that they asked me for more and more silly, stupid things like this, you know, just anecdotes, things like that. So I started to send them these silly things on Whatsapp, you know, And then little by little, I started to succeed in that, you know, they, they started to like that and they started to demand more and more and more.
So I ended up creating a YouTube channel, you know, that has so far, you know, I’ve been with that for three years, over three years. So, initially the pills were five minutes. They lasted around five minutes or seven minutes and then, a year and a half ago, I decided to shorten these pills so they will become a one minute pill,
one minute, we are too busy nowadays and they just to try to concentrate to all the information within one minute. Okay. So then, people started to like that they would say wow, I like this, you know, the piece of information condensed, you know, just in one minute. And a fast pill . I mean, fast , you know, with sense of humor.
And then people that started to demand that more and more and more, and that is basically what I’m doing. You know, it’s just try to concentrate on the information in one minute. And that’s all rather than five minutes, which is more, I don’t know, unlikely that you have enough time to listen to that.
Whereas if it’s only in one minute or even less, you know, just that information flows, you know, in a better way. So that is basically my business cards are these pills , you know, it’s this one minute pills, always with music on Instagram, always with music, music that has to do with the pills and then with sense of humor.
So it’s just combination of humor, music. And then something interesting to say about English could be conversation, could be typical mistakes, you know, people make, and apparently people like that and that’s it. So I became a millionaire and I’ve got 35 houses. I’ve got two porches . And I don’t know what I should do with the money.
I don’t know.
Alvaro: You can
Daniel 2: No, it’s not true. No, no, no. It’s got no money. I don’t, unfortunately.
Alvaro: is a great, beautiful story. I mean, I love the way that we can learn something by I don’t know how to say it in English, in German, we call it “Eselsbrücke” it’s a trick to remember a specific word or something
Sorry guys. I feel like I have to chime in here just very quickly. So what I wanted to say was actually the word mnemonics which is some sort of a memory aid, right?
Alvaro: because when it’s something that we can laugh about, or when it’s something special, then it sticks with us forever.
And that’s why this message is so powerful on the other hand, it is also cool to have one minute pills, because as you said, you can condense the information. It is also a bit sad because people don’t have enough time if you are making longer videos, people get bored quickly.
And in a way it’s sad.
Daniel 2: Yeah. Yeah. I, yeah, I also follow other very good people, incredible teachers on YouTube. You know them all. I mean, there are really good I could tell you names, but the thing is, that’s just, when I see that it’s a 15 minute video, it’s like, wow. You know, Hi, I just simply haven’t got 15 minutes.
I mean, if I’m watching that video, just my wife will be looking for me. You know, it’s in the house. You’re saying you are you’re you’re, you’re not dealing you’re not doing what you should do, you know? And then instead of you’re hearing your KDS, listening to videos, you know, I mean, what I’m trying to tell you is that it’s yeah, it’s a quick world.
And let’s face it and things that are only last one minute, then the trick is just to do lots of things that last one minute, and then things related always to emotions something that something that’s somehow, I don’t know, strikes you, something that. Uh, and, and then, yeah, just tried to find, well, this is, this is what I tried to do and not seeing that I always achieve that, but that is always, I try to do that.
and that’s it, you know, lots of short stories, lots of them were short. I don’t know, apparently that is the good thing.
Alvaro: Yeah, I was really amazed and for example, there was this pill about iron maiden. I don’t know if
I, if I pronounce it
Daniel 2: That a good one
Alvaro: because I struggled a lot with this. For me,
Daniel 2: That was a goal.
Alvaro: it has always been Iron Maiden and with an R and then you told us in your pill that actually it’s not iron man.
It’s
Just I’ve met a lot of me that you don’t know how to pronounce Iron Maiden. Okay. You don’t know. I’m sorry. It’s a great band and all that but very few people in this country now how to pronounce the word iron iron iron
Daniel 2:
Iron. Well, it has, I mean, if you are very British, you could say Iron Iron, Iron you know, item my English doesn’t come from that. It’s just R U N I a and tired . I an iron maiden, but then yeah. Yeah. But then British people would say . Instead of maiden maiden, you know, they say table instead of table, you know, but the cool thing, but the cool thing is to provoke people.
And that is something that I love. I mean, you just show the logo of these bands, these incredible bands, a lot of people know. And, and then the title of appeal is just when you state, “you don’t know how to pronounce this!” and then people say, WHAT??!!, what do you think you are? You know, But of course I know how to
and then at least in Spain I don’t know about it in Switzerland, in Spain, nobody pronounces it well. no one, no one,
Alvaro: I love that band, you know, and I should know it.
Daniel 2: But if you listen to the members of the band Adrian Smith or I don’t know Dickinson or whoever, Steve Harris you see, listen,Iron Maiden… I’m I, and I, and I am the kind of, uh, uh, but it’s good to, to know to focus. I mean, the thing is when you teach English, know to focus on the same things that.
We’ve always been taught, I mean, and cultural things this is a nice example, you know, just Iron Maiden and then try to open that door. So then people just initially they just get kind of not excited but provoked, she knows like what? And they listened to that. This is just what they call, click bait culture, you know?
Yeah, yeah. That thing. And, and then after one minutes, bye-bye, bye-bye, the class is over. School is over and then next day, you know, then a different thing, like, this Beatles song, the Beatles on the Beatles album, please, please me again in Spain. Nope. Very few people know the meaning of that Please .
please me. People think that this person is saying, please, please, twice, two times. And he’s not is please come up, please me. So he’s there to please someone. And when you say, please, when you say, please, can you do please? Where you’re actually, what you’re saying is just, can you please me?
Can you please me? Which in Spanish is, may I got Ms. You know, can you please me? Cause if you do this, you’re going to please me and then you shorten and then you shorten the sentence. And then finally, it’s just please, but he’s nice to, you know, it’s just to approach this from a different point of view.
And this is what basically my pills are about, you know, it’s just a new approaches,
Alvaro: I liked it quite a lot!
Daniel 2: which is not better.
Yeah, but which is not better than others.
Alvaro: You mentioned Spanish here. As a matter of fact, if I am not mistaken, your students are mainly Spanish speakers. Right.
Daniel 2: yeah. It’s it’s all for or Spanish people. Yeah. I mean native Spanish speakers.
Alvaro: Yes. And in your pills, you also give explanation in Spanish, is it always. Okay. So your target listeners
Are Spanish speakers?
Daniel 2: Yep.
Alvaro: So. So in, in my case, as I am also learning Spanish and I’m learning English for me, it’s a win-win, you know, I can learn both and I really, I love that kind of material. Yes, it’s just great.
Daniel 2: Thank you. Thank you very much. Just coming from someone like you. It’s an honor. So thank you. . Thank you very much. if you’re another Spanish speaker. You know, it’s, it’s like, what is this man talking about? You know,
You’d better
what the heck is he talking about
Daniel 2:
you will understand some of the things, you know, some of the parts then other parts you would get lost.
But then I wonder, and this is something that I would like to know how a person someone from South America would receive this because the Spanish is very different. There’s the Spanish, spoken in Spain and the Spanish spoken in Argentina. For instance, let’s that.
So how would someone from Argentina perceive what I’m trying, what I’m explaining? I don’t know.
Alvaro: I loved it. I understood it. But of course there are some nuances, so there are differences, but it’s great for example, there was this pill about the swearing words, and it’s just great because of course Argentinians swear differently than Spanish speakers. For example,
in Argentinian, a typical word is Boludo Boludoor Pelotudo.
Daniel 2: Boludo. Beluga.
Alvaro: Yes. so.
Daniel 2: You don’t refer to the same thing down there, you know?
Alvaro: So for me, it was just a pleasure, I can learn new expressions and I mean, These are expressions, which are not in a typical grammar book or vocabulary book, but that’s exactly why I like your pills so much,
I’m not saying that you need to swear a lot, but you need to understand.
Daniel 2: Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But the good thing is this something that I also like to teaching classes, it just, you need to learn how, when and where to swear, ? Cause it’s very unpleasant when you are speaking to someone who is swearing all the time. I just don’t like that. It doesn’t mean that I don’t like swearing .
Swearing is a tool. And tools are tools, I mean, you can do great things with hammer and you can destroy someone’s life with a hammer, you know, just swearing is like, you need to be careful and then . I just, I just swear when I have to swear and that’s all what I’m trying to, it’s like idioms, you know, you need to see the DM maybe twice a year, the same idiom , but no more than that.
No more than that. If you’re saying the idiom , you’re flogging a dead horse with someone that is an idiot that I re really lie, you can only see, you can only see two no more than three times a year, three times. I think it’s too much. No more. So you can’t
Alvaro: Yeah, I
Daniel 2: keep saying that,
Alvaro: would be weird. Now
Daniel 2: Yeah. Yeah.
Alvaro: tell the same idiom 10 times a day in every situation again and again. Yeah.
Daniel 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So, so, uh, so if you see that someone is a twat, has to be, you know, the whole universe has to be ready for that moment and that’s it. Otherwise you will become a rude person, you know, just all the time called him, everyone, you know, you’re a freak, you’re a Dick, you’re a twat!
Uh, you know, it’s like, Come on you leave that lazy English just make a bigger effort. So I don’t know. I like to teach that in classes.
Alvaro: Absolutely. I have some follow-up questions from our last interview. So the first one would be, it was when you were talking about raising your children bilingually or by culturally. I think it’s an important question. What was exactly the reason for you that you decided to,
to raise your children bilingually what moved you to raise your own children in a language, which is not your mother tongue?
Daniel 2: Yeah, well, it’s basically, it’s a mix of, money is important. He would say money that’s money has to do with this, ? No, but you would save a lot of money in the future. You save a lot of money with that , just doing that. The brain when you s…. No study, cause I haven’t studied the human brain, you know, but when you read about brains and I’ve read up a lot, I’m just like neuroscience and all that.
Then you see that there is a moment for everything and there is a moment for music and there is a moment for socializing with people and there is a moment for, and there is a moment for, I don’t know, there is, there is a moment for languages. And that moment for languages is from since you are born, you know, until you’re, three years old until you’re three years old, that moment, every foreign language that you learn, it’s not a you learn because children don’t learn children just live and that soul.
And if the tablets speaks. Uh, to language, of course, obviously they don’t know it’s English. They, they repeat sounds cause we are not designed, you know, but we are prepared to, to for repeating everything. I mean we tend to repeat things and, and gestures and, and everything. So that moment when, since he’s born until he’s three years old, that is the perfect moment.
The easiest moment, the simplest moment for your brain to learn a new language. And that, and this has been demonstrated after this. . If you haven’t, if your children are not used to hearing a certain language after that, then they, they, after that moment, up to three years old to three, four years old, when they turn on TV, their brain would say, I don’t want to make that effort.
If I’m speaking Spanish, everyone is speaking Spanish. I don’t want to take that effort. I want to take a shortcut. And I went to go for Spanish. The good thing is that in my children and the children’s of my friends, and the children and my friends that let me, you know, let me teach them about this.
They say, Alvaro thank you so much because this is the key. You know that from when they were, one year old, two years old, they start with a tablet. The tablet is a tool I told you before. It’s a tool. I don’t mean that they become addicted to tablets. No, no, no. It’s just 30 minutes..
So it’s just, um, the moment that they see cartoons, and then through the tablets, everything has to be in English, English, French, Russian, whatever, in my case, English. And then it’s incredible what their brains, what happens in their brain, ?
And then after, after, three years old and four years old, I mean, when they go to their friend’s houses, when they go to other places, they see the same cartoons, but in Spanish, perfect. Perfect go and see that in Spanish, enjoy them, but not at home. Everything that, that’s your, uh, all the cartoons that you consume in your house at home, it’s got to be in this language.
This case is English and that’s it. And if you don’t do that, when you are trying to do that, when they are four years old, it’s not possible. My friends is now possible. The child won’t like it. They childhood protest. And he will say, nah, I don’t want to make these efforts unless obviously you go and live in a foreign country
Alvaro: So
Daniel 2: you know, you’re forced to
Alvaro: So you wanted like support your children right? To give them the tool in the beginning that they have it easier than when they are in school. And
Daniel 2: Yeah, that’s it.
Alvaro: it’s like an advantage for them for
Daniel 2: That’s it they’re real English class and the miracle of course was not the miracle, but the moment, the magic moment of all this is just when they are. when they are six years old, seven years old and they say, daddy, I would like, I want to, I want to understand these remote control.
Cause I don’t want to see this in Spanish. I want to see Disney in English. I wanted to see how reports are in English and so on. And they are the ones who are demanding, who are asking you for the remote control. They want to learn, you know, how to play that in English. And that moment is just utterly magic.
You know, he’s like, wow, mission accomplished. You know, he’s the one he wants. He wants let’s say Harry Potter in English. He wants that. It’s not me. And then when he goes to someone else’s house, you know, they see Harry Potter in Spanish. Okay, perfect. But he wants that at home . He wants that in English.
And then, and then now you have to see, and then it’s very important that until they are five years old, always, as I told you before, always the same person has to speak the same language. This is very important. And grammar, grammar. There are lots of studies of all that grammar is formed, until they are, when they are six years old, then the same person around six.
Okay. It’s around six around five years old, then they say person can change the language because the grammar has been formed inside. So this is Spanish and this is English. Okay. But if, when he’s three years old and four years old, two years old, you are changing that I would never do that. Just be careful with that.
You shouldn’t play with that. as I told you, I have a close case in my family. That’s Oh my goodness. ss, you know? I think it’s the best gift that I can give them to them. They don’t know it yet, but now you need to see how they watch TV.
Alvaro: Yeah.
Daniel 2: It’s incredible.
They understand better than me.
Alvaro: I can imagine. And what about your environment back then? Were there people who criticized in a way who didn’t understand that you were raising your children in English.
Daniel 2: in my case, I’ve never had that experience and has been exactly the opposite in my case. My experience has been well they are so lucky, there are so lucky and, and it’s the best gift that you could ever give them in my experience, it’s good that you have a nice accent, is that I don’t know.
Cause I’ve seen other Spanish people speak in English to their children and from my point of view, I thought that was almost pathetic. You know, it’s like, come on, you can’t hardly speak English, you know? Or it doesn’t sound natural. I mean, has to be something that flows, you know, that’s , You don’t need to struggle, you know, just when you’re speaking to them.
Um, in my case, people just say, well, I wish you were my father in that way. I wish I had that, you know, that high, that it’s, but I don’t know. And that is money in the future, of
Alvaro: Yes, for sure. since my podcast is called My Fluent podcast, what does it mean to be fluent language?
Daniel 2: Fluent in the language.
Well, to be fluent to me has to do not with understanding English… has to do with being able to maintain our conversation, these five, 10 minute conversation that, imagine that that you’re in a Congress that you’re attending a Congress of whatever and then there is a break and then you’ll go to their cafeteria and have, you know, have a beer, have a coffee with someone, you know, from these five minutes, 10 minutes that you are speaking to that person.
And these places is what real business are done, you know, in this, uh, the counter of a cafeteria. And then you’re able to tell him your story. You’re able to have a five, 10 minute conversation with that person and say, you’ll feel good. You know, that you feel good, that you understand the other person and that you’re able to convey your messages and everything.
To me that is fluent English, that moment, that moment that, wow, I was able to convey the message in a right way. I understood. I was able, that was all, you know, cause in a way, and this is what I encourage my students. It’s good that you, know English and all that, but I want to see you. How you behave at the counter of a bar of a restaurant, you know, just having lunch with someone and there is what I’m magic occurs and that’s.
. Cause, when are you able to speak English otherwise? When? I mean, when can you speak English? I don’t know. As a tourist. I wouldn’t say that that is English. I mean, we say, “please, can you show me the way to where this museum is?” Where? I don’t know, it’s just doing , the Camino de Santiago, the way of Saint James, you know, these things that’s in Spain with other people, or just being able to have a beer with you for 15 minutes and then have a conversation to me.
Alvaro: Express yourself in a fluent way without having longer gaps in between. Well we’re so that both can enjoy the conversation, maybe
And Is it possible to become fluent in a month?
Daniel 2: no it’s bullshit. I mean, it’s not possible is not true. Or there’s something that’s, uh, you don’t need to argue about that. If you believe in miracle is perfect, but you know, so other places that are ready for that no!
You said before by culturally, you said by cultural, because I said it’s on the last episode
Bi-culture means not that I teach because when I teach my English, of course I never taught them English. I mean, I just speak to them and all that, you know, I’ve never taught them English. This is not bi-cultural, cause this is, made in Spain all the time. You know, it’s just Spain, Spain, Spain, you know, so it’s just has nothing to do with that.
But if you want to learn English in a foreign country, and that was my example. If you go to Ireland, if you go to Ireland, you need to become bi-cultural bicultural. And that implies within the culture is language is music. Is food. Is the way you dress is there, you know, things, you eat things, you smell things.
You’re, everything is in there. So it’s not just I’m going to Ireland in my case. It’s not the things that I’m going to Ireland. I’m going to learn English, but I’m dressing the Spanish way. Um, with Spanish people, I’m listening to a Spanish music. No, that is, it’s not natural. You need to.
Deal with the whole thing. And language is part of that. This is again my experience and this is what I would like my children to get , the whole thing. Irish movies, Irish music, Irish, rock bands, you know, Irish and then languages everywhere.
And then unintentionally you would, you’re learning much more English than you think rather than just coming to a class.
Alvaro: That that is really cool. Yes. I think also if I wanted to improve Spanish in Argentina, I would also immerse myself into the culture, eat specialties, , Alfajores (sweets), eat empanadas and drink Argentinian beer and so on and so forth.
Daniel 2: That’s it. Which, which that doesn’t mean that you reject anything that comes from your country no, no, no. I don’t mean that, if a Spanish is forbidden in my house, through tablets and all that, that doesn’t mean that I hate Spanish, you know?
Cause some people understand that if you reject something that means that you don’t like it. No, no, no, no, no, no. I’m not talking about that, let’s, let’s do the right thing. And then one less thing that I would like to share with you is the importance of learning English through sentences.
Now this is basically what I’m doing my classes through sentences. I mean, when I started the class, I start to say sentences in Spanish, one sentence in Spanish that you need to translate that into English. And then we dissect the sentence. And then we talk about the sentence. I don’t care if a conditional is coming.
If adverb is coming, if a pronoun is coming, just whatever comes is just like life itself. You know, when you talk to a child you don’t leave. adverbs , you know until he or she is two years old, you know, you’re just, in the same sentenceyou say adverbs , and , verbs and the the conditional and everything.
So this is something my method is that I would like to share that with you, you know, it’s just, uh,
Alvaro: how do you pick the sentence?
Daniel 2: Well, I just speak them from everywhere. I mean, stairs places where I see, other people that have sentences courses that I’ve done courses of business English that I’ve done, that I, copy paste all of their sentences ?
And then a mainly that is just like a raugh script, you know, but then I just make up all of them, you know, I see a sentence, you know, and then I just start to make up. The rest of the sentences, , similar to that. And then, and then you start to play.
So then, if I’m in a business class, I would say, but I would say the sentence in Spanish, equivalent for instance, to the, This sentence that I love a lot.
, the New York candidates should meet the requirements.
you should meet these requirements. And then while you might not,
Alvaro: And you add something, then you explain it to your students, or how does the process work?
Daniel 2: It’s always in Spanish
is you play with them. It’s always in Spanish. And then they have to translate that into English and then Spanish again, and then translate. And then you play, when you say you should meet this requirement, then you say you could meet this requirement. And then you say, you might meet this requirement.
And then you say, you don’t need to meet this requirement. You start to play with that. So one simple
sentence.
Alvaro: You’ll give instant feedback to your student.
Daniel 2: That’s it.
Alvaro: it’s
Daniel 2: it. And then yes. Yes. And then don’t let them think this is something very important. Don’t think just whatever is in your mind. If you start to think of a sentence, then you will get it wrong. So I always tell them please don’t think of these. You just tell me whatever comes to your mind, because I want to learn from your mistakes.
Once the person starts and stops and then starts to think about the question then, *XXX*, he will not get it right. so we could talk about this maybe on another occasion,
Alvaro: We don’t have enough time now, but it sounds really interesting.
Daniel 2: On another occasion I will be really pleased, you know, just to, share with you, you know, my real classes and all that
perfect. Well, I see you. Bye.
Thank you guys for listening. This was my fluent podcast. I am Daniel. And as you could see, we didn’t have enough time to finish up here, but that’s not a problem at all because you know what? This means that there will be another catch up episode in the future, which is awesome. And then hopefully we will really dive into Alvaro’s
language learning methods and how he conducts his classes. Bye.