Hey, everyone. This is Alex from engVid; and today, I want to talk to you about
how to tell if you are an intermediate-English learner. So, these
are going to be some guidelines to let you know if you are making progress, and
if you are above the beginner level, and if you're maybe ready to start looking
at advanced-student content. So, the first thing you should be able to do if
you are an intermediate-English student is to be able to talk about your daily
routines, your likes, your dislikes, your personal preferences. So, for
example, if I ask you: "What do you do every day?" you can tell me: "I get up
at seven am. I have breakfast. I brush my teeth." You probably get dressed
before that. "I go to work. I have lunch. I come home, and then I relax
before I go to sleep" — something like this. And you're able to answer
questions, like: "What do you like to do in your free time? What hobbies do you
have?" And you can say: "Well, I like to do this. I don't like to do that. I
prefer this instead of that". So, you're able to talk about your daily routines,
your likes, your dislikes, and your preferences. Number two: You should be
very comfortable with the English alphabet, if you want to consider
yourself an intermediate-level student. So, you can spell things out — if people
ask you to spell your name, for example. Numbers are another area that you should
be able to be comfortable with at this stage. So, if someone asks you for your
phone number, for example, you can say it in English without needing to, you
know... translate in your mind. Now, before I continue, I want to state that,
you know... this list, there are going to be some things that even advanced
students have trouble with. You will always have blind spots. "Blind spots"
are, you know... areas that are a problem that maybe you haven't
considered, or you haven't worked on enough just yet.
Next: You can express what you want in public places. So, whether you go to a
restaurant, whether you are at the subway station, or another place where
you have to interact with someone and ask for something — for example, if
you're a customer at a store; or a client at a bank — you can express what
you need to do. So, you can use phrases, like: "I would like", or: "I want", or:
"Can I have", or: "Could you help me with...?". So, you're okay, basically,
making requests. Next: You are also comfortable and familiar with a lot of
the basic elementary grammar topics. So, in terms of tenses, if you are an
intermediate student, you should have relative familiarity and comfort with
the present simple, the present continuous, so: "I play", "I am
playing"; the simple past: "I played"; the present perfect: "I have played";
and the future simple: "I will play". So, if you have at least a functional
use of these tenses; in addition to, of course, knowing how to use things, like:
"much" and "many", having a basic understanding of how articles work as
well, and how to use, you know... adjectives beyond just: "cold" and
"hot", and colours, and things like this. You should have a pretty good
command of these things. And you should be able to, you know... make questions
with all of them. So: "What did you do yesterday? Where did you go? Have you
seen that movie?" So, you're able to have conversations with these tenses
with these grammar elements.
Now, in terms of comprehension and listening skills, you should be able to
understand most basic children's television shows and some movies. Of
course, this will depend on the movie, this will depend on the show, as there
are still shows and movies where characters speak a little quickly, for
example. But a show, like: "Peppa Pig", for example — an intermediate student
should be able to understand what is going on in an episode of "Peppa Pig"
because, number one: The pictures are very clear and they tell you what's
happening. But number two: The language is relatively simple, and they pause
quite frequently, and they speak at, like, a good pace. So, an intermediate
student should be able to understand what's happening in the majority of an
episode of "Peppa Pig", for example. Finally, speaking takes time, but you're
able to do it. You're not ready to have political discussions, for example, but
you can express yourself; you can participate in a conversation with
people whose first language is English. And you don't feel... well, you still
feel and you will feel for a while this kind of, you know... sometimes anxious
feeling when you are speaking, like, you're struggling to find the vocabulary
and the words that you need, but you can express yourself.
So, if you go down the list of what I just mentioned about, you know... your
routines, your likes, your dislikes, being able to understand shows, knowing
the alphabet — these are all good ways to let you know that: "You know what? I
am functional in English. I am an intermediate student. People can
understand me now, and I can express myself better." You should feel really
proud of yourself, honestly. And go back and rewatch this video. Go over the
points again. Remind yourself of the grammar topics that I mentioned — the
tenses, in particular, that you should be comfortable with. And with some
practice, some dedicated practice daily, regularly — you will get there; you will
make it happen. And if you enjoyed this video, make sure to do the quiz. When
you're finished, subscribe to my channel on YouTube, turn on notifications, give
me a thumbs up, and tell your friends. Share with everyone, and leave a comment
down below. What level do you think you are in your English journey right now?
And what do you think you need to do to get to the next level? I'm genuinely
curious, so please let me know in the comments. Until next time, I wish you
success in your studies. Thanks for clicking.