A lot of students think that "could" is the past tense of "can". This is NOT always true!
Most students are completely confused about when to use "could have".

​Are you one of these students? Don't worry! I'm going to help you fix that. KEEP READING!

So, what's the difference between "can", "could" and "could have"? And how do you use them in sentences? Here's a simple explanation that will help you to use these words with more confidence. 

The first thing you need to know is that the word "can" has TWO meanings. Sometimes "can" is used to talk about skills and capabilities. Here's an example: I can climb a tree. Climbing a tree requires certain skills. Some people can do it and other people can't.

"Can" is also used to talk about possibilities. Here's an example of that: We can spend the day here. In this sentence, we're not talking about skills. We're describing something that's possible. We're just not sure if it's going to happen.

When you're thinking about using "can", "could" or "could have" in a sentence, the first thing you need to do is figure out which definition you're using. Are you talking about skills or capabilities? Are you talking about possibilities?

The next decision you need to make is what tense to use. Are you talking about the past or the present? Once you know these two things (definition and tense), you're ready to choose the right words. Just follow these rules:

• To talk about skills/capabilities in the present, use "can". 
• To talk about skills/capabilities in the past, use "could".
• To talk about possibilities in the present, use "can" OR "could".
• To talk about possibilities in the past, use "could have". The contraction is "could've".

Here are two charts to help you study and remember the decisions that you need to make in order to choose the right word(s).

If you still have questions about "can", "could" and "could have", then watch this free class. We practiced using these words in sentences.

By now, you should be able to use "can", "could" and "could have" with more confidence. But what about describing skills and possibilities in the future? Here are the simplest ways to describe these situations.

• To talk about skills/capabilities in the future, use "will be able to". (Example: In two years, I'll be able to speak English fluently.)
• To talk about possibilities in the future, use "could". (Example: It could rain tomorrow.) 

Now you know the basics of describing skills, capabilities and possibilities in the past, present and future. If you have more questions after reading this article and watching the video, let me know. You can put your questions in the comments section below.

Let's talk more about thinking in English. But first, let's talk about dictionaries: every English student's best friend, right? Most languages are made up of words and a dictionary is a great way to learn new words. Here's my question for you. Are you using a bilingual dictionary or a monolingual dictionary? First of all, what does that even mean?

Let me explain. Bilingual means two languages. A bilingual dictionary is written partly in English and partly in your native language. You can look up a word in English and find the word in your native language that means the same thing. Monolingual means one language. A monolingual dictionary is written completely in one language. You already know where this is going, right? If you're not using a monolingual dictionary, you're making a mistake!

Now, let's get back to thinking in English. The goal is for your brain to connect English words with images, ideas and feelings, not words in your native language. That's how you avoid translating everything that you see or hear into your first language. That's how you start thinking in English. When you look up an English word in a bilingual dictionary, the first thing that you connect with this new English word is a word in your native language. That's not the best thing to do if you want to think in English.

If you look up that same word in a monolingual dictionary, the first thing that you connect with this new English word is other English words, hopefully words that you understand. That's perfect if you want to learn how to think in English. Now, there are times when a bilingual dictionary is useful, so don't set yours on fire yet! I'm suggesting that you shouldn't ALWAYS use a bilingual dictionary. Try a monolingual dictionary first. If that doesn't help you, then go to a bilingual dictionary.

I know what some of you are thinking right now. I understand your point, Patricia, but  monolingual dictionaries are so hard to understand.  Yes! They are, if you use a monolingual dictionary for native speakers. Unless you're pretty advanced, I don't recommend that. Instead, you should find a monolingual dictionary that's made for language students. That will be much easier for you to understand. And of course, I did some research and found a great one to show you guys. 

Here are the links:
iPhone or Android 

This dictionary uses simple language to explain what words mean. It has recordings so that you can hear how each word is pronounced in American AND British English. You can also listen to complete sentences read by native speakers. And the sentences are simple enough for English students to understand. Are you wondering if a noun is countable or uncountable? This dictionary will tell you that too!

Give this dictionary a try or do some research and find another monolingual dictionary that you like. If you find a good one, share it with me in the comments below. I'd love to share it with my other students.

Don't forget to read my OTHER article about thinking in English!

Hopefully this is starting to make sense to you. When you read, if you want to practice this, remember that you need to stop connecting English words with words in your own language. If you want to think in English the goal is to always think about pictures, ideas and feelings, just like you do when you hear your native language. 

Here's one more tip for you and this is a great one to remember especially if you're an English teacher. One thing that every English student practices is vocabulary. A lot of people use flashcards. But, if you use flashcards with English words on one side and words in your native language on the other side, guess what. You're learning how to translate. You're not learning how to think in English.

​Take those flashcards and pull out all of the cards that have words on them that can easily be replaced by a picture. This works great for nouns, simple verbs and even simple adjectives. When you (or your students) are ready to practice vocabulary, now you'll look at a picture and you'll have to think of the English word. Flashcards like these will help you to think in English, too.

Definitely give this tip a try. I've had a lot of success with it myself. This is what I do when I study Spanish and now I can read and listen to a lot of material without translating into English at all. If it's not too complicated, I automatically think in Spanish. It's a great feeling when you realize that you're actually doing it. Let me know how it works for you. If you have questions about this tip or need more help, leave a comment below. I'd be happy to help you.

If you need books to help you practice this, check out my suggestions HERE.

Don't forget to read my OTHER article about thinking in English!

How do you practice your listening skills as a beginner?  You want to watch TV shows, movies and YouTube videos in English, but they're just too hard to understand. And that can be frustrating. You can't learn anything if you can't understand anything, right? 

Today, I'm going to tell you about 5 podcasts that you can use to practice your listening skills, even if you're a beginner.  Most of what you'll hear in these podcasts are stories, which are a great starting point for beginners who want to improve their listening skills. These are all children's podcasts, so the vocabulary and grammar will be a little easier to understand. These podcasts are also great for young English students, since the topics discussed are interesting and appropriate for kids. 

When you listen to these podcasts don't worry about understanding every single word.  First, just see if you can understand the general story.  Then, if you see that there are certain words that you need to know to understand the story, go ahead and look them up.  Here's another thing to remember. As an English student you absolutely should be listening to these podcasts more than once to make sure you understand as much as possible.  That's a part of learning.  So after you look up those words, listen to the story again as many times as you want.

The first two podcasts are called "Story Time - Children's Bedtime Stories for Kids" and "Little Stories for Tiny People: Anytime and Bedtime Stories for Kids".  These podcasts have lots of children's stories for you to listen to. They speak a bit slowly so hopefully it will be easier for you to understand. If you give these podcasts a try, one thing you'll notice is the speakers have a variety of accents.  They're all pretty neutral and easy to understand, but you can definitely hear a difference. And that's great practice for you. Getting used to different accents as a beginner will save you a lot of frustration as you become more advanced. Some of the episodes from these podcasts are about 5 or 10 minutes long and others are as long as half an hour.

The third one is called "Bedtime History: Inspirational Stories for Kids". This is another great podcast for kids' stories, but these stories are about history and culture. And not just American history and culture. You'll hear stories from all over the world. So if you're more interested in stories about real people and events, definitely try this podcast. The episodes are usually 5 to 15 minutes long.

The fourth one is "The Cramazingly Incredifun Sugarcrash Kids Podcast".  This podcast is a little different from the others because they mix storytelling with other things like interviews and songs. It's a fun format. If you're ready for something a little more challenging than some of the other podcasts on this list, try this one out.  The episodes are anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes long. I really hope you enjoy this one, when you're ready for it.

And lastly, we have "StoryCub - Video Story of the Day". There aren't a lot of episodes, but believe it or not, this is a video podcast.  So if you're not ready to listen to stories without any pictures to help understand, this might be the right podcast for you to start with. Each episode is a video. It's just like watching a video on YouTube. The pictures can be really helpful for beginners and, of course, kids will love them too. Each episode of this podcast is between 5 and 15 minutes long. And remember, they may be a little harder to download since they're videos.

So here are a couple of tips for you about learning English from podcasts.  First, a lot of podcast have transcripts available. The transcript is everything that's said in the episode, written down or typed in a document. You can usually find them on the podcast's website. If you have the transcript, my suggestion is that you listen first without the transcript and see how much you understand. Then listen again with the transcript to help you understand anything that you missed the first time. 

Second, remember that these podcasts are for kids, but they're still for native speakers, not students. If there are some things that you can't understand, that's ok. If you're looking for a podcast that is specifically for English students then you should definitely stay tuned for the Ivy League English podcast.  That's right! It's coming soon.  Until then, have fun with these podcasts. 

Don't forget to read my article about podcasts for advanced students!