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6 Minute English

Scared to speak English?

22 Jan 2026

Transcription

Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?

0.031 - 29.832 Unknown

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. Mitä tänään syötäisiin? Mitä tehdä kun jääkaappi on tyhjä ja ruokaa pitäisi saada pöytään nopeasti? Miten selvitä viikon ruokahuollosta voittajana? Mä oon Minna Kuukka ja muun muassa näihin asioihin syvennyn tunnettujen vieraiden kanssa koruan Mitä tänään syötäisiin? podcastissa. Kuuntele Mitä tänään syötäisiin? podcast Spotifyssa ja saat ratkaisuja arjen ruokahuollon ikuisuuskysymykseen.

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35.333 - 64.612 Georgina

Are you scared of speaking English? You're not alone. I am Hanan. And I'm Georgie. And our new series, Beating Speaking Anxiety, helps you fight your fears of speaking English. Hear from learners and experts and get practical advice about how to improve your speaking skills. Find Beating Speaking Anxiety on our website, bbclearningenglish.com. Six Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com.

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65.945 - 86.667 Pippa

Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Pippa. And I'm Beth. Have you ever been scared of speaking in English? In this episode, we're talking about why speaking in a foreign language can be so stressful. So, Pippa, do you ever get nervous speaking in a different language?

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86.667 - 107.052 Beth

Yes, I learned French when I was younger and I was actually quite good at it, I think, but I was really nervous when I was speaking French. How about you? Yeah, I've always felt like that with Spanish. I am scared to speak because I don't want to make mistakes, even though I know it's okay to make mistakes.

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107.052 - 123.877 Beth

Well, in this episode of 6 Minute English we'll be hearing about how to feel less nervous when you speak English. And as usual we'll be learning some useful new words and phrases. You can practice these with the quiz and worksheet on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.

123.877 - 142.928 Pippa

But first I have a question for you, Pippa. So English has around one million words, but on average, how many words does a typical English speaker use in daily conversation? Is it A, between 2,000 and 3,000?

Chapter 2: What causes anxiety when speaking English?

142.928 - 158.605 Pippa

B, between 20,000 and 30,000. Or C, between 200,000 and 300,000. I'm going to say A, 2,000 to 3,000. Okay, well, we will find out later in the programme.

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158.605 - 177.252 Pippa

Now, Pippa, you said you found it stressful speaking in French, even though you are quite good at it. Now, someone else who has had this experience is Hanan Razek. Hanan is a journalist at BBC Arabic and also host of the podcast Beating Speaking Anxiety.

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177.252 - 200.843 Hanan Razek

Tässä hän on kertomassa BBC Learning Englishin puheenjohtaja Georgina puhumisesta.

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200.843 - 221.65 Hanan Razek

My results were pretty good and I was fluent, but on that very same day, leaving the building and going to get some coffee, I couldn't really understand what the barista was saying. And I felt pretty nervous to order coffee and was trying to stress every single word, hoping that my grammar is correct and I'm pronouncing the words right.

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Chapter 3: How can we relate to the experiences of language learners?

221.65 - 250.692 Beth

Yeah, I'm sure that's a situation lots of people can relate to. Hanan's results on her English assessment were pretty good, but she was still pretty nervous to speak in English, for example when ordering a coffee in English. The modifier pretty means quite or a bit. Georgie says that Hanan's experience is something that lots of people can relate to. If you relate to a situation, you know what it feels like, usually because a similar thing has happened to you.

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250.692 - 266.707 Beth

So lots of people feel nervous speaking another language, even if they're good at it, like Anan. We can call this speaking anxiety. Anxiety means an uncomfortable feeling or worry about something that is happening or could happen in the future.

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266.707 - 295.057 Pippa

So why do so many people have anxiety about speaking a foreign language? Experts think it's connected to the beliefs we have about ourselves. Han Luo, professor of Chinese at Lafayette College in the United States, explains more to BBC Learning English presenter Georgie. Usually the beliefs that cause anxiety, especially severe anxiety, we call it irrational beliefs.

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295.057 - 307.24 Unknown

Ja myös vähäisiä itseperiaatteita, huolta negatiivisesta arvioinnista, kaikki nämä oppilaiden sisäiset vaikutukset.

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Chapter 4: What are irrational beliefs and how do they affect language learning?

307.932 - 327.457 Georgina

And Han says that learners worry about mistakes because they're scared of negative evaluation. In other words, that people will judge them for their mistakes and think badly of them. Han argues that irrational beliefs can make us anxious. Irrational beliefs are beliefs that aren't based on things that are true. They're not logical.

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327.457 - 348.398 Pippa

Hans sanoi, että joillakin ihmisillä, joilla puhutaan yllättävää, on vähäisiä itseperiaatteita. Itseperiaatteesi on se, mitä ajattelet itseäsi. Itseperiaatteet ja irrasiaaliset uskot ovat kuitenkin sisäisiä faktoreita. Ne tulevat sinun ympärilläsi, eikä ihmisistä ympärilläsi. Esimerkiksi, kun puhutaan ensimmäisen kieliäsi,

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348.398 - 372.749 Beth

You might feel confident and intelligent. But when you speak in a new language, you make mistakes and feel less confident. You can't show people what you're really like. And this is frustrating. But as we tell people all the time at BBC Learning English, mistakes are normal. You have to try to speak even though you make mistakes. And mistakes can be a good thing. They can help us learn.

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372.749 - 393.1 Beth

And if you want more tips to improve your speaking, listen to the Beating Speaking Anxiety podcast. There's a link in the notes below this episode. But Beth, I think it's time for the answer to your quiz question. Yes, I asked you how many words does the average English speaker use in daily communication?

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393.1 - 421.4 Pippa

The answer is twenty to thirty thousand. That's quite a lot. Yeah, that's loads. Okay, let's recap the vocabulary we've learnt. Pretty can be used as a modifier to mean quite or a bit. If you relate to a person or situation, you understand them, usually because you've experienced something similar. Anxiety is feeling uncomfortable or worried about something that is happening or could happen in the future.

Chapter 5: Why is making mistakes important in language learning?

421.4 - 443.557 Pippa

Irrational beliefs are beliefs about something that is not true. They're not logical. Self-perception is the way you see yourself. And internal means inside the body or mind. Once again, our six minutes are up. But if you'd like to find out more about speaking anxiety, then head over to our website, bbclearningenglish.com,

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443.557 - 464.498 Pippa

to find our Beating Speaking Anxiety series. There are podcasts about the things we find scary when speaking a different language and videos with tips to help you feel more confident with speaking. Thanks for joining us and goodbye. Goodbye!

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