The InFluency Podcast - podcast cover

The InFluency Podcast

Hadar Shemeshhadarshemesh.com
The InFluency podcast is your go-to resource for learning, speaking and teaching English. Hadar Shemesh is a pronunciation expert and fluency coach with thousands of students around the world, though she herself was an intermediate speaker of English once. In this podcast she will share her best strategies for learning English, speaking English with confidence and mastering the American accent. Discover how becoming fluent has everything to do with acquiring the right mindset, setting goals and learning how to overcome challenges. Hadar will also share her teaching philosophy and techniques to support English teachers looking to help their students become fluent.
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Episodes

198. How to pronounce HER vs. HAIR

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I’ll help you with the pronunciation of confusing words and common names. This week we’re going to talk about the words ‘her’ and ‘hair’. Here’s a loose transcription of the word as explained in the episode: hair: her [IPA: heəɹ] her: h’r [IPA: hɜːɹ] or h’r [IPA: həɹ] hurt: h’rt [IPA: hɜːɹt] You can watch the video version here: https://hadarshemesh.com/magazine/her-hair/ If you want to impr...

Feb 25, 20223 minEp. 198

198. How to pronounce HER vs. HAIR

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of confusing words and common names. This week we're going to talk about the words 'her' and 'hair'. Here's a loose transcription of the word as explained in the episode: hair: her [IPA: heəɹ] her: h'r [IPA: hɜːɹ] or h'r [IPA: həɹ] hurt: h'rt [IPA: hɜːɹt] You can watch the video version here: https://hadarshemesh.com/magazine/her-hair/ If you want to impr...

Feb 25, 20223 minEp. 198

197. Shadowing Technique in English: are you wasting your time?

Do you use shadowing when practicing English? Shadowing is one of the best ways to improve your English speaking skills as it helps improve pronunciation, intonation, and vocabulary. It can also help you improve *unconsciously* things like rhythm, stress, grammar, and more. Sounds like fun, no? But, it can also be a WASTE OF TIME! Without proper guidance, it’s easy to fall into the trap of practicing it in an ineffective way! And then you won’t be seeing the results you COULD be seeing. ? If you...

Feb 22, 202221 minEp. 197

197. Shadowing Technique in English: are you wasting your time?

Do you use shadowing when practicing English? Shadowing is one of the best ways to improve your English speaking skills as it helps improve pronunciation, intonation, and vocabulary. It can also help you improve *unconsciously* things like rhythm, stress, grammar, and more. Sounds like fun, no? But, it can also be a WASTE OF TIME! Without proper guidance, it's easy to fall into the trap of practicing it in an ineffective way! And then you won't be seeing the results you COULD be seeing. ? If you...

Feb 22, 202221 minEp. 197

196. How to pronounce PARTICULARLY

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I’ll help you with the pronunciation of confusing words and common names. This week we’re going to talk about the word ‘particularly’. Here’s a loose transcription of the word as explained in the episode: particularly: p’r-ti-kyuh-l’r-lee [IPA: pərˈtɪkjələrli] or puh-ti-kyuh-l’r-lee [IPA: pəˈtɪkjələrli] You can watch the video version here: https://hadarshemesh.com/magazine/particularly/ If ...

Feb 18, 20223 minEp. 196

196. How to pronounce PARTICULARLY

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of confusing words and common names. This week we're going to talk about the word 'particularly'. Here's a loose transcription of the word as explained in the episode: particularly: p'r-ti-kyuh-l'r-lee [IPA: pərˈtɪkjələrli] or puh-ti-kyuh-l'r-lee [IPA: pəˈtɪkjələrli] You can watch the video version here: https://hadarshemesh.com/magazine/particularly/ If ...

Feb 18, 20223 minEp. 196

195. Tongue Twisters… Do we really need ‘em?

Tongue twisters can be a pain in the b**t in ANY LANGUAGE! They can be frustrating, discouraging, and you may even think they’re pointless. So why am I obsessed with tongue twisters?!? Listen to this episode to find out, as I try to make a case for tongue twisters. Maybe I’ll even convince you Once you’re convinced, go to my website to access my tongue-twister playlist! Something fun to add to your daily practice routine ?? https://hadarshemesh.com/magazine/tongue-twisters-in-english/ Join the I...

Feb 15, 202215 minEp. 195

195. Tongue Twisters… Do we really need 'em?

Tongue twisters can be a pain in the b**t in ANY LANGUAGE! They can be frustrating, discouraging, and you may even think they're pointless. So why am I obsessed with tongue twisters?!? Listen to this episode to find out, as I try to make a case for tongue twisters. Maybe I'll even convince you Once you're convinced, go to my website to access my tongue-twister playlist! Something fun to add to your daily practice routine ?? https://hadarshemesh.com/magazine/tongue-twisters-in-english/ Join the I...

Feb 15, 202215 minEp. 195

194. How to pronounce PULL and POOL

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I’ll help you with the pronunciation of confusing words and common names. This week we’re going to talk about the minimal pair, ‘pool’ and ‘pull’. Here’s a loose transcription of the words as explained in the episode: pool: puwl [IPA: puːl] food: fuwd [IPA: fuːd] you: yuw [IPA: yuː] who’d: huwd [IPA: huːd] kook: kuwk [IPA: kuːk] Luke: luwk [IPA: luːk] fruit juice: fruwt djuws [IPA: fruːt dʒu...

Feb 11, 20228 minEp. 194

194. How to pronounce PULL and POOL

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of confusing words and common names. This week we're going to talk about the minimal pair, 'pool' and 'pull'. Here's a loose transcription of the words as explained in the episode: pool: puwl [IPA: puːl] food: fuwd [IPA: fuːd] you: yuw [IPA: yuː] who'd: huwd [IPA: huːd] kook: kuwk [IPA: kuːk] Luke: luwk [IPA: luːk] fruit juice: fruwt djuws [IPA: fruːt dʒu...

Feb 11, 20228 minEp. 194

193. How to pronounce LUXURY

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I’ll help you with the pronunciation of confusing words and common names. This week we’re going to talk about the word ‘luxury’. Here’s a loose transcription of the word as explained in the episode: luxury: luhg-juh-ree [IPA: ˈlʌɡʒəri] You can watch the video version here: https://hadarshemesh.com/magazine/luxury/ If you want to improve your accent and understand spoken English better, downl...

Feb 04, 20224 minEp. 193

193. How to pronounce LUXURY

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of confusing words and common names. This week we're going to talk about the word 'luxury'. Here's a loose transcription of the word as explained in the episode: luxury: luhg-juh-ree [IPA: ˈlʌɡʒəri] You can watch the video version here: https://hadarshemesh.com/magazine/luxury/ If you want to improve your accent and understand spoken English better, downl...

Feb 04, 20224 minEp. 193

192. She immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 45… this is what happened

Every immigrant has a story. A story about their journey and the place of English in it. Many of my students are immigrants, I was an immigrant myself. There are commonalities, for sure, but each story is unique, a story worth telling and listening to. In this episode, I’ll be interviewing Rita Ramirez. Rita is a real estate salesperson, originally from Colombia, now residing in the US. Rita was a student in my program Accent Makeover and is a member of our practice group Beyond. As a real estat...

Feb 01, 202242 minEp. 192

192. She immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 45… this is what happened

Every immigrant has a story. A story about their journey and the place of English in it. Many of my students are immigrants, I was an immigrant myself. There are commonalities, for sure, but each story is unique, a story worth telling and listening to. In this episode, I'll be interviewing Rita Ramirez. Rita is a real estate salesperson, originally from Colombia, now residing in the US. Rita was a student in my program Accent Makeover and is a member of our practice group Beyond. As a real estat...

Feb 01, 202242 minEp. 192

191. How to pronounce BED vs. BAD

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I’ll help you with the pronunciation of confusing words and common names. This week we’re going to talk about the minimal pair, ‘bed’ and ‘bad’. Here’s a loose transcription of the words as explained in the episode: bed: bed [IPA: bɛd] red: red [IPA: rɛd] head: head [IPA: hɛd] set: set [IPA: sɛt] left: left [IPA: lɛft] send: send [IPA: sɛnd] bad: bad [IPA: bæd] cat: cat [IPA: kæt] happy: ha-...

Jan 28, 20224 minEp. 191

191. How to pronounce BED vs. BAD

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of confusing words and common names. This week we're going to talk about the minimal pair, 'bed' and 'bad'. Here's a loose transcription of the words as explained in the episode: bed: bed [IPA: bɛd] red: red [IPA: rɛd] head: head [IPA: hɛd] set: set [IPA: sɛt] left: left [IPA: lɛft] send: send [IPA: sɛnd] bad: bad [IPA: bæd] cat: cat [IPA: kæt] happy: ha-...

Jan 28, 20224 minEp. 191

190. The BIGGEST Pronunciation Challenges Arabic Speakers Face (and how to overcome them)

Download Free English Pronunciation Guide + audio practice here: https://hadarshemesh.com/english-for-arabic-speakers-pdf/ In this episode, I’m going to talk about the biggest English pronunciation challenges for speakers of Modern Standard Arabic – all broken down and explained. You’ll learn what those main challenges are, why they are difficult, but more than that – you’ll learn how to overcome them and become a more confident and clear speaker of English. Not an Arabic speaker? I bet that as ...

Jan 25, 202223 minEp. 190

190. The BIGGEST Pronunciation Challenges Arabic Speakers Face (and how to overcome them)

Download Free English Pronunciation Guide + audio practice here: https://hadarshemesh.com/english-for-arabic-speakers-pdf/ In this episode, I'm going to talk about the biggest English pronunciation challenges for speakers of Modern Standard Arabic – all broken down and explained. You'll learn what those main challenges are, why they are difficult, but more than that – you'll learn how to overcome them and become a more confident and clear speaker of English. Not an Arabic speaker? I bet that as ...

Jan 25, 202223 minEp. 190

189. How to pronounce MONTHS

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I’ll help you with the pronunciation of confusing words and common names. This week we’re going to talk about the word ‘months’. Here’s a loose transcription of the word as explained in the episode: Months: muhnths [IPA: mʌnθs] or muhns [IPA: mʌns] You can watch the video version here: https://hadarshemesh.com/magazine/months/ If you want to improve your accent and understand spoken English ...

Jan 21, 20223 minEp. 189

189. How to pronounce MONTHS

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of confusing words and common names. This week we're going to talk about the word 'months'. Here's a loose transcription of the word as explained in the episode: Months: muhnths [IPA: mʌnθs] or muhns [IPA: mʌns] You can watch the video version here: https://hadarshemesh.com/magazine/months/ If you want to improve your accent and understand spoken English ...

Jan 21, 20223 minEp. 189

188. Feeling Invisible

What happens when you’re choosing not to speak? When you feel limited by a language? Maybe you’ve gotten used to avoiding speaking so much that you feel people don’t really know the REAL you. When you constantly feel like your voice is not heard – whether it’s because of others not listening to you or because you’re not speaking enough, especially when it matters – you might feel you’re invisible. There’s nothing worse than feeling that people don’t REALLY see you. Join me for a conversation abo...

Jan 18, 202227 minEp. 188

188. Feeling Invisible

What happens when you're choosing not to speak? When you feel limited by a language? Maybe you've gotten used to avoiding speaking so much that you feel people don't really know the REAL you. When you constantly feel like your voice is not heard – whether it's because of others not listening to you or because you're not speaking enough, especially when it matters – you might feel you're invisible. There's nothing worse than feeling that people don't REALLY see you. Join me for a conversation abo...

Jan 18, 202227 minEp. 188

187. How to pronounce GIRL

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I’ll help you with the pronunciation of confusing words and common names. This week we’re going to talk about the word ‘girl’. Here’s a loose transcription of the word as explained in the episode: girl – g’rl [IPA: ɡɜːrl] You can watch the video version here: https://hadarshemesh.com/magazine/girl/ If you want to improve your accent and understand spoken English better, download my free Amer...

Jan 14, 20226 minEp. 187

187. How to pronounce GIRL

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of confusing words and common names. This week we're going to talk about the word 'girl'. Here's a loose transcription of the word as explained in the episode: girl – g'rl [IPA: ɡɜːrl] You can watch the video version here: https://hadarshemesh.com/magazine/girl/ If you want to improve your accent and understand spoken English better, download my free Amer...

Jan 14, 20226 minEp. 187

186. 10 min English Pronunciation Practice for the New Year

Do this English pronunciation practice every day, and improve your clarity, intonation, pronunciation, and confidence. Ready to kick off the New Year with a healthy habit? This episode will help! You can do it in the morning, in the evening, before an important meeting, or whenever you feel it’s right. Set yourself up for success using these articulation and speech exercises and you’ll feel how your English becomes effortless with time! Watch the video version of the practice here: https://hadar...

Jan 11, 202214 minEp. 186

186. 10 min English Pronunciation Practice for the New Year

Do this English pronunciation practice every day, and improve your clarity, intonation, pronunciation, and confidence. Ready to kick off the New Year with a healthy habit? This episode will help! You can do it in the morning, in the evening, before an important meeting, or whenever you feel it's right. Set yourself up for success using these articulation and speech exercises and you'll feel how your English becomes effortless with time! Watch the video version of the practice here: https://hadar...

Jan 11, 202214 minEp. 186

185. How to pronounce CAP, COP, and CUP

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes, I’ll help you with the pronunciation of confusing words and common names. This week we’re going to talk about the minimal triplet, ‘cap’, ‘cop’, and ‘cup’. You can watch the video version here: https://hadarshemesh.com/magazine/cap-cup-cop/ Here’s a loose transcription of the words as explained in the episode: cap: kap [IPA: kæp] cop: kaap [IPA: kɑːp] cup: kuhp [IPA: kʌp] cat: kat [IPA: kæt] hat: hat [IPA: hæt] ...

Jan 04, 20226 minEp. 185

185. How to pronounce CAP, COP, and CUP

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes, I'll help you with the pronunciation of confusing words and common names. This week we're going to talk about the minimal triplet, 'cap', 'cop', and 'cup'. You can watch the video version here: https://hadarshemesh.com/magazine/cap-cup-cop/ Here's a loose transcription of the words as explained in the episode: cap: kap [IPA: kæp] cop: kaap [IPA: kɑːp] cup: kuhp [IPA: kʌp] cat: kat [IPA: kæt] hat: hat [IPA: hæt] ...

Jan 04, 20226 minEp. 185

184. 10 AMAZING TIPS that’ll SKYROCKET your English fluency

Download FREEBIE – A list of the 10 tips, PLUS links to videos and resources to go deeper: https://bit.ly/3Eysic2 Ready to make a change in 2022? ??? The end of the year is always a good time to set goals for the new year. And if improving your English is on that list, you’ll definitely need the right strategy for it! So I got you covered! In this episode, I collected for you 10 of my best tips to help you understand how to reach your English goals THIS YEAR! ? You’ll learn about what you should...

Dec 29, 202125 minEp. 184

184. 10 AMAZING TIPS that'll SKYROCKET your English fluency

Download FREEBIE – A list of the 10 tips, PLUS links to videos and resources to go deeper: https://bit.ly/3Eysic2 Ready to make a change in 2022? ??? The end of the year is always a good time to set goals for the new year. And if improving your English is on that list, you'll definitely need the right strategy for it! So I got you covered! In this episode, I collected for you 10 of my best tips to help you understand how to reach your English goals THIS YEAR! ? You'll learn about what you should...

Dec 29, 202125 minEp. 184
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