When You Don’t Know the Word: Don’t Stop — Explain It!

You know the word in your own language, but suddenly you can’t remember it in English. What do you do? Stop speaking? Say “I don’t know” and give up?

Not at all. You can explain the word.

This is a very useful skill, especially in conversations, meetings and situations where you need to keep speaking.

You can say:

• It’s something you use to…
• It’s a person who…
• It’s a place where…
• It’s something you…
• It’s similar to…
• It’s the opposite of…
• It’s like a…
• I don’t know the exact word, but…

For example, you want to say “ladder”, but you can't remember the word.

“I don’t know the exact word, but it’s something you use to climb up and reach high places.”

Or you want to say “neighbour”:

“It’s a person who lives near you.”

You don't need perfect vocabulary to communicate successfully. Sometimes, the ability to explain a word is more useful than knowing every word.

And there is another advantage: when you explain something, the other person can often help you find the word:

“It’s something you use to open a bottle…”

“A bottle opener?”

“Yes! That’s it!”

So next time a word disappears from your mind, don’t stop the conversation. Go around the word!

                            English needs its building blocks

When you learn English, it is not enough to know lots of words. You also need to understand how those words work together.

One important thing to remember is that English usually needs a subject.

In Spanish, we can say:

Llegué tarde.

We don't need to say yo because the verb llegué already tells us who did the action.

In English, this is different:

I arrived late.

If we only say “arrived late”, the verb arrived does not tell us who did it. It could be I, you, he, she, it, we or they.

So, without the subject, the person listening to us or reading our message may not know who actually did the action.

The same idea applies to the object of a verb. English usually puts the object in the sentence as a separate word.

For example:

I want to buy it. → Quisiera comprarLO.
We have to meet her. → Tenemos que verLA.

In Spanish, lo and la can become part of the verb: comprarlo, verla. In English, it and her are separate words.

This is a small difference, but it is important to notice it when you are building sentences in English.

Of course, there are exceptions. In headlines and very informal conversation, you may hear or read:

Want to come?
Wanna come?

But when you are learning English, it is useful to first understand and practise the complete structure. Then you can learn when English speakers naturally leave things out.

A useful habit

When you speak or write in English, don't only ask yourself:

“Do I know the words?”

Also ask:

“Does my sentence have everything it needs?”

Look at the subject + verb + object and check how the words work together.

These small details can make a big difference to your English.

At English Connection, we believe that learning English means understanding your needs, your goals and your own learning process.

That is why we invite you to try a free meeting and discover our approach for yourself.

Your time matters. Your needs matter. Your English journey should respect both.

 

Understanding people who speak too fast

You understand English.

But then someone starts speaking very fast — and suddenly, you feel like you don't understand anything.

Don't panic. Don't pretend you understood. Manage the situation.

Here are five things you can do.

1. Don't try to understand every word

Listen for the key information: names, numbers, dates, places, decisions and important verbs.

You don't need every word to understand the main message.

2. Ask them to slow down — professionally

You don't have to say:

You're speaking too fast.

Try:

Could you speak a little more slowly, please?

or:

Would you mind slowing down a little?

Both are polite and professional.

3. If you missed one part, ask for that part

You don't need to ask them to repeat everything.

Try:

Sorry, I didn't catch the last part.

Could you repeat that last point?

I didn't quite catch the date.

This makes your request clear and specific.

4. Check that you understood the important information

This is especially useful at work.

So, just to make sure I've understood: the meeting is on Thursday, right?

or:

So, you're asking me to send the report by Friday, correct?

You're not showing weakness.

You're making sure you got it right.

5. If you still can't follow, take control of the conversation

You can say:

I'm having a little trouble following you. Could we take it one point at a time?

That's calm, clear and professional.

TAKE THIS WITH YOU

When someone speaks too fast:

Don't panic.
Don't pretend.
Don't give up.

Ask.

Clarify.

Check.

Understanding everything immediately isn't the goal. Making sure the message is clear is.

Sounding confident when your English isn't perfect

You don't need perfect English to sound confident.

You need to be able to keep communicating when your English isn't perfect.

If you are learning English, you will forget words, make mistakes and sometimes need time to think. That's normal.

The problem is when you let those moments stop you from participating.

Instead of staying silent…

Try:

You don't know a word?
I don't know the exact word, but it's…

You need time to think?
Let me think about that.

You make a mistake?
Sorry, I mean…

You're not sure?
I'm not completely sure, but I think…

You need to explain something differently?
Let me put it another way.

These phrases don't make your English look worse.

They show that you know how to communicate even when your English is still developing.

Confidence isn't perfection

You don't have to pretend that your English is better than it is.

You can say:

I'm still working on my English, but I'll try to explain.

That's confidence.

Not perfect English.
Not pretending.
Participating.

TAKE THIS WITH YOU

Your English can be a work in progress — and you can still be part of the conversation.

 

 

ONE CHAPTER ENDS. A NEW ONE BEGINS.

We've just reached the end of our series on English for Job Interviews.

But learning English isn't only about knowing the right words or grammar.

Sometimes, you know the English… but you don't know what to do with it in a real situation.

What happens when someone speaks too fast?

When you can't remember a word?

When you're nervous?

When everyone is talking at the same time?

When you make a mistake?

Or when the person you're speaking to has a completely different accent?

THAT'S WHAT OUR NEW SERIES IS ABOUT.

REAL ENGLISH. REAL SITUATIONS. REAL PROBLEMS.

In our new series, we'll look at the communication challenges that textbooks don't always prepare you for — and, more importantly, what you can actually do when they happen.

We'll talk about:

→ sounding confident when your English isn't perfect
→ understanding people who speak too fast
→ explaining something when you don't know the word
→ joining a conversation when everyone is already talking
→ keeping the conversation going after you make a mistake
→ what to do when people switch to another language
→ communicating with people from different cultures
→ and, finally, how to use AI without losing your own English

Because speaking good English doesn't mean speaking perfect English.

It means knowing how to keep communicating — even when things don't go according to plan.

THE NEW SERIES STARTS SOON.

Real English. Real situations. Real communication.