You know, etc.: fillers in English

You know is one example of a "filler" in English. We use it to fill a space when we need a second to think. I imagine that every language has these, and I notice that most people have their favorites, the ones that they use habitually.

It's very easy to import fillers from your first language into English, but the result is something like, "Hi, o sea, hello, I'm calling to talk to Edward, vale? I am Jorge..." The best strategy here will be for Jorge to learn the fillers in English. Then he can say, "Hi, I mean, hello, I'm calling to talk to Edward, ok? I am Jorge..." Jorge needs to have some fillers in English because we all need them; they give us time to think about what to say next. The most common ones are you know, I mean, well, and like.

Of course, it's possible to overuse fillers. For example, "I was, like, really worried about the exam, like, but then, like, Raquel was like, it's like really easy, like don't worry, and I was like, super relieved, but like..." Unfortunately, this way of speaking is very common for native speakers, especially young people, and it can make understanding them really difficult! Somehow, you have to delete all those "likes" in order to understand what the speaker is saying.

Nonetheless, I encourage you to choose one or two fillers that you feel comfortable with, so you can use them when you need to hesitate. If you catch yourself importing fillers from your native language, look for a substitute! Your listeners will thank you!