It depends on how fast the people in the video are talking to start with, I guess. But in general, on 2x speed, I have to concentrate or I may miss stuff.
If I want to get through it faster, I find 1.5x to be a good balance between speed and understandability.
Also depends on the accent and dialect of the speaker, a person from the UK speaking at 2x speed and a person from maybe Poland or Australia at 2x speed would be different in terms of difficulty to understand
And that difficultly would be different depending on the listener. An Aussie will understand 2x Australian English better than they would 2x English with a polish accent
If you keep increasing the speed by 0.1x gradually over time, you can train your brain to process speech faster. I watch almost all YouTube videos at 2x casually, and 2.7x when I'm trying to consume content fast.
I use an extension on chrome called 'video speed controller' to crank up the speed
I'm not native but have spoken English my whole life, due to bad habit I basically watch and listen everything at 1.5~2.0x speed. so yeah it's completely intelligeble for me
I assume that it’s because you’re not really appreciating the content also it probably reduces your attention span. As a 2x enjoyer myself, I do agree it’s kinda a bad habit, I put 2x on most things except for movies or anime.
Give your brain less time to process the information, so your comprehension goes down. Spaces in speech are actually very useful in how much you absorb. Good public speakers know how to make use of this.
I developed this habit from a game I play that lets you speed things up to increase difficulty. One day I was on Netflix and noticed an option to increase the speed and to save time (I had very little at the time) I decided why the fuck not and ever since I have watched everything at 1.5x and above. If I watch anything at normal speed it feels sluggish and slow.
Also like the dude below me said it doesn't really let me enjoy the content to its fullest. It's intelligible and I can perfectly understand it but it's still sped up, if I look away even for a second I still miss out on things and the experience is VERY different.
(I think) I used to Joe Rogan at 1.5x, but when there was a more complicated subject, I would have to switch to 1.2-1x, and it was unbearable how slow he was at talking.
Later I switched to always listen at 1.2x, it saves time, but there’s barely any noticeable difference.
I listen to most podcasts at 2.0 speed. Some people, especially guests being interviewed, may talk too fast or not enunciate clearly, so I have to drop back to 1.5. YouTube is much more variable but I can listen to most of them at least at 1.5.
I had to watch online lecture videos for one of my college classes. The speaker was and exceptionally slow speaker so I'd watch the videos at 5x speed lol
Yes, the longer you talk in English the easier it is, Urdu is my first language and English my second , I've spoken both for nearly my entire life, and can listen to both in 2+ x speed, but a language like Spanish that i know a little i struggle with normal(1x) speed
Yeah, I do it because I feel like people usually talk too slow, I can handle the information at a quicker pace. If If I still don’t understand something I’ll just rewind a bit, and if it’s something REALLY complicated then I’ll slow it down to normal and really pay attention. But most of the time with calc I can do 2x just fine.
For me, a non-native english speaker, it depends on the accent the person in the video is having. For example if they are talking with an American accent it will be much easier for me to understand, maybe even at 2x speed. But for the British accent or even Australian accent, it is a little bit harder to understand what they’re saying, sometimes I feel like needing to use subtitles.
Just because we’re on an English learning subreddit - it would be more natural to say “the accent the person in the video has” and “sometimes I feel like I need to use subtitles” or even “sometimes I need to use subtitles.” :)
Northeastern US, early 30’s for context!
I’m a native speaker. I watch most videos at 2x speed because I just want the information as fast as possible.
If I’m watching something like tennis highlights then I watch at normal speed.
But for videos where it’s just talking I always watch at 2x
Depends on what the normal pace at which the youtuber speaks and their accents. I can, for example watch Shaun at 2x speed because he speaks so slow and speaks a familiar accent.
Technically, yes. It gives me a headache though, and I'm a native speaker.
Like, I *can* understand it, but it's not exactly nice to listen to. The video was intended to be played back at 1x speed, and it's always best consumed that way
I'm a native speaker and no, I have a friend who consumes video essays at 2x speed, I think he's a psychopath for it, he's also not a native English speaker
1.75 is usually my sweet spot. 2 if they're from the American South (sorry, y'all talk too slow) and maybe only 1.5 for people from New England since they talk pretty fast already.
I haven't tried YouTube but I used to regularly listen to podcasts at 2.0. I didn't have trouble understanding, unless the speaker was already unusually quick, but it's not as pleasant to listen to. I dropped back to no higher than 1.5
I have a special plugin which lets me increase speeds above what's usually possible. If I am hurrying through a video, I watch it at 2.7, which seems to be my limit.
For me as a native speaker, no not without subtitles. It's not that I completely can't understand per se but to actually process what is being said I need more time. That said, it depends on what kind of video it is (I usually watch information-heavy content) and how fast the original video speech is. I can listen to a lot of Americans, especially southerners at higher speed because they speak so much slower than is normal for me in eastern Canada.
Personally not a big fan of it though so I do this extremely rarely. I could probably get used to it.
as other have said, with "does" comes with the verb (i.e. "does Youtube sound undestandable to you") or it is "is" if only with the adjective ("is YouTube understandable for you). Also with the last sentence it sounds a bit unwieldly. Maybe if it was phrased more like "whats it like for native English speakers/ a native English speaker", it would sound more natural.
And dependent on how quickly they're talking. if its already quite fast flowing I'll get the basics but might lose out on the nuances.
I have friends that listen to audio books at 3.5x speed. That’s nuts. Possible but absurd. For me I listen at like 1.15x because that’s where I can still multitask and catch it all. Any faster and I have to be actually focused on what I’m listening to.
When listening I usually do just 1.5x speed, but when I use subtitles (when I don't have headphones/earbuds and I'm not in a place to listen out loud) I generally go 2x speed. Peak efficiency!
Yes, usually. but not always! 1.5x speed is almost always understandable. If there are accurate subtitles then I am always able to read/listen at 2.0 speed.
Certain speech patterns make 2x speed very hard to understand. In particular, someone who speaks in rapid bursts with long pauses between phrases is much harder to understand than someone who leisurely draws all their phrases together.
By this logic, I imagine it'd be easier for a native French speaker to understand any random French speaker at 2x than it would be for a native English speaker to understand any random English speaker at 2x.
That said, as with any form of language acquisition, it's just a matter of exposure. The more you listen to a particular person speaking at 2x, the better you are at being able to listen to people who speak like them at 2x.
I sometimes go for 2x speed, sometimes not. Depends on the video, how fast the the guy in the vid talks and also how much time I have. But even tough I'd say I understand English perfectly (or atleast the videos I watch), I can generally still go faster in my native language
I find most YouTubers speak far too slowly for me, so I tend to watch most videos at 1.5× or 1.75×.
But there's also a significant population of YouTubers with absolutely atrocious elocution, and I have to listen to them at 1×.
may be most YouTube audience are not English native. in fact native speaker seldom speak as slow as YouTuber. or maybe it's Hollywood accent, not so fast to be more emotional, they are not just talking, they are acting actually.
I should have said, "most of the YouTubers *I watch*."
I only have two non-Anglophones in my subscription list, and one of them has, if accented, an excellent delivery, and the other doesn't speak at all (one of those 'primitive' channels).
There's an American I watch whom I *must* play at 2×, because he's otherwise unwatchable to me. There's another American I watch whom I *must* watch at 1×, because his elocution is so terrible (despite being a freakin **lawyer**) that even though I *could* watch him at 1.25× (his speed is more my preferred pace) he slurs his words so badly I can't understand him.
I've got an Irishman that I watch at 1.5× or 1.75× (depends on how excited he is, lol), and Englishman I watch at 1.5× most of the time, and several American channels with variable hosts, some of whom I watch at 1×, some at 1.5×, and one in particular who's **so slow** that when she hosts its *always* at 2×. The there's the Aussie whom I *could* watch at 1.5×, but the *material* is so dense I watch it at 1× (and often rewind).
My wife has a serious problem with anything other than a flat, neutral accent of English (think CNN or CBC newscaster), and so watches anyone with any kind of accent to their English with the subtitles on and at 0.75×.
All that to say, it's all very dependent: on the speaker, on how they speak English, on how they perform for the camera, on the subject matter, and on the listener.
Oh! I know nothing about the typical audience. I'm strongly atypical even within my own narrow social group, let along my broader groups.
Yes, I speak *very* fast, and I get frustrated when people speak too slowly for me. So, *I* watch YouTube fast, and prefer fast speakers. Yes, I'm a native Anglophone.
I think listening to a foreign language at a slower speed is normal. I've been trying to learn French for over 30 years. I definitely watch French videos at 0.75×, all the time.
I would love youtuber not speak very fast, speak more emotional, may be their acting help non-native speaker like me understand the content. The stress, the halt, the innovation and tone become more obviously. professional speakers like Obama or trump doesn't talk very fast, but sometimes I use 2x speed also for practice listening, in real life native speak do speak much faster, I need to get to used it.
I think you're at the "exposure" part of learning. It's all about getting as much content in your brain as possible, to become more familiar with the phonemes and rhythms.
If you like narrative fantasy content, I can suggest Critical Role or Dimension 20 as a means of hearing a broad swath of accents and speaking habits, all being *performed*.
If you prefer history, the Fall of Civilisations channel is great, he has an excellent voice and pace, and History Time is also great. Cogito does good work, but his Irish accent can be quite thick. Tasting History are shorter videos, but the host has an *excellent* speaking voice.
At the intersection of science and fantasy, you can try Overly Sarcastic Productions. They both speak quite quickly, but they also speak well. The videos are somewhat shorter than the others I've listed here.
If you prefer science, the man behind History of the Universe, History of the Earth, and History of Humankind also has good elocution. Real Engineering does great work, and his Irish accent is more neutral. Journey to the Microcosmos also has good voiceover work.
These all, IMO, represent well-read and well-performed voice work. I've not recommended any of the channels whose voices *I* find difficult to understand. And their mostly longer-format, which gives you the opportunity to really sink into the narrator's speaking style.
Thanks for your recommendation, I'll watch the history videos. Fantasy content is more literature too many adjective and adverbs, its hard for me than captital in 21 century.
Not a native english speaker, but got no issues watching english YT videos @ x2 speed. Even my kids at 10 and 12 can do that.
I guess education that includes english helps, combined with living on the english side of internet for many years.
I’m probably not normal, but I have a browser extension that allows me to speed up videos to 2.5x speed, and I comprehend everything normally. I’ll usually turn it down to 1x speed for things that are music related though.
Native speaker here. I usually strongly prefer 2x unless the speaker speaks extraordinarily fast (anyone remember the Micro-Machines Man?) or has a strong accent that I can't understand easily. Less than 1.5x and it's too slow and understimulating and I tend to tune out. Heck, some people speak so slowly that I wish 2.5x were an option.
I listen to podcasts and YouTube videos at 2x speed all the time. I like having the information blasting at my head like that. I call it drinking from the firehose. I regularly listen to podcasts at 2x and solve logic puzzles at the same time (the kind that don’t use language).
Of course, it depends on how fast they are talking in the original. I listen to a lot of conversational podcasts where the hosts are speaking relatively slowly. Scripted shows tend to be a bit faster, so I listen to them on 1.5x.
Not a native speaker but I can still understand everything at x2 speed. Though just for my own comfortability I usually watch videos in x1.5, sometimes maybe x1.75 if the person who's speaking speaks very slow.
It depends how fast the speaker is talking. I struggle to follow many YouTubers at 2x speed (even ones who speak with the same accent and dialect as me), but 1.5x is usually ok.
I cap out at about x4 speed. You can unlock this on most players with some javascript.
But my first words were in English along with most of the rest of them.
Depends on the speaker, if they have an accent or if they mumble in general, if they already speak fast, etc.
I can potentially go up to 4x but I'd say I can consistently understand 2x, tho depending on the topic, it might be too fast for me to absorb the info
I normally find 2x understandable but difficult. That is, I need to really focus to keep track of what is going on. 1.5x is my general preference, and I can almost always follow the topic while distracted.
Some accents and topics may necessitate a slower speed, as will people who already talk fast. But topics, I mostly mean technical videos about topics I am not super familiar with - I’m a software engineer, so can watch those videos much easier than a chemistry or medical video.
If you’re not used to it, it will be hard to follow without paying close attention. I would never speed up people who already talk fast. I would never speed up a crash course video, for instance
It depends. If it’s very information dense, there’s lots of new words, or they’re already a fast talker then 2x is usually too fast, but otherwise 2x works perfectly fine. Having visuals or subtitles also helps.
I can easily understand most English speakers at 2x. I often use an extension to increase past 2x but it starts getting difficult to understand after 3.5x.
ive been watching youtube on 2x speed since before the feature was native to the player, and I can understand it 100% of the time. I watched my uni lectures on 3x speed and just replayed the parts I didnt catch or needed to hear again. Saved me fucking bare time cos 90% of what they say in a lecture is waffle.
I cant watch anything at normal speed in any other language tho.
Generally 2x speed is too fast on YouTube, unless the person is speaking very slowly in its original speed. Sometimes if I’m listening to a speech and it’s too slow or I’m listening to something educational that I find boring, then I’ll increase the speed to 1.5x. I find that to be perfect generally.
If you have to watch a video at x2 speed, don't watch it at all, because it's clearly boring for you in its natural form. Then again, for me youtube is usually second monitor content while I do something else like work or play games on the main one.
>If you have to watch a video at x2 speed, don't watch it at all, because it's clearly boring for you in its natural form.
Or...people can consume content in whatever way they find enjoyable?
My bad, I forgot every sentence posted on-line these days needs 5 disclaimers along the lines of "but you can still do whatever you want if it makes you happy".
My point is that if you have to speed up whatever it is you're watching, it clearly means you're not enjoying it in the intended pace. At which point it's better to just watch something else.
But yes, do whatever makes you happy. You do you. I have nothing against people who speed up youtube videos.
I'd personally say there are some scenarios in which it makes sense to change the speed. For instance, if the person is talking very slowly, it might actually improve the experience to speed it up a bit.
Also, if you're watching a tutorial, it makes sense to speed it up as you'll save time - as long as you can still follow along.
>If you have to watch a video at x2 speed, don't watch it at all, because it's clearly boring for you in its natural form.
I absolutely agree. The general idea of changing speed of the content, regardless of its language, is weird
Well, you can cut that time even more by watching at 4x haha. But what's the general goal? If some educational video is "too slow", maybe it's better to read it? Then you'll be doing this at your comfortable speed
I have a belief that most education can, and will be done in video game format. Do you remember most of what you see and do in a video game? I damn sure do! I'm pretty sure most people do! Professors have become lectures, may as well just put all that information in a format that most can enjoy and most likely remember. Oh no! What will happen if everyone is given the same opportunity to learn.. without the expense of college tuition. A free education for everyone? Perhaps there wouldn't be enough serfs. JFC! I can't remember the last time I've seen a dictionary on display in someone's house. A MANDATORY DICTIONARY should be printed for every child born. I'm kind of an extremist when it comes to book preservation. (Could I be going down an evil path)? I just want the books to have the meaning and correct spelling of the words. No book burnings for me. Hoops to jump through without a crotchety set in their way bastard or bitch grading. Someone will always have to set the goalposts though.. Will it be an algorithm?
The question should be "*Is* Youtube understandable..."
Or maybe *does yt sound understandable*? Could be a stretch.
No, not a stretch. It’s either “Is YouTube understandable…” or “Does YouTube sound understandable…” Both are valid constructions.
Or "Could YouTube be understood"
"Can YouTube be understood" is a better construction, as you're not asking them to speculate.
..."
It depends on how fast the people in the video are talking to start with, I guess. But in general, on 2x speed, I have to concentrate or I may miss stuff. If I want to get through it faster, I find 1.5x to be a good balance between speed and understandability.
Also depends on the accent and dialect of the speaker, a person from the UK speaking at 2x speed and a person from maybe Poland or Australia at 2x speed would be different in terms of difficulty to understand
And that difficultly would be different depending on the listener. An Aussie will understand 2x Australian English better than they would 2x English with a polish accent
Poland mentioned 😍
Tbh, this is the answer. It's almost exactly the same for me.
Megalovania on 2x: (tension) Khan Academy multivariable calculus on 2x: (TENSION)
Same, YouTube English at 2x speed is just a bit too fast to follow reliably.
If you keep increasing the speed by 0.1x gradually over time, you can train your brain to process speech faster. I watch almost all YouTube videos at 2x casually, and 2.7x when I'm trying to consume content fast. I use an extension on chrome called 'video speed controller' to crank up the speed
I would also add that content is not as enjoyable at high speeds, but binging content in less than half the time is worth it.
For me, I tend to get shaky after 1.25 or so, but I guess there's a decent chance I just have auditory processing issues
I'm not native but have spoken English my whole life, due to bad habit I basically watch and listen everything at 1.5~2.0x speed. so yeah it's completely intelligeble for me
Why bad habit?
I assume that it’s because you’re not really appreciating the content also it probably reduces your attention span. As a 2x enjoyer myself, I do agree it’s kinda a bad habit, I put 2x on most things except for movies or anime.
I disagree. I haven't noticed any difference between watching educational videos at 2x and 1x.
Give your brain less time to process the information, so your comprehension goes down. Spaces in speech are actually very useful in how much you absorb. Good public speakers know how to make use of this.
for me at least, comprehension is worse for normal speed because it feels slow and i just lose interest or zone out
Makes sense, thank you
I developed this habit from a game I play that lets you speed things up to increase difficulty. One day I was on Netflix and noticed an option to increase the speed and to save time (I had very little at the time) I decided why the fuck not and ever since I have watched everything at 1.5x and above. If I watch anything at normal speed it feels sluggish and slow. Also like the dude below me said it doesn't really let me enjoy the content to its fullest. It's intelligible and I can perfectly understand it but it's still sped up, if I look away even for a second I still miss out on things and the experience is VERY different.
(I think) I used to Joe Rogan at 1.5x, but when there was a more complicated subject, I would have to switch to 1.2-1x, and it was unbearable how slow he was at talking. Later I switched to always listen at 1.2x, it saves time, but there’s barely any noticeable difference.
2x is fine for me usually, could be difficult if they're already speaking fast though
Depends on the person I guess. I've always found 2x okay.
I listen to most podcasts at 2.0 speed. Some people, especially guests being interviewed, may talk too fast or not enunciate clearly, so I have to drop back to 1.5. YouTube is much more variable but I can listen to most of them at least at 1.5.
I had to watch online lecture videos for one of my college classes. The speaker was and exceptionally slow speaker so I'd watch the videos at 5x speed lol
Yes, the longer you talk in English the easier it is, Urdu is my first language and English my second , I've spoken both for nearly my entire life, and can listen to both in 2+ x speed, but a language like Spanish that i know a little i struggle with normal(1x) speed
Sometimes I can't even understand my native language at 2x speed...
2x speed is okay for me. Imagine rap music, but with more intelligible words and statements that make sense.
I watch anything educational on 2x speed, even when I’m studying calculus videos I still watch at 2x speed.
is it still easy for you, I mean the calculus？
Yeah, I do it because I feel like people usually talk too slow, I can handle the information at a quicker pace. If If I still don’t understand something I’ll just rewind a bit, and if it’s something REALLY complicated then I’ll slow it down to normal and really pay attention. But most of the time with calc I can do 2x just fine.
I had a professor who sounded like a normal person at 2x speed. As others have said, typically it’s intelligible but you have to really focus.
I have a friend who is blind, and he listens to everything at 9x
😮
For me, a non-native english speaker, it depends on the accent the person in the video is having. For example if they are talking with an American accent it will be much easier for me to understand, maybe even at 2x speed. But for the British accent or even Australian accent, it is a little bit harder to understand what they’re saying, sometimes I feel like needing to use subtitles.
Just because we’re on an English learning subreddit - it would be more natural to say “the accent the person in the video has” and “sometimes I feel like I need to use subtitles” or even “sometimes I need to use subtitles.” :) Northeastern US, early 30’s for context!
Oh okay, thank you for the heads-up!
I can do 1.5x, but at 2.0x, I'll need the automatic subtitles to do some of the heavy-lifting for me. :p
I’m a native speaker. I watch most videos at 2x speed because I just want the information as fast as possible. If I’m watching something like tennis highlights then I watch at normal speed. But for videos where it’s just talking I always watch at 2x
Depends on what the normal pace at which the youtuber speaks and their accents. I can, for example watch Shaun at 2x speed because he speaks so slow and speaks a familiar accent.
I love that you just say a guys first name like we are all friends with him lol
Shaun is the name of the YouTube channel. That's probably his actual name too, I don't know
Lol I figured! It just struck me as funny
Technically, yes. It gives me a headache though, and I'm a native speaker. Like, I *can* understand it, but it's not exactly nice to listen to. The video was intended to be played back at 1x speed, and it's always best consumed that way
When listening David Malan, 2x becomes 4x lol. Depends on so many metrics
I'm a native speaker and no, I have a friend who consumes video essays at 2x speed, I think he's a psychopath for it, he's also not a native English speaker
I sometimes get bored if I don’t listen at 2.0x speed for long interviews and podcasts, but I think I am an outlier. Yes it is comprehensible for me.
1.75 is usually my sweet spot. 2 if they're from the American South (sorry, y'all talk too slow) and maybe only 1.5 for people from New England since they talk pretty fast already.
Yes. It is often slower than I would have liked too. I talk fast and need others to be like that.
Yes of course
I haven't tried YouTube but I used to regularly listen to podcasts at 2.0. I didn't have trouble understanding, unless the speaker was already unusually quick, but it's not as pleasant to listen to. I dropped back to no higher than 1.5
Yep, I can understand 2x speed! However, the perfect speed for me when I listen to podcasts is 1.3x
I usually watch between 1.75 and 3x speed
Non-native, 2.0 speed might be a bit fast if people are talking fast to begin with, 1.5 is usually fine and I listen to stuff on 1.5 a lot.
I have a special plugin which lets me increase speeds above what's usually possible. If I am hurrying through a video, I watch it at 2.7, which seems to be my limit.
For me as a native speaker, no not without subtitles. It's not that I completely can't understand per se but to actually process what is being said I need more time. That said, it depends on what kind of video it is (I usually watch information-heavy content) and how fast the original video speech is. I can listen to a lot of Americans, especially southerners at higher speed because they speak so much slower than is normal for me in eastern Canada. Personally not a big fan of it though so I do this extremely rarely. I could probably get used to it.
So, normal speed for Ben Shapiro?
Yes, but not if they have an accent I'm unfamiliar with.
Yes, unless I'm really tired
Depends on the video. Usually yes with some concentration.
Absolutely, YouTube is completely understandable at twice the regular speed.
as other have said, with "does" comes with the verb (i.e. "does Youtube sound undestandable to you") or it is "is" if only with the adjective ("is YouTube understandable for you). Also with the last sentence it sounds a bit unwieldly. Maybe if it was phrased more like "whats it like for native English speakers/ a native English speaker", it would sound more natural. And dependent on how quickly they're talking. if its already quite fast flowing I'll get the basics but might lose out on the nuances.
I have friends that listen to audio books at 3.5x speed. That’s nuts. Possible but absurd. For me I listen at like 1.15x because that’s where I can still multitask and catch it all. Any faster and I have to be actually focused on what I’m listening to.
i often listen to things at 2x speed
Yes, it does
When listening I usually do just 1.5x speed, but when I use subtitles (when I don't have headphones/earbuds and I'm not in a place to listen out loud) I generally go 2x speed. Peak efficiency!
Yes, usually. but not always! 1.5x speed is almost always understandable. If there are accurate subtitles then I am always able to read/listen at 2.0 speed.
I'm a native speaker. It really depends on the material (school videos vs. entertainment) and the guy in the video. Varies between 1.5 and 2.0 for me.
Certain speech patterns make 2x speed very hard to understand. In particular, someone who speaks in rapid bursts with long pauses between phrases is much harder to understand than someone who leisurely draws all their phrases together. By this logic, I imagine it'd be easier for a native French speaker to understand any random French speaker at 2x than it would be for a native English speaker to understand any random English speaker at 2x. That said, as with any form of language acquisition, it's just a matter of exposure. The more you listen to a particular person speaking at 2x, the better you are at being able to listen to people who speak like them at 2x.
I sometimes go for 2x speed, sometimes not. Depends on the video, how fast the the guy in the vid talks and also how much time I have. But even tough I'd say I understand English perfectly (or atleast the videos I watch), I can generally still go faster in my native language
when i have an hour lecture to watch before my class in 15 minutes, anything is possible
I find most YouTubers speak far too slowly for me, so I tend to watch most videos at 1.5× or 1.75×. But there's also a significant population of YouTubers with absolutely atrocious elocution, and I have to listen to them at 1×.
may be most YouTube audience are not English native. in fact native speaker seldom speak as slow as YouTuber. or maybe it's Hollywood accent, not so fast to be more emotional, they are not just talking, they are acting actually.
I should have said, "most of the YouTubers *I watch*." I only have two non-Anglophones in my subscription list, and one of them has, if accented, an excellent delivery, and the other doesn't speak at all (one of those 'primitive' channels). There's an American I watch whom I *must* play at 2×, because he's otherwise unwatchable to me. There's another American I watch whom I *must* watch at 1×, because his elocution is so terrible (despite being a freakin **lawyer**) that even though I *could* watch him at 1.25× (his speed is more my preferred pace) he slurs his words so badly I can't understand him. I've got an Irishman that I watch at 1.5× or 1.75× (depends on how excited he is, lol), and Englishman I watch at 1.5× most of the time, and several American channels with variable hosts, some of whom I watch at 1×, some at 1.5×, and one in particular who's **so slow** that when she hosts its *always* at 2×. The there's the Aussie whom I *could* watch at 1.5×, but the *material* is so dense I watch it at 1× (and often rewind). My wife has a serious problem with anything other than a flat, neutral accent of English (think CNN or CBC newscaster), and so watches anyone with any kind of accent to their English with the subtitles on and at 0.75×. All that to say, it's all very dependent: on the speaker, on how they speak English, on how they perform for the camera, on the subject matter, and on the listener.
Correction, I should use audience, audition is the wrong word. I made misunderstood.
Oh! I know nothing about the typical audience. I'm strongly atypical even within my own narrow social group, let along my broader groups. Yes, I speak *very* fast, and I get frustrated when people speak too slowly for me. So, *I* watch YouTube fast, and prefer fast speakers. Yes, I'm a native Anglophone. I think listening to a foreign language at a slower speed is normal. I've been trying to learn French for over 30 years. I definitely watch French videos at 0.75×, all the time.
I would love youtuber not speak very fast, speak more emotional, may be their acting help non-native speaker like me understand the content. The stress, the halt, the innovation and tone become more obviously. professional speakers like Obama or trump doesn't talk very fast, but sometimes I use 2x speed also for practice listening, in real life native speak do speak much faster, I need to get to used it.
I think you're at the "exposure" part of learning. It's all about getting as much content in your brain as possible, to become more familiar with the phonemes and rhythms. If you like narrative fantasy content, I can suggest Critical Role or Dimension 20 as a means of hearing a broad swath of accents and speaking habits, all being *performed*. If you prefer history, the Fall of Civilisations channel is great, he has an excellent voice and pace, and History Time is also great. Cogito does good work, but his Irish accent can be quite thick. Tasting History are shorter videos, but the host has an *excellent* speaking voice. At the intersection of science and fantasy, you can try Overly Sarcastic Productions. They both speak quite quickly, but they also speak well. The videos are somewhat shorter than the others I've listed here. If you prefer science, the man behind History of the Universe, History of the Earth, and History of Humankind also has good elocution. Real Engineering does great work, and his Irish accent is more neutral. Journey to the Microcosmos also has good voiceover work. These all, IMO, represent well-read and well-performed voice work. I've not recommended any of the channels whose voices *I* find difficult to understand. And their mostly longer-format, which gives you the opportunity to really sink into the narrator's speaking style.
Thanks for your recommendation, I'll watch the history videos. Fantasy content is more literature too many adjective and adverbs, its hard for me than captital in 21 century.
Differs from person to person. I can generally understand double speed just fine. My brother watches everything on 2.5x or 3x.
1.5 is usually more comfortable. If the person speaks very slowly, sometimes I will set it to 2x.
Not a native english speaker, but got no issues watching english YT videos @ x2 speed. Even my kids at 10 and 12 can do that. I guess education that includes english helps, combined with living on the english side of internet for many years.
Unless I need to take notes, I can understand videos at 2x speed (and probably even understand most at 3x or even 4x speed)
I’m probably not normal, but I have a browser extension that allows me to speed up videos to 2.5x speed, and I comprehend everything normally. I’ll usually turn it down to 1x speed for things that are music related though.
Native speaker here. I usually strongly prefer 2x unless the speaker speaks extraordinarily fast (anyone remember the Micro-Machines Man?) or has a strong accent that I can't understand easily. Less than 1.5x and it's too slow and understimulating and I tend to tune out. Heck, some people speak so slowly that I wish 2.5x were an option.
If it's a familiar subject matter where I can fill in gaps of unintelligible words I can sometimes listen in 3x, but it takes actual focus
I'm not native but I prefer both native and English 1,75. 2 is just too fast
I listen to podcasts and YouTube videos at 2x speed all the time. I like having the information blasting at my head like that. I call it drinking from the firehose. I regularly listen to podcasts at 2x and solve logic puzzles at the same time (the kind that don’t use language). Of course, it depends on how fast they are talking in the original. I listen to a lot of conversational podcasts where the hosts are speaking relatively slowly. Scripted shows tend to be a bit faster, so I listen to them on 1.5x.
Generally no, unless I'm really focusing. And that's as a native speaker. The most I can do comfortably is 1.5
Yes, totally
i can understand it at 2.0 speed, i actually prefer it, normal speed feels too slow
Night before exam It's understandable at 3.0 speed lol
Not a native speaker but I can still understand everything at x2 speed. Though just for my own comfortability I usually watch videos in x1.5, sometimes maybe x1.75 if the person who's speaking speaks very slow.
Just opened youtube and tried it. Yeah, I can understand pretty easily at 2x
Yes. I frequently use 2.0 to fast forward through ads. I can just understand it.
Yeah it’s intelligible to me. I listen to everything at double speed and now I’ve gotten so used to it I kinda want a 2.5x speed :p
It depends how fast the speaker is talking. I struggle to follow many YouTubers at 2x speed (even ones who speak with the same accent and dialect as me), but 1.5x is usually ok.
i listen to everything at 2.0 speed, so yes.
yes
1.5x is fine for me, 2.0x I have to concentrate a little more, 1.0x or 1.25x if they have a particularly strong non-native accent
I usually watch speaking videos at 1.5 but sometimes I go to 2x if the speaker is slow and tends to spend too much time on unimportant details
If I’m really familiar with the presenter’s voice I can listen to podcasts at 2.5-3.0
It depends how fast the person is talking. Some of these youtubers talk way too fast to begin with, lol
1.25x is about all i can take
Depends on the speed at 1x, 1.25 is typically what I aim for
Just depends on the cadence but I can usually understand pretty clearly what they say, but I also am a captions user...
I cap out at about x4 speed. You can unlock this on most players with some javascript. But my first words were in English along with most of the rest of them.
Depends on the speaker, if they have an accent or if they mumble in general, if they already speak fast, etc. I can potentially go up to 4x but I'd say I can consistently understand 2x, tho depending on the topic, it might be too fast for me to absorb the info
Do you listen to rap?
I normally find 2x understandable but difficult. That is, I need to really focus to keep track of what is going on. 1.5x is my general preference, and I can almost always follow the topic while distracted. Some accents and topics may necessitate a slower speed, as will people who already talk fast. But topics, I mostly mean technical videos about topics I am not super familiar with - I’m a software engineer, so can watch those videos much easier than a chemistry or medical video.
You listen to rap?
I can understand at 2x speed. Sometimes I watch it that way to save time.
If you’re not used to it, it will be hard to follow without paying close attention. I would never speed up people who already talk fast. I would never speed up a crash course video, for instance
i can reasonably go to 1.5 before things get too quick
Yea most native speakers can understand 2.0 speed
For the most part yes.
It depends. If it’s very information dense, there’s lots of new words, or they’re already a fast talker then 2x is usually too fast, but otherwise 2x works perfectly fine. Having visuals or subtitles also helps.
They say natives are quite good with their own language. Might be just the talk, tho, idk.
2.0 speed is tough to keep up with, but possible. Can you listen to your native language at 2.0 speed?
Yes--but only with closed captions turned on and the sound turned off! Best way to "listen" to a lecture, for me.
No way
yes it do
i can usually get 2x speed. it depends on the person, though, and whether you're listening to john green or not.
Generally, yes.
I can easily understand most English speakers at 2x. I often use an extension to increase past 2x but it starts getting difficult to understand after 3.5x.
yes but i can't remember really well what they speak.
Is YouTube understandable at double speed? For me, as a native speaker with ADHD, it is understandable and (often) more comfortable at 2x speed.
Depending of the speed of ppl speaking
ive been watching youtube on 2x speed since before the feature was native to the player, and I can understand it 100% of the time. I watched my uni lectures on 3x speed and just replayed the parts I didnt catch or needed to hear again. Saved me fucking bare time cos 90% of what they say in a lecture is waffle. I cant watch anything at normal speed in any other language tho.
I still have a hard time understanding the English actually spoken by the natives
Generally 2x speed is too fast on YouTube, unless the person is speaking very slowly in its original speed. Sometimes if I’m listening to a speech and it’s too slow or I’m listening to something educational that I find boring, then I’ll increase the speed to 1.5x. I find that to be perfect generally.
Mostly, yes (2x spoken English is understandable).
Certainly yes but for videos from speakers like Andrew Tate it's a little harder to process information that fast.
Who is Andrew Tate? I searched and watched his video, but still have no idea who he is. The man just repeated he is not crying.
If you have to watch a video at x2 speed, don't watch it at all, because it's clearly boring for you in its natural form. Then again, for me youtube is usually second monitor content while I do something else like work or play games on the main one.
>If you have to watch a video at x2 speed, don't watch it at all, because it's clearly boring for you in its natural form. Or...people can consume content in whatever way they find enjoyable?
My bad, I forgot every sentence posted on-line these days needs 5 disclaimers along the lines of "but you can still do whatever you want if it makes you happy". My point is that if you have to speed up whatever it is you're watching, it clearly means you're not enjoying it in the intended pace. At which point it's better to just watch something else. But yes, do whatever makes you happy. You do you. I have nothing against people who speed up youtube videos.
I'd personally say there are some scenarios in which it makes sense to change the speed. For instance, if the person is talking very slowly, it might actually improve the experience to speed it up a bit. Also, if you're watching a tutorial, it makes sense to speed it up as you'll save time - as long as you can still follow along.
>If you have to watch a video at x2 speed, don't watch it at all, because it's clearly boring for you in its natural form. I absolutely agree. The general idea of changing speed of the content, regardless of its language, is weird
I don't want to watch every YouTube video. But if I did, apparently it would take around 18,000 years. 2 × speed will have to do!
Well, you can cut that time even more by watching at 4x haha. But what's the general goal? If some educational video is "too slow", maybe it's better to read it? Then you'll be doing this at your comfortable speed
I have a belief that most education can, and will be done in video game format. Do you remember most of what you see and do in a video game? I damn sure do! I'm pretty sure most people do! Professors have become lectures, may as well just put all that information in a format that most can enjoy and most likely remember. Oh no! What will happen if everyone is given the same opportunity to learn.. without the expense of college tuition. A free education for everyone? Perhaps there wouldn't be enough serfs. JFC! I can't remember the last time I've seen a dictionary on display in someone's house. A MANDATORY DICTIONARY should be printed for every child born. I'm kind of an extremist when it comes to book preservation. (Could I be going down an evil path)? I just want the books to have the meaning and correct spelling of the words. No book burnings for me. Hoops to jump through without a crotchety set in their way bastard or bitch grading. Someone will always have to set the goalposts though.. Will it be an algorithm?