Learn English fast online. So, where to start learning, and how to master the language without resorting to outside help

Learning a new language is a difficult task, but quite doable. Learning any language can be broken down into four parts: reading, writing, listening and Speaking. If you want to explore English language faster, start with the first step below.

Steps

Part 1

Game Methods

Read, read, read. One of the easiest steps you can take to learn English faster is to read as much as possible. Read constantly. This will increase your vocabulary, will help to study grammar and get acquainted with slang.

Read comics. If you don't want to read children's books, read comics. You can buy many comics in English from bookstores or online, or read them for free online (these are usually called webcomics).
Read books that you are familiar with. You can also read a book that you have read before. If you are already aware of what is happening in the book, it will be easier for you to guess and understand the meanings of words.
Read newspapers. Reading newspapers is a good way to learn the basics of a language because they usually have very good grammar and are easy to understand. You can find online versions of many good English newspapers such as the New York Times or The Guardian.

Watch movies. Watching movies will also help you improve your English. This allows you to hear how a particular word sounds and also helps you learn new words. You can start watching movies with subtitles, but without subtitles, you will learn more. If you have a basic vocabulary, try not to use subtitles, but focus on listening to words you already know and guess the meaning of unfamiliar words from the context.

Play MMO games. MMO games are games that you play with other people over the Internet. You can play with people from English-speaking countries, which will give you the opportunity to talk with them and learn the language from them. Try playing Guild Wars, World of Warcraft, or The Elder Scrolls Online".

Find a pen pal online. Penfriends learn your language when you write letters to them and they reply. You write half of the letter on your mother tongue so that a friend can practice in it, and half in English so you can practice in English. You can talk about whatever you want! There are many websites that can help you find a pen pal.

Get some friends. You can just make friends with a person from an English-speaking country and correspond with him via e-mail or Skype to practice your English. You can find friends by joining a community of interest, or through language learning communities like Fluentify.

Sing songs. Singing songs one more good way improve my English. This will help you get familiar with the sounds of the English language (rhymes will help with pronunciation). Learning songs will also help improve your vocabulary. Find a song you like, learn it and find out what the words mean.

Part 2
Serious studies
1. Sign up for courses. English courses will help you learn the most important words and grammar and help you make sure you're doing everything right. There are two main ways to take English courses:
  - Get busy on the internet. You can take courses online. Some of them cost money and some are free. Courses that cost money can be better than free ones, but that's not always the case! good examples online programs are Livemocha and Duolingo.
  - Engage in educational institution. You can take a course at a local university or language school. They cost money, but the help of a teacher will be very helpful and will help you learn English faster than if you were trying to learn it on your own.
2. Keep a diary. This will force you to practice writing and build up your vocabulary. It will also force you to practice building new sentences instead of just repeating phrases you already know. You can record everything that happened during the day. You can also keep a small journal where you write down new words as you hear or see them.
  
  Travel to an English speaking country. Visiting a country where everyone speaks English will help you learn it much faster. Find a part-time job or enroll in a training course in an English-speaking country. You can also make short trips, but immersion in the language environment for at least 3 months will have the best result.
  
  Engage in self-education. Of course, you can study English on your own. To quickly learn English on your own, you need to make this activity the most important thing for you. Dedicate your all free time learn English and use your English as often as possible.
  
  Take advantage of online resources. There are many online resources to help English learners. They range from flashcard-type programs with words to applications for mobile phone. Try ANKI (flashcards), Memrise (flashcards and more), or Forvo (pronunciation guide).
  
  Immerse yourself in the language environment. Language immersion is one of the best ways to learn a language. This means that you must study English every day for at least 3 hours a day. One hour a week is not enough. It is best to spend at least 6 hours a day to listen, write and speak English.

This article is dedicated to those who want to learn English on their own. Generally without resorting to anyone's help. Let's say you don't have the funds for a tutor or courses. There is only desire, time and access to the Internet. You have already begun to learn the language - at school, university, maybe even on your own. But somehow it didn't work.

The instruction is for those who already know a little English. Newbie article.

So, you are probably having the following difficulties:

– Problems with motivation. More than once you started to learn the language, but you never finished the job.

– By the way, what do you think the end is? Perhaps you don’t even have a clear goal, other than “I want to learn English.” And if there is no goal, then there will be no result. This is exactly what I'm telling you.

– You don't have a program of action. You don’t understand at all: what to take on first, and what to do later. And what is the best way to do it.

– Even if you study English from time to time, you train only passive skills - you read, passively listen to audio (and you can listen actively). Speaking and writing are not involved at all, although they can also be pumped on their own.

– You don't know where to get information. Some grammatical topics are difficult to understand on your own, and an understandable human explanation has yet to be found. There is also nowhere to check speech and writing for errors (in fact, there is).

We decided to help you. So let's build our instruction: let's go from the first problem to the last. This article will not contain "thank you-cap tips" like "start learning grammar and words, listen to podcasts in English." Each tip will be very practical, with a detailed algorithm and a useful link.

1. Set a goal

You started learning English, but abandoned it. Why? Can be different reasons. For example, you don't really need it. He taught because everyone taught. In this case, you do not need to try to force yourself again. It is better to spend time on something really important.

But let's proceed from the idea that you still need English. Then why did you quit? Most likely, you set yourself the wrong goal. Perhaps it was vague, not specific, something like "I want to learn English." You could not achieve such an incomprehensible goal, you did not see your progress, so your hands dropped. “This is an empty case, it’s gone,” you thought. How to set the right goal so as not to go the distance?

First you need to answer yourself the question: why do you need a language in life? Where are you planning to use it? Based on this, you can understand what level of English is required. For example, for communication while traveling, it is enough Intermediate level. It turns out that we set ourselves the goal of reaching this level.

First step: decide what you need English for in life. Depending on this, understand what level of English proficiency you plan to achieve. This is your long term goal.

2. Determine the current state of affairs

Now you need to find out where you are now. What level of language do you have, what do you know and what do you not. To do this, you need to pass a language level test, and also examine each individual skill: reading, speaking, writing, listening. All the tools for this are at the link:.

Second step: determine what level you are now. What skills are weak: listening, speaking, grammar? Or all together?

3. Calculate the time

Let's assume that you have an elementary level. You need English to communicate while traveling. So, quite confident Intermediate. Now you know the final goal and the point where you are now.

It seems that the route is clear, but this movement can stretch for years if a clear deadline is not indicated. But how to calculate it? How to understand how long it takes for this route? Here we add the average time it takes to reach each level to the equation.

On average, it takes ≈ 400 hours to reach the Intermediate level. But this time - from scratch. Our level is Elementary. So we can subtract ≈ 100 hours (that's how long it took to reach Elementary). So you will need approximately 300 hours of continuous practice.

Now you need to decide for yourself how much time per day you are ready to devote to English. If it is an hour, then you will reach Intermediate in approximately 10 months. Then the deadline you can designate is October 2018 if you start practicing (as you probably promised) from the new year.

Third step: look at the image below and calculate how long it will take for the level you need. Then decide how much time per day you are willing to spend on English classes. According to the formula number of hours ÷ for the number of times per day = number of days. The end result is your deadline.

4. Building a program of action

What to do now? How to get to the coveted Intermediate? Fortunately, the British Council, together with Eaquals, has described everything that a holder of each level needs to know. And we . Take and learn!

Explanations for the table:

⠀
First look at the column with your own Elementary level and see if you know everything. If not, then fill in the gaps. Then you can safely move to the next column and learn words, grammar, etc. from there.

Do not forget about your weaknesses. For example, if the tests showed that you have problems with listening, then you should intensively pump it with exercises. Algorithms for each skill will be below.

Fourth step: study the level table and see if you already know all the topics for your level. If not, fix it. And then go to the next level.

5. Learning short-term planning

Now these “knowledge gaps” need to be formalized into specific mini-goals and planned for clear periods of time.

Every week you should set yourself these small goals:

learn how to build sentences
learn,
read the first one.

And then at the end of each week you will be a winner. Oh, how it will affect motivation! Otherwise, with the distant “reach Intermediate”, you won’t get enough motivation.

We already wrote about such short-term planning in the article: About the same problem in the video:

Fifth step: Wrap each topic in the table into a clear short-term goal. Define a specific time period for it (for example, a week). So, you will see your progress. This is the most important thing in order not to give up in the end.

6. Don't get stuck in theory

Another one important thing to be understood: any new information, whether it's a grammar rule or a pack of new words - you have to pump from four sides. These are speaking, writing, listening and reading. English proficiency conditionally looks like this:

Vocabulary and grammar are included in each of these skills.

So, if you have learned 10 new words, then you can use them in speech and writing (active skills) and recognize them in someone else's speech or text (passive skills).

If you have learned how sentences are built in, then you know how to say and write a sentence in this tense and understand the meaning of this construction in someone else's speech or text.

All four skills (including speaking and writing) can and should be developed independently. We have written algorithms for each. In addition to exercises, the articles have links to all the materials that you will need for training:

Sixth step: I would say that this is not even a step, but general provisions about how to learn a foreign language. Take the time to explore our articles on each skill. From them you will learn what words are worth learning and how to do it effectively. How to learn grammar rules correctly so that you don’t just solve tests, but speak. What independent exercises you can improve your language skills.

Also watch this video about the comprehensive development of English

7. Where to get information?

One of the reasons why you gave up studying English at one time was that it was difficult for you. Different language, different thinking. Try to figure it out with only grammar, especially if you study on your own. The tutor could probably give a clear explanation: compare with the Russian language, come up with a cool analogy. And when you do everything yourself - grammatical difficulties cover with your head., And look for articles on topics that are incomprehensible. If you personally need an explanation on some topic, but we haven’t done it yet, “order” in the comments. We'll fix it!

Summing up

So, your memo is ready:

1. At the very beginning of the path, clearly formulate why you are learning English. From this follows what level you must reach. This is a long term goal.

2. Now determine the current state of affairs: pass the level test and tests for individual skills.

4. Now, according to our table, you can build your own training program: fill in the gaps, learn words and grammar topics which are named in the table.

5. The main thing is that you also draw up these “gaps”, words and topics for yourself in clear goals with a strict deadline. These will be your short term goals.

6. Every new vocabulary and improve grammar from four sides: listening, reading, speaking, writing.

And remember: The important thing is to take responsibility for learning. No one will teach you English. More in the video:

Good luck!

I hope that now you will reach your (clearly formulated!) goal. We, the Lingualeo team, will support you in every possible way.

In our telegram channel, we want to conduct an experiment: how difficult it is to learn English on your own, based on our instructions. Wait in January. Be sure to subscribe to our channel. And next year will definitely be productive for your English!

Nowadays, ignorance of the English language turns into a disadvantage that can poison life. Luckily, fixing it isn't that hard.

Why is it important to know English?

Nobel laureate Joseph Brodsky wrote that before 1917 bilingualism was the norm for an educated Russian. Alas, the social cataclysms of the 20th century led to the fact that by the beginning of the third millennium, only a few could boast of knowledge of foreign languages. Fortunately, the realization of the deep depravity of this practice has nevertheless come, and at the moment the percentage of people who speak at least English is steadily increasing. This is largely due to positive changes in the education system - if earlier English was quoted at the level of labor and physical education, now it is one of the main subjects in the school curriculum.

All this means that in the near future will enter the market great amount specialists who will not only be young and ambitious, but will also have an excellent command of the language of Shakespeare. Naturally, this will make their resumes especially attractive to employers. Experts say that in the near future it will be impossible to get an adequate place without knowledge of the English language. Perhaps that is why the sacramental questions "How to learn English in a month?" are increasingly driven into Internet search engines. and

If you are still not at odds with the "English", it's time to close this gap. Fortunately, there are plenty of opportunities these days.

How to do it?

If you are a schoolboy or a student, then everything is simple - you just need to gather your will into a fist and prepare more diligently for classes. If you have missed too much and do not understand what the teacher is talking about with such interest, contact him for
individual consultation. Schools and universities are still full of enthusiasts who will gladly answer your questions in after hours And also for free.

If the days of your youth have already passed, it is worth considering the option with courses. There are a lot of options - for any pocket and any level of training. Somewhere they teach English from scratch, somewhere they purposefully prepare for exams for obtaining
certificate or work visa, somewhere they give priority to specialized vocabulary - for example, now English courses for IT specialists are gaining popularity.

How to combine it with work?

As a rule, firms offer a variety of formats for classes - you can work individually (it will cost more), you can work in large groups. The second option will be cheaper, in addition, it will be easier to practice skills in a group oral speech. On the other hand, if there are more than 5-6 people in the group, you will rarely speak, and there is also a high probability that there is an obvious outsider in the group, because of which the teacher will have to spend more time explaining trivial things.

Most firms are ready to adapt to your schedule - there are weekend groups, there are "lark" groups, there are "evening parties".

Is it possible to learn English at home?

In spite of a large number of proposals, not all go to the courses. Someone lacks motivation for this, someone is scared off by the price, someone is very embarrassed to make their ignorance of English public.

If you fall into any of these categories, don't despair. Of course, you can learn English on your own. Of course, this option has disadvantages, but there are also many advantages. First, you will solve the problem with "English" completely
free of charge, and secondly, you will be able to study according to the most flexible schedule.

There are many examples of how people got from zero to B1 in just a few months - the only question is perseverance, desire and willingness to regularly devote the necessary time to learning the language.

How to start learning English on your own?

The first important step is to understand that "alone" does not mean "alone". The main thing in learning a new language is consistency. There is always a risk to spend
time for unnecessary things, so at least at the very beginning it is advisable to get advice from a person you trust - a professional teacher or just a friend who knows the language very well. It is even better if there are several such people. They will suggest literature, websites and what words to learn in English.

Once you've collected your recommendations, you can begin to develop a clear plan. There is nothing more useless in the world than taking on a global project without a clear idea of how to implement it. Learning English is just such a global project. Practice shows that people who set such vague goals as "Learn English in a month ... or more" rarely succeed. Much more often, goals are achieved by those who initially divide a large task into several smaller tasks and methodically solve them, smoothly moving from easy to more complex ones.

For example, for the first month, you can set yourself the task "Learn 800 words and deal with the structure of the verb."

It is very important to immediately choose for yourself some basic way of learning a language. The options here, by and large, are limited to a textbook or the Internet.

In both cases, it is critical to find the most suitable source of information for you. There are hundreds of textbooks in bookstores, millions of sites on the Internet, but for some reason not everyone still speaks English. This means that not all of these textbooks and sites are suitable for solving such problems. challenging task. Meanwhile, there are really high-quality manuals, but it is not always easy to find them - that is why we recommended starting language learning with a consultation. There are many ways to learn English, and a professional language teacher will surely be able to tell you exactly which one will be most suitable for you.

Having decided on the leading method and drawing up a schedule, start working. At the same time, always remember that a foreign language is akin to a beloved girl who does not forgive betrayal. As soon as you relax and give up working on the language for one or two days, the chances of overall success will drop. The work must be systematic and purposeful. You can achieve the goal only if you regularly devote 1-2 hours to the language.

Where can you find the time?

Let's immediately anticipate the traditional exclamation "Where can I get the time?!" Believe me, you have it - just think about how much you spend every day aimlessly surfing the Internet, browsing social networks or talking to colleagues. All this can be replaced with additional English exercises.

On the way to work and back, it is also not at all necessary to look out the window sadly - after all, you can have fun looking at the textbook! Or on the phone screen - if this option is closer to you, then you should take a closer look at the impressive market for applications for language learners. There are many options there - from simple programs in the spirit of "We give you the word, you translate for us" to full-fledged educational platforms "How to learn English in a month."

By the way, most of these programs are absolutely free.

Method number 1. good old stickers

Old-school polyglots taught the language from papers. This is especially true for those who, as it seems at first glance, do not have time for classes at all. The method is simple: buy yourself sticky stickers, write them in English and stick them on the appropriate objects in the house.

Let's go cut yourself a sandwich with sausage before going to bed - be sure to note that the refrigerator is marked with a sticker Fridge. Will be wielding an item with a signature Knife, and you can put the finished sandwich on plate. After a week of repetitions, remember exactly.

When your level rises above everyday words, write down on your stickers all the English words. From signboards, from brand names, in the end, from conversations of foreigners overheard in the subway. Stickers with words and their translation can be hung right at the workplace. To make them more visible. I was distracted for a second - and caught another word with my eyes. For people with a photographic memory, the method is ideal. So you can expand your passive vocabulary even at a computer in the office, even at a lathe in a factory. The main thing is that the work does not interfere.

Method number 2. Look for associations

Languages, especially European ones, can be untangled like a web. Anyway, in most cases we will come to Latin or ancient Greek. And there are hundreds of borrowed words. From English to Russian or more difficult path: via French or German. Finding matches is possible even on entry level knowledge of the language.

Word fruit differs from our "fruit" in just one letter. And is it so hard to remember Brother with our "brother"? In fact, the deeper you dive into a foreign language, the more similar patterns you find. And now English-language texts are not so scary when in each sentence it comes across a word form similar to the Russian language.

Method number 3. One on one with natives

You will be told about it everywhere. So what if this is the case: The best way learn a language - constantly communicate with native speakers. If you are still young and not burdened with family expenses and loans, drop everything and go to study abroad. Fortunately, in almost every English-speaking country there is a wide system of grants, so you don’t even have to pay.

If you put yourself in a situation in which not learning a language is like condemning yourself to starvation, sooner or later the information will start to creep into your head. And now, after a couple of months, they no longer mutter funny in their own, but speak the same language with you.

In our age, there is a more budget option: turn on your computer or smartphone and go to English-language thematic forums. For example, according to "Game of Thrones" or World of Warcraft. Try to spend more time there, but not only read other people's messages, but also express more often personal opinion. Of course, in English. Believe me, in most cases you will not be told words for bad grammar. And if they still give advice, you should only thank and listen.

Method number 4. For social phobes

Well, it really happens that the fear of communication is transformed into a kind of phobia. And you seem to know what to say, but abroad you can’t squeeze out the words. I will say right away: someday this barrier will have to be overcome. But you can put this event on the back burner if you use the method of learning through TV shows and films.

It's very simple: watch your favorite "The Walking Dead" or the new series " star wars»Exclusively in the original. For starters - with Russian subtitles. AT major cities there are always at least a couple of cinemas that show films in English. It is enough just to search on the Internet. There you can also easily find subtitles for almost all existing media content: from stand-up shows to new videos of your favorite blogger.

The next step is to watch English-language films with English subtitles. So you can read what you could not hear. Text transcripts movies and series can be downloaded from dedicated websites, while streaming platforms like Netflix provide subtitles for each video by default. By the way, popular English-speaking bloggers, in connection with the rules YouTube, are also forced to decrypt all their videos.

Alternative option- books. You can start with works with parallel translation (according to the method of Ilya Frank) and simple fairy tales, then move on to translations of Russian classics into English, and finally proceed to serious literature. The trick is to first of all enjoy the book, and secondly to perceive reading as learning the language.

Method number 5. English by songs

This is the most difficult option which must be treated with caution. But he can help someone learn English. We all listen to foreign music one way or another. The President of Russia sings blueberry hill, the older generation enjoy The Beatles and Queen, and those who are younger study complex texts Eminem.

Take your favorite songs and try, without looking at the text, to hear all the words, one by one. And then translate - and remember. Now, when it will play for the thousandth time in the player shape of you Ed Sheeran, you can not only sing along, but also synchronously translate a song about love at first sight.

There are downsides. There is usually a lot of incorrect grammar in songs - words are rearranged for the sake of rhyme - and the word forms themselves are sometimes too wonderful. Still, it is worth remembering that the lyrics with its metaphors are seriously different from ordinary speech.

Whichever way you choose, the main thing in learning English is constant practice. To learn a language as quickly as possible, you need to combine all these methods and apply them at the same time. Good luck on this difficult and long journey!

You will need

- study guides in English language;
- workbook;
- fountain pen;
- DVD player;
- MP3 player;
- video materials in English;
- Audiobooks in English.

Instruction

Determine what you need English for. In the process self-study you will have to constantly motivate yourself by making time for classes and expending effort, so it is important to find a good reason that will become a universal motivator for you. Depending on your situation, the goal may be a tourist trip, abroad, work in a prestigious foreign company.

Get ready for some serious hard work. Offered everywhere so-called modern technologies mastering languages that are supposedly capable of making you speak fluently in a month inspire unnecessary illusions. Learning a language can take several months of focused independent work and to master the language perfectly, it may take several years.

Start learning English with the alphabet and pronunciation. Without knowing this or that letter, it will be difficult to use a dictionary, read an abbreviation, and even just dictate your name on the phone.

Having mastered the alphabet, proceed to memorize words. Be sure to limit yourself to certain time frames. For example, set yourself a minimum goal for a month to learn new words. This will amount to only 15-20 lexical units per day. Stick to your plan strictly. It is important not just to memorize any words, but to first try to translate the language of the speech set that you are used to using daily. This will save you from having to learn those words that you may never need.

For a quick review of the material covered, get yourself a separate notebook-dictionary. Write in your notebook the words you have mastered and the expressions you like. It is important to take notes by hand, as this connects motor memory and contributes to a better assimilation of new material. Another valuable tool for self-study of the English language, separate cards can become, on one side of which the word is written in -, and on the back - its English equivalent.

In parallel with the accumulation of vocabulary, start learning the basics of English grammar. This will allow you to correctly build phrases from the learned words. Try to say as much of what you are learning out loud as possible.

To develop the skills of understanding foreign speech, watch films and videos on DVD in the language without translation. It is advisable to have a notebook and a pen with you. Turn off subtitles and try to listen to individual words and expressions. After pausing the player, do not be too lazy to turn to the dictionary to look up the meaning of the new word you hear. Periodic listening to English-language radio stations, especially news channels, will also be a good help.

Use the MP3 player to listen to books in the language in your spare time. It will also allow you to understand the structure of speech and feel its melody. It is convenient to have a text version of the book on hand for parallel reading. The skill of simultaneous listening and reading will be especially valuable at the initial stage of mastering the language.

Make learning English a priority, and don't be afraid to sacrifice the lesser daily activities for it. When planning time for classes, aim to study for 20-30 minutes, then switch to other things, and then pay attention to the language again. Breaks at work will make learning more effective.

When studying, the desire to achieve results, and the right program, and a good teacher, and even well-chosen textbooks are important. But what if there is neither a teacher nor a knowledgeable helper, but the desire is nonetheless present? How to learn English on your own and get the most out of the process?

Instruction

Correctly determine the period for which you want to learn the language. Language proficiency levels vary. If your goal is simply to be able to order dishes in, then it will take less than a month to achieve this level of proficiency, given the sophistication of culinary terms. If your goal is to truly master, that is, understand different dialects, the ability to speak without thinking, read newspapers, classical literature and watch the news, understanding fast speech, this implies completely different time costs - 5 years or, with maximum motivation, 3 years. A novice student needs to decide on a deadline right away, because time management is one of the main factors in successfully learning a foreign language.

Try to plan your day so that every day you have at least an hour (at least!), And preferably two or three, to study the language.
Remember that any language requires daily practice. Even those who can say that they are fluent in a particular language lose their knack if they do not practice for more than two months.

It is worth noting that the process of learning a foreign language consists of three main parts: studying the grammatical structure of the language (syntax, tenses, etc.), replenishing vocabulary and practicing correct pronunciation. It is in this order that priorities should be laid out when learning a language at the initial stages, in the intermediate period and at the last stages.

A beginner should first understand the grammar and tenses in the language. Without knowledge of elementary rules and syntax, further assimilation of vocabulary and phrasal verbs will be very hard. An average student, having mastered grammar, should move on to reading classical literature, watching news and films - in the process, vocabulary will be replenished and pronunciation will be mastered. An advanced student, given that he is already familiar with the syntax and has a decent vocabulary, should devote 100% of the time to speaking practice - this is the only way to form correct pronunciation and disappear accent.

Try to surround yourself with everything that is somehow connected with the country of the language being studied or the language itself - listen to music in the language being studied, watch films and communicate with English-speaking people: the faster you immerse yourself in this unfamiliar environment, the easier it will be for you upon arrival in the country of the language being studied language. Ideal option, of course, you can call an instant move to the country of the language being studied - forced communication with foreigners and an English-speaking environment, the study period is doubled, or even tripled.

Last but not least, the right choice of literature and educational materials. Despite the fact that you are going to learn the language on your own, it will not be superfluous to ask for advice from knowing person: professor, teacher or someone who has already fulfilled your dream and. Advice may concern not only the study program itself, but also which textbooks are best for you and which classic literature will not be difficult in the early stages.