Learn English at home conversational. How to learn English on your own

There is no secret method to learn a language in a month. If someone promises you a miracle, don't believe it. But the process can be accelerated in order to overcome the barrier in six months and finally speak English. Lifehacker and Skyeng online English school experts share simple tips.

1. Study online

Online classes help you learn quickly. It is too lazy to go to the other end of the city in bad weather, and the Internet is always at hand. Adapting your schedule to the course schedule, agreements with teachers, wasting time on the road - all this bothers and slows down the process. Choose online courses. What makes life easier, increases motivation.

Many, choosing between a cozy evening at home and a long trip to the courses, decide that they can live without English.

Get rid of the reasons to miss classes - make a convenient personal schedule. At Skyeng, teachers work in all time zones, so you can study anytime, even in the middle of the night.

Online classes are also good because all the materials, texts, videos, dictionaries are collected in one place: in the application or on the website. Homework assignments are checked automatically as they are completed.

2. Learn at your leisure

Don't limit yourself to class time. Learning a language is not only about doing exercises. You can upgrade your skill by listening to songs and podcasts or by reading English-speaking bloggers.

Everyone knows how important it is to watch movies and series with English subtitles, but not everyone is aware that there are special educational applications for this. Skyeng online translators are linked to an app of the same name on your phone, so new words can be repeated at any time.

For example, if you install a special extension in the Google Chrome browser, you can read any texts in English, and when you hover over a word or phrase, you can immediately see their translation. The same goes for subtitles for online cinemas. Each word individually can be translated directly in the course of viewing. These words are added to a personal dictionary and sent to a mobile application, where they can be repeated and memorized in their free time.

Independent study of English is a rather laborious, but budgetary way of mastering the language, which has its pros and cons. In this case, you choose the main source of information - it can be the Internet, educational games, an English language tutorial, a phrase book, books (adapted or in the original), songs. There are many online services for beginners and advanced.

Perhaps, but this type of training has its own characteristics that must be taken into account. Language acquisition includes 4 components: reading, writing, speaking (speaking) and listening (listening).

Reading

Reading- one of the types of speech activity, a complex process of decoding characters, aimed at understanding the text. One of the forms of linguistic communication of people with the help of printed and handwritten texts. Also, reading can be considered as a wonderful tool for mastering the language, because it is in the texts that there are many unfamiliar words and words already familiar to us. Some words are ambiguous, their meaning is easier to remember in context. All this allows not only to increase the vocabulary, but also to repeat previously learned grammatical constructions. In order for the work on the text not to become an impossible task, it is very important to choose the text in accordance with your language level.

Letter

Letter- this is one of the types of speech activity, sign fixation of speech with the help of special symbols (letters, hieroglyphs, drawings). Mastery of written language occurs gradually. For practice in writing, you can use the following work forms:

Text rewriting;
Training dictations;
Writing letters, essays.

Reading and writing are interconnected types of speech activity. Writing is a kind of encoding of information using symbols, and reading is a kind of decoding of these symbols.

Oral speech

To master oral speech, it is necessary to have the skills of voicing expressions, the skills of using lexical units and grammatical skills for the correct formation of sentences. In other words, in order to say something, you need to know the words required by this situation, be able to pronounce them correctly and build a sentence in accordance with the rules of the language. In addition to words, there are speech turns, set expressions that are often used in oral speech. Therefore, in order to master oral speech, it is necessary not only to memorize a certain number of individual words and expressions, but also to bring their use to automatism.

Listening comprehension (listening)

listening is the process of listening and understanding oral expressions. The mechanism of this process includes:

Perception of streams of sounds and recognition in it of words, sentences of paragraphs, etc.
Understanding the meanings of words, sentences, paragraphs. If you already have a certain speech experience, then this process is enhanced by predicting the content of what was said.

To understand English speech by ear, you need to listen as often as possible! You can communicate with other people in English (preferably with foreigners), talk on the phone, listen to music, watch videos, series.

Learning a foreign language not only develops memory and thinking, but also increases IQ.

How to start independent language learning?

When studying a foreign language on your own, your success will directly depend on the correctness of the chosen approach to learning.
It is necessary to adhere to the correct sequence of studying the material - from simple to complex. It is recommended to study the topics in the following order:

English alphabet (sounds and letters of the alphabet).
Transcription.
Reading rules.
Vocabulary by topic (accumulation of vocabulary).
Grammar.

Each of these components is important, so you can not miss anything, because all these points are closely interconnected. Remember that without the correct pronunciation, it will be difficult to understand you. Even having learned the entire dictionary, you will not speak, because sentences are built according to certain rules, and for their correct construction, at least basic knowledge of grammar is necessary, because speech is not just a collection of words.

When self-studying, it is very important to check the correctness of your pronunciation. This can be done using online dictionaries. Click on the "mouthpiece" to hear how the word is pronounced. For example, you can use the sites Lingvo.ru or Howjsay.com. If you are working on text, then use Google translator to listen to the entire text.

In the study of vocabulary (replenishment of vocabulary), a certain order should also be followed. Start learning vocabulary with simple and more common words and expressions on a specific topic. To do this, you can use the Englishspeak.com service (100 lessons with vocabulary by topic and the ability to listen to it), the Studyfun.ru service (vocabulary by topic and the ability to listen to it), a phrase book (be careful - transliteration (English words in Russian letters) does not reveal the features English pronunciation!), tutorials (their advantage is that in one lesson there are exercises on pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary for the lesson, texts for reading, colloquial phrases on topics). News lovers can use the news portal Newsinlevels.com, where the presentation of information depends on your level of English. It is important that each news is accompanied by an audio recording.

Knowledge of grammar is no less important than vocabulary. With a strong desire, any rule can be learned, but in order for the work on the rule not to seem unbearably difficult, your task is not to learn (memorize) the rule, but to understand it. If this rule is related to the use of tenses, passive voice, conditional sentences, etc., understand the rule in your "native" language. For example, change the same sentence so that it matches the tense forms of the English language, but compose the sentence in Russian (you can make changes). Then in English:

In the summer we love to sunbathe on the beach (generally we love - real simple tense).
Now we are sunbathing on the beach - (present long tense).
“You look like a boiled crayfish!” “Sure, I’ve been at the beach all day!” (similar to cancer now, because he was at the beach - a simple perfect tense).
We've been sunbathing on the beach since three o'clock (sunbathed for 3 hours and still going on - a real perfect long time).
When we were little, we loved to sunbathe on the beach (past simple tense).
Yesterday we sunbathed all day (past long time).
When he came to us, we were already on the beach (two actions in the past, one of which happened earlier - the past perfect tense).
We sunbathed on the beach all day until he came! (the action lasted up to a certain point in the past).
Let's go to the beach tomorrow! (future simple tense).
And tomorrow at the same time we will already be sunbathing! (an action in the future that will take some time - the future long time).
In a week I will definitely finish an essay about summer! (the essay will be written by a certain moment in the future - the future perfect tense).
I will play volleyball on the beach until my parents pass me! (an action that will last in the future until a certain point - the future perfect long time).

A good start does not always guarantee a good end, so the organization of self-study must be approached responsibly. Remember that you need it first of all, and all control over the course of the enterprise and its results rests with you!

Practice regularly.
Depending on the results you want to achieve and the time frame for achieving them, set a mandatory duration for yourself (for example, at least an hour and at least 3 times a week).
The speed of work is different for everyone, so you set the ideal learning rhythm for yourself (for example, 30 minutes a day).
Choose tasks of your level in order to avoid disappointment in yourself and your abilities. If you already have some knowledge, you can rewrite short texts, translate texts or articles, find yourself an interlocutor (on the Internet or in real life) to practice speaking skills (or writing, for example, a pen pal).
All the knowledge gained should be immediately applied in practice, while trying to use all words and grammatical structures in oral and written speech.
Learning a foreign language is mostly hated by many cramming, but without it in any way (for example, learning vocabulary)! But even in cramming, you can find logic - for example, some words are international, so memorizing them by the similarity of sound in their native language will facilitate the process of memorizing them.
Repetitio est mater studiorum (Repetition is the mother of learning). Be sure to take the time to review the material covered until it is deposited in your head ... forever. You will not be able to achieve the desired result by means of saving time on repetition. After all, repetition is one of the main conditions for memorizing and mastering the material. Repetition affects long-term memory, helping to absorb information for a long time. Correct repetition of the studied material improves its retention and facilitates its subsequent reproduction.

What can hinder independent language learning?

« False" motivation or lack of proper motivation. Ask yourself the question “Why am I learning a language?”. If the answer is for yourself, it is fashionable, for getting a job, then you are unlikely to achieve significant results. Why? Because for yourself it may (and most likely) will not be needed, and learning a language is a laborious process; it's fashionable - fashion changes, and languages too. To get a job - the employer needs a qualified worker now, and not necessarily in your person when you learn the language.

Formulate a specific goal, preferably a practical one, even if a trip abroad does not shine in the near future. For example: learning a language develops my intellectual abilities, by means of learning a language I develop my personal and communicative qualities, I will be able to expand access to the information I need, because there is more of it in English; I want to watch movies and series in English, I want to communicate with foreigners, etc.

Common beginner mistakes are:

Kato Lomb (February 8, 1909 - June 9, 2003)- a well-known Hungarian translator, writer, who worked as a simultaneous interpreter since the 1950s.

She spoke, read and wrote fluently in Hungarian, Russian, English, French, German. She could speak and understand Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, Polish. I read with a dictionary in Bulgarian, Danish, Romanian, Slovak, Ukrainian, Latin, Polish. She is a physicist and chemist by education, but already in her youth she was interested in languages, which she studied on her own.

Kato Lomb outlined her methodology for learning foreign languages in a book "How I Learn Languages".

Kato Lomb summarized her approach to learning languages in 10 commandments:

1. Practice language daily. At least 10 minutes, even if there is no time at all. It is especially good to practice in the morning.
2. If the desire to study weakens too quickly, do not "force", but do not drop out of school either. Think of some other form: put down the book and listen to the radio, leave the exercises in the textbook and look through the dictionary, etc.
3. Never cramming, never memorize anything in isolation from context.
4. Write out of turn and memorize all the “ready-made phrases” that can be used in the maximum number of cases.
5. Try to mentally translate everything that is possible: a flashing billboard, an inscription on a poster, fragments of accidentally overheard conversations. This is a good exercise that allows you to keep your language thinking in a constant tone.
6. It is only worth learning what is absolutely correct. Do not re-read your own uncorrected exercises: with repeated reading, the text is involuntarily remembered with all possible errors. If you study alone, then learn only the ones you know are correct.
7. Ready-made phrases, idiomatic expressions, write down and memorize in the first person, singular. For example: "I am only pulling your leg" (I'm only teasing you).
8. A foreign language is a fortress that needs to be attacked from all sides at the same time: reading newspapers, listening to the radio, watching undubbed films, attending lectures in a foreign language, working through a textbook, correspondence, meetings and conversations with friends who are native speakers.
9. Do not be afraid to speak, do not be afraid of possible mistakes, but ask to be corrected. And most importantly, do not be upset and do not be offended if they really start to correct you.
10. Be firmly convinced that by all means you will achieve your goal, that you have an unbending will and extraordinary abilities for languages. And if you have already lost faith in the existence of such - (and rightly!) - then think that you are just a smart enough person to master such a small thing as a foreign language. And if the material still resists and the mood falls, then scold the textbooks - and rightly so, because there are no perfect textbooks! - dictionaries - and this is true, because there are no exhaustive dictionaries - at worst, the language itself, because all languages are difficult, and the most difficult of all is your native one. And things will work out.

I started learning English when I was three years old. More precisely, my mother began to teach me the language at that age. Therefore, in my school years, I was very surprised at how difficult it was for my peers to learn foreign languages. Since I spoke English quite fluently, why couldn't they reach that level?

I will make a reservation right away, my mother is an experienced teacher with great experience. Therefore, in teaching people, she is a pro. So, you can safely trust the advice that you will find below.

1. You should enjoy learning.

We have not been a “scoop” for a long time, so it is absolutely not necessary to puff over boring textbooks. Moreover, they are not as effective as they might seem.

We all have access to the internet, where you can find tons of different ways to learn a language. Take advantage of this blessing.

2. Textbooks

Forget about textbooks written by our compatriots. The first reason you should do this is because they are often boring. Second, they are not as effective as, for example, British textbooks.

If domestic English books are not accompanied by any additional materials, then British textbooks are a whole set that consists of the textbook itself, a workbook and a book for the teacher, which contains keys (answers) to tasks and small instructions.

And British textbooks are very interesting. Most often, the set also includes discs with entertainment elements: cartoons, clips, songs, or anything else that will help in learning.

I remember my first tutorial was Welcome. And damn it, how I loved him! I literally forced my mom to study with me because I missed my “friends” who were inside this textbook. I still remember with a smile the friendly Genie and the song about sausages. Now remember your attempts to force yourself to memorize the text from Plakhotnik's textbook.

3. Ways

As I said above, there are quite a few ways to learn a language. And I would like to dwell on them in more detail:

Cinema

Do you like "Friends" or "House"? Download them in the original. And for the series, download also Russian and English subtitles. Watch a couple of seasons with Russian subtitles, and then switch to English.

Yes, you will have to watch the series with Google translator at hand, but it's worth it, believe me. Firstly, you will learn pronunciation at a subconscious level, and secondly, you will memorize much more new words this way. Why does it work? Because you are interested in the process itself, and new words are not taken out of context, which develops the ability to build connections between words and phrases.

Side effect: you will most likely not be able to watch films with translation anymore.

Music

My dad taught me music since childhood. But the problem for me was that I didn't understand what the songs were about. And when I already knew English at a sufficient level to be able to translate the words written on a piece of paper, I took up my favorite songs.

How happy I was when I finally began to understand what Metallica, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden were singing about (well, some moments were not clear to me due to age). And if you are a true music lover, then this method is definitely for you. Translate texts of your favorite groups. And then listening to the translated songs will help you consolidate the learned words.

Side effect: you may not like many songs because of the lyrics 🙂

Games

To begin with, today there are a lot of games aimed at teaching English. And many of them are so interesting that even an adult cannot be dragged away from them by the ears.

Well, if you do not find an educational game that you like, there are many other computer games at your disposal. Many of them, especially online games, often do not support the Russian language or the translation in them is inadequate (remember GTA). And even if there is a Russian translation in the game, do not choose it. If you play a game where everything is in English, then you will have to find ways to understand what is being said.

I will say this, those of my classmates who played computer games knew English much better than those who did not like games.

Communication

Those who say that it is difficult to find a way to practice English, apparently do not know about the Internet. There are a huge number of useful resources for learning the language. The list also includes those resources where you can communicate with native speakers of different languages and learn while communicating.

Books

Reading books in the original is not a task for beginners. But you should not wait until the crayfish whistles on the mountain to start reading a book. Nobody tells you that your first book in English should be something from Hemingway. Start with simpler things, even fairy tales and children's stories. Do not disdain children's literature in English. After all, in a new language for you, you, to some extent, are a child.

Youtube

There are many channels on YouTube aimed at teaching people English. And there are enough English-language video bloggers. So upgrade your YouTube subscriptions by adding a couple of channels in English.

4. Courses

At this point, I do not want to advise you courses, just talk about the pros and cons. I attended an English language school for almost a year. And the only benefit for me was the opportunity to communicate with foreigners. Well, they also had to go through the lessons on the computer on their own, and in each lesson there was one series of a series specially filmed for teaching. And to be honest, I went to school just for this show. Because it was so addictive that I could get stuck in school for a few hours. Yes, the visit was free.

The advantages of the courses are that it will be difficult for you to be lazy and skip training, because you pay money in advance. And, let's just say, you will need to pay enough to put pressure on the toad for missed lessons. Today there are many schools that are designed for free attendance. Therefore, a person with any employment will be able to find time to learn the language. And, of course, the school has professionals who will help you in difficult times.

The cons are obvious. The first and most significant is that you have to pay really a lot of money for a school. One semester will cost you about $300 if the rates haven't changed since I attended the language school. The second minus is some kind of duty, and not everyone may like it. Well, if you are overloaded with work and family responsibilities, then you will not always have time for school.

So, the courses are good for those people who by no means can start learning the language, or for those who already have certain knowledge, but want to polish it. One way or another, to go to the courses or not is your choice.

5. Remember words

There are a couple of interesting ways to remember new words. Can you think of more ways? Write your ideas in the comments.

First

On the way to work, from work, anywhere, look around and notice every object, translating it in your mind into English. For example, you are on the subway. Look at people, “Yeah, one has a bag in his hands, that man in a black coat has a hat on his head. Oh, what dirty boots this teenager has.” Etc. You get the idea, I hope. If you don’t know how to translate a word into English, either google the translation right away, or write it out for yourself and look for the translation a little later.

Second

Play associations with yourself in English. I think the association game is familiar to all of you - think of any word, then find an association to it. You are also looking for an association to this association. And so on until you get tired.

At this point, I don't think I have much more to advise you. Remember that learning foreign languages is quite easy, you just need to find the right approach to learning.

You will succeed! 🙂

“Each new language expands the consciousness of a person and his world. It's like one more eye and one more ear," says Daniel Stein, the hero of Ludmila Ulitskaya's book. Would you like to expand your picture of the world and find a common language with more than a billion people? For those who answered yes, we will tell you how to start learning English. We hope that our guide will help beginners take their first steps and show the right path for those who continue to learn the language.

To get started, we invite you to watch a recording of a two-hour webinar with Victoria Kodak(a teacher and methodologist of our online school), in which she answers the question of how to start learning English in the most detailed way:

1. Introduction: When and how best to start learning English

Some adults believe that only children can start learning English from scratch. Someone thinks that it is a shame for an adult to start from the basics and learn elementary rules and words, someone believes that only children can successfully learn foreign languages, because they have an excellent memory and learning abilities. Both the first and second opinions are wrong. There is nothing shameful in the fact that you start learning a language as an adult, on the contrary: the desire for knowledge always commands respect. According to the statistics of our school, people begin to learn the language from the first stage and at 20, and at 50 and even at 80 (!) years old. Moreover, they do not just start, but successfully study and reach high levels of English proficiency. So no matter how old you are, what matters is your desire to learn and your willingness to improve your knowledge.

Many people ask themselves: “What is the best way to start learning English?”. First you need to choose the way of learning that suits you: in a group, individually with a teacher or on one's own. You can read about the pros and cons of each of them in the article "".

The best option for those who are going to learn the language "from scratch" is classes with a teacher. You need a mentor to explain how the language "works" and help you build a solid foundation for your knowledge. The teacher is your interlocutor who:

help you start speaking English;
explain grammar in simple words;
teach to read texts in English;
It will also help you develop your English listening comprehension skills.

For some reason, you do not have the desire or opportunity to study with a teacher? Then check out our step by step guide about self-study of English for beginners.

To begin with, we want to give you some tips on how to better organize your classes so that your efforts are not in vain. We recommend:

Exercise at least 2-3 times a week for 1 hour. Ideally, you need to practice English every day for at least 20-30 minutes. However, if you want to arrange a weekend for yourself, do it every other day, but in double volume - 40-60 minutes.
Work on speaking skills. Write short texts, read simple articles and news, listen to podcasts for beginners, and try to find someone to talk to to train your speaking skills.
Immediately put into practice what you have learned. Use the studied words and grammatical constructions in oral and written speech. Simple cramming will not give the desired effect: knowledge will fly out of your head if you do not use it. Learned a dozen words - make up a short story using all these words, say it out loud. We studied the Past Simple time - write a short text in which all sentences will be in this tense.
Don't "Spray". The main mistake of beginners is trying to take as many materials as possible and work with them all at the same time. As a result, the study turns out to be unsystematic, you get confused in the abundance of information and do not see progress.
repeat the past. Don't forget to review what you've learned. Even if it seems to you that you know the words on the topic “Weather” by heart, return to them in a month and check yourself: do you remember everything, if there were any difficulties. Repetition of the past is never superfluous. In our blog, we already wrote about. Familiarize yourself with the techniques and try to put them into practice.

3. Guide: How to start learning English from scratch on your own

Since English is still terra incognita for you, we have tried to select only the most necessary materials for you. It turned out to be a rather voluminous list, from which you will learn where to start learning English and how to do it correctly. Let's just say that the work ahead is not easy, but interesting. Let's get started.

1. Learn the rules of reading English

Theater begins with a hanger, and English begins with reading rules. This is a basic piece of knowledge, thanks to which you can learn to read English and pronounce sounds and words correctly. We recommend that you use a simple table from the Internet and learn the rules by heart, as well as get acquainted with the transcription of the English language. This can be done, for example, on the Translate.ru website.

2. Check how words are pronounced

Even if you know the rules of reading by heart, when learning new words, check how they are pronounced correctly. Tricky English words don't want to be read the way they are spelled. And some of them even refuse to obey any rules of reading. Therefore, we advise you to check the pronunciation of each new word in an online dictionary, for example, Lingvo.ru or on a special site Howjsay.com. Listen to the word a few times and try to pronounce it exactly the same way. At the same time, practice the correct pronunciation.

3. Start building vocabulary

Take visual dictionaries into service, for example, use the Studyfun.ru website. Bright pictures voiced by native speakers and translation into Russian will make it easier for you to learn and memorize new vocabulary.

What words to start learning English? We recommend beginners to focus on the list of words on the site Englishspeak.com. Start with simple words of a general theme, remember which words you use most often in your speech in Russian. In addition, we advise you to devote more time to studying English verbs. It is the verb that makes speech dynamic and natural.

4. Learn grammar

If you imagine speech as a beautiful necklace, then grammar is a thread on which you place word beads in order to end up with a beautiful decoration. Violation of the "rules of the game" of English grammar is punishable by misunderstanding of the interlocutor. And learning these rules is not so difficult, it is enough to study with a good textbook. We recommend that you take the first book in the Grammarway series of manuals translated into Russian. We wrote about this book in detail in our review. In addition, we recommend that you read our article "", from which you will find out what books you will need at the initial stage of learning English.

Do you find textbooks boring? It doesn't matter, pay attention to our series of articles "". In it, we state the rules in simple words, give many examples and tests to test knowledge. In addition, our teachers have compiled a simple and high-quality online English grammar tutorial for you. We also recommend reading the article "", in it you will find 8 good reasons to take up manuals, and also find out when you can do without textbooks in learning a language.

5. Listen to podcasts at your level

As soon as you started taking the first steps, you immediately need to accustom yourself to the sound of a foreign speech. Start with simple podcasts ranging from 30 seconds to 2 minutes. You can find simple audio recordings with translation into Russian on the Teachpro.ru website. And to get the most out of listening, check out our article "".

Once you've built your basic English vocabulary, it's time to start watching the news. We recommend the Newsinlevels.com resource. News texts for the first level are simple. There is an audio recording for each news, so be sure to listen to how new words sound for you, try to repeat them after the announcer.

7. Read simple texts

While reading, you activate visual memory: new words and phrases will be easy to remember. And if you want to not only read, but also learn new words, improve pronunciation, listen to texts voiced by native speakers, and then read them. You can find simple short texts in textbooks at your level, such as New English File Elementary, or on the Internet at this site.

8. Install helpful apps

How to start learning English from scratch on your own if you have a smartphone or tablet at hand? English learning apps are mini tutorials that you will always have in your pocket. The well-known Lingualeo app is ideal for learning new words: thanks to the spaced repetition technique, new vocabulary will not disappear from your memory after a month. And to study the structure, the principle of "work" of the language, we recommend installing Duolingo. In addition to learning new words, this application will allow you to practice grammar and learn how to build sentences in English, as well as help you develop good pronunciation. Also, check out ours and choose from there the programs that interest you the most.

9. Study online

If you ask Google how to start learning English on your own, a caring search engine will immediately throw you a couple of hundred sites with various lessons, online exercises, articles about learning the language. An inexperienced student is immediately tempted to bookmark 83 “well, very necessary sites on which I will study every day.” We want to warn you against this: in the abundance of bookmarks, you will quickly get confused, and you need to study systematically, without jumping from one topic to another. Bookmark 2-3 really good resources that you will study on. This is more than enough. We recommend performing online exercises on the Correctenglish.ru website. Also check out our article "", you will find even more useful resources in it. And after you master the basics of English, check out the article "", where you can download a file with a list of useful materials and sites for learning the language.

4. Summing up

The list turned out to be rather big, and we tried to collect for you only the most necessary components of a successful study of the English language. However, we failed to use the most important skill - speaking. It is almost impossible to train him alone with himself. The most you can do is try to find a friend who is learning English. However, a friend with a higher level of knowledge is unlikely to want to work with a beginner, and a beginner like you cannot be an assistant. Moreover, when you work with a non-professional, there is a risk of "catching" his mistakes.

Self-study of the language has another fat minus - lack of control: you will not notice your mistakes and correct them. Therefore, we recommend that you think about classes with a teacher at least at the beginning of your journey. The teacher will give you the necessary push, help you choose the right direction of movement - exactly what a beginner needs.

Now you know how to learn English on your own from scratch. We admit that the path ahead is not easy, but if you have already set yourself a goal and are ready to work, positive results will not keep you waiting. We wish you patience and perseverance on the way to the intended goal!

And for those who want to achieve their goal faster, we offer with a teacher at our school.

It is a known fact that the most popular language in the world is English. Knowing him, you can communicate with a resident of almost any country. All this is possible due to the fact that English is an international language and is spoken in 106 countries of the world. It is not difficult to guess that in order to be a successful person, you need to expand your language boundaries. Learning English from scratch is not so difficult if you know where to get the information from and how to use it. This article will help you learn everything you need to learn English on your own absolutely free.

Once you have realized the need to learn English, it's time to take action. Modern technologies of the 21st century allow you to learn a new language on your own without teachers. Thanks to the Internet, you can learn a language quickly and effectively. To do this, it is enough to find sites and video lessons in English, sign up for online courses or take online lessons. In addition, you can find a lot of material where English for beginners is intelligibly explained.

Before you start learning a language, you need to understand where to start learning.

If you have at least some long-forgotten English skills, then it will be easier to learn the language on your own. After all, if you once learned grammar and words, then you already have some basics of the English language and everything you need will pop up in your subconscious, you just have to start going through the program.

If you have never touched English or foreign languages, it does not matter. Find an English tutorial that you can understand. In such books, as a rule, basic rules and words are written, which are enough for a foreigner to understand your speech, and you can conduct an elementary dialogue.

If you are interested in a deeper and more effective study of the language, then here you will have to look for special literature or find a site on the Internet that tells how to learn English from scratch, for free. Such sources exist in large numbers, so learning a whole foreign language on the Internet will not be difficult and you can be sure that your knowledge will be at the level.

So, if you decide to learn English from scratch, this article will help you step by step to figure out how to organize your studies without involving expensive specialists and at the same time get up-to-date information about the language.

if desired, available to everyone at home

How to organize self-study in English?

How long do you plan to study English?

Learning English on your own is easier than you think. To begin with, determine how much you plan to study and for what period of time you plan to learn the language. Honestly decide for yourself, if you have enough superficial knowledge, then in 3 months it is quite possible to learn basic words and basic grammar. If you want to master an intermediate level of English, get ready to set aside 3 days a week for this for at least a year. And, of course, if your goal is to know English perfectly, then when you start learning English, get ready to practice the language every day, learn something new and improve your knowledge every year.

What do you need to learn a language?

Stock up on materials and tools depending on your needs. To learn the basics of English for tourism purposes, a self-instruction manual and a dictionary with basic words and phrases will be enough. If your goal is more global - you need a good and high-quality dictionary, a grammar book and various audio and video lessons in English. It is a well-known fact that communication with a native speaker is the best way to acquire speech skills. If you have the opportunity to communicate with a native English speaker, take advantage of it. Alternatively, watching English films without translation (subtitles are acceptable) or reading English fiction in the original is also suitable. Be sure to get a notebook in which you will write down new words and always have it with you so that you can repeat the words while in traffic, on the way to visit or at any other time.

Set yourself a goal

Once you decide what level of English you need and how much time you are ready to learn new words and rules, set yourself goals. By reaching each new small goal, you overcome the path of learning English from scratch step by step. Each new step is a new level for you. It will be relevant if you set yourself approximate deadlines:

Learn the entire alphabet in 2 weeks;
Learn the correct pronunciation in 3 weeks;
Learn the main tenses in 1 month (present, past and future);
Learn in 50 days the minimum vocabulary - 300 words or more;
Learn to make complete sentences in 1.5 - 2 months.

Schedule your classes

Once you have decided on all the main points, it's time to organize your work. Decide which day you study grammar when you watch instructional videos, solve tests, or read. At least you need to spend an hour of time studying, learn about 5 new words every day. On Saturday evening, watch episode 1 of your favorite English series without translation, believe me, this will help you a lot in learning the language. Over time, you can switch from TV shows to films, and there you can already start and read books in English.

Surround yourself with English

In addition to the specially allotted time for learning the language, it is necessary to fill the space around you with English speech and words. For example, hang leaflets with new words in the apartment, listen to the news in English (again, everything is available on the Internet). Find a foreign friend with whom you can chat every day on Skype or chat. There are special sites where oral and written practice of a foreign language is possible. If you have the opportunity to go abroad, where they speak English, for 1-2 months, this will be the most informative and interesting trip for you, as you will have the opportunity to immerse yourself entirely in the English atmosphere without creating it artificially.

will pass quickly and successfully if you learn to read English text, master vocabulary and grammar, listen to speech, learn to write and train pronunciation

Free websites and online programs for learning English from scratch

So, the Internet can be your main assistant in learning English. The main thing is to find useful sites and video courses and look at them daily, looking for new words, interesting videos and grammar rules. The program for learning English at home can be based on ready-made online courses, or you can combine watching helpful videos, reading books, and even using chat rooms to communicate with native speakers. You can learn English easily and quickly if you choose the way and method that you like. Below you will find various resources for learning English from scratch, from which you can choose what you like best.

Learning to read correctly and quickly in English

Reading English consonants - alphabet and sounds
Alphabet and Basics of Reading in English- video, part 1, basic knowledge;
"A" in a closed syllable, sh pronunciation and more- video, part 2, pronunciation of the article and some sounds;
Reading rules and pronunciation ar, are, air, y, e, ch- video, part 3, rules for reading complex sounds.

It is also good to read magazines (britishcouncil.org) in English aloud or silently. You can find any material that interests you.

Memorizing new vocabulary

So that new vocabulary is not hard labor for you, the best way is to download and install special applications for your phone in order to be able to learn vocabulary even outside the home, when you can just get your phone and not waste time in a traffic jam / subway / queue, but learn the language.

The channel will be useful for business negotiations Business English Pod.

Another good way to learn new words is to solve crossword puzzles from English words:

Listening to English speech

To understand English, it is important to listen to foreign speech as often as possible. These can be songs (lyrics.com), audio recordings and audio books (librophile.com). To constantly expand your vocabulary, it is useful to watch news in English (newsinlevels.com), foreign TV programs, films and series in English. But first, you should take a small online course on understanding English speech. YouTube will help you with this.

English with Jennifer. There is a special section on the page “understanding rapid English speech”, where in 20 lessons you can acquire good skills.
You can also use the link to the channel Real English, where you can find many videos of real people speaking English, each video has subtitles.
Another useful channel british council, where you can find a selection of educational cartoons with various situations in which people communicate in English.
No less useful would be comprehensive study of English with the BBC on the YouTube channel.

Learning and improving grammar

The main thing to learn is grammar. Tenses, verb forms, pronouns and much more can be learned using the English Grammar in Use by Raymond Murphy, which describes tenses, English verbs and sentence construction in a very accessible way. This tutorial can be easily found on the Internet and downloaded for free. Any free grammar books that you can download that you can understand will also work.

But you can learn grammar using any resource for adults and children. One of the most interesting ways for beginners is to subscribe to one of the YouTube channels:

Also, you can start learning English grammar on the following web resources:

And do not forget to solve English proficiency tests, some can be found here - englishteststore.net , begin-english.ru , english-lessons-online.ru .

We read adapted texts in English

Adapted texts are very useful when learning English, especially at a beginner level. You can download them. So, we learn to read and immediately understand the meaning of the text, avoiding cumbersome sentences and unnecessary constructions. On this site envoc.ru you can find both easy texts and more difficult ones to improve your reading technique. Here, in each work, simple phrases are used and translations are given. Also, simple texts can be found. In addition to the texts themselves on the site, you can repeat the rules of reading and some words. Remember, to read even adapted literature, you need basic knowledge of grammar, vocabulary and knowledge of reading rules.

Improving speech skills

Perhaps the biggest problem for a person who wants to master English is to find English interlocutors to practice speaking. Communication is a very important part of learning, as communication helps you learn the right tone, pronunciation and learn new words. To find English interlocutors, you can use one of the sites below. It is enough to register and the doors to the world of English speech will open for you.

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