How to Learn English
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Learning English opens up amazing opportunities — better jobs, easier travel, and access to so much more content online. Over a billion people are learning English right now, so you’re definitely not alone.
But here’s the problem: there are too many apps, courses, and methods out there. It’s confusing. Where do you even start?
This guide will show you exactly what works and how to start today — even if you’re busy, shy, or have tried and quit before.
Step 1: Listen and Read A LOT (Input First)
The most important rule for learning English: surround yourself with English you can mostly understand.
Think about babies. They don’t start speaking right away. They listen for months and months. Then, slowly, words come out naturally.
You need to do the same thing.
Easy ways to get English input:
Complete Beginners:
- Watch simple YouTube videos with subtitles
- Listen to “BBC Learning English” (6 Minute English series)
- Read children’s books or graded readers
- Watch shows like Peppa Pig with subtitles
After a few months:
- Watch shows you enjoy on Netflix (with English subtitles)
- Listen to podcasts about topics you like
- Read simple news articles
- Follow English creators on Instagram or TikTok
The key: Choose content you actually enjoy. If you like cooking, watch cooking videos in English. If you like sports, watch sports content in English.
Don’t feel guilty watching TV or listening to music. That’s real learning happening. Your brain is absorbing grammar and vocabulary automatically — even if you don’t notice it.
Step 2: Start Speaking and Writing (Even If You’re Scared)
After you’ve been listening and reading for a while, you’ll want to start using English yourself.
Most people think: “I’ll wait until I’m better before I speak.”
Big mistake. You get better BY speaking, not before speaking.
How to practice speaking:
If you’re shy:
- Use iTalki — book a private teacher for $5-10 per hour
- Try HelloTalk — a free app to chat with native speakers
- Practice shadowing: Listen to a sentence and repeat it immediately
Shadowing is amazing for pronunciation. You’ll notice improvement in just a few days.
Simple speaking practice (10 minutes a day):
- Pick a short video clip (1-2 minutes)
- Listen to it once
- Pause after each sentence and repeat
- Do this 5 times
- Try saying the whole thing without pausing
How to practice writing:
- Keep a simple diary in English (even just 3 sentences)
- Write comments on YouTube or Reddit in English
- Use LangCorrect — you write something, native speakers correct it for free
Remember: Even small practice counts. Writing 3 sentences a day is better than writing nothing.
Step 3: Learn the Right Vocabulary (Not Random Words)
Here’s good news: You only need about 2,000 common words to understand 90% of everyday English.
You don’t need 10,000 words to start speaking. Start with the most useful words.
Best tools for learning vocabulary:
- Anki — free flashcard app that helps you remember
- Memrise — makes learning fun like a game
- Quizlet — easy to use, lots of word lists
These apps use “spaced repetition” — they show you words right before you forget them. It’s the smartest way to remember.
Learn words in phrases, not alone
❌ Don’t just learn: “run” = to move fast
✅ Learn it in phrases:
- “run out of time”
- “run a business”
- “run into a friend”
This is how native speakers actually use words — in natural combinations.
Vocabulary goals:
- 500 words: You can survive basic situations
- 1,000 words: You can have simple conversations
- 2,000 words: You can talk about everyday life easily
Step 4: Get Feedback (So You Don’t Keep Making Mistakes)
Imagine learning to cook but never tasting your food. You’d never improve, right?
Same with English. You need feedback to know what to fix.
Where to get feedback:
For writing:
- Grammarly — instantly shows grammar mistakes
- LangCorrect — real people correct your writing for free
For speaking:
- Ask your language partner or teacher to correct you
- Record yourself and listen — you’ll catch your own mistakes
- Compare your shadowing with the original speaker
Important mindset shift:
Mistakes are good. Every mistake you make is helping you learn. Native speakers make mistakes too. Don’t be afraid.
If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not learning.
Step 5: Study Every Day (Even Just 10 Minutes)
Here’s the truth: Most people fail not because English is hard, but because they quit.
The secret? Small daily practice beats big occasional study sessions.
10 minutes every single day is better than 3 hours once a week.
Make English part of your daily life:
Morning:
- Change your phone to English
- Review 10 flashcards while eating breakfast
- Read one English headline
During the day:
- Listen to a podcast while commuting
- Watch a short video during lunch break
Evening:
- Watch 20 minutes of a TV show in English
- Write 3 sentences about your day
- Read one page of an easy book
The “habit stacking” trick:
Connect English to something you already do:
- After brushing teeth → Review 5 words
- While making coffee → Watch a 5-minute video
- Before bed → Read one page
Start tiny. Even 5 minutes counts. The goal is to never skip a day.
📅 Your First 6 Months: What to Do
Months 1-2: Build the Habit
- 20 minutes daily: Watch videos or read (with subtitles)
- 10 minutes daily: Review flashcards
- Goal: Get comfortable hearing and reading English
Months 3-4: Start Speaking
- Keep doing: 20 minutes input daily
- Add: 10 minutes shadowing practice
- Add: 1 conversation per week (language partner or teacher)
- Goal: Say simple sentences without fear
Months 5-6: Build Confidence
- Keep doing: Input + speaking practice
- Add: Write 5 sentences daily
- Increase: 2-3 conversations per week
- Goal: Have a 5-10 minute conversation about familiar topics
After 6 months of consistent practice, you’ll be surprised how much you understand and can say.
❌ Mistakes to Avoid
Don’t do this:
- ❌ Study only grammar rules without practicing
- ❌ Wait until you’re “perfect” before speaking
- ❌ Study for 3 hours one day, then nothing for a week
- ❌ Only use textbooks (use real English content too)
- ❌ Be afraid of making mistakes
- ❌ Try to translate everything in your head
Do this instead:
- ✅ Mix grammar study with real practice
- ✅ Start speaking from day one (even if it’s bad)
- ✅ Practice a little bit every single day
- ✅ Watch shows, read articles, have conversations
- ✅ Make lots of mistakes and learn from them
- ✅ Try to think in English directly
🛠️ Essential Tools (All You Really Need)
Free Resources:
- YouTube — unlimited content
- Anki — best flashcard app
- HelloTalk — talk with native speakers
- BBC Learning English — great lessons
- LangCorrect — free writing corrections
Worth Paying For:
- iTalki ($5-10/hour) — private English lessons
- Netflix — watch shows for immersion
- Grammarly — writing help
You don’t need expensive courses. These simple tools are enough to become fluent.
💪 When You Feel Stuck
Problem: “I understand English but can’t speak”
- Solution: Force yourself to speak more. Join conversation groups. Speak even when it’s hard.
Problem: “I forget words right away”
- Solution: Use new words immediately in sentences. Write with them. Say them out loud.
Problem: “I can’t understand fast English”
- Solution: Practice with faster content gradually. Try videos at 1.25x speed.
Problem: “I keep making the same mistakes”
- Solution: Get regular feedback from teachers. Record yourself speaking.
Everyone gets stuck sometimes. It’s normal. Just keep practicing.
🎯 How to Know You’re Improving
After 1 month:
- You recognize more words when listening
- Reading feels a little easier
After 3 months:
- You can say simple sentences without translating first
- You understand the main idea of videos
After 6 months:
- You can have short conversations
- You catch some of your own mistakes
- Content that was impossible before now makes sense
Signs you’re really getting better:
- You start thinking some words in English
- You understand jokes sometimes
- You can explain simple ideas without a dictionary
- You feel less afraid to speak
🌟 Real Success Stories
Maria from Brazil (learned in 18 months): “I just watched Friends over and over. First with my language subtitles, then English subtitles, then no subtitles. Plus I took iTalki lessons twice a week. Now I work for an American company from home.”
Kenji from Japan (got fluent in 8 months): “I stopped translating in my head. I started thinking in English — even talking to myself in English. That’s when everything clicked.”
Fatima from Egypt (learned in 1 year): “I joined Discord servers about gaming and cooking in English. Real conversations with real people made it fun and natural.”
The pattern: They all combined lots of listening/reading with regular speaking/writing. And they didn’t quit.
✨ Your First Step (Do This Today)
Don’t just read this and do nothing. Pick ONE thing right now:
- Download Anki and make 10 flashcards
- Watch a 10-minute YouTube video in English
- Write 5 sentences in English about your day
- Change your phone language to English
- Find one English podcast about something you love
That’s it. Just one small action today.
Then tomorrow, do one small thing again.
Then the next day.
That’s how you become fluent.
Final Words: You Can Do This
Learning English is not magic. You’re not too old, too busy, or too bad at languages.
Every person who speaks English fluently now was once a beginner just like you. They felt scared, made mistakes, and got confused.
The only difference? They didn’t quit.
You don’t need to be perfect. You don’t need to study for hours. You just need to:
- Practice a little bit every day
- Use real English (not just textbooks)
- Speak even when you’re scared
- Keep going even when it’s hard
One day soon, you’ll watch a movie and realize you understood it. You’ll have a conversation and realize you didn’t translate. You’ll help someone in English and realize you just… did it.
And you’ll think: “Wow. I actually learned English.”
Start today. Your future self will thank you. 🚀
