2015-11-12

Hello to all readers of my blog!

As you already understand, this article will talk about how to learn English. without the help of a teacher. And, although, in my opinion, such a feat can be accomplished only if certain conditions are met, it is impossible to say that this is impossible or accessible to a very small number of people.

And if you do decide to take this step, the steps outlined below will help you save energy, time and nerve cells on the way to your cherished goal.

Well, let's start the debriefing!

Before reading my tips, let me remind you that there are now many resources online that help you learn the language on your own. I use it myself and recommend it to everyone. Lingvaleo. There free registration and a lot of valuable materials, in addition, you can buy an online course that is right for you (I recommend starting with this ), and learn the language according to a clear scheme developed by professional teachers.

Where to begin? Where to look and how to learn the material? Am I doing the right thing?..

All these questions make your head spin at first. But don't panic, friends! In fact, you are capable of much more than you can imagine!

So, let's go!

• Desire and motivation

Even the most honored and experienced teacher will not be able to teach you English if you do not want it yourself. After all, when studying with teachers, most of the training is also devoted to independent work. As the famous teacher N.A. said. Bonk: " A foreign language cannot be taught - it can only be learned».

If you are truly obsessed with learning English, then activities should bring you satisfaction, but it’s not worth forcing yourself and trying to study and cram at any cost. Don't waste your time! It’s better to postpone training until better times.

Learning English requires a lot of patience, strong will, self-discipline and hard work. " Too many things!“- you will say, and you will be partly right. Sometimes the most diligent and patient people give up and give up what they started halfway. The reason for this is lack of serious motive. Therefore, even if you don’t have one, invent one! Ready!? Do you want to get a job in a Western company? Enroll in an English-speaking university? Or ? And this will do.

• From simple to complex

Don't rush to embrace the immensity and learn English as quickly as possible. Believe me, in teaching any foreign language there must be a clear structure, a developed system, otherwise “ everything will be mixed up in the Oblonskys’ house...”

You shouldn’t spend too long classes at first, learn a lot at once rules or read English-language literature in the original. Start with

1. studying elementary rules and their practice (you will find them in my section!)
2. reading protozoa with a dictionary
3. viewing with subtitles in English
4. auditions
5. translation of simple sentences of two or three words both from English into Russian and vice versa
6. performing simple practical tasks
7. writing short notes on what you have learned
8. passing on the Internet.

A very effective, in my opinion, method of learning a language for those who want to do everything themselves is given in the book Ovadenko “English without a tutor” . This manual, coupled with audio accompaniment, can definitely help you at the initial stage.

• Regularity is the key to success

Of course, the hardest thing is to force yourself to exercise regularly. It may be difficult, but in this stability lies probably one of the most important keys to success. Try to exercise every day for at least 15-20 minutes. If the lesson is not intended to be long, then try to conduct it as intensively as possible. Even if you don't feel well or are too tired, or, repeat the words you recently learned. If a language is constantly present in your life, it will become native and familiar to you.

• Repetition is the mother of learning

Try to repeat the topics covered, refresh your memory of the words you have learned, watch a video you already know, listen to an audio recording, or re-read a story you already know. Not only does this undoubtedly help to consolidate the material covered, but sometimes it is also useful to feel that you know something well and get pleasure from the fact that you understand everything.

• Variety is good for everyone

No doubt you have one or two favorite ways to learn a language. Some people like to watch videos or prefer to perceive them. Use all the methods available to you: install a training program on your computer, learn the lyrics of your favorite artists’ songs and sing along with them, come up with sentences, watch educational videos (which are also on my blog), communicate with native speakers on Skype, make flashcards with English subtitles, Try teaching yourself a topic you have studied well to a friend, wife or children. In short, any activity that forces you to work with the English language will be helpful.

• Choosing a time and place

Studying at home, where there are a lot of temptations (drinking tea, lying on the couch, or not missing your favorite show), is not always effective, so periodically it is useful to visit the library, where the atmosphere itself is conducive to work, or try studying while on the way to or from work.

• Communicate in English whenever possible e

If you are learning a language on your own and you don’t have polyglot friends, then use every chance to put your English into practice. Communication in , special meetings and seminars for English language learners, tourists you meet by chance, like-minded people you find on a social network - all this is from this area.

• How to memorize words

1. Firstly, it is necessary to remember not only the meaning of the word, but also how it is pronounced correctly. Nowadays it’s much easier to do this - you don’t have to painfully deal with transcription - just type the word of interest into Google translator, and it will pronounce it and give out a few basic meanings.
2. Secondly, the word must be written. Get yourself a notebook in which you will write down words with translation.
3. Third, do not try to memorize a large number of words at once. It is better to choose from 5 to 10 words, but remember them for sure - this is how to do it.
4. Fourthly, use the learned words as often as possible. Beginners, especially children, memorize words very well using flashcards or during various competitions.
5. And finally fifthly, just develop your memory! Believe me, this is very important when learning a foreign language. Here, I can offer you what I use myself - improve your memorization skills with the help of Brainapps - a cool online platform specializing in this matter. Guys, I didn’t know how exciting and productive this could be!

• Work on your pronunciation

Phonetics is also the most important part of the English language, because English speech contains sounds that simply do not exist in Russian. Moreover, if you study on your own, this brings additional difficulties. Somehow, you must hear the correct pronunciation of a particular word and try to repeat it correctly. and video courses, English-language songs and films, conversations with native speakers, as well as my materials will help you on the path to perfection.

• Monitor your achievements

After a certain period of study, give yourself a mini-exam:

1. complete assignments on covered topics
2. learn and retell a text containing words and rules you already know
3. pass .

In addition, it would be a good idea to demonstrate your acquired knowledge to a good friend, or even better to a teacher, whose level of language knowledge is much higher than yours. Such periodic monitoring will become an additional motive and, in addition, will allow you to understand how far you have come in learning English.

Finally

Do not under any circumstances think that you are not capable of something or that you cannot cope with something. Be patient, don’t give up, believe in yourself, and you will succeed!

Don't be afraid to make a mistake or say something wrong when speaking English. The roots of the notorious language barrier grow from there. These tips most likely will not help you overnight, but you will definitely become better at understanding and perceiving English speech and texts. You will understand that you can achieve a lot, which means you will have strength for further improvement!

Thank you for reading my article to the end - I think it was not in vain :)

In contact with

This is perhaps the most natural and enjoyable way to learn a language. The longer the trip and the less dependent it is on tour operators and guides, the more language practice there is. At first it will be easier to explain everything on your fingers or point to the right picture in a guidebook, then the pressure will pass and, having completely immersed yourself in the language environment, you will still want to speak the local language. At the same time, it is absolutely not necessary to go to the UK or the USA; Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Malta and other countries are quite suitable here.

Communicate with native speakers on the Internet

If you still can’t travel as much as you need to practice the language, you can go surf the Internet and find English-speaking friends there through correspondence or conversations on Skype. It is best to search on specialized sites, for example here: busuu.com, interpals.net, mylanguageexchange.com, sharedtalk.com.

Watch lectures, films, TV series and cartoons in English

This method is for those who don’t really like communicating with people, but love watching movies. In this way, you will not only learn the language, but also listen to smart people, expand your knowledge about the world, observe the skills of foreign screenwriters and directors, and simply relax without the feeling that time is wasted. The best lectures are collected here: ted.com, coursera.org, khanacademy.org, and a modern person should have no problems with films and TV series.

Listen to podcasts, audiobooks and songs in English

Do exercises on special sites

Now there are a lot of portals where you can learn a language around the clock. Here you can find fun rules, diagrams, tables, videos, audio, games, and exercises of varying degrees of difficulty. Some of these sites are even ready to remind the user every day that it is time to practice English. For an integrated approach, the sites tested by millions of students are livemocha.com and lingualeo.ru.

Install useful mobile applications

If you don’t have time to spend time on specialized websites, then you can practice vocabulary using applications on your phone almost anywhere. There are a lot of such applications now, here are just the most popular ones: Byki, Busuu, DuoLingo, Babbel, Accela Study, iBlueSky.

Read newspapers, magazines and books in English

For those who need to not only hear English speech, but also see letters to be confident. You can read good old newspapers, magazines and books in paper form, or you can download them to your tablet or phone. You can find an English-language newspaper from almost any country in the world on the websites: thebigproject.co.uk/news, ipl.org/div/news, goldenglish.ru. From books, it is best to read specialized publications from Macmillan, Oxford University Press and Pinguin; some also really like bilingual publications compiled according to Ilya Frank’s method: franklang.ru.

Use stickers and cards

To memorize words and expressions in English, you need to repeat them every day. You can make paper cards or, again, download them to your phone and view them when you have a free minute, or you can hang colorful stickers throughout your home (office), which, willy-nilly, you will have to stumble upon several times a day.

Surround yourself with English on all sides

If there aren’t enough stickers on appliances, furniture, walls and ceilings, you can take one and one lucky day, change the language of all gadgets and household appliances to English in the settings. Here, if you want to call someone, do laundry, heat up food, in any case you will have to understand the instructions.

Set yourself a vital goal

It is clear that most people are very lazy and will not really learn until they are given strict boundaries and deadlines. Therefore, it is ideal to put yourself in a situation where you simply cannot do without knowledge of the language: find a job among English-speaking colleagues, start writing a dissertation on a topic that was developed only by British and American scientists, fall in love with an overseas beauty, in the end!

PS Most of these methods are suitable for learning any language, not just English, so you don’t have to limit yourself.

Photo: thinkstockphotos.com, flickr.com

– Where to start learning English on your own?

This question can be asked by two categories of people: very, very newbies and those who have some kind of weathered base from their school days. So let's immediately separate: newcomers - to the left (more precisely, read on in this article), and those who have studied - to the right and . Because the recipe will be different for you.

Now I’m addressing only you, beginners: this article is dedicated to your route from beginner to elementary level. Together with Olga Sinitsyna, head of the methodology department, we described each step in detail and collected all the necessary links. This is the most complete article on the topic. Precisely for those who want to do everything themselves.

Contents of the article: teaching English independently from scratch

1. Alphabet: learn English from scratch on your own and for free

Pay attention to the patterns and differences of the sound system as a whole: in English there are almost no soft consonants, there are long/short and wide/narrow vowels, etc. To understand all this, .

3. First words: learn English on your own from scratch for free online

Since sounds need to be learned as part of a word, at the very first stage you will learn your first English words. You need to start with simple words that are used in everyday life.

6. Learn English grammar for beginners

In parallel with reading and studying entire phrases, you need to understand grammar. But not in theory, don’t delve into it by itself - learn useful English phrases and, using their own example, delve into the essence of grammatical rules. How it works, .

Also watch the video on how to properly teach grammar to a beginner

Let's look at what exactly needs to be understood and remembered at the initial level:

Articles. They are not in the Russian language at all. An article is a function word that is used together with a noun:

an apple (apple)

Here we have used the indefinite article an, because the word begins with a vowel. If a word begins with a consonant, then the article will be - a.

a dog (dog)

But in addition to the indefinite article, there is also a definite article - the. This video will help you understand articles:

Plural. Learn the rules for forming the plural of nouns. This is usually done by adding the suffix -s:

a cat – cats (cat – cats)

Order of words in a sentence. In English it is strict: the subject comes first, then the predicate, then the other parts of the sentence:

I love my job. (I love my job)

In an interrogative sentence, the word order is different and an auxiliary verb is added:

Do I love my job? (I love my job?)

It will help you deal with these subtleties.

There must be a verb. Without a verb, an English sentence simply cannot exist. And where there is no verb in Russian, .

I am a doctor. (I am a doctor or I There is doctor, literally)

Features of the time system. The English language has three tenses, just like ours: present, past and future. But each time has four forms, and those who study them are constantly confused. You don't need to immediately plunge into this chaos.

Imperative mood– when you tell another person what to do. In English it is formed simply:

Love me! (Love me!) Do it! (Make it this one)

And other topics: degrees of comparison of adjectives, regular and irregular verbs, phrase there is – there are. Full list of topics. And so you and I will gradually get to elementary.

7. Comprehensively, from all sides: how to learn English on your own from scratch

All this - words, phrases, grammar - needs to be improved from 4 sides: listening, writing, speaking and reading. We have collected and described for you independent exercises and materials for working on each skill:

– Your level now is zero or beginner. On average, it takes 90-100 hours of study to reach the next level. Decide right away how many hours a day you are willing to study? If it’s an hour, then in 3 – 3.5 months you should reach the elementary level. If it’s half an hour, then multiply the time by two. So set this period as a deadline for yourself.

– Now break down this huge goal of “reaching the elementary level” into specific and very clear tasks like “learn to express thoughts in the present tense”, “learn the 100 most common words”, “read a book in English”. Also plan these tasks according to specific deadlines.

Be sure to read it! Or watch the video:

9. What then? How to learn English on your own at home from scratch quickly

Learn English on your own online from scratch

Now you have a clear action plan. All in your hands. If you need simulators to practice English, then. When registering, we will determine your English level and choose a goal together. And after that, the service will provide daily activities for practice: vocabulary and grammar training, short stories to read, videos and audio for beginners. Let's break through together. 🙂

English is one of those rare disciplines that thousands of adults strive to learn. Alas, not everyone can boast that they have actually learned it over the years of study. But life demands, the employer demands, and sometimes the soul also demands. Let's try to figure out what strategy is best to use when besieging a fortress called "English" and what is the likelihood of its conquest.

Why do you need English? Motivation for learning a foreign language

Let's start with the main thing - what motives prompt you to do this. They are the ones who, as a rule, determine the outcome of the entire undertaking. According to my observations, everyone who wants to learn English can be divided into approximately 4 groups. If you arrange them in order of increasing chances of success, you get the following:

1. My husband (wife) speaks excellent English and shames me that I can’t put two words together. And I will take it and prove it!

You can't imagine a worse motivation! It contains a powerful negative towards the subject being studied. After all, in fact, what you need is not a language, but the love and acceptance of a partner, while English acts as a barrier between you and a loved one. Who loves obstacles like this, raise your hand! Nobody? I guessed this, because I don’t remember a single successful case of learning a language with such motivation. And if you are going to a tutor or to a course with bitter thoughts about your own imperfection, then it is better not to waste your money.

2. We need to finally learn it, otherwise English is everywhere around. And in general it can be useful.

The goal is quite vague, and success can only be achieved if you come across a talented teacher who can really interest the student in Complex Object and irregular verbs, or if you suddenly discover a remarkable ability for language. Otherwise, after 10-15 lessons you will give up on everything and decide that happiness is not in English.

3. At work, knowledge of the language is required - for business trips and communication with foreign partners and colleagues.

Good motivation, in most cases leading to success (of course, adjusted for the student’s abilities). The reason for failure in this case is dislike for the work itself.

4. English is needed for a specific personal purpose: getting a job, marrying a foreigner, passing a language exam to study abroad.

Such motivation is a real gift for a teacher! With a successful choice of learning method, the result is almost guaranteed.

Where to go to study?

So, you have determined your motivation and assessed the likelihood of success. Now the classic question arises: where to go to study?

1. Courses (language school) in Russia

This option is good for those whose motivation is vague, and whose level of knowledge is either zero, or what in the methodology is usually called false beginner - “false beginner” (I once taught, but forgot everything). The same teacher will always conduct group classes more interesting and lively than individual ones, if only due to the fact that he will be able to use more activities - ways of practicing the material. Well, a competitive atmosphere, of course, is much more conducive to mastering English than one-on-one lessons.

How to choose language courses?

The first method is similar to the way we choose a good doctor or hairdresser - based on the recommendations of friends. The second is based on my own impressions. A self-respecting institution is unlikely to deny you the right to attend one lesson, and if it refuses, then this is a reason to think about whether you should connect your language future with this school. But if after the first lesson you want to take a second one, then feel free to bring the money to the cashier.

Attention: native speakers as teachers are not an absolute plus! Be sure to ask if they have a pedagogical education or at least experience working as a teacher in Russia. After all, English-speaking people may simply not understand the difficulties we face. For example, an English teacher may not pay enough attention to practicing the use of "am", "is" and "are". How does he know that in Russian these forms of the verb “to be” (“is”, “is”, “essence”) have long disappeared from the language? Therefore, sometimes even those language schools where exclusively native speakers teach are sometimes forced, at the request of an entry-level group, to invite Russian-speaking teachers.

2. Tutor

It is better to contact him if you have a specific goal - after all, only with a tutor can you organize classes that are most convenient for you in terms of time and format. For example, if at work you deal with logistics, then in the courses no one will give you vocabulary on this topic specifically for you, and you will simply set such a task for the tutor, and he must complete it.

Attention: during the selection process, state as clearly as possible what your goal is, and ask with passion whether he has experience working with the vocabulary you need. For example, if you import goods from abroad (which is why you learn an international language), and the prospective tutor has never translated negotiations or corresponded on this topic in his life, then his lessons are unlikely to be useful.

Where to look for a tutor?

Advertisements are hung on poles either by those who are just trying their hand at this profession, or by specialists who are not in much demand. Good professionals are passed from hand to hand, and sometimes a line forms for them. There are also specialized sites with the word “tutor” in the name, accessing which will not cost you anything - the commission is paid by the teacher himself. Those who are registered on these sites, as a rule, try very hard to satisfy customer requests as much as possible, since their rating and the number of orders depend on the reviews subsequently received by the administration.

3. An ideal combination of the two previous options - invite a tutor to your office and train a group of specialists

This requires initiative and organizational skills from you. But the effort is worth it! From experience I can say that a better way to learn a language within your native country has not yet been invented.

4. English courses abroad

How effective is it? You shouldn’t put excessive expectations into a two- to three-week trip. You will get a good result only if the family where you will be accommodated is suffering from lack of communication and is ready to regale you with conversations in the language you are learning from morning to night. If the members of this family prefer communication with a TV/computer or a sound sleep to all foreign guests in the world, then the language environment - what you went to learn the language abroad for - shrinks to a minimum. Of course, a sociable person (by the way, think about whether you are one) will always be able to start a conversation on the street, in a store, or in a bar, but still... Still, find in the contract concluded with a travel agency a clause on the possibility of replacement families living during the learning process.

5. Conversations with an expat

Those whose knowledge is at the “Pre-Intermediate, moving to Intermediate” level can improve it in conversations with an expat (foreigner living in our country). This method is wonderful because, in addition to excellent language practice, you gain a wealth of knowledge about the country where your interlocutor is from. However, I emphasize that your level of English should be such that you can participate in at least a simple small talk. Expats offer their services on various websites. On some, you can listen to samples of teachers’ speech, look at photographs and evaluate their experience. Yes, expats’ time is not cheap – but the results are worth it!

6. On your own

You can maintain your English in a state of alert without meeting native speakers. There would be self-discipline, and there would be plenty of materials for independent work! To begin with, a few words about such a classic option as reading. If your level of knowledge allows you to read only adapted books, then please, please, do not buy books from Russian publishing houses without the recommendation of a teacher. Yes, they are an order of magnitude cheaper than their Western counterparts, but their level (Beginner, Elementary, etc.) is determined by the authors according to the principle “as God dictates.” While in the Western methodology there are very clear criteria for how much vocabulary and grammar a student should know at each specific level. Publishing houses such as Penguin, Pearson-Longman, Oxford, Cambridge have been supplying the entire world market with adapted literature, divided into levels, for decades - and there are no equals in this area yet.

But, without wanting to offend my native country, I want to say that Speak Out magazine, published by Glossa Press, is a real treasure for everyone who learns English. The articles in it are always written or edited by native speakers (so no “Russian English”!), at the bottom of each page there is a glossary with transcription, and the most interesting topics are selected.

For visual lovers, there are educational series. One of the most loved by students all over the world is Extr@. You can download it in many places, for example, on the website, where it is conveniently divided into chapters. The language level is Elementary, gradually becoming Pre-Intermediate, the style is comedic, the actors’ pronunciation is excellent and very clear, the topics are universal (acquaintance, dating, job search, shopping, holidays, etc.). The main characters are two English girls and two guys, one is the girls’ compatriot, and the other is an Argentinean, who naturally came to learn English. Along the way, he teaches girls to dance tango and... In general, I wish you a pleasant viewing!

For those who consider themselves a serious person and much more advanced in language, I suggest watching popular science films from the BBC. But I don’t recommend feature films, unless, of course, you think that your language is at the Proficiency level. Fast, sometimes slurred speech, a lot of jargon, tricky jokes, unusual realities... It won't take long to reach a state of complete frustration!

Even more serious people can turn to the TED website, where there is a huge selection of lectures on a variety of topics. Practice shows that in general even those whose level is Pre-Intermediate can understand them. And if it is higher, then you can even enjoy the lectures. In general, the lecturer’s measured speech is exactly what a person learning any language needs.

Just don't try to learn English by watching the news! The speech of television and radio announcers is officially considered the fastest in the world.

7. International guest network СouchSurfing

To summarize, I want to say that English, like any other foreign language, will certainly be conquered by those who perceive it as a life-changing opportunity, and not as a dull duty. To the one who opens the textbook with joyful anticipation. To someone who takes advantage of the slightest opportunity to apply their knowledge. Do you know what case in my practice was the most successful? When a girl who recently broke up with her boyfriend decided to open up new horizons in life with the help of English. After two years of learning the language from scratch, she was invited to work on the Russian team of the Discovery Channel. Not a bad result, right?

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. Life hacker and experts from the online English school Skyeng share simple tips.

1. Study online

Online classes help you learn quickly. You can be too lazy to drive to the other end of the city in bad weather, but the Internet is always at hand. Adapting your schedule to the course schedule, making agreements with teachers, wasting time on the road - all this gets boring 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 courses, decide that they can live without English.

Rid yourself of reasons to miss classes - create a convenient personal schedule. At Skyeng, teachers work in all time zones, so you can study whenever you want, even in the middle of the night.

Online classes are also good because all materials, texts, videos, dictionaries are collected in one place: in the application or on the website. And homework is checked automatically as you complete it.

2. Study at your leisure

Don't be limited by lesson time. Learning a language is not just about doing exercises. You can improve your skill by listening to songs and podcasts or reading English-speaking bloggers.

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

For example, if you install a special extension in the Google Chrome browser, you can read any text in English, and when you hover over a word or phrase, you can immediately see its translation. The same goes for subtitles for online cinemas. Each word individually can be translated directly as you watch. These words are added to your personal dictionary and sent to the mobile application, where you can repeat and memorize them in your free time.