Is it possible to learn English on your own? How to learn a foreign language on your own. Track your achievements

1. The first rule is to forget about how long and painfully you studied English at school and college. This, as a rule, negative experience can discourage you from learning foreign languages for a long time, and also convince you that you do not have a predisposition for this.

2. Motivation. Maybe you want to sing songs in French, watch TV series in Spanish or read Paolo Coelho in the original. First of all, you should not only like the language, it should inspire you.

3. Get started. You don’t need to prepare for a long time, just start taking a small step every day - learn five new words, watch a tutorial. Don’t push yourself into limits and don’t set clear deadlines, because you won’t have to take tests or exams.

4. Start by studying words, do not overload yourself with grammar at first. Remember how children begin to talk: first they listen, then they begin to understand, that is, to associate a word with an object or action, then they begin to speak the first words, and only after that - to build a sentence. Do the same - first watch the video, listen to the recorded speech, do simple exercises to memorize words. When you acquire a significant vocabulary, then you can begin to build sentences and learn tenses.

5. Translate texts that interest you. The best ones are well-known songs, so you can memorize many words very quickly.

6. Many effective free training programs can be found on the Internet.

7. While you still cannot speak, correspond with native speakers. This way you can always use a translator or a dictionary to express your thoughts.

8. Once you can read and speak a little, look for opportunities to practice speaking. Even if there are no speaking clubs in your city, look for native speakers who live here and who need to learn Russian, post an ad on social networks that you are ready to give a free tour of the city for visiting foreigners. As a last resort, you can communicate via Skype.

9. Don't be afraid to speak with mistakes. Take people who speak English. They speak extremely simply, sometimes with mistakes, but very confidently, and everyone understands them. Language is a means of communication, so the main thing is to be understood. Do not use complex grammatical structures, simplify everything as much as possible. The mere fact that you speak Spanish, Portuguese or Japanese will be received with delight by residents of other countries.

10. Remember that there are no people who are completely incapable of learning languages, there are those who do not even try to learn them.

Often, when it comes to learning foreign languages, people of the older generation immediately remember school and those languages that they seemed to have studied there for many years, but never learned. If there is no urgent need, then learning a language remains something abstract, and therefore most often desirable, but unattainable. So, how to learn English on your own from scratch? My assistant, a philologist of foreign languages, will tell us about this today. Personally, I learned English on Skype at Skyeng school and eventually started a blog in English.

Almost all more or less literate people will agree: yes, knowledge of languages is a useful skill for any modern person. However, what exactly? Let's look at this issue from the point of view of its benefits for copywriters.

A copywriter who knows how to find the necessary information will always find income. A copywriter who knows how to find unique and high-quality information will never be left without a well-paid job. And knowledge of English significantly expands the possibilities of access to information.

Because English is spoken, written and thought in countries that are currently world leaders in economic and cultural development. And in many areas of applied and theoretical science they set the vector for the further progress of all mankind. Therefore, information from this community is of interest throughout the world. Unlike countries with Chinese and Spanish languages - although in terms of the number of people speaking them, they are ahead of English-speaking speakers, and Chinese is beginning to enjoy increasing interest and demand.

And if we talk about the Internet - the place where millions of journalists, copywriters and text authors make money, then there’s nothing even to compare. Whether we are talking about highly specialized professional resources or those developed by users independently, Russian-language sites are significantly inferior in terms of the volume of available information. To do this, just visit the English and Russian versions of Wikia - specialized encyclopedias for various hobbies.

Just for fun, you can compare similar encyclopedias on role-playing games: here is the Russian one (http://ru.rpg.wikia.com/wiki/Role-Encyclopedia), and here is the English-language one (http://rpg.wikia.com/wiki/RPG). Although the number of articles on both resources differs by only a thousand, on the Russian site you can see on the side that there are many more independent encyclopedias dedicated to various types of role-playing games in English.

Of course, the exception is those areas that are relevant for residents of Russia and the post-Soviet space. However, the demand for texts on the topic of Russian folk traditions and customs is significantly lower than things that are relevant for a single cultural space on the Internet. So, I think it’s good to learn English - a thought that, to varying degrees of relevance, visits every copywriter. And the question of where to learn English also doesn’t seem to be too difficult, when there are a lot of advertisements around about different courses and methods.

However, how can one approach a practical solution to this problem?

Is it possible to learn English at home?

Learning a language is not easy, everyone knows that.

The four basic skills that must be developed in order to understand and speak a foreign language are:

reading;
letter;
hearing;
speaking.

To successfully develop these skills at least to the simplest level, you need to master:

alphabet;
reading rules;
basic vocabulary;
basic rules of grammar.

Too nerdy? Ok, let's take a closer look.

In spoken language alone, an ordinary person uses from 2 to 3 thousand words: even if you diligently learn 10-15 words a day, it will take almost a year. However, the matter is not limited to knowing words; you need to somehow connect them into meaningful sentences, for this there are also rules.

Tenses are a serious stumbling block in any foreign language. What in native speech is formed in a conversation without hesitation, in a foreign language becomes a reason for serious thought.

Although in this matter English is quite simple: you only need to learn by heart the irregular verbs of English, the rest can be completed at any time with the help of a few auxiliary words and endings.

Are you going for a walk now? Or did you go yesterday? Or maybe you're going to go tomorrow? The Russian language, among other world languages, is considered quite difficult to learn. “Go-go-go” - can you imagine what difficulties foreigners face? Be glad that English is much simpler and more consistent on this subject!

Declension: they are long and persistently drummed into children at school, but many still do not fully understand that “I am going” and “He is coming” differ in the same way in almost any foreign language. Although in English this matter is simpler, you only have to remember two forms of endings, but knowledge of the theory does not save you from mistakes in practice.

And we have not even come close to complex rules; we have taken the most basic and most common language constructs that are present in all languages. But there are also differences!

Here is the most famous of them: Russian-speaking people who are thinking about learning the most common language in the world are first frightened by the fact that English words are pronounced differently from how they are written. That is why in English dictionaries, in addition to the word and translation, the transcription must be written - how to pronounce this particular word. There’s just one problem: transcription is itself a universal written language with its own symbols for a particular sound. That is, in order to read how a word is pronounced, you need to first learn the transcription icons. So the hesitant ones disappear at this stage.

And there are also accepted phrases that simply cannot be adequately translated, but have their own meaning. In fact, this is the main difficulty of English for foreigners, and not the pronunciation of words. It’s just that few people realize it, except teachers. However, this feature brings many problems when studying. For example, the expression “What is going on?” when directly translated it will turn out to be complete rubbish: “What is going on?” But what it really means is “What’s going on?” So such constructions simply need to be learned by heart - and this is in addition to several thousand words.

Ok, this is what concerns the structure of the language itself. But there is also communication - why, in fact, make titanic efforts to overcome the difficulties described above? And here a person may encounter another unexpected problem: he seems to be able to speak, but there is a problem with understanding.

In hearing, the untrained ear of even one who has mastered basic knowledge of the language perceives on average only 25% of what is heard. For clarity, I will take a paragraph from this text and remove three words out of every four:

...of them... about studying... the world... then... are written... Here... except... written... specifically... here... itself... conditional... other... read... or... before... transcriptions... disappear... stage.

Well, do you understand everything? I won’t be mistaken in assuming that even in your native language it is almost impossible to understand what this fragment is about.

I think that the attentive reader by this point was either despondent - if he was planning to study the language after all - or at a loss as to why all the difficulties are described in such detail. Let's return to the question: “is it possible to learn a language at home”? The answer is: yes, it is possible. However, no one says it will be easy.

Self-study for beginners

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The most important condition in mastering any layer of knowledge is consistency and regularity. This is true even for chemistry, even for foreign speech. Under this condition, anyone can easily learn English on their own.

In Soviet times, the following incident once occurred: at a school Olympiad in four languages, the winner was the same student. Naturally, officials could not believe in such incredible knowledge of a child who, moreover, was not doing well in other subjects. Therefore, he was not awarded any place.

What is this story for? Moreover, even if in those days when it was possible to study a language only from a few textbooks approved by censorship, a child succeeded in this, now, in the era of the World Wide Web, the possibilities are much greater.

Now you can find and purchase many language training courses in any form: playful, rhythmic, rhyming, plot-based or purely practical. There is a suitable textbook or course for every age and taste. Better yet, use several at once. The main thing is not to turn studying into a tedious grind, but to do it with pleasure and interest.

If you are sure that you do not need a team, are disciplined enough for regular and full-fledged classes, and have found everything you need for gradual learning, then you can really learn English at home. Moreover, in the modern world, English words surround us everywhere: on signs, advertising, in educational or feature films. Therefore, many things are acquired passively, manifesting themselves after the start of training.

How to learn the English alphabet

If you have to learn English from the very beginning, then you cannot do without the alphabet. Learning English letters is not particularly difficult, especially for those who studied languages at school - and this has long been one of the compulsory subjects. All European languages are based on the same alphabet, Latin. Depending on the characteristics of a particular language, letters may be dropped or included that convey sounds characteristic of that area or country. However, it migrated to English without the slightest change, only the pronunciation of the letters differs.

To remember, you can simply learn it; it does not pose any special problems for memorization. And for children, a variety of educational songs with the alphabet were invented a long time ago. Want to have a little fun? Why not sing them to remember?

Not confident in your abilities? Hang the letters in the rooms in order and randomly, read and repeat them every time you enter the room. The main thing is to ensure constant practice, and then memorizing, depending on your memory, will take from a couple of days to a week.

In fact, it is not the letters themselves that are difficult, but the various rules for reading letters in different combinations. However, contrary to popular belief, Russian also has reading features, albeit not in such quantities. Ask younger schoolchildren who are scolded by teachers for writing words the way they hear them, they will tell you.

Unlike Russian, reading rules in English mainly depend on vowels or their combinations, and only in some cases on consonants. In addition, these rules are quite consistent, therefore, having mastered them, you can read any unfamiliar texts with virtually no errors. Almost without - because in addition to the rules, there are also exceptions. True, there is still a long way to go from reading to understanding. But everything comes with time spent on learning.

For practical reinforcement, you can use various audio lessons for beginners, which you can either buy or find on the Internet. Simply repeating after the speaker along with reading the same phrases or words will help you quickly learn new reading rules. The effectiveness of this method has been tested in practice by one of my friends, who decided to learn English after studying German at school. Without much effort, repeating simple phrases in between caring for her baby, literally in the very first lessons of the then cassette course, she was able to switch from reading German to English at home for free and on her own.

The main thing is not to be afraid of failure: everyone who speaks a language once started learning English from scratch, you are not the first and not the only one who does this.

How to Learn English Words and Phrases

Having learned the letters in general, the features of their pronunciation in certain words, we move closely to the set of vocabulary.

It has been proven that learning individual words is less effective than memorizing them in whole structures at once. Because it is easier to remember a phrase where this word was used than it is separately, without reference to the situation.

Just as you can’t learn to play classical music or modern music on the piano without repeating scales, you won’t be able to learn a language without mastering simple phrases like: “This is a table, and that’s a chair. The chair is yellow and the table is red” - and stuff like that.

Although some training courses begin with phrases for communication: “Hi, how are you? Great, thanks, what about you?” But without this and without this, knowledge of the language will not be complete. You need to know how to explain to a foreigner that this stump in the middle of the room is actually a designer chair, and not at all a felled tree that has grown through fifteen floors.

To get through this stage quickly, and not snort at the stupidity of the textbook creators, try to immediately visualize the situation: when and where such a phrase will sound appropriate. By the way, elementary school students often laugh when teachers ask them to translate the phrase “Where am I?” - however, you can probably remember several films where the hero, finding himself in a place unknown to him, says exactly this. And this phrase, which seems strange in class, sounds quite natural in such a situation.

At this stage, it is better to decide what you need the language for. If you are planning to travel abroad in the near future, where you will need to ask how to get there or where it is - this is one set of words. If your task is to master the basic level of conversation in order to easily conduct and maintain a simple exchange of common phrases, textbooks for beginners will help with this. And if, ideally, you are going to communicate with native speakers at all levels, from everyday to professional, then it is better to turn to serious, multi-level textbooks.

How to learn spoken English

If the student is not a child under 10 years old and does not live in an English-speaking country, then basic concepts of grammar cannot be avoided. Because no matter how hard you try, you won’t be able to speak in memorized phrases.

I think many people have phrase books in different languages in their home library. And some even used them while traveling. However, I have not yet met a single person who could memorize the entire phrasebook, and for him it was enough at least for constant everyday communication. The reason is precisely that the proposed phrases can be used only in one, or at most two, situations. However, in reality, situations change constantly, the characters too - and that’s it, the phrase is no longer relevant. This is where we need knowledge of grammar in order to easily replace the constituent words of a phrase, adapting it to a similar but slightly different situation.

Grammar is the very checkers with which the Lego word-details in the speech house are held together.

Simple constructions: declarative, interrogative, negative and affirmative sentences in English are built according to a strict pattern, therefore, once you understand their order, then constructing phrases is quite easy. Those who know the names of parts of speech and members of a sentence from school can use translated materials or textbooks by Russian-speaking authors. For those who prefer to master grammar in practice, the textbook “English Grammar in Use” will come to the rescue, where all the rules are explained exclusively with the help of diagrams, numerous examples and pictures. The textbook consists of three voluminous volumes, starting with the simplest and ending with complex grammatical constructions of the conditional mood.

Another good thing about this textbook is that grammar is taught through commonly used colloquial phrases and small dialogues.

Well, we should not forget about understanding speech. Conversational language is not a monologue; here you have to listen to your interlocutor and answer questions. Therefore, you should definitely regularly listen to native speakers - initially adapted, and later natural conversations and texts. Both purchased and downloaded materials from the Internet will help with this.

Learn English online

As you can see, in modern society the Internet is a huge help for those who want to expand their horizons and understand representatives of other countries. You can find everything you need to learn a language online:

textbooks;
benefits;
audio courses;
movies;
interlocutors;
teachers.

In addition, there are very convenient programs for learning languages on the Internet.

One of them is quite popular among users - Duolingo. You can put it on your computer, tablet or phone, and, according to the schedule you set, spend 5 to 20 minutes a day on training. The program sends you reports on your progress by email, reminds you if you forgot to study and, of course, checks for errors during training. This is a common concern for many people who take on self-study: being able to check whether they have learned the material correctly. Training covers all aspects: understanding English phrases, writing words, pronunciation and listening comprehension. So for beginners and intermediates it is a convenient and enjoyable way to learn.

However, you should not stop only at this program if you want to really master the language, and not stroke your ego with the thought that you are developing by devoting only five minutes every day to learning English.

The Internet gives us a unique opportunity: while in our own country, to ensure ourselves a deep immersion in the English-speaking environment - something that was previously only available when traveling. Thanks to this, it is quite possible to quickly learn English.

Many courses will offer you their training programs for a nominal fee. And this is perfect for those who need additional motivation to start using English in everyday speech.

Everyone knows: to speak, you need to speak. Without being embarrassed by mistakes, continue to formulate your thoughts in the language you want to master. Only this will help overcome the psychological barrier that every student faces.

If you think that you need individual training, then this is not a problem: many sites offer help from their teachers who conduct classes via Skype at any time convenient for you. Among them you can find both local specialists and emigrants who have successfully mastered the language, and even native speakers. That's exactly what I did.

In order not to throw money away, at the initial levels it is better to use the services of someone who can explain the very basics to you in an understandable language. But having already mastered the basic knowledge, you can begin classes with English-speaking teachers: they, better than anyone else, will be able to teach you modern conversational trends, help you get used to hearing other people’s speech, and give you an incentive to start talking.

The best way to learn English

We are surrounded by a lot of advertising. Surely you have come across invitations to courses using secret service methods, proprietary methods, and various other methods. However, all these techniques will work only in one case: with desire and effort on the part of the student himself.

The experience of many generations of schoolchildren proves that you can study a language for years, but still end up with a few phrases in your head.

You can bring a calf to water, but you cannot force him to drink.
Eastern proverb

The language must come to life for you - and in what ways you do this is the tenth thing.

However, you should not rush from one textbook or teacher to another - such a haphazard approach will not give the desired result. Because any technique is built on a gradual deepening of knowledge. And by jumping from one technique to another, you risk going through the same material over and over again.

Therefore, if you decide to learn a language on your own, then you need to choose for yourself:

basic textbook;
grammar textbook;
video or audio course;
several books to read.

What are the principles for choosing a textbook?

Nowadays, our market is widely represented by well-developed textbooks from Cambridge, Oxford and other well-known centers for studying the English language. They consist of several parts: a main book, an exercise book, an audio course, and a teacher's book. They all complement each other, their main task is to allow you to master the spoken language from the basics to the features and nuances.

But since they are still intended for classes in groups, not everyone can master the language using them without outside help. In such cases, there are tutorials that are focused on independent study.

In addition to the exercises presented in them, which are designed to gain vocabulary, you need to work on it yourself in any free time. These could be cards with words, or a list in your pocket - it doesn’t matter. Do it as you feel comfortable, the main thing is to get results.

Grammar is a source of knowledge of English constructions and current times, features and other subtleties of the language. Usually it is explained using simple words, so working with the exercises will not cause any particular difficulties.

It is imperative to listen to English speech - the ear must get used to the peculiarities of pronunciation, and this cannot be achieved with the help of educational texts or dialogues alone. Those words that you easily perceive in an already familiar context may get lost in the flow of speech on another topic.

An excellent base for activating your existing vocabulary and expanding it is reading books. Of course, at first it is better to read adapted books with a given dictionary and explanations. Over time, you can switch to unadapted literature.

Since English literature is widely represented by both classics and modern works, it is not so difficult to find something that suits your taste.

Three hours a day of such immersion in the English-speaking environment will allow you to speak and understand native speakers of this language at a decent level in six months.

How to organize effective lessons yourself

Ok, this section is for those who are confident in their own abilities and have decided to learn English without the help and prodding of teachers.

Selecting a textbook

First of all, decide what kind of English you are going to learn? As everyone knows, the language of the UK and the US are somewhat different. Of course, the British and Americans can understand each other, since the grammar and words are the same with a few exceptions. However, in the colloquial version of both options there are significant differences, since colloquial speech changes quite quickly following the trends of the times.

The biggest differences are in the vocabulary used. Therefore, when choosing a Cambridge or Oxford textbook as a textbook, you should know that you will be mastering the British version of the English language.

Place of study

Next, as we have already said, prepare yourself additional materials. If these are materials in electronic form, create shortcuts for yourself on your computer desktop so that they are always visible, otherwise you risk forgetting about them at the right time. If the textbooks are paper, then place them on the table or bedside table, but do not hide them in the closet, where they will get lost among other books.

Preparation of the workplace is an important factor in the successful performance of work.

Studying time

Determine in advance the time you allocate for classes and include them in your schedule. You should not leave studying for a free five minutes, because there may not be any, and otherwise you will lose the opportunity to advance in learning the language.

Before studying becomes a habit, it is better to plan your studies in advance. This will allow you to properly allocate time and at the same time will be an additional incentive to study: it’s not in vain that you spent time planning.

Spend 20-30 minutes working through each textbook. At first, let there be no more than two of them per day: the textbook itself and the grammar. There is no need to set a goal to cover a certain amount of material in a day, because this may take you longer than you planned, and this will reduce time for other things. This may be a reason to skip class next time. Whereas limiting time for studying can encourage you to work harder in the same time interval.

Video lessons

If you want not only to learn a language, but also to get acquainted with the culture of a country or countries, then it is worth taking time to watch special video lessons, of which there are many now posted online. They tell in simple language about traditions, historical facts, features of England and the USA, and are both educational and interesting.

Immersion in language

And the free minutes can be used for additional immersion in the language environment: a book or audio recording, if you are at work, in transport, on a walk; movie while relaxing at home. As for understanding, at first it will be little like entertainment: to understand English without translation you will need to make an effort. There is no need to force things, let it be five to ten minutes, and then proceed to your usual rest. Over time, as you get used to the pronunciation and gain experience, you will begin to enjoy watching and the original play on words, which is lost even with the best translation.

Videos and books

At the very beginning, choose films and books with fairly simple spoken language. At the first stages, it is advisable to avoid fantasy, historical and detective stories, because their very subject matter involves the use of rather complex vocabulary. Domestic dramas and comedies are best suited, since conversations there revolve mainly around simple everyday things.

It is better to choose books that you have already read in your native language - this will make it easier not to lose the thread of the story. Some people diligently look up every word in the dictionary - this significantly reduces speed and often leads to giving up reading. However, this method is also effective, but not at the initial stage, but when the main database of at least several hundred words has already been formed. Frequent words that are repeated more than five times will soon be remembered during the reading process, and the number of trips to the dictionary will be significantly reduced.

It’s great if you have the opportunity to watch films with English subtitles: this way you will not only listen, but will immediately be able to read what the characters are saying. However, this is good only in the initial stages, and then it is better to give up reading, because it will interfere with full listening comprehension.

If you want to learn to speak without an accent, then while watching, regularly repeat phrases, imitating pronunciation and intonation as much as possible.

Try to use English wherever possible. If you are registered on Facebook, then translate its language into English - there are not many functions there, but they will be constantly visible. If you are a fan of computer games, then re-tune your favorite games to English. This way, informational messages and labels will help you master words without special memorization.

If you have a hobby, then register on English-language thematic forums. You don’t need to rush into the pool right away - at first, just read the correspondence: this way you will master the vocabulary that suits your interests. And then you can join the discussion.

Constant practice is an important part of success, so try not to miss opportunities to practice a little. Even if at first you don’t understand most of what is written or said, it doesn’t matter. Our brain does not forget anything, at some point the quantity of information will turn into quality - and then you may suddenly discover how easy it really is to learn English.

How can a child learn English?

Teaching children a foreign language is a very special skill. Abstract goals don't work very well for a child. While for an adult the thought of traveling to another country may be sufficient motivation, for a child it will be too difficult a task. In addition, the ability to concentrate in children is significantly less than in adults. Therefore, a lesson lasting more than half an hour is too difficult a task even for younger schoolchildren, let alone children from three to six years old?

Therefore, all modern methods of teaching children consist of an unobtrusive and interesting playful way of immersing them in a foreign language environment. Rhymes, songs, games - these are what you can’t do without when teaching kids. In addition, you can use a variety of computer educational programs that pose interesting tasks for children, by completing which they master words and sentences.

Another way that works 100% is immersion in the language environment. Once in the company of peers, the child will begin to seek a common language with them. The smaller the baby, the faster he adapts. Therefore, children who regularly and repeatedly travel to other countries, even for one month a year, speak the language of that country, at least at an elementary level.

But if this is not possible, but you need to learn the language, look for the most interesting ways of learning for your child, if you do not want to turn classes into torture for him and for yourself.

It should be remembered that young children learn best from what their parents do. Therefore, if you decide that it’s time for your child to learn a language, then you should master it yourself. Joint activities or games can greatly facilitate the process of learning unfamiliar words for a child.

How to learn text in English: ways and methods

Until now, the fastest and most effective way to learn words on a certain topic is to memorize the text - or topic, as schoolchildren and students say. For example, a text about a place of residence, a city and its infrastructure will allow you to immediately master and use many words such as “street, square, building, store, apartment, house” and the like. However, how boring and difficult it is to memorize an entire text!

There are some special techniques to easily learn English texts.

Based on the existing lexical material, write the text yourself. This is especially true if you have a general text, but you need to talk about yourself - your place of residence, family or other personal information. Sentences that you come up with yourself are much more memorable than those written by someone else. However, in order not to memorize a text with errors, it is better to have it first checked by a teacher or someone more knowledgeable. As a last resort, you can use the proposed constructions - this will help to significantly reduce errors in the text itself.
Another way to learn a ready-made text is through the translation method: first you need to independently translate it into your native language and write down the translation, and then translate it back orally.
The logical way is to make a plan for the story, and after several readings, try to reproduce the text according to the plan. Provided you know all the necessary words, it will be more like a story than a retelling.
The mnemonic technique of spaced repetition involves using the features of memory: you should read and then repeat the text yourself several times - even if you remember less than half of it. Then do the same thing five more times: after 15 minutes, half an hour, two hours, four hours and the next morning. This way you can remember the required amount of information without exhaustion and stress. If you need to keep it in memory for a long time, then it is advisable to repeat the same text at least once a week.

An even better effect will be obtained by using several methods at once.

And we should not forget that if you do not need to memorize and give out some boring report or welcoming speech one time, then the main task of memorizing texts is to master the common words and phrases. Therefore, the result is considered achieved not when you can repeat the entire text word for word, but if you can recall and use the constructions of this text in any order and in other situations.

A few words in conclusion

I hope that after reading this text, the answer to the question of how long it takes to learn English and how to do it does not seem too difficult to you. It all depends on the person himself:

how strong is his motivation;
how much time and effort he is willing to devote to learning;
how comprehensively he decided to approach the process.

And it’s not a matter of age, abilities or material resources. Yes, a person over forty years old will take more time to study than an eighteen-year-old. However, if you compare how quickly someone who spends at least five minutes a day and someone who doesn’t learn at all will learn a language, then the answer is obvious.

Let's start with the main thing - your capabilities and desires, because they make up the lion's share of success in learning any foreign language! As for opportunities, do not doubt that you have them, and do not console yourself with the fact that they do not exist, because back in 2006, the American scientist Richard Sparks convincingly dispelled the well-known myth that learning foreign languages requires some extraordinary innate abilities, which means that everyone has opportunities! Let's move on to desire. As the well-known wisdom says, “desire is a thousand possibilities, and reluctance is a thousand reasons.” Decide which camp you are in and if there are thousands of possibilities taking over, this article will surely help you realize them.

First person

According to many linguists, learning foreign languages with the help of phrasebooks improves the process of memorizing individual words and general principles of sentence construction. In addition, by memorizing a language with ready-made phrases in the first person, a person not only repeats the narrative, which is typical for traditional retelling of texts, but also subconsciously models a certain situation, imagining himself in one position or another. This method allows you to avoid the impersonality of memorized material, giving you the opportunity to “try on” phrases that may be useful in real life. The “First Person” method is supported by a study conducted by psychologists in a Russian secondary school with in-depth study of the English language. In the experiment, elementary school students were given texts that consisted of half third-person narration and half first-person narration. As a result, it turned out that 98% of schoolchildren were able to almost accurately reproduce the part of the text that consisted of direct speech. According to linguists, the advantage of phrasebooks lies precisely in the characteristic feature of presenting the material in the first person, which allows you to “get used to” the text and makes memorization more effective.

Our advice: carefully choose a phrasebook; Study topics sequentially, while simultaneously learning related words. Spend 2-3 days on each topic.

Formula

Experts have come up with an ideal memorization formula - 30 words a day, 5 of which are verbs. The technique is aimed at busy people who want to master the basics of a new language, learn to understand and speak, without much time investment. According to the formula, words should be chosen by the first letter, changing it daily to the next one - thus, if today you learn words starting with “ A", then tomorrow it should be 30 words starting with “ B". When the full circle of the alphabet has been completed, you return to " A" and so on. The effectiveness of this method lies in the fact that it allows you to create certain rules for yourself, which over time will become a habit and transform into a system.

Our advice: in order to achieve results in learning a foreign language using this method, accept the main rule - you need to learn words every day, without giving yourself days off.

Lyrics

Perhaps the most enjoyable and effective method of learning languages is learning foreign songs in parallel with their translation. This method was discovered by our compatriot, who was able to learn English in 3 months, resorting exclusively to “cramming” and playing English songs. Linguists admit that this method really helps to master a foreign language, especially if the translation is worked out by the student himself, taking into account the grammatical and stylistic features of the text. A huge advantage of the “song” method is excellent pronunciation - the result of repeated repetition of the same text, as well as imitation of the performer - in this case, the student receives a kind of master class. It is worth noting another significant advantage that comes with memorizing songs in a foreign language - the stylistic purity of the language and the beauty of speech patterns that are characteristic of lyrical works. By learning a language through songs, you subconsciously accept the style of presentation of thoughts, get used to it and reproduce it.

Our advice: start with your favorite lyrical works, where the words are chanted. For example, for those who are going to learn Spanish, a great starting song could be « "Besame Mucho" ideal composition for learning and pronunciation - « Megustastu».

Dash – dot

Psychologists studying the problem of foreign language perception have come to the conclusion that the mistake most people make is that they try to “consciously” hear what the announcer on the screen or the voice from the headphones is saying. “However, you should not try to hear every sound - instead, you should catch the general tonality, that is, listen “unconsciously.” This is the secret of adequate perception of a foreign language!” – psychologists say. Scientists draw a parallel with Morse code, where it is almost impossible to count the number of dots and dashes even at extremely low transmission speeds - however, the very tonality of various sequences “settles” in the subconscious and allows you to instantly decipher information. Another striking example is children who, unlike adults, can listen “unconsciously” and therefore learn foreign languages so quickly and effortlessly when they find themselves in another country.

Our advice: all that remains is to relax and listen to foreign speech as often as possible. Try to grasp the melody of the language, frequently repeated words and speech patterns, without going into details. At the same time, learn words and take a classic audio course with text repetitions, memorization of phrases and translation.

On appetite!

One of the most proven and effective ways of learning a foreign language is the famous “immersion method” Berlitz. According to the author, it is necessary to speak the language from the very first day of learning, describing everything that you see around. Thus, students and the teacher “find themselves” in various typical situations, for example, sitting down at the table and acting out a dinner scene. During the conversation, which is conducted exclusively in a foreign language, the participants name and describe in detail tableware and products, and ask each other to pass something on. The main idea of express learning using this method is that the student first memorizes key words and phrases, and only then masters grammar. According to Berlitz himself, with such an algorithm of actions, the grammar of the language comes intuitively, as if “by itself.” Here it is worth returning again to the phenomenon of children's perception of language, when, finding themselves in a foreign environment, a child is able to learn to express his thoughts correctly and grammatically in a short period of time. The Berlitz method, in essence, forces an adult to find himself in the role of a child who hears foreign speech in the context of a certain situation - lunch, going to the store, walking, etc., and takes part in a dialogue that has a specific meaning.

Our advice: If you study the language on your own, spend 30 minutes studying every day! Separate the words thematically (lunch, shop, plane) and pronounce everything that you see or can see around. Feel free to talk to yourself!

When learning languages, do not forget that you are a native speaker of the most beautiful, rich and complex language! This thought will inspire and give confidence, because for you personally, mastering any foreign language is much easier than learning Russian for a foreigner!

See tips for girls who dream of marrying a foreigner:

You've probably already read hundreds of articles on the Internet about how to learn English on your own and for free. Still not able to achieve the desired level of knowledge? The thing is that many offer theoretical advice without backing it up with practice. That's why we decided to put together a practical guide to self-study. In this article we will tell you whether it is possible to learn English without anyone’s help, we will explain what materials you MUST use during self-study and what resources you can use additionally so that you don’t get bored learning English at home. You can save yourself a free PDF of all 156 resources, and at the end of the article we'll give you our Editors' Choice "best of the best" list.

Is it possible to learn English on your own?

Let's first find out whether it is realistic to learn English on your own or whether it is not worth wasting time and effort on this activity. Let’s say right away that learning English on your own and for free is quite possible, because there are thousands of learning resources on the Internet that will help you do this. Why doesn’t everyone manage to master the language at the desired level? You probably know people whose self-study has turned into a waste of time. Or maybe you yourself have tried to learn English more than once without success?

We can say with confidence that only three factors determine whether you can learn English on your own:

Your desire to learn the language.
Willingness to work.
An effective way to learn a language.

If both the first and second factors are present, then it’s only a matter of the third link - the ability to find for yourself the most effective way to learn English on your own. This article is designed to solve the problem of the third factor: we will tell you how to organize an effective learning process and what materials you will need.

At the same time, we would like to immediately warn you: self-study is an interesting process, but not easy, and it is especially difficult for beginners. We still advise those learning the language “from scratch” to use the services. Under his watchful supervision and experienced guidance, you will get ahead faster than if you taught yourself. Do you want to walk this path without anyone's help? We have already written an article on this topic “”, but it is aimed specifically at beginners. In this same article we will talk about resources for all English learners, so for beginners it is better to start by studying the first article and then return to this material.

How to learn English on your own

We have compiled 6 simple recommendations for you on how to better learn English on your own. These tips are based on the experiences of our teachers and students. To make self-study effective for you, follow all the recommendations, then positive results will not keep you waiting.

1. Set a specific goal

All further actions to independently study English depend on your learning goal. Consider whether you want to master general conversational or business English, want to reach an intermediate level, or want to reach the top. You can look and choose a similar goal for yourself. Also, an excellent correct goal is to reach the intermediate level, this way you will build a good knowledge base. Find out 8 more reasons to get to this level from the article “”.

2. Create a class schedule

It would seem that the beauty of self-learning lies precisely in the fact that your English classes are not tied to any specific moment: you learn the language when it is convenient for you. However, in reality it turns out as in the famous joke. Your conscience torments you: “When are you going to start learning English?” And you answer her: “Well, no, I can’t do it today, I’m so tired. Let's never. Will it never suit you? Agree, it is impossible to learn English with this approach. Therefore, take control of yourself and make a specific schedule, for example, study for an hour every day or 3-4 times a week for 1.5 hours. Of course, having a schedule will not protect you from procrastination, but you will already know that you didn’t just “legally postpone the lesson, I’ll study later,” but missed it. A gnawing conscience is a good motivator!

3. Select the resources you need

As we have already said, we have many sources of knowledge, and such an abundance of useful resources does not always have a positive effect on learning. Thus, many people decide to learn English and in one day buy all available textbooks, add 541 English learning sites to their bookmarks, and install 37 language learning applications. On the one hand, such zeal is commendable. On the other hand, each textbook and each website has its own principles for presenting the material, so if you study on different resources every day, you risk creating a mess in your head and within a week or two you will realize that you do not know what to take on. Below we will offer you a list of good time-tested resources for learning English in the context of English skills. Spend a couple of days choosing no more than 1-2 resources for each skill.

4. Look for someone to talk to

Some people think that English can be learned "offline" using only books, audio and video materials. However, it is not. You can read Agatha Christie in the original and listen to BBC news, but what good is that if you have trouble speaking English? You can speak the language you are learning only with the help of an interlocutor. Read on to find out how to find a partner to practice speaking with.

5. Track your achievements

This is an important point for those who decide to learn English on their own at home. Be sure to complete test assignments to track your progress. You can take various online tests, such as knowledge tests. It is important to check your mistakes. This is quite difficult when teaching yourself, so we have written an assistant article for you “”. From it you will learn how to control your learning process.

6. Don't take long breaks from studying.

Everyone has days when it seems like there is no time to learn English. In this case, we recommend finding literally 5-10 minutes and doing one of the exercises from the article “”. If you do have to take a break from studying, try not to prolong it, otherwise the accumulated knowledge will begin to fly out of your head and you will completely abandon your studies.

How to learn English at home for free: 156 useful materials

Now we will present you with the resources that you will definitely need to effectively study English on your own. You will see the entire list of resources in a PDF file, which you can save to your computer for free:

Grammar Guide

Those who learn English on their own often complain that they are unable to learn English grammar. In this case, we recommend taking an additional textbook with grammar exercises in addition to the main textbook. When choosing such a book, be guided by our article “”. Go through the manual from the first lesson to the last, without skipping anything, then the material will be easier to understand.

A textbook to expand your vocabulary

A good vocabulary will allow you to express your thoughts accurately, so try to constantly learn new words. It is advisable to take new vocabulary not only from your main textbook, but also from specialized manuals. A reliable source of the necessary words will be one of. The practical exercises in these books will teach you how to correctly use the words you have learned in your speech.

Pronunciation guide

Correct pronunciation is necessary for the interlocutor to understand you, so this skill also needs to be developed. If when learning English with a teacher you can do without a special manual, because the teacher will teach you how to pronounce sounds correctly, then when studying English on your own at home you will need a textbook. You can take one of the following manuals: English Pronunciation in Use, New Headway Pronunciation Course, Tree or Three? , Ship or Sheep? , How Now, Brown Cow? , Elements of Pronunciation. In them you will find many tasks for listening and correct pronunciation.

Dictionary

A good dictionary is an indispensable attribute for learning English. We recommend first using an online Russian-English dictionary, such as multitran.ru or lingvolive.ru. When you reach an intermediate level of knowledge, start using an English-English dictionary, such as macmillandictionary.com or dictionary.cambridge.org.

Would you like to use teaching aids? We recommend reading our article “”, in which we talked about the advantages of using aids, and also indicated who can learn English without them.

Additional Resources

The listed textbooks will be enough for you to improve your English skills, but sometimes you want to take a break from books and diversify your learning with some interesting materials. We have made for you a large selection of the best resources that will help you learn English on your own.

We speak English

To learn to communicate in English, you need to try to speak it as often as possible. Where to find a communication partner? On one of the language exchange sites, such as italki.com or es.coeffee.com. You will find even more ideas and resources for finding an interlocutor in the article “”.

Learning new words
New vocabulary can be learned not only from the manual, but also using more modern and exciting methods:
- Install applications for learning words: Anki for Android and iOS, Easy Ten for and iOS or Fun Easy Learn English for Android and iOS. Learning 10 words will take no more than 5-7 minutes; we think even a busy person will find time to study with applications.
- Learn words with visual dictionaries such as online-languages.info or oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com. An association with a picture is remembered better and faster than a separate word.
- Take tests at englishteststore.net and esl.fis.edu. You will be able to check how well you remember the new vocabulary and see how it is used in speech.
- Solve crosswords: .
Improving listening comprehension of English speech
Improving your listening comprehension of English on your own is quite easy. We recommend the following methods:
- Listen to audio materials: .
- To watch news: . You can first watch a video with subtitles, and then without them.
- Watch fascinating educational videos and video lectures: .
- Listen to interesting audiobooks: .
- Listen to music: .
Improving your grammar knowledge

Remember: without knowing grammar, it is impossible to speak English normally. Therefore, let's see what methods, in addition to exercises from the textbook, can be used to deal with grammar once and for all.

Learn grammar using understandable articles in Russian: engblog.ru.
Run tests: . Performing at least one debriefing test every day will help you gradually eliminate your mistakes.
Watch training videos: . Also visit the wonderful resource engvid.com. Pay attention to the videos with teacher Ronnie: her fiery sense of humor and fascinating lessons will appeal even to those who hate grammar.
Use grammar learning apps: Johnny Grammar for iOS or Learn English Grammar for Android and LearnEnglish Grammar for iOS. These simple gadget programs will add variety to your commute to work or your trip to the country.

Reading in English

Reading is the easiest skill to work with on your own. How to do it:

Read adapted literature: . Such books can be read by people with Beginner level and above.
Read books in original: .
Read fascinating articles: . A small interesting article - the optimal “dose” for those who want to learn English at home on their own.
Read the news: install the Yahoo News Digest or BBC News application on your smartphone or tablet, then you will be up to date and can improve your English every day.
Read magazines: .

Improving pronunciation

Improving pronunciation through self-study is not very easy: in order to analyze your speech and find errors in it, you need to have experience in learning English and know exactly HOW all sounds should sound. But this difficulty can be overcome if you use the following techniques:

Learn to pronounce sounds correctly: .
Practice speaking tongue twisters: the website download-esl.com has tongue twisters voiced by native speakers. Say at least a couple of them every day, and within a couple of months your pronunciation will improve, and pronouncing difficult English sounds will become much easier.

We write in English

You can learn to write in English without the help of a teacher. The catch is that if you decide to learn English on your own, there will be no one to check your written work. There are services for communicating with foreigners; these sites offer something like a language exchange: you check the text in Russian, and a native English speaker checks your written work in English. However, keep in mind that such sites can also be used by illiterate people, so no one can guarantee the authenticity of the verification. In addition, your reviewer will, at best, simply correct your mistakes, but not explain them. Therefore, if it is important for you to learn to write well in English, you should think about lessons with a teacher. In addition, the following will help you:

Learn to write correctly: ...
Working on pronunciation - .
Online dictations - dictationsonline.com.

We've provided you with a detailed, practical guide on how to learn English on your own for free, and the best resources to help you succeed in this field. Now it's up to you. This path can be difficult at first, because learning something new is never easy. Remember when you first got on a bike, you probably fell more than once before learning to ride. “Steering English” will also not be easy, but gradually you will be able to pick up speed and master it masterfully. We wish you success in your studies!

Answer from TheQuestion partner

Learning any foreign language on your own is not an easy task. First of all, it is important to understand why you need a language.

Maybe you need English for travel?
Or do you need business English to get your dream job?
Or just improve your level for university assessment?

That is, first you need to determine the goal, and then the tools that are suitable for achieving it.

First.
If you are completely new to English, it would be nice to have an idea of how words are read. That is, point No. 1 - the rules for reading words. Read and repeat words out loud, including examples from films, TV series or songs. Excerpts from them can be found, for example, in the section. By repeating all this regularly, you will train both pronunciation and listening comprehension.

The second is the formation of a personal vocabulary.
There is no need to memorize all the words in the dictionary from A to Z. As a rule, it all starts with general topics and simple words. Remember what words you most often use in everyday life, determine the range of topics that interest you. It is convenient to use an electronic dictionary, especially one that works offline. That is, if you are learning English for travel, start learning the vocabulary that you will need on the trip.

To successfully use your vocabulary, you need to understand how words fit together and how to express a particular idea correctly. Of course, we're talking about grammar.
Lots of rules and even more exceptions. But you can’t go anywhere without her. There are many textbooks to help you learn the rules. If textbooks are not your thing, you can always choose a convenient online resource. We recommend choosing a course with the possibility of feedback. This will give you the opportunity to quickly receive answers to questions that arise during the learning process. And there will definitely be a lot of them.

So, there is a certain base. What's next?
And then, so that the language does not remain just passive baggage, you need to speak it. And to speak, you need an interlocutor. And for communication to be successful, you need to understand the interlocutor. Two more important components in learning a language are speaking and listening, which, as a rule, cause the most difficulty.

You need to get used to the sound of foreign speech. Don’t rush to watch films in the original right away, focus on your level. The ideal solution is to find a resource that will offer you videos of different levels, very good if they are videos with subtitles. Sing songs. This has been proven to be a very effective way to train speech and hearing at once.
And finally, speaking. Who should I talk to? You can train on others, you can talk to yourself. But what to do with the inevitable mistakes and a bunch of questions. To develop language speaking skills, you will most likely need not just an interlocutor, but a competent interlocutor who will correct your speech.

So, the goal has been set, the means have been chosen. All that remains is to figure out how to motivate yourself and not give up halfway.

First, make sure your goal is realistic and meets your needs. Start with the basics, don’t try to embrace the immensity and learn everything at once. Move from simple to complex. But don’t set yourself very easy tasks, otherwise you will mark time. The training should be a little difficult, but still possible to complete successfully. This way you will receive joy from your achievements, and not disappointment that you again failed or did not understand.

Choose the learning method that suits you.

Don't part with your phone? Install the appropriate application, since there is a wide choice now.
Do you like to read? Read books. Of course, Shakespeare in the original cannot be immediately overcome. But it is quite possible to select adapted literature in accordance with your level.
Listen to music, watch movies.
Learning a language is not boring cramming, but a process from which you can enjoy.

Yes, and quite easily. Especially with modern advances. I have already managed to teach many of my friends with just three things:

1. Watch the TV show “Polyglot” with Dmitry Petrov. 16 episodes of 40 minutes each, aired on the Kultura TV channel. There is more than enough as a language base.
2. Register with the LinguaLeo service and install an extension for your browser that will make it easier to read web pages in English. By double clicking on an unfamiliar word, you can immediately see its translation.
3. Register in the DuoLingo service. Simple exercises will help improve your skills at any level of language proficiency. There is both a web version and a mobile application.

Well then, go for it! The more you devote to all this time (reading, exercises and a little cramming), the higher you will raise your level. Of course, you won’t master it professionally (just as you don’t now speak Russian at the level of a philologist) - for this you need specialized education. But you can easily master the language at a conversational level sufficient to read articles, watch movies and communicate! If you want to master it professionally, then you’ll go to courses. Even to work as a translator, certificates are required, for which you need to take special training courses. So, this is another plus in favor of independent learning. All this is just a myth that you can be made a professional and translator at an institute, and even more so at a school :)

Hmmm. Actually a good question. Personally, when I watched this TV show, I already knew English. Perhaps, of course, that’s why, but it just seemed to me as clear and concise as possible. Then I advise you to immediately move on to the exercises in DuoLingo. There I studied languages in which I had no knowledge of grammar. Only thanks to perseverance and regular practice, she later came with experience. Try it too.

Answer

Of course, if you need the language at a basic level (for travel, for example), then yes, 16 hours of “Polyglot” may be enough. But certainly not in order to study the language professionally, because in this case you can’t get by with basic vocabulary. There are a lot of grammatical aspects even in English, not to mention more complex languages, without knowledge of which you can’t even master Shakespeare, but you can’t even read an ordinary article on the site.

As for learning the language BY YOURSELF, it all depends on your willpower. But still, I would recommend using outside help. The main thing is that the assistant is competent, so that time is not wasted on repeating the same things, as is done at school.

Starting to learn a language is the main problem for many. Everyone wants to know the language, constantly postponing learning, making excuses, or simply doing nothing for it.

Study the language for at least 30 minutes a day - this is only 2% of your day, but even this 2% will greatly increase your level of knowledge in a year. I came up with a rule for myself: learn 5 new words a day. 5 words a day is 150 words a month and 1800 words a year. For daily communication on everyday topics, a person needs approximately 2000 words, i.e. you need to follow this rule for a little over a year. Of course, you also need to know a minimum of grammar and rules for constructing sentences. For this, I can recommend a good website: everything is detailed and clear there, the design is very nice, I often study on it myself. In addition, use the language in everyday life. For example, while walking down the street, try to mentally name in English the objects that you come across. If you don’t know something, add it to the list of words that need to be learned. Of course, to learn a language you need speaking practice. Constantly communicate in English when traveling, practice the language with friends, with relatives, or get a pen pal; communication with a native speaker is incredibly effective. There is also a good way to improve the level of pronunciation and understanding: re-watch TV series/films in English that you have already seen. At first it is possible with Russian subtitles, then with English or without them at all.