You Can Improve Your English! We tell you how.
Sabrena 
If you would like step-by-step instructions on how to improve your English by yourself, download our free guide HERE.
You have been learning English for years and you are still not fluent. You don´t want to count how many hours you have spent improving your English and you still don´t understand when people speak.
You have been attending classes since you were a child and you still cannot participate in conversations without making a lot of mistakes and forgetting vocabulary.
You think to yourself - ´I can't do this´. Well, I am here to tell you you can.
I also want to tell you that it isn't your fault that you don't have the level of English that you want to have.
It isn't your fault that no one taught you the right way to learn a language.
It isn't your fault that you were just told to learn and not bother with the pronunciation because you wouldn't need it for the exams.
It isn't your fault that the emphasis was on grammar and vocabulary and not on what is REALLY important in learning a language - the ability to communicate.
If you learn to drive a car, do you expect to be able to drive as soon as you pass the theory test? Of course not, that´s why you do the theory test first then you have to PRACTICE with an instructor over and over again until you get it right - and this takes time. But it works because there is a structure, a path to follow. So we don't see it as something impossible.
But the way we have been learning languages is different. I agree that it is useful to study a little bit of grammar and vocabulary to give us a base, but then we should be learning how to understand, speak, and write at the same time. We shouldn't wait until we know all the grammar and vocabulary (which we will never do) before we start learning how to speak and understand. We should be doing all of these things together.
If that all sounds too much, don´t worry, it isn´t, it is actually really simple to do! Here is how:
This is your basic plan, in its simplest form, to learning a language.
.
- Decide what you want to be able to do in English.
2. Decide when you want to be able to do it.
E.g. I want to be able to be confident in English meetings in 6 months.
3. Estimate how long you need to achieve your goal - at a very approximate estimate, you need to spend 4 hours a week to increase one level in 1 year (e.g. to go from B1 to B2, you need to do activities in English for APPROXIMATELY 4 hours per week for 1 year, or 8 hours per week for 6 months).
4. Find a teacher/academy/grammar and vocabulary book or website that you like to learn the vocabulary and grammar structures.
5. At the same time, find a teacher/language exchange partner (you teach them your language & they teach you English) to practice speaking with.
6. Find a podcast / Youtube channel / Tik Tok channel you like of someone speaking English (they can be teaching English if your level is still low, or it can be a topic of your choice if your level is intermediate or higher).
Make a plan - a realistic timetable of when and how to practice, which should include activities that practice the areas you want to improve.
An example could be:
Monday: 1 hour TV series (with subtitles in English)
Tuesday: 1 hour English homework from class
Wednesday: 1 hour class
Thursday: 1 hour speaking practice with an exchange partner
Friday & Saturday: 30 minutes podcast each day
Total: 5 hours of English.
The most important thing is to do something in English every day!
To get you started, here are 12 things you can do right now:
- Change the configuration of your devices to English
- Watch Youtube videos in English instead of Spanish (follow ours HERE)
- Make every second book you read an English one
- Listen to TV series in English
- Join our weekly homework club to get English delivered to your inbox every week (includes free eBook to improve your English) HERE
- Look for social media groups in English (join our Facebook group HERE)
- Listen to English music
- Read in English - OUT LOUD!
- Put post-it notes around your desk / on your fridge of expressions you want to remember
- Use www.perfect-english-grammar.co... every day to improve your grammar
- Use Wordbank every day to improve your vocabulary (level B1 - C1)
- Join a class or find a teacher, or find a language exchange partner - try www.clasesparticulares.es here in Spain.
But, as I said before, do something every day!
See, that´s not so difficult to do, is it?
Obviously, the difficult thing is to maintain your motivation. Try to visualise how you will feel when you achieve your goal, and try to break it down into little steps, checking your progress every month - are you understanding your TV series more easily? Are you more fluent with a specific grammar point? As learning a language is a long process, it is good to celebrate the little wins - when you understand perfectly what someone says on the phone, or when you can give someone directions without forgetting words, things like that.
As a final piece of advice - be patient, be consistent, and be persistent - in the end, you will reach your destination - and you will feel great!
If you would like step-by-step instructions on how to improve your English by yourself, download our free guide HERE.
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Categories: : Improve Your English