Does there exist easy way learn words? What is the minimum set of words needed to start learning English? Questions that would be interesting to hear the answer to many. After all, there are easy ways to quit smoking, drinking, losing weight, and so on, so many people even confirm the effectiveness of these methods. Maybe there is such a method for learning English words? Or maybe you don't need to teach them at all?

What does language learning consist of?

First you need, as they say, to put everything on the shelves and figure out what the study consists of. in English. This is, first of all, knowledge of grammar, vocabulary, the ability to perceive by ear, express one's thoughts orally and in writing, read and translate. How well you know these parameters in English determines your level and your competence in this area. Therefore, during the study, the program is usually structured in such a way as to gradually cover all these areas. The question arises, how much emphasis should be placed on the study of words? Maybe a few dozen common words are enough to express your thoughts? The most interesting thing is that, indeed, a few dozen learned words are enough for you to work out the skills of constructing a sentence to automatism.

foundation of the foundations

Grammar is the foundation of a language, and you don't need to know a lot of words to master this skill. Therefore, at first (until you learn how to automatically build sentences) you should not focus on a radical expansion of your vocabulary. However, you will encounter a lack of words when listening to English speech reading books, newspapers and magazines. You will not understand anything. But in fact, this is not scary, because (and you yourself will be able to see this yourself in the future) the main thing is not words - the main thing is the ability to quickly build correct sentences. Words such as pronouns (I, you, we), auxiliary verbs(to be, to have, to do), some Irregular Verbs These are the words you should learn first. But not just to memorize, but to understand where and in what cases they are used. As soon as this understanding comes to you, you can safely begin to build up vocabulary. Moreover, you will not even notice how it will happen by itself. Indeed, in any case, you will come into contact with English everywhere, hear, see, read words and slowly memorize them. Therefore, we direct the main focus to the foundation, to the basis - understanding how to use the main words. This can be done with the help of a teacher, and by yourself, setting a clear task for yourself to follow this technique.

Where to begin

As already mentioned, it is recommended to acquire a basic vocabulary, without this, of course, nowhere. But, basically, people who start learning English at a conscious age already have such a reserve, since at school “we were all taught a little something and somehow”, so you can start a more serious study already in adulthood using this method and it will be very effective. It's much easier to build up your basic vocabulary by combining this process with an activity that interests you. For example, if you are a programmer, you can build up your vocabulary by reading documentation, if you are a traveler, communicate more with people (at least try), watch movies, special podcasts and even cartoons in English. But do not forget about the most important thing in this process - a complete understanding of the rules for constructing sentences. Take one of the simplest times, for example, present simple, learn a few simple words and start building sentences (affirmative, interrogative, negative). Then add future, past tense. It is clear that just cramming the rules is useless. It is much more effective to practice when you try to use words in desired form. First of all - the basics of building a sentence, then - the words that connect the words in the sentence itself, and only then the rest of the words.

Thus, understanding the basics of grammar (take textbooks written in English, such as Round-Up, Murphy), you automatically learn words that are easy to remember, as you try to understand and remember the rule as a whole, and the words themselves are already part of the context.

The processes of learning words and grammar are very closely interconnected, because if you do not learn grammar, then English can be studied for a very long time. You will know many words, but you will not be able to use them correctly, and then you will simply forget them. For example, when you listen to a speech and know the conjugations of verbs, you can actually hear them. In the event that you listen just like that, it will be very difficult for you to distinguish verbs from other parts of speech and, therefore, to navigate in the speech of another person in general. If we take, for example, children, they learn words at the same time as actions. Therefore, a simple cramming of words without reference to actions will be very ineffective.

Method of learning without learning

There is an assumption that it is not necessary to learn words at all, and moreover, it is useless, since it is much more effective to include, as it were, embed the study of words into one of the other processes - for example, memorizing them when studying grammar, when reading or watching a video, listening, etc. .e. always remember the words as part of the context. You can also study entire texts, it is more interesting, effective and more meaningful than the study of individual words. Although you should not get involved in memorizing texts either, since words from one text must be able to be transferred to another context and used, and this task must be combined with others. The method of memorizing words without special study has a lot of advantages - saving time, resources, giving preference to more interesting types of learning activities, etc.

Thus, when learning English via Skype, do not forget that integration of grammar with the study of words is necessary in the order where understanding of grammar comes first. From here it is much easier to unwind everything else for yourself. But never forget to move from theory to practice, as practice is the third and most important component after grammar and words.

Big and friendly family EnglishDom

Every student today knows that the language of international communication is English. However, although this subject is included in the list of compulsory from the lower grades, only a few can speak, write, and understand what is said on it.

Time passes, and many people have a desire to learn English on their own at home from scratch. Is it possible? How difficult and costly in terms of time and effort? And, most importantly: will it be possible for adults to remember such a volume of information and use it successfully?

There is an opinion that it is effective to study one or another foreign language it is possible only in childhood, when memory is malleable, the brain is not clogged with unnecessary information, cognitive abilities are active. This is far from true.

A person who studies this or that dialect constantly trains his brain in the same way that many train the muscles of the body. Accordingly, his mind is much less prone to dementia, destruction with age, just as the body of an athlete is mobile and full of strength even in old age. This can be compared to trying to do the splits: it is easier for a child to do this than for an adult, but with consistent training, everyone can achieve results. Therefore, learning English on your own from scratch is not only possible, but also very useful at any age.

goal setting

The first step is setting goals. Why do you need a foreign language? This will not only give a clearer motivation, but also determine the priority way of studying.

• You want to learn English from scratch in order to enter the desired position in a good company, improve your business status, move to another level in your career. For example, you were offered a job abroad, but for this, of course, you need to know the international language.
• It is important for you to learn English in order to make friends or find yourself a soul mate in another country.
• You are a businessman, and in order to expand your business, increase its efficiency and enter the international market, it is important for you to speak a foreign language.
• You want to study abroad, for example, in England or America.
• Your goal is to communicate with interesting people online, and then, perhaps, "live".
• You love to travel and want to boldly navigate in a foreign country, be able to ask for directions or learn something.
• You just like to learn new things, and the desire to learn to speak English is necessary for you “for general development”.

Mechanisms of mastering a foreign language

All the information that we have ever received is divided into important, useless and that which can ever come in handy. And the most important criterion for the assimilation of new knowledge is its value to us personally. For example, a person does not need to repeat his native language: he simply cannot forget those expressions that he constantly uses.

The verbal reserve of each of us is divided into active and passive. The words “speak”, “window”, “road”, “quickly” are an active dictionary, but we forget some special terms learned at school or university over time, but, reminding ourselves of them, we quickly restore them in memory .

So it is with English. At modern man, who regularly surfs the Internet, watches TV or listens to the radio, a considerable number of words are automatically memorized. Therefore, for many people, learning is the ordering, systematization of existing knowledge and the practice of their application.

How much time will it take?

Now there are an infinite number of programs and techniques, the authors of a number of them claim that they know how to quickly learn English. Most often, this is just a commercial move: not in a week, not in a month to achieve high level language skills are impossible. However, there are effective techniques that allow you to remove barriers, start speaking, even with a small vocabulary, and successfully build it up.

There is one important principle, the law of learning: the more live communication, the better with native speakers, the faster the immersion in the language. That is, if you speak English in real life situation, and not in the classroom, it’s easier to master what you want.

When answering the question of how much it takes to learn English from scratch, you need to understand that the terms are individual for everyone. There is a concept of linguistic talent: if information is easily given to one person, it turns out to master it quickly, then learning costs a lot of work and a lot of time for many people. In any case, there is no magic pill, and you still have to put in the work.

• Practice regularly. Information must be constantly received, repeated, processed. Ideally, you need to delve into the material daily, at least for half an hour. A very common option is to study 2-3 times a week, but for an hour. Don't take long breaks: you will forget words and grammar rules, and you will have to start all over again.
• You need to practice speaking skills. The best thing to do is to find someone to talk to. A good option is reading articles, listening to podcasts, watching movies in English.
• Mechanical memorization of words will not give anything, all this will soon be forgotten. It is important to use the acquired material in oral and written speech both independently and with an interlocutor. If you have just gone through this or that tense in grammar, write or make up a short story using it orally.
• Stick to one system or course and don't try to master everything at once. The main mistakes and reasons why beginners independent study language is abandoned this business - unsystematic, the desire to embrace the immense, which lead to a loss of motivation and the termination of classes.
• Don't forget the old adage: "Repetition is the mother of learning." Return to each topic regularly, from time to time refresh in memory what was mastered a long time ago.

Important nuances of language learning

Is it possible to learn English without knowing the rules of pronunciation? Certainly not. This is the base that is important to learn, since you will have to apply it constantly. English is one of those languages ​​where spelling and pronunciation, especially for a Russian person, are quite different.

Do not forget to check how to pronounce a particular word correctly. This is important so as not to fix the error. You can check one of the many online dictionaries and improve your own pronunciation at the same time.

The basis of language learning is the formation of vocabulary. Every day you need to memorize a certain number of words. Modern features allow you to optimize this process by combining visualization (viewing a thematic picture) and listening to a word performed by a native speaker.

Without grammar, which is so complicated and boring for many, it is impossible to speak the language in a way that you can understand. English has strict rules for forming sentences, so if you don't know what tense to use a verb and what order to put words in a phrase, communication will be unproductive. Although grammar requires memorization, without application it will quickly be forgotten, so the ideal option is to combine both theory and practice.

Today on the net you can find a considerable number of blogs of English teachers, in which you can find a lot of accessible and interesting information on how to use the rules. There are also answers to questions that are typical for most students.

In the system of your studies important place should take listening to podcasts. The more native-sounding speech there is in your impromptu lessons, the more productive your learning will become. It is good to watch films in English with or without subtitles. There are several special educational series that are adapted for those who are just learning the basics of English.

Make it a rule to memorize at least one poem a week. Before you begin, listen to the work performed by a native speaker.

Find sites that broadcast news in English. Even if you don't understand parts of what you've heard, daily practice will benefit both your pronunciation and vocabulary.

Reading texts aloud is an immutable rule of study. Find adapted options, check the dictionary if you do not understand the meaning of the word. This practice is one of the fundamental in learning English.

Install useful applications on your smartphone or tablet. They will allow you to spend your free time usefully in transport, in traffic jams, in queues at various institutions.

Of course, you need to study online, but many beginners enthusiastically bookmark a large number of sites, thinking that they will have time to learn from all the resources. This is a priori impossible, and the lack of a system will lead to the fact that you quickly burn out and lose interest in the language. Choose one cycle of classes, be guided by it, and in your free time just read or listen to English speech.

Self-study of English is difficult, first of all, due to the lack of control. You may not see your mistakes and not guess about them. If you do not have the opportunity to at least occasionally study with a teacher, try to find the opportunity to communicate verbally with a native speaker or someone who is well versed in the topic. Only pronunciation is a guarantee that you will not abandon the study, but will come to the result that you wanted from the very beginning.

Regular classes, consistency, perseverance and genuine interest - that's master recipe development of any foreign speech. We hope that now you know how to learn English and can easily cope with this interesting task.

Incredible Facts

1. How to start speaking the right language today;

2. How to master fluent speech and succeed in this matter in just a few months;

3. How easy it is to pretend to be a native speaker of the target language;

In this case, it is more appropriate than ever to use Pareto principle, which says that 20 percent of the effort spent on developing a new vocabulary will help you understand 80 percent of what you hear.

For example, in English, as in many others, 65 percent of any text consists on average of 300 repeated words. Almost any language has such a set of words, and often native speakers use it.

Flashcards for language learning

It doesn't cost you anything to find cards prepared in advance with this set of most frequently used words (or words on topics that you plan to communicate about).

This application can help you, for example. Anki , which can be easily downloaded both on a smartphone and on a computer.

This application is convenient work with cards, the mechanism of functioning of which is combined with a system of repetitions after a certain period of time.

That is, instead of trying to memorize the words using a dictionary and repeating them in the same order, the user can review them at predetermined intervals specially chosen so as not to forget the learned words.

Many people like to make their own cards.

How to learn a language quickly

2) Your friends in the new language are related words

Believe it or not, even now, when you are just planning to start studying new language, you already have a huge database of words at your disposal.

You know a few words from each language before you even start learning it.

In other words, a person does not start learning a language from scratch, because he already knows a sufficient number of related words.

Related words are what you need initially because they are − best friends words, which sound similar to words in your native language and mean the same thing in a foreign language.

For example, the languages ​​of the Romance group have a lot in common. That is why many words from the English language are so similar to French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, etc.

During the conquest of England, which lasted several hundred years, The English borrowed many words from the Normans.

Number of loanwords in languages

For instance, " action", "nation", "precipitation", "solution", "frustration", "tradition", "communication", "extinction", as well as a huge number of other words that end in –tion are also written in French, but you quickly get used to a slightly different pronunciation.

Just change -tion to -cion and it's Spanish, to -zione is Italian, to -ção is Portuguese.

Many languages ​​have common Greek, Latin or other roots. They can be spelled differently from each other, but you will have to try very hard not to recognize, for example, "exemple", "hélicoptère" (French), "porto", "capitano" (Italian), "astronomía", " Saturno" (Spanish).

The German language has gone somewhat ahead, it shares a fairly large number of words with Old English.

To find common words in the foreign language being studied, you just need to set the search conditions - "related words (or borrowing) x (x is the name of the language)". So you will find those words that have been borrowed.

Of course, look for more "x (x is the name of the language) words in mother tongue". So you will know that your language is taken from a foreign.

This system works very well when learning European languages, but what about when it comes to more distant language families?

It turns out that even languages ​​as far away as Japanese have a lot of words that are familiar to a native English speaker.

As proof of this, just watch the video below, in which the song is "sung" in Japanese, but a person who knows English will still understand much of what is sung in it.

And all because a fairly large number of languages borrowed from English word, adding them to your own, only changing the stress or pronunciation.

Therefore, in order to greatly facilitate the process of learning a new language, it should begin with the analysis of borrowed or related words in a foreign language. There are quite a few of them in almost any language pair.

How to learn a language on your own

3. You need to communicate every day in a foreign language, and for this it is not at all necessary to travel

This is another reason (or reason) that people voice when explaining their reluctance to learn languages. Allegedly, they have neither money nor time to go to the country of the language they are learning.

It is important to note that there is absolutely nothing in the air of a foreign language country that will make you magically speak in a new language.

There are a huge number of examples demonstrating this. For example, the author of this article, the famous polyglot Benny Lewis, whose native language is English, while living in Brazil, he learned Arabic.

But there are also people who have been living abroad for many years and do not even try to master the local language. Life abroad and immersion in the language - they are not equivalent concepts.

If a person needs to hear and use language in order to soak in it, then wouldn't communication via the Internet be just as effective?

The answer is clear - it will. Today's technologies allow you to easily immerse yourself in a foreign language without spending money on buying an air ticket.

How easy it is to learn a language

For, to develop audio practice, it would be useful to see, for example, usingYoutube , which is now in trend in the country - a native speaker.

On the Amazon or ebayyou can purchase your favorite series or movies dubbed in the desired language.

Various news sources offer on their Internet resources many videos translated into various languages. You can refer, for example, to France24, Deutsche Welle, CNN Español and to others.

To work out the practice of reading, it is worth reading not only news sites, but also interesting blogs, and other popular sites of the country of the language you are learning.

In order to achieve complete immersion in the language, you can use the Chrome browser to download special plugins, which will help you translate any page into the required language.

Language learning methods

4. Start talking on Skype today to gain daily practice

You are already watching, listening, reading and maybe even writing in the language you are learning. All this you do without leaving the walls of your home. It's time to take a new step speak live with a person who is a native speaker of the desired language.

This advice is, according to the author, the most controversial, but, nevertheless, he always gives it to beginners. It is necessary from the very first day of learning to start speaking the language, if your goal is to be able to speak, not just understand.

Communication for language learning

A lot of various language programs and courses do not work according to such a system, and this is their big mistake. There are only seven days in a week, and among them there is not one that would be called "one fine day."

Use the tips above to develop basic vocabulary and understand what words you have already memorized. This should be done within a few hours.

After that, you should be ready to talk with a person who has been speaking the language you have been learning for a lifetime. You only need to learn the words for the first conversation.

If you start using them right away, you will immediately be able to understand what you are missing, and begin to gradually add what you need. You cannot and should not learn a language in isolation, trying to "prepare" for communication.

For the first communication, it is better to learn words, such as "hello", "thank you", "I don't understand", "can you repeat" etc. You can find many of them in a special list.

Here the question arises, where exactly to find a native speaker, if you are not in the right country?

Today this is not a problem because thousands of native speakers are already waiting to talk with you. You can take private lessons from such people who leave their contact details on special resources.

For example, one of these multifaceted resources - italki.com. Here everyone will find something for their pocket.

If you feel that you are not yet ready for Skype conversations, then consider this: the faster you start talking, the easier it will be to go to your goal. You can always keep the window open during the conversation, where the necessary words are already loaded.

At first you will peep through this window until you finally remember the vocabulary. You can even consult a dictionary during a conversation to learn new words as you need them.

Some may think this is a scam. But in fact, this is not so, because your goal is to learn the language, and not to imitate obsolete teaching methods.

How to learn a language for free

5. Remember that the best resources don't cost money. Save your money

There is no point in spending hundreds of dollars on learning a foreign language. It is only appropriate to pay for your communication with a native speaker of the desired language.

The Internet is full of various sources that, in addition to being great, are also free. Moreover, they are constantly improving.

Websites for learning foreign languages

An excellent example is Duolingo . The resource provides an excellent selection of European languages, the list of which is constantly updated.

There is a lot of information here that will help you start learning the language without spending a dime. Here are some other very interesting alternatives:

If you search, in fact, you will see that there are a lot of options for free resources, so it's best to test a few and choose what suits you.

For example, the aforementioned Italki is excellent base for language exchange and lessons, however, no less interesting will be My Language Exchange, and Interpals .

You can also work offline, find or create language meetings in your city, or go to a meeting Couchsurfing, Meetup.com, Internations.

Such meetings are a great opportunity to meet native speakers and international enthusiasts.

But that's not all. You can improve your language skills absolutely free of charge with the help of huge base data. Here you will hear any word or expression in different languages, and all recorded by native speakers. This resource is Forvo .

Moreover, you can check your written text for errors for free with Lang 8 . In other words, for free practice, the possibilities know no bounds.

6. Adults are actually much better at learning languages ​​than children.

Now that you have a plethora of sources and resources at your disposal, you can get down to one of the most important problems. This does not apply to grammar, or lack of literature, or the volume of vocabulary.

It's about your negative attitude towards your own potential.

There is a very common misconception in our society, which often makes us give up: " I am too old to learn a new language and speak it fluently."

However, a recent study confirmed the information that, compared with children, adults can be much more effective and more productive in matters of language learning.

The study was conducted by scientists from the University of Haifa. The experts were able to demonstrate that under certain circumstances an adult person intuitively understood the grammar of a foreign language much better than a child.

In addition, there has never been a previous study analyzing the relationship between increasing age and decreasing language learning abilities.

There is only a general trend regarding the learning of foreign languages ​​by adults, which is more dependent on external factors(for example, time constraints due to work activities).

And it is very easy to create an immersive environment without spending money on travel and without the need to return to childhood.

Free language learning online

7. Don't forget to build up your mnemonic vocabulary

It is important to remember that cramming alone is not enough. Of course, with endless repetitions, the word sometimes simply eats into memory, and remains there forever.

But sometimes it also happens that a word or phrase repeated more than a dozen times simply fly out of memory.

Try to memorize words using a technique such as mnemonics. It will help the vocabulary stick to your memory much faster and be remembered for a long time.

You should tell yourself aloud some short, funny, and most importantly, memorable story that you associate with a certain word.

Someone might think that this will only greatly increase the time of learning the language, however, after trying once, you will understandhow effective it is.Moreover, you will only need to remember the association a few times, and then the word will become an integral part of your vocabulary.

Language learning: where to start?

8. Accept your mistakes

More than half of all inhabitants of our planet speak several languages. This suggests that monolingualism is a cultural consequence, not a biological one.

Therefore, when an adult cannot learn a language, it is not at all that he lacks the necessary genes. All because his system of mastering languages ​​is broken.

The standard methods of language learning are based on an approach that has not changed since Charles Dickenson's study of Latin.

Differences between your native language and the target language are presented vocabulary and grammar to remember. Traditional Approach: learn everything and you will know the language. The logic follows, doesn't it?

However, the whole problem is that you can never really "learn" a language, because it's not something you can know or not know. It is a means of communication between people.

Language cannot be mastered by rote learning, it must be used.

At the very beginning of the path of learning a language, the emphasis should be on communication, and not on honing the details. This is what key difference.

Of course, you have the right to learn the language until you can say in one breath: "I'm sorry dear sir, would you be so kind as to point me to the location of the nearest toilet?", but the usual "Where is the toilet?" carries the same semantic load, but without superfluous words.

You will certainly be forgiven for such immediacy, because they will see that you are learning. Don't worry about offending native speakers because your "impertinence" allowed you to speak to them in their own language.

The best thing you can do when you first start learning a language is to recognize that mistakes need to be made and trying to make everything perfect is not.

Set yourself some kind of norm, for example, no more than 200 mistakes a day, but most importantly, remember that you practice and use the language!

Independent language learning

9. Goals in front of you should be smart.

Another important drawback that is present in most approaches to learning languages ​​is poor or not correct setting end goals.

We usually say to ourselves: "I need to learn Spanish by the new year." However, how do you understand whether you learned it or not? And if you set such a goal, then by what criteria will you understand whether you have achieved it or not?

While vague goals like these can be infinitely unattainable, a smart goal is specific, achievable, measurable, relevant, and necessarily time-bound.

To learn how to set smart language goals, you should definitely familiarize yourself with the work of the system European Common Framework, which will provide invaluable assistance in determining the level of the language.

With this system, you will set a specific goal and be able to measure your progress.

In a nutshell, A is beginner, B is conversational, and C is advanced. Each level is divided into two categories: 1 - lower, 2 - upper.

Thus, a beginner who has learned the basics is A2, and an advanced beginner is C1. Each level can be measured, so official institutions can test you and even issue you a diploma (of course, without enrolling in a course) for knowledge of any European language.

You can also take a test for knowledge of Chinese and Japanese.

So, now what is your goal? What level in practice corresponds to your declared "mastery" or "fluency"?

Long-term practice shows that understanding of fluent speech corresponds to level B2. In fact, this is a social equivalence in a person's native language.

In other words, you can easily understand normal situations taking place in a foreign language. For example, talking with friends in a bar, asking people about their plans for the weekend, discussing the news, etc.

Today we will not try to draw your attention to the main content of this article with an eloquent introduction, because each of us will have our own list of reasons. The importance is obvious. So let's not waste time.

Is it possible to learn a language on your own? Russian psychologist D. Spivak in the book "How to become a polyglot" gives some tips to improve language skills when learning a foreign language. And one of the recommendations is that it is better to learn the language from self-study books. So everyone can control the intensity of classes, give themselves the necessary amount of information and regularly return to various topics to consolidate. With the amendment, of course, that the process itself, by definition, cannot be completely isolated.

The starting point is the correct setting. First of all, think about why you need to learn a foreign language - for study, moving to another country, resurrection in memory and improvement of school knowledge, as a hobby. An honest answer to this question will allow you to create a training program tailored to your needs, focus on the right aspects, and help.

Another secret to successful language acquisition is daily practice, which allows you to develop the skill of how to. In addition, consistency and constancy favorably affect, without which there is nowhere to study a foreign language. It's like training - the result comes with regularity. Therefore, it is so important to strictly follow the lesson plan by day and hour.

What will contribute to the result?

Immersion

You have probably heard the statement repeatedly that any language is much easier to learn, being completely immersed in the natural environment. But what if you can't go to study English in the UK or Spanish in Spain? The answer is obvious - try to create a suitable environment at home. To achieve maximum similarity, of course, is impossible. But reading books (at first adapted), watching movies, listening to audio recordings, practicing language - all this is available to anyone who has the Internet. Try to surround yourself with the language being studied as much as possible, and do not use study materials alone.

Process gamification

Patience and hard work at any age

There will always be skeptics among the people around you who will raise their eyebrows in astonishment when they find out that in your 30s, you intend to learn French, Chinese, Dutch, Finnish from scratch (substitute or add the right one). “How?”, “Why?”, “This should have been done before, now it’s too late.” Do not allow such formulations to sow a grain of uncertainty in your mind and, moreover, to be disappointed in your own abilities. Patience and a little effort. Learning for results is by definition never easy, so persevere towards your goal. Yes, more young age due to linguistic flexibility and focus on the intuitive assimilation of linguistic norms, learning a foreign language is conditionally easier. But studies confirm that you can start learning a language and achieve success in this matter at any age.

Now it is difficult to imagine learning English without educational services. They help to learn words, practice reading, listening - in other words, to cope with individual tasks. But will they help complete the task as a whole? Is it possible to learn English with their help?

To bookmarks

"Teacher's Method" is one of the most popular services for learning English from scratch.

What does it mean to "learn a language"?

By “learning a language”, they mean language proficiency at some desired level, which consists of the ability to read, understand listening, write and speak. These four types of speech activity can develop unevenly. For example, you can understand TV shows in English, read novels, but not be able to connect two words. None of these skills are possible without at least a minimum knowledge of words and grammar.

The most desired skill is the ability to speak English (speaking + understanding). Usually, by "learn English" they mean exactly "speak English", and not read or write.

As a result, language learning comes down to the following points:

• vocabulary replenishment,
• grammar study,
• practice in reading, listening, writing, speaking.

Learning a minimum of words and grammar is quite simple. A study by linguist Paul Nation (New Zealand) states that to understand simple literature, you need to know about 5,000 common words, and 2,000 - 3,000 words are used in oral speech.

A common misconception about learning English is that it is usually understood as learning. In fact, learning a language is for the most part not memorizing information, but the formation of skills.

More work and time is spent on practical skills, especially conversational skills. So, in the language training program for CIA employees, after a short introductory course, all class time (6 hours a day) was devoted to classes with native speakers in a colloquial form, and only 2 hours of self-training - repetition of theory, reading, listening.

What is the use of services for learning English?

Services for learning English help to cope with all of the above tasks, including speaking practice (with the participation of other users or a teacher). Here is a short selection of sites with which you can develop all the language skills:

1. ​Lingualeo - materials for reading and listening with the convenient ability to add words to your personal piggy bank right while working with content (by clicking on a word). Various courses, exercises for memorizing words and grammar.
2. Puzzle English - step-by-step courses for beginners "Teacher's Method", listening exercises, series with double subtitles, video grammar lessons in Russian. Good for learning grammar and listening skills.
3. Italki, Speaky, Hellolingo - language social networks for speaking and writing practice. Find an interlocutor on the questionnaires and correspond. Hellolingo has voice chat, but many prefer to exchange contacts and talk on Skype.
4. Quizlet is a service for memorizing words using flashcards. Relevant at the initial stage, when you need to actively gain vocabulary. Quizlet allows you to create electronic flashcards with pronunciation and pictures, and turn them into PDF files.
5. Duolingo is a step by step course in basic vocabulary and grammar. Passing lesson after lesson, we study the basic words on everyday topics, learn to build sentences. It turns out something like an interactive textbook with an emphasis on practice in exercises.

Some services do not offer the development of some skills, but the study "step by step", as in a tutorial. This is how Duolingo works, where you just need to go through lesson after lesson, the Teacher Method (Puzzle English) and partly Lingualeo, where there are step-by-step courses and a system of automatically generated recommendations for every day.

Why can't you learn English with just one service?

Many for classes would like to choose one universal solution. However, if we consider that language proficiency is the ability to read, understand, write and speak, then now there is no online service with which you can learn English. There is no one service that offers at the same time:

• word learning,
• grammar study,
• practice in reading and listening with materials on any taste,
• practice in written and oral communication.

For example, Lingualeo copes with all these tasks, except for speaking and writing practice. Puzzle English is great for developing listening comprehension skills. good lessons grammar, but no reading materials, the ability to communicate with foreigners.

Lingualeo allows you to learn words while listening and reading, but will not help with speaking practice.

It is difficult to offer "turnkey English" on one site not only because of the need for wide functionality, but also because of the items "Reading", "Listening". The best material for reading and listening is the one that you personally like and suits the level, but you simply won’t please all users with content, and many works will not be posted due to copyright.

In other words, with the help of Lingualeo it is impossible to learn to speak English. You will learn to read, understand by ear, learn a lot of words, but you will not learn to speak. Why? Yes, because this service has other tasks.

The way out of the situation is simple - you need to use several complementary services at the same time. Yes, there is no speaking practice with native speakers on Lingualeo, but it is available on special sites, and for free.

What is the use of services if you are studying with a teacher?

The teacher competently directs in the right direction, gives a motivational kick, explains difficult moments, but there is one thing that no teacher can do: the teacher cannot learn English for you. Most of the work will have to be done on your own: there is no time to read or watch films in the lesson - this must be done in your free time.

Educational services and other Internet resources are useful in that they provide many opportunities for practice: literature, articles, blogs, forums, films, communication with native speakers, etc. Use them, and the return on training with a teacher will increase significantly.

Are textbooks needed?

Educational services provide what a book cannot: listening, speaking practice, interactive exercises. But do not rush to dump textbooks from the steamer of modernity.

The textbook is a convenient and practical guide to the world of language. People who know their craft have collected all the necessary materials in the right order in order to provide them with explanations, examples and exercises so that you can master the basics of English, looping and reinventing the wheel as little as possible. Books are especially good for learning grammar, because grammar is a thing where you can't get ahead of yourself without going through the basics, and in the book the material is presented in the correct order.

Some students find it more convenient to master the basics of vocabulary and grammar with the help of a textbook, and use services as auxiliary tools.

Why not learn English only with the help of online services?

If you are carried away by learning services, you should not forget about simpler and more obvious ways to learn a language using Internet resources. Linguist Steven Krashen, expert in Second Language Acquisition, in an article on using computers to learn languages

This approach is really “easy” in the sense that you are not learning, but having fun: reading a story, news, forum discussion, watching a show, etc. Using the language for its intended purpose is a very effective way to reinforce what you have learned and learn new things. Besides, if you don’t read in English, don’t watch movies, don’t communicate, don’t use English in any way, then why even learn the language?

Conclusion

Services for learning English provide enough opportunities to master all language skills, including speaking - through practice with language partners or tutors. The services are also useful for tutor-led language learners as they provide opportunities to reinforce and further develop skills. However, you need to understand that they perform one or more specialized functions, helping to master certain skills, so there is no universal solution: different services can be useful for different tasks.