How I Learned English Externally in One Year?
2022: When I moved to Amsterdam, my English was approximately at A2 level with a huge barrier - I was hesitant to speak, order food, and try to stick with Russian-speaking people.
2023: My English is now at approximately B2 level. I speak at conferences, and most importantly, I'm not afraid to speak, and make mistakes, and most of my current environment consists of English-speaking people.
How did I achieve this?
1. Commitments and Deadlines
I procrastinated learning English all my life - it's hard for me to force myself to do something that doesn't bring immediate benefits. When I unexpectedly moved to the Netherlands, it became clear that I had no choice - I had to learn. I committed to speaking at an English conference in six months, leaving no chance to back out.
2. Finding Materials
The truth is that there is an abundance of free information on learning English, but my task was to find the most effective solutions.
(In my case, the source language is Russian. If you have a different language, please find a source in your language)
?? Phrases and Expressions
English Galaxy - a gem, ruby, the pinnacle of pinnacles. I listened every day to the emerald playlist (for B2 level). The idea is to analyze phrasal verbs and useful phrases within sentences.
?? Listening and Spoken Language
I lacked an understanding of "spoken language" a lot because in movies, it's always scripted phrases. Netflix TV reality shows are great, with many accents and shows for every taste - the main thing is that you enjoy the theme.
?? Grammar and Exercises
领英推荐
English Galaxy app turned out to be a treasure trove of useful information. I started with B2 but quickly realized I needed to start from the basics. Prepositions? Tenses? I didn't know the basics. It's paid, but it's worth it. I solve exercises every night.
?? Speaking
The most unpleasant part. Here, you need to break the barrier and not stop until it breaks. I attended an advanced speaking club for three months every day. I embarrassed myself, stumbled, didn't understand, but still went. My specific speaking clubs - part of the Skyeng premium subscription, but you can choose any you like.
?? Continuous Learning of Words
If you see a word you don't know, stop everything and add it to your vocabulary (e.g., quizlet). And every day, in the morning or evening, go through these words, like brushing your teeth, whether you like it or not.
3. English-Speaking Environment
We consume tons of content every day. What if you transform all this content into English? Find your favorite YouTubers in English (I love Jay Shetty Podcast and Lex Fridman), and watch professional presentations in English. Favorite podcasts, travel shows, and anything is available in English. It will be tough at first, but it's important to overcome the barrier, and there's no turning back. And how much new content will open up for you - wow!
And if you like to socialize - find English-speaking friends and acquaintances. Italki, meetups, and many ways to network and surround yourself with foreigners. It's faster to integrate into the environment than live communication. Nothing has been invented yet.
4. Discipline
As in any skill where speed and results are important, discipline plays a critical role.
I woke up and slept with English every day because I had a goal from point 1.
English has become a habit - the content is more progressive, and the language is more concise. Now, it's easier and faster for me to consume English than Russian. And this is the result simply because I took action every day to reach the goal.
If it was helpful - ?? from you!
Biochemistry Graduate | Quality Assurance technician | HACCP certified
9 个月Great post and very helpful tips for someone who feels stuck and doesn't know what to do next!
PHP Backend Developer with 8 years of experience
1 年Fix the link for "English Galaxy app"
Independent consultant and published author. AI Automation testing expert with WebdriverIO, Playwright Selenium and Codeless platforms.
1 年Late in life I literally learned a trick to speaking Spanish. My side hobby has been magic and my first one was showing I had 11 fingers (including my thumbs) I realized I knew just enough Spanish, counting backwards, to perform this routine… except the word for “fingers”. Had my Spanish teacher in high school taught us one phrase - “?Como se dice ‘Fingers’ en Espanol?” - it would have been so much easier to add new words like ‘Dedos’ to my vocabulary. I have also been told it is phonetically pronounced as ‘De-YA-dos’. The trick is to find something you are pationate talking about and practice with Spanish speakers at every opportunity.