To learn English you don’t have to enroll in a language course or live in an English-speaking country.
Although all the added value is welcome, you can learn the language on your own as well, with the help of some resources and tips.
The English language is one of the languages with which we have the most contact on a daily basis and this can be an advantage when studying English alone.
Even if you say you don’t know any English, you certainly know at least some words like smartphone , tablet , book , hot dog , podcast, etc.
Toda Matéria gives 7 tips for you to become a master in the art of learning English yourself.
1. Explore your electronic devices
With the advancement of technology and the daily use of electronic devices such as smartphones and tablets , a good choice is to change the language of the operating systems to English.
As you may have already internalized the Portuguese words used in each menu, button, etc., you will probably create an association between the commands and, with that, enrich your vocabulary.
At a certain point, your brain will already be trained to not even think about the vocabulary in Portuguese anymore and with that it will already seek, for example, the option of add new contact when you want to add a new contact and so on.
2. Watch series and videos in English
Are you a fan of any television series or do you have that list of films that are on your favorite list?
How about joining the useful with the pleasant and making use of your preferences to improve your knowledge of the English language?
A great option in this case is to watch the videos with English language and subtitles.
By listening and reading the English words simultaneously, you will develop several skills at the same time:
- Improve your listening.
- Understand the meanings of words in context (which is much more useful than learning words in isolation).
- Learn the correct pronunciation of words.
- See the spelling of certain words.
- Internalize grammatical structures.
3. Listen to songs in English
If you’ve studied English and been frustrated by listening exercises with boring, outdated or totally uninteresting audio, don’t be discouraged!
By adopting the right method, learning English can become extremely motivating and enjoyable.
Why not use your favorite songs in English to improve your listening , for example?
In foreign language studies, listening is the listening comprehension skill.
The listening through songs help you improve not only their understanding of what is said, but also their pronunciation.
You can, for example, play sentence by sentence and try to repeat what you hear. Then, when you are already familiar with the words, you can sing along.
If it is true that “whoever sings their ills is astounding”, their studies will rock!
4. Don’t translate word for word
One of the main problems observed in language students is the habit that almost everyone has to try to translate all content into Portuguese, and worse: word for word.
It is very important to note that certain structures, tenses and even words do not coexist in the two languages.
The noun saudade , for example, does not exist in English. To express a similar idea, we use, for example, the verb to miss .
Likewise, the present perfect tense has no correspondent in the conjugation of the Portuguese language.
When we say, for example, I have already been to Ireland , our focus should be to understand the meaning of the phrase, without major concerns with correspondences with the Portuguese language.
Learn lightly and freely. Do not focus on the units, but on the whole.
You will certainly not regret it!
5. Read short texts daily
Don’t they say that practice makes perfect? So don’t wait any longer!
Start your study plan today and include short daily readings of English texts.
What do you gain from these readings? Simple:
- Enrich your vocabulary.
- Internalizes phrasal structures.
- Memorize spellings in a healthy way.
Read as many times as needed.
The important thing is that at a certain moment you feel that you can already understand the idea of the text and the message it conveys.
If necessary, return to the same text after a few weeks.
Your knowledge of the language will be a little more advanced and with this, it is likely that your understanding of what is written is more accurate.
Remember: haste is the enemy of perfection!
6. Practice shadowing
The shadowing is a language learning method.
To use shadowing , you need audio recorded by a native English speaker and also the transcribed recorded content.
This technique primarily consists of listening to the audio accompanying the written text at the same time.
At this stage, it is important to observe carefully not only the pronunciation of words, but also the intonation used.
In the following phase, you must play the audio and read the text at the same time, speaking together with the original all the recorded content.
The shadowing helps you develop your listening skills and also their pronunciation, both of fundamental importance in communicating in English with others.
7. Don’t be afraid of conversation
Do you think you don’t have enough vocabulary to talk or that your knowledge of grammar is not enough to inflect verbs correctly?
Do not think like that!
With regard to conversation, the important thing is to get started.
Do not be afraid or embarrassed by mistakes. They are part of each and every learning process.
If you know someone who also studies English or even someone who already speaks fluently or is a native speaker, take the opportunity to train.
The conversation does not have to be long and formal.
A simple dialogue about the weather, the day or the school will be of great use to help you loosen your tongue!
Now that you know the step by step to learn English on your own, just roll up your sleeves and get to work.