How to learn English: Tip #1
We get many e-mails at EnglishPod asking for advice on how to learn English. Over the next few weeks we will publish a series of tips and suggestions to help you learn English effectively.
Tip #1: Use what you learn to communicate!
Communication is not only the purpose of language training, but also a powerful learning technique. Every time you use what you learn for real communication you will improve your fluency and ability to remember words. Real communication happens when you share any kind of information with another person. It doesn’t matter if you are speaking with a native speaker or another learner. Therefore, for example, instead of reciting words to remember them try to use them in real English conversations. Also, if you have questions about the language, try discussing them in English rather than your native language. Make a habit of using every available opportunity to practice. Finally (and very importantly), don’t worry about the accuracy of what you are saying. Making mistakes is a necessary part of language learning. As long as you have plenty of sources of correct input (such as English websites, EnglishPod, books, magazines, native speaker friends and colleagues etc) you will be aware at some level in your brain when you make mistakes, and over time they will become less frequent. However, if you don’t practice in the first place, this process won’t occur.
Thanks for the help! It not easy to learn foreign language, but I love learning with englishpod! Great!
Maria in Spain
Comment by Maria — April 11, 2006 @ 12:04 am
Maria,
Wow. Thank you very much. We love hearing from our audience. I can see from your writing that you are already very skilled at communicating in English. Can you think of a lesson you would like us to produce? Why are you learning English? What are you interested in learning more about? We are a user driven program. Your comments and suggestions help us make EnglishPod better and more relevant. Send us an email. Post another comment. We want to be the most responsive English teacher that you have ever had.
Matt Park / Team EnglishPod
Comment by Administrator — April 13, 2006 @ 6:41 pm
hello, im new in here, im in my 7 days free, im not really good for english , i want to learn english because i like new language and i need english for my work then i have to learn it…
im from Mexico,
Comment by Julia-Mexico — August 11, 2006 @ 2:52 pm
Hi Julia,
Great to have you with us at EnglishPod. We hope you enjoy the website and the podcasts.
What kind of company do you work for - any lessons you’d like us to make?
Comment by Kris/Team EnglishPod — August 16, 2006 @ 5:47 pm
Hi everyone!!!!
This website is amazing. English business it the thing that I really need to learn. As a matter of fact, when we are learning a new language sometimes we get kind of “astonished” with the amount of vocabulary that we still have to learn but as the time wears on the language acquisition becomes easier. I can remember my “first steps” in the English language. It was really hard for me primarily because I am totally self-educated in English. It means that I have never gotten into any English school. About one and a half years ago I tried to study with a private English teacher but I found that kind of boring and then I gave up studying with her. In fact, I am aware that I need someone to practice English with. My spoken English isn’t that good and that’s one of the reasons I need get some partner to practice with. I want to give everyone who is trying to learn English a piece of advice: If you can afford it, go abroad and learn English outside your coutry. Learning in a English speaking country is the best way to learn because you are in a environment where you will be in touch with the new language even outside the classroom. Second: don’t deceive yourself, read English texts as much as you can and listen to English audios the most you can. Just going to an English class once a week won’t make you speak English as fast as if you aply yourself outside the classroom. Hey hosts, I am right, aren’t I?
Anyway, keep up the good work and I hope to join to the private part of this site very soon.
Comment by Fábio — September 4, 2006 @ 12:28 pm
hi,everyone,i’m new here and from china,nice to meet you!^v^
i always nervous about when i’m speaking english with foreign people and make some mistake,but i think that it has to practice more ,read,listening everyday.
Comment by apple — September 20, 2006 @ 12:26 am
Hi apple,
The important thing is to keep trying to speak. You will find small successes at first, but slowly you will build confidence. A person who speaks with confidence speaks much more clearly and can deal with communication problems more easily.
Keep up the good work apple. Nice to meet you too and nice to have more users from China.
Comment by Kris — September 20, 2006 @ 1:09 am
The dialogue is a bit…? A bit what? Boring, long, terrible, too slow, too fast? Hey everyone, tell us what you think - this is how we can improve our podcasts and our website. We welcome all comments, good or bad. We want our product to be user-driven, that means you tell us what you want and we’ll make it.
Cheers to everyone who have commented on this post.
Comment by Kris/Team EnglishPod — September 28, 2006 @ 12:15 am
I am so excited to find this website , it is so good
Comment by guanm2008 — October 24, 2006 @ 11:05 pm
Thanks Guanm2008. Could you give us any comments on lessons you’d like to hear or tools you think would be useful on the website? We’d really like to know your opinion. We have a lot of plans for improvements to the website over the next 3 months, and we’d like our users to help us by telling us what they want.
Comment by ODE Support — October 25, 2006 @ 7:18 pm
i like to be professional in english
Comment by nora — October 30, 2006 @ 1:22 am
i love english
Comment by nora — October 30, 2006 @ 1:25 am
HI, I like english, and think that site is cool for that.- greetings from Posadas- Argentina
Comment by Francisco — November 24, 2006 @ 11:01 am
Hi, could you arrange a lesson about how to write perfect business email in formal English? such as to strangers, to your customers, to your boss. Writing formal English email is my headachy job everyday:(
Comment by lilyelf — November 28, 2006 @ 5:31 am
i want to learn more about english tips to daily use
and how to fase an interview.
Regards
singhania
Comment by singhania — December 4, 2006 @ 1:03 am
Singhania,
We have one lesson on interviewing: A-14 Classic Interview Questions. In the future, we’ll surely make more lessons on this important topic. We do have another lesson on CV’s and resumes for you to study.
Kris
Comment by Kris — December 4, 2006 @ 10:29 pm
HHi everybody.
I’m iranian. AND I live in IRAN / TEHRAN
I hope finde a new girl friend, because i want to learn english, so please call me.
by
Comment by ALI SALIMI — January 9, 2007 @ 10:46 pm