Independent study of English. How to quickly and easily learn English? Methods of teaching English

It is a well-known fact that the most popular language in the world is English. Knowing it, you can communicate with a resident of almost any country. All this is possible due to the fact that English is an international language and is spoken in 106 countries around the world. It’s not difficult to guess that in order to be a successful person you need to expand your linguistic boundaries. Learning English from scratch is not that difficult if you know where to get information from and how to use it. This article will help you learn everything you need to learn English on your own absolutely free of charge.

Once you recognize the need to learn English, it's time to take action. Modern technologies of the 21st century allow you to learn a new language on your own without teachers. Thanks to the Internet, you can learn a language quickly and efficiently. To do this, just find websites and video lessons in English, sign up for online courses or take online lessons. In addition, you can find a lot of material that clearly explains English for beginners.

Before you start learning a language, you need to understand where to start learning.

If you have at least some long-forgotten English skills, then mastering the language on your own will be easier. After all, if you once learned grammar and words, then you already have some basics of the English language and everything you need will emerge in your subconscious, as soon as you start going through the program.

If you have never touched English or foreign languages, it doesn't matter. Find an English tutorial that makes sense to you. In such books, as a rule, basic rules and words are written, which are enough for a foreigner to understand your speech and you can conduct a basic dialogue.

If you are interested in deeper and more effective language learning, then you will have to look for specialized literature or find a site on the Internet that tells you how to learn English from scratch, for free. Such sources exist in large quantities, so learning an entire foreign language on the Internet will not be difficult and you can rest assured that your knowledge will be up to par.

So, if you decide to learn English from scratch, this article will help you figure out step by step how to organize your training without the involvement of expensive specialists and at the same time get up-to-date information about the language.

How to organize independent learning of English?

How long do you plan to study English?

Learning English on your own is easier than it seems. First, determine how long you plan to study and over what period of time you plan to learn the language. Honestly decide for yourself, if superficial knowledge is enough for you, then learning basic words and basic grammar in 3 months is quite possible. If you want to master an intermediate level of English, prepare to devote 3 days a week to this for at least a year. And, of course, if your goal is to know English perfectly, then when you start learning English, get ready to practice the language every day, learn something new and improve your knowledge every year.

What do you need to learn a language?

Depending on your needs, you need to stock up on materials and tools. To learn the basics of English for tourism purposes, a tutorial and a dictionary with basic words and phrases will be enough. If your goal is more global, you need a good and high-quality dictionary, a grammar textbook and various audio and video lessons in English. It is a known fact that communicating with a native speaker is the best way to acquire speech skills. If you have the opportunity to communicate with a native English speaker, take advantage of it. As an alternative, watching English films without translation (subtitles are acceptable) or reading English fiction in the original are also suitable. Be sure to keep a notebook in which you will write down new words and always have it with you so that you can repeat the words while in a traffic jam, on the way to visit or at any other time.

Set yourself a goal

As soon as you decide what level of English you need and how much time you are ready to learn new words and rules, set yourself goals. By achieving each new small goal, you overcome the path of learning English from scratch, step by step. Each new step is a new level for you. It will be relevant if you set yourself approximate deadlines:

1. Learn the entire alphabet in 2 weeks;
2. Learn correct pronunciation in 3 weeks;
3. Learn basic tenses (present, past and future) in 1 month;
4. Learn a minimum vocabulary of 300 words or more in 50 days;
5. Learn to compose complete sentences in 1.5 - 2 months.

Create a class schedule

Once you have decided on all the main points, it's time to organize your work. Decide which day you study grammar by watching educational videos, solving tests, or reading. At a minimum, you need to spend an hour studying, learning about 5 new words every day. On Saturday evening, watch episode 1 of your favorite English series without translation, believe me, this will greatly help you in learning the language. Over time, you can move from TV series to films, and from there you can start reading books in English.

Surround yourself with English

In addition to the dedicated time for learning the language, it is necessary to fill the space around you with English speech and words. For example, hang up leaflets with new words in your apartment, listen to the news in English (again, everything is available on the Internet). Find a foreign friend with whom you can communicate every day on Skype or correspond. There are special sites where oral and written practice of a foreign language is possible. If you have the opportunity to go abroad, where English is spoken, for 1-2 months, this will be the most educational and interesting trip for you, since you will have the opportunity to immerse yourself entirely in the English atmosphere, without creating it artificially.

Free sites and online programs for learning English from scratch

So, the Internet can become your main assistant in learning English. The main thing is to find useful sites and video courses and look at them every day, looking for new words, interesting videos and grammar rules. A program for learning English at home can be based on ready-made online courses, or you can combine watching useful videos, reading books and even using chat rooms to communicate with native speakers. You can learn English easily and quickly if you choose the method and method that you like. Below you will find various resources for learning English from scratch, from which you can choose what you like best.

Learn to read correctly and quickly in English

1. Reading English Consonants - Alphabet and Sounds
2. Alphabet and basic reading in English- video, part 1, basic knowledge;
3. "A" in a closed syllable, sh pronunciation and much more- video, part 2, pronunciation of the article and some sounds;
4. Reading rules and pronunciation ar, are, air, y, e, ch- video, part 3, rules for reading complex sounds.

It is also good to read magazines (britishcouncil.org) in English aloud or silently. You can find any material that interests you.

Memorizing new vocabulary

To prevent new vocabulary from being hard labor for you, the best way is to download and install special applications for your phone so that you can learn vocabulary even outside the home, when you can just take out your phone and not waste time in a traffic jam/subway/queue, but learn the language.

The channel will be useful for business negotiations Business English Pod.

Another good way to learn new words is to solve crossword puzzles of English words:

Listening to English speech

To understand English, it is important to listen to foreign speech as often as possible. These can be songs (lyrics.com), audio recordings and audio books (librophile.com). To constantly expand your vocabulary, it is useful to watch news in English (newsinlevels.com), foreign TV programs, films and series in English. But first, you should take a short online course on understanding English speech. YouTube will help you with this.

1. English with Jennifer. The page has a special section “understanding fast English speech”, where in 20 lessons you can acquire good skills.
2. The channel link may also help you Real English, where you can find many videos of real people speaking English, each video has subtitles.
3. Another useful channel British Council, where you can find a selection of educational cartoons with various situations in which people communicate in English.
4. It will be no less useful comprehensive study of English with the BBC on YouTube channel.

Learning and improving grammar

The main thing you need to learn is grammar. Tenses, verb forms, pronouns and much more can be studied using the textbook “English Grammar in Use” by Raymond Murphy, which describes English tenses, verbs and sentence construction in a very accessible way. This textbook can be easily found on the Internet and downloaded for free. Any free grammar books that you can download that you understand are also suitable.

But you can learn grammar using any resource for adults and children. One of the most interesting ways for beginners is to subscribe to one of the channels on YouTube:

You can also start learning English grammar on the following web resources:

And don’t forget to take English tests, some can be found here - englishteststore.net, begin-english.ru, english-lessons-online.ru.

Reading adapted texts in English

Adapted texts are very useful when learning English, especially at the beginner level. You can download them. So, we learn to read and immediately understand the meaning of the text, avoiding cumbersome sentences and unnecessary constructions. On this site envoc.ru you can find both easy texts and more complex ones to improve your reading technique. Here, in each work, simple phrases are used and translations are given. You can also find simple texts. In addition to the texts themselves, on the site you can repeat the reading rules and some words. Remember, to read even adapted literature, you need basic knowledge of grammar, vocabulary and knowledge of reading rules.

Improving speech skills

Perhaps the biggest problem for a person who wants to master English is finding English speakers to practice speaking with. Communication is a very important component of learning, as communication helps you learn the right timbre, pronunciation and learn new words. To find English speaking interlocutors, you can use one of the sites below. All you have to do is register and the doors to the world of English speech will open before you.

Many refer to the fact that it is necessary to first learn the rules of using the language, and then learn to write, read and speak.

There is also the opposite opinion - just like learning your native language, you first need to “create” a vocabulary, and then learn to read, speak and write.

Which method to choose is up to you. But the truth is unchanged, the main thing is to teach.

If you do not have any understanding of the language and your “zero”, i.e. Beginner, then it is better to start studying it with children's literature and textbooks for children 7-10 years old.

Unlike books for preschoolers, the information presented in them is not so primitive.

If your level is Elementary, which is no longer Beginner, but your maximum knowledge of the language is the phrase “London the capital of great Britain,” which is no longer small, but also not enough, you can start learning the language from books for older children.

However, in the first and second cases it is necessary to learn from the basics.

The main points of study are:

1. Grammar rules;
2. Creation and expansion of vocabulary.
3. Learning the rules of reading English

You should start working on reading rules. This is necessary in order to learn how to correctly pronounce sounds, with the peculiarities inherent in a given language.

You should also pay attention to mastering the rules of pronunciation of consonant and vowel letter combinations. Without this basic knowledge, you will not be able to read correctly.

Clarifying the pronunciation of words

In English, as in any other language, there are exceptions. Including the rules of reading and pronunciation of words. Many who came to English from other languages ​​do not obey any pronunciation rules.

Therefore, it is necessary to pay special attention to this category of words and learn their pronunciation, as they say, “by heart.”

Formation of vocabulary

Contrary to popular belief, you need to expand your vocabulary not by memorizing individual words, but by memorizing phrases and even entire sentences.

This method is the most effective and, due to the fact that the word is remembered in its context, allows you to learn not 30 words in the same time, as would be the case in the first case, but 2,3 or 4 times more.

Also, this technique also helps to remember several meanings of the same word at once.

You can start simple:

• Write down, translate into English and memorize your most common phrases and everyday sentences;
• Teach and children's;
• Learn in a foreign language.

Get yourself your own personal dictionary and write down the words and phrases you learn in it. Create a special section with words that are difficult to memorize and pay more attention to it.

Studying grammar

Grammar is rightfully considered one of the most difficult sections in learning English. However, this opinion is wrong. There are not so many rules in English compared to others, which is why it received its status as a “language of international communication.”

However, the rules do not need to be memorized, they need to be understood. So instead of memorizing them, do as many practical grammar exercises as possible.

If you are tired of learning English for years?

Those who attend even 1 lesson will learn more than in several years! Surprised?

No homework. No cramming. No textbooks

From the course “ENGLISH BEFORE AUTOMATION” you:

• Learn to write competent sentences in English without memorizing grammar
• Learn the secret of a progressive approach, thanks to which you can reduce English learning from 3 years to 15 weeks
• You will check your answers instantly+ get a thorough analysis of each task
• Download the dictionary in PDF and MP3 formats, educational tables and audio recordings of all phrases

View news in English

In order to learn to understand English speech, you need to not only listen to it, but also read it. The easiest way is to read the news feed of one of the English newspapers.

This is useful not only from the point of view of learning the language, but also from the point of view of general development and knowledge of the world, as well as foreign culture. The news is written in accessible and simple language, it contains many frequently used words in everyday life, therefore, reading the news will be simple and useful for you.

Read simple texts

Reading is one of the main ways to learn any language. Speaking beautifully will help you. Of course, all the most beautiful phrases and phraseological units for beautiful speech are contained in classical literature.

However, to read it you need a large vocabulary, therefore, at the first stages of learning the language, read.

Install useful apps

Today, on the Internet, as well as in any mobile software store, there are many applications that allow you to learn English anywhere and at any time.

It is convenient because it is very simple and mobile. You can learn a language while waiting in line at the doctor's office, while commuting to work, or waiting for a friend in the park.

The most popular applications on the market are:

• Words– the goal is to increase vocabulary. The learning process takes place through various games, as well as interesting tasks aimed at memory training.
• Easy ten– the principle of operation of the application is similar to Words, but here, in addition to visual memorization of words, it is also possible to listen to them, which develops auditory memory.
• Busuu– the application allows you to study speech structures rather than individual words, which is considered a more effective way of memorizing a language and expanding your vocabulary. The application provides for the writing of short texts and their subsequent verification.
• Polyglot– the application has a rich base of teaching aids that accompany each task. The intended purpose is to study grammar, but also to expand vocabulary.
• English: speaking American– the purpose of this application is to increase your level of perception and understanding of English speech by listening to dialogues, composing and translating them.

Study online

The Internet can also be useful for learning English. On the World Wide Web, many sites are ready to open their pages to you, designed with the goal of helping you, for a reasonable fee, become a real polyglot.

An undeniable advantage of online resources for learning English is the inexpensive cost of subscription (about 1000 rubles per year) and a fairly extensive content of teaching aids: rules, tasks and games that will help, if not simplify the process of learning the language, then certainly make it more interesting.

The “top” online tutorials are:

1. Lingualeo– the resource contains many tasks and games, allowing you to create a personal program for learning the language. The intended purpose is to study English grammar, as well as develop vocabulary and skills in perceiving English speech.

1. Duolingo– the principle of operation of the resource is similar to Lingualeo. And the main purpose is the same - to study English grammar and consolidate the acquired knowledge. However, its advantage is the ability to study words not separately from each other, but in context, which is the most effective way to expand your vocabulary.

1. Puzzle-english is an online gaming resource for language learning, similar to Lingualeo and Duolingo. However, its intended purpose is to develop listening skills. In this regard, the main educational gaming content on the site are audio and video games.

Our century, rightfully, is considered a century of opportunities, in the field of education - first of all. All kinds of programs, tutorials, games and applications try to diversify the boring process of learning English and improve it.

The Internet is replete with various teaching aids available for download, and in any bookstore you will find many books on the English language.

Now you don’t need to visit expensive ones, it’s enough to have a goal, stock up on the necessary literature, in any format convenient for you, and consistently move towards your goal - to become a native speaker.

Every day, knowledge of a foreign language is becoming more and more in demand in many areas of our lives. For example, if you know the language, you can join a team of volunteers at prestigious world sports competitions; you can easily communicate on any trip abroad. But the knowledge acquired at school does not always provide strong language skills, so what to do in this situation?

Most of us do not have the opportunity to communicate with native speakers, so we offer a unique teaching method online English tutorial, based on the following materials:

• audio lessons
• video materials
• radio broadcasts
• interesting articles in the original language
• and much more.

Our free audio tutorial is a well-constructed teaching methodology. The lessons you have completed will allow you in the future, when you are abroad, to communicate freely with native speakers and improve your knowledge.

Benefits of a free course

The tutorial for beginners is mainly represented by files for online listening in mp3 format. Such audio training allows you to reduce up to 30% of the time required to memorize new words, it serves as an auxiliary tool for training speech memory and allows you to increase the volume of reproduced knowledge many times over.
Thus, an online English language tutorial in the form of an audio course provides users with the opportunity to expand their vocabulary, facilitate understanding of both oral and written speech, and is also an excellent teaching aid for achieving certain progress in the field of correct diction and pronunciation. We are not saying that this is the best foreign language tutorial, but it promotes rapid assimilation and understanding of all the information presented.

Expected results from self-study

What does our audio course and self-study of English provide? Reviews from our users indicate that many were satisfied with the course and regularly visit the site to review and assimilate the material covered, as well as to gain new knowledge from new posted materials.

So, the main advantages of audio lessons:
significantly improve speech literacy and language skills, as well as form a basic vocabulary, with their help you can easily master spoken English;
help increase the volume of perceived information in a short period of time;
supply you with the most modern additional language phrases and expressions that are most often found in our everyday life, in addition, in one of the sections of our website there are dialogues on the most popular topics that will definitely be useful to you in everyday life
you can not only listen, but also read, thereby developing your skills in quickly and correctly reading text.
The method of work is simple, but, nevertheless, brings positive results.
When learning English online, never try to quickly go through all the educational material - the benefit from such a pace of learning will be zero. Focus on the fact that it will take you a long time to master the basics and then move on to more complex activities. And always set a goal for yourself. For example, listen to three audio lessons this week and expand your vocabulary by 20-30 words.
Tutorial site is an effective tool for teaching English.

Isn't it true that sometimes you feel envious of people who can communicate in English? These lucky ones can easily establish contact with people in any country, be the first to watch new movies that have not yet been translated, understand the meaning of popular songs, and much, much more. What prevents you personally from joining their ranks? After all, today it’s easier than ever to start learning English on your own from scratch on the Internet! Don't believe me? This article will dispel all your doubts that it is quite possible to learn English at home yourself.

Yes, everyone can master English. And the various myths about genius, gifts of the gods and innate abilities for languages ​​have nothing to do with it. It's all about setting the end goal. It is necessary to clearly understand why you are starting and carrying out this educational process. The first question you should have is not how to learn English on your own at home, but why do I need to learn English?

Everyone has their own answer to this main question. We can only give a little guidance and guide you to find your own goal. So, you need to learn English in order to:

1. Feel like you belong anywhere in the world .

No matter what country you visit, there will definitely be people there who speak English. This way, you will ensure confidence in your position when staying abroad.

1. Study at prestigious colleges and universities .

High-quality training in the profession is the key to a successful career. If you want to lay a solid foundation for your adult life, then an international diploma is exactly what you need.

1. Build a career in large international corporations .

A prestigious job requires many skills, including knowledge of foreign languages. With English, you will not be afraid of a business trip even to the most remote branch of the company.

1. Expand your business opportunities .

The international market is incomparably wider than the domestic one, even if you live in the largest country in the world. In turn, communication with foreign partners and clients is unthinkable without knowledge of business English.

1. Get to know the way of life in other countries .

Interest in the traditions and customs of other peoples is inherent in many of us. Using English, you can not only glean interesting information from foreign sources, but also communicate directly with local residents.

1. Make foreign acquaintances .

You can never have too many friends, and having reliable connections in different parts of the world is not only pleasant, but also useful. Communication with interesting interlocutors helps to practice spoken English and get to know the mentality of the country.

1. Join international experience and an unlimited amount of information.

The most valuable thing in the world is information. And the English language opens the door to one of the world's largest repositories of historical and modern materials. With English you can keep your finger on the pulse of the whole world!

Here are just a few obvious facts that prove that learning English is necessary. Try to deduce your practical goal from these rather streamlined formulations. The simpler it is, the better, because initially unattainable peaks kill faith in the success of the entire event.

Let the goal at first be minimal - to watch and understand the episode of your favorite film in the original. This is not difficult to achieve, but the achieved result will give you confidence in your abilities and awaken passion for further study. And it’s never too late to set a new serious goal, isn’t it?

How to start learning English on your own from scratch?

And only after your goal is defined, clear and understandable, is it time to ask the question: how to start learning English from scratch on your own? Here we will not stand aside either and will tell you the main starting points for beginners.

Getting ready to study

Where to start training sessions? First of all, you need to create an atmosphere conducive to studying and plan your study schedule.

Select the necessary study guides, stock up on office supplies and allocate free time in your routine. The issue of time must be taken very seriously. It is clear that we are not studying at school, and cannot study English at home at exactly the same time. What is important to us is not the accuracy of the beginning of the lesson, but the regularity of classes.

The lesson schedule is selected individually. If it is convenient for you to spend 2 hours studying, then studying 3 times a week is enough. If you can’t devote so much time to self-study, then you will have to study for at least 30 minutes, but every day. This time is enough to learn a few new words or remember a couple of grammar rules.

During classes, you should not allow yourself to be distracted. Limit your use of the Internet and telephone unless required by the educational process. Also, do not listen to music or entertainment programs while writing down theoretical lesson material. Otherwise, your attention will be scattered and such activities will hardly be of any use. Don't forget about your goal and try not to waste the time allocated for studying.

Learning the basics

So, the goal has been set, the atmosphere has been created, and the mood for studying is combative. What's next?

If we learn English from scratch, i.e. Since we have never encountered it before, we will turn to the very basics: the alphabet, sounds, transcription, counting and reading rules. As a rule, these simple topics do not pose difficulties for students. But here lies the catch, because... You always want to skim through easy lessons or skip them altogether.

Don't be led by laziness and momentary desires. Later it turns out that you missed it, didn’t understand it, didn’t remember it, and as a result, every lesson will turn into an endless jumping from old theories to new material. It is better to honestly and responsibly go through the initial stages of English lessons from scratch, laying a solid foundation for subsequent knowledge.

We collect an active vocabulary

When we have already learned the first basics of a foreign language, many people inevitably have a question: how to quickly learn English? If there are no obvious prerequisites for this (for example, an urgent trip), then such a statement of the problem is nothing more than a manifestation of laziness.

Think about how many years it takes a child to master his or her native speech tolerably? Practically, more than a decade! And we want to learn a foreign language in our country in a couple of months. It just doesn't happen that way. Therefore, be patient and get used to gradually improving your English skills.

So, the next stage is active vocabulary acquisition. We recommend working either with thematic selections of words, or trying to remember small phrases and set phrases. Firstly, this way you will master a larger volume of vocabulary, and secondly, your speaking and grammar skills will simultaneously improve.

By the way, developing the skill of speaking a foreign language is the most important factor in successful learning. And the more a person remembers accompanying words, connectives, phrases and phrases, the easier it is for him to start constructing entire sentences. Without the ability to speak, knowledge of a language will become a meaningless achievement, and soon the memorized words and rules will simply be erased from memory.

As an additional point, we emphasize that additional, a source for replenishing the vocabulary, various Internet platforms and mobile applications have proven themselves well. Their advantage is that they allow you to quickly become familiar with the spelling and pronunciation of new words, and also ensure that the material is repeated on time and is not forgotten.

But as a stand-alone tool, interactive applications have too many disadvantages:

• small number of words;
• learning without context;
• too frequent repetitions;
• paid features;
• the ability to answer at random.

And if you can somehow put up with the first points, then the last line on the list causes irreparable damage to the educational process. Following the lead of laziness, we begin to mechanically poke at the button we remember, without even comparing the correct answer with the question. As a result, our learning English on your own Houses from scratch turns into an ordinary guessing game, and classes end before they even begin.

Getting to know grammar

In parallel with learning new words, it is necessary to become familiar with the grammatical component of the language. And here a new question arises: how to learn to work with grammar correctly?

1) It is necessary to choose an explanation of the theoretical material that will be easily understandable and accessible to you. It’s a good option to combine material from several manuals or articles on the topic - this way you will get the most complete picture of a given grammatical point.

2) Keep a folder with tabular material to help you learn English. At first, these tables will be a good cheat sheet, but with frequent practice, you won’t even notice how you remember most of the information presented in them.

3) Practice is the only way to learn English from scratch. It doesn’t matter whether you study at home or sign up for group courses. Each learned rule must be reinforced with practical exercises. Well-mastered material can be consolidated with online tests, and it is better to work through complex theory thoroughly by solving several exercises of various types.

The combination of all these stages is a complete answer to the question of how to learn English at home. Yes, this matter is not so simple, but this is how everyone who speaks English fluently today learned. In addition, if you choose the right teaching method, classes can easily be turned from a boring chore into a pleasant pleasure.

We try different methods and add variety to the educational process

Beginning In our search for an effective method of learning English from scratch, we come across many options. Let's list some of them.

We hope that the above arguments have dispelled skepticism about whether it is possible to pick up and learn English on your own. Everything is achievable - the main thing is to get together and start. And we have already told you how to set yourself in the right mood. Good luck in learning and improving English!

“Each new language expands man’s consciousness and his world. It’s like another eye and another ear,” says the hero of Lyudmila Ulitskaya’s book, Daniel Stein. Would you like to expand your picture of the world and find a common language with more than a billion people? For those who answered yes, we will tell you where to start learning English. We hope our guide will help beginners take their first steps and show the right path for those who continue to learn the language.

To get started, we invite you to watch the recording of a two-hour webinar with Victoria Kodak(teacher and methodologist of our online school), in which she answers the question in as much detail as possible about how to properly start learning English:

1. Introduction: When and how best to start learning English

Some adults believe that only children can start learning English from scratch. Some people believe that it is a shame for an adult to start with the basics and learn basic rules and words; others believe that only children can successfully learn foreign languages, because they have excellent memory and learning abilities. Both the first and second opinions are wrong. There is nothing shameful in the fact that you start learning a language as an adult, quite the contrary: the thirst for knowledge always inspires respect. According to statistics from our school, people begin to learn a language from the first stage at 20, 50 and even 80(!) years. Moreover, they not only start, but successfully study and achieve high levels of knowledge of English. So it doesn’t matter how old you are, what matters is your desire to learn and your willingness to improve your knowledge.

Many people ask the question: “What is the best way to start learning English?” First, you should choose a learning method that is convenient for you: in Group, individually with a teacher or on one's own. You can read about the pros and cons of each of them in the article “”.

The best option for those who are going to learn a language “from scratch” is lessons with a teacher. You need a mentor who will explain how the language “works” and help you build a strong foundation of your knowledge. The teacher is your interlocutor who:

• will help you start speaking English;
• explains grammar in simple words;
• will teach you to read texts in English;
• and will also help you develop your listening comprehension skills in English.

For some reason you don’t have the desire or opportunity to study with a teacher? Then check out our step by step guide about self-study of English for beginners.

To begin with, we want to give you some tips on how to better organize your studies so that your efforts do not go to waste. We recommend:

• Exercise at least 2-3 times a week for 1 hour. Ideally, you need to study English every day for at least 20-30 minutes. However, if you want to give yourself a weekend, exercise every other day, but in double volume - 40-60 minutes.
• Work on speech skills. Write short texts, read simple articles and news, listen to podcasts for beginners, and try to find someone to talk to to practice your speaking skills.
• Immediately apply the acquired knowledge in practice. Use learned words and grammatical structures in spoken and written speech. Simple cramming will not give the desired effect: knowledge will fly out of your head if you do not use it. If you have learned a dozen words, make up a short story using all these words and say it out loud. We studied the Past Simple tense - write a short text in which all the sentences will be in this tense.
• Don't "spray". The main mistake beginners make is trying to take as many materials as possible and work with them all at the same time. As a result, the study turns out to be unsystematic, you get confused in the abundance of information and do not see progress.
• Repeat what has been covered. Don't forget to review the material you've covered. Even if it seems to you that you know the words on the topic “Weather” by heart, return to them in a month and check yourself: do you remember everything, do you have any difficulties. Repeating what has been covered is never superfluous. In our blog we have already written about. Familiarize yourself with the techniques and try to put them into practice.

3. Guide: How to start learning English from scratch on your own

Since the English language is still terra incognita for you, we tried to select only the most necessary materials for you. The result is a fairly comprehensive list from which you will learn where to start learning English and how to do it correctly. Let’s say right away that the work ahead will not be easy, but interesting. Let's get started.

1. Learn the rules of reading English

Theater begins with a hanger, and the English language begins with reading rules. This is a basic piece of knowledge that will help you learn to read English and pronounce sounds and words correctly. We recommend using a simple table from the Internet and learning the rules by heart, as well as becoming familiar with the transcription of the English language. This can be done, for example, on the website Translate.ru.

2. Check how words are pronounced

Even if you know the rules of reading by heart, when learning new words, check how they are pronounced correctly. Tricky English words don't want to be read the way they are written. And some of them even refuse to obey any reading rules. Therefore, we advise you to clarify the pronunciation of each new word in an online dictionary, for example, Lingvo.ru or on a special website Howjsay.com. Listen to how the word sounds several times and try to pronounce it exactly the same. At the same time, you will practice correct pronunciation.

3. Start building your vocabulary

Take advantage of visual dictionaries, for example, use the website Studyfun.ru. Bright pictures, voiced by native speakers and translation into Russian will make it easier for you to learn and memorize new vocabulary.

What words should you start learning English with? We recommend that beginners refer to the list of words on Englishspeak.com. Start with simple words of a general topic, remember which words you use most often in your speech in Russian. In addition, we advise you to spend more time studying English verbs. It is the verb that makes speech dynamic and natural.

4. Learn grammar

If you imagine speech as a beautiful necklace, then grammar is the thread on which you place the word beads to ultimately get a beautiful decoration. Violation of the “rules of the game” of English grammar is punishable by misunderstanding of the interlocutor. But learning these rules is not so difficult; all you need to do is study using a good textbook. We recommend taking the first book in the Grammarway series of manuals translated into Russian. We wrote in detail about this book in our review. In addition, we recommend that you read our article “”, from it you will learn what books you will need at the initial stage of learning English.

Do you find textbooks boring? No problem, pay attention to our series of articles “”. In it we lay out the rules in simple terms, provide many examples and tests to test knowledge. In addition, our teachers have compiled for you a simple and high-quality online English grammar tutorial. We also recommend reading the article “”, in it you will find 8 good reasons to take up textbooks, and also find out when you can do without textbooks in learning a language.

5. Listen to podcasts at your level

As soon as you start taking your first steps, you immediately need to accustom yourself to the sound of foreign speech. Start with simple podcasts ranging from 30 seconds to 2 minutes. You can find simple audio recordings with translation into Russian on the website Teachpro.ru. And to get the most out of your listening experience, check out our article “”.

After you have developed a basic vocabulary in English, it's time to start watching the news. We recommend the resource Newsinlevels.com. News texts for the first level are simple. There is an audio recording for each news, so be sure to listen to how words that are new to you sound and try to repeat them after the announcer.

7. Read simple texts

While reading, you activate your visual memory: new words and phrases will be easy to remember. And if you want not just to read, but also to learn new words, improve pronunciation, listen to texts voiced by native speakers, and then read them. You can find simple short texts in textbooks at your level, such as New English File Elementary, or online at this site.

8. Install useful apps

How to start learning English from scratch on your own if you have a smartphone or tablet at hand? Applications for learning English are mini-tutorials that will always be in your pocket. The well-known application Lingualeo is ideal for learning new words: thanks to the spaced repetition technique, new vocabulary will not fade from your memory in a month. And to study the structure and how the language “works,” we recommend installing Duolingo. In addition to learning new words, this application will allow you to practice grammar and learn how to construct sentences in English, and will also help you develop good pronunciation. Also, check out ours and select the programs that interest you most from there.

9. Study online

If you ask Google where to start learning English on your own, the caring search engine will immediately give you a couple of hundred sites with various lessons, online exercises, and articles about learning the language. An inexperienced student is immediately tempted to make 83 bookmarks of “well, very necessary sites on which I will study every day.” We want to warn you against this: with the abundance of bookmarks, you will quickly get confused, but you need to study systematically, without jumping from one topic to another. Bookmark 2-3 really good resources that will help you study. This is more than enough. We recommend doing online exercises on the website Correctenglish.ru. Also check out our article “”, where you will find even more useful resources. And after you master the basics of English, read the article “”, where you can download a file with a list of useful materials and sites for learning the language.

4. Let's summarize

The list is quite large, and we tried to collect for you only the most necessary components of successful learning of the English language. However, we failed to use the most important skill - speaking. It is almost impossible to train him alone. The best you can do is try to find a friend who is learning English. However, a friend with a higher level of knowledge is unlikely to want to study with a beginner, and a beginner like you cannot be an assistant. Moreover, when you work with a non-professional, there is a risk of “catching” his mistakes.

Self-learning a language has one more big disadvantage - lack of control: You will not notice your mistakes and correct them. Therefore, we recommend that you consider taking classes with a teacher at least at the beginning of your journey. The teacher will give you the necessary push and help you choose the right direction of movement - exactly what a beginner needs.

Now you know how to learn English on your own from scratch. We admit that the path ahead will not be easy, but if you have already set a goal for yourself and are ready to work, positive results will not keep you waiting. We wish you patience and perseverance on the path to your goal!

And for those who want to quickly achieve their goal, we offer a teacher at our school.