English course for self-study online. Technologies for learning English at home on your own. View news in English

Surely many people remember how English was studied a decade earlier - using bulky textbooks, huge teaching aids A4 format with a century-old tutor or group on the other side of the city. A similar picture is familiar to many, but certainly not to modern students - now learning a language is becoming more interesting and interactive.
There are many resources that will help make language learning convenient and fast. Based on the experience of many students, one can absolutely definitely conclude: learning a foreign language on your own in a couple of months from scratch is not at all difficult, and thanks to the increasing spread of special sites and applications, it is also free. And this is not about a simple set of tables and texts - whether they are on paper or on a monitor - it's boring - but about interactive resources where you can not only learn the rules, but also read adapted articles, chat with native speakers and test yourself on errors.

Perhaps the first question to ask is "Is it difficult to learn a language on your own?" The answer is nothing. Perhaps, in some respects, it is even easier. For example, many coaches and students unanimously claim that the most best results reaches the one who learns a foreign language with pleasure, i.e., exploring something familiar or extremely interesting. And, as experience shows, this is true. All school and university programs consist mainly of dialogues of abstract Julie and John or boring historical texts. Yes, it is meaningful, yes, the texts are full of new vocabulary, yes, the programs are specially designed knowledgeable people. But who can say with certainty that after such lessons he learned the language perfectly? Alas, 70% of the information flies out of my head the very next day, and the classes themselves are hardly remembered with pleasure.
Another thing is to revise your favorite series, learn the lyrics of your favorite song or read an interesting article. In fact, this is not study, but leisure, although it brings much more fruit, and doing this is much more pleasant, and therefore there will be no turning back from learning the language. By linking a foreign language with an interesting activity in this way, the pleasant merges with the useful. And in a month it will suddenly turn out that you are able to read an article on the English-language Wikipedia and exchange a couple of phrases with a foreigner without any problems.

Rating of free sites for learning English

SiteLevelLanguages ​​to learnInterac-
active
mobile
version
Forum
- From scratchEnglish, German, French +4
74 ElementaryEnglish, French, German +37
1,639 from scratchEnglish and German
3,191 from scratch
4,595 averageEnglish
5,759 from scratchEnglish
13,467 from scratchEnglish, German, French +9
32,785 from scratchEnglish
76,948 from scratchEnglish, German, French +8
138,642 from scratchEnglish, German, French +2
190,319 from scratchEnglish

Polyglot - English from scratch in 16 hours

The best resource for learning a foreign language from scratch. The Polyglot project was launched by the Kultura TV channel in collaboration with Dmitry Petrov, a well-known psycholinguist and translator who speaks 30 languages. On this channel, the user will go from complete ignorance of the language to a good conversational level of English in just 16 most interesting video lessons. Of course, the course does not guarantee to fully teach the audience all the subtleties, but it perfectly helps to overcome the psychological barrier, after which further study language will pass faster and more efficiently. All lessons are accompanied by subtitles and hints.
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BBC Learn - online courses for beginners and professionals


Omnipresent Online Course BBC great help for both beginners and language-savvy users. Starting with the Russian version of the site, you can gradually move to intermediate level, and by changing the site interface to English, find even more advanced lessons. The main advantage of the courses can only be appreciated by advanced speakers - each course and each video is recorded by the BBC itself, and therefore interesting and informative, like the main site, but unlike regular articles, you can always turn to help for unfamiliar words or forgotten rules.
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Duolingo - foreign language from scratch


A very nice site with which you can learn English or German online, the developers promise to launch Spanish and Swedish language programs soon. You can either start the course from scratch, or take a proficiency test to start more difficult lessons. The educational process is aimed at improving the perception of oral and writing. The trainings are quite monotonous - you either need to write down the text you heard without errors, or choose the right word, or translate the sentence. The site is fully interactive and in an instant gives the correct answer, finds an error or corrects the text. In case of an error, you can look at the language rule related to the current lesson and figure it out on your own. The site is free, but to access advanced features (reinforced training, text verification), you need to collect points by mastering skills, translating texts and inviting friends to the application.
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Livemocha is an educational project based on the crowdsourcing model


Multilingual project, which is one of the most popular around the world. The site will be useful for both absolute beginners and those who know the language perfectly, but are working, for example, on the melody of speech or understand the use of the complex past tense. As on Duolingo, on the live mocha the point system works: the user "buys" the course for the points that he initially has, and then he receives the same points back when completing each task. You can also earn points by helping others learn the language - many foreigners study Russian, and a native speaker will need to check elementary tasks. It does not take much time, but it allows you to continue learning English for free on one of the most convenient and informative sites.
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British Council - English lessons from the British Consulate


The official website of the British Consulate offers not only information on visas, but also excellent online English courses. In fact, it is not an interactive course, but a set of various materials for learning English, but unlike other standardized courses, here you can find a lot of games for grammar, videos and podcasts about the UK, tips for preparing for the IELTS exam and useful smartphone applications. You can also see tips on the rules of the language right there, but they are presented in text mode in English, which, of course, is not suitable for absolute beginners, but will serve well for those who already speak English at an intermediate level.
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Lingua Leo - the largest interactive portal in Russia


Of all the presented, LinguaLeo is the most functional and informative of the Russian-language sites. The main plus of learning English on it is a huge selection of training in a very different way: pronunciation, listening, crossword puzzles, word-translation and vice versa. The browser extension function is very convenient, which on a mouse click shows the translation of an unfamiliar word, and on the second click adds it to the dictionary for training. By the way, this is indispensable for those who often work with foreign texts, because the LinguaLeo dictionary translates slang and phrasal verbs, often even gives more translation options than Goole Translate and its counterparts. There are also several courses here - business English, TOEFL and IELTS preparation, but most of them are paid, as well as advanced features of the site, including video lectures and some workouts (although definitely worth it).
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Busuu - one of 12 languages ​​from zero to spoken online


Another interactive site with which you can successfully master the language from the level of an inveterate "Hello!" to conversational business English. While this is the only interactive site for learning French and Spanish, you will need to buy a premium account to learn more than one language, as well as access some lessons. By site type Livemocha, here the user can leave his tasks for review by other users. In fact, Busuu hardly useful for advanced users, but successfully starting to learn the language and bringing it to a level where you can switch to original sources will help perfectly.
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Puzzle English - English through the game


Puzzle English very similar in concept to LinguaLeo although the content is quite different. The main part of the content is films and series with English and Russian subtitles, as well as explanations for them and training. A vivid example of just the case when language learning is completely combined with leisure - who can complain that he is revising the good old "Friends" for the third week, while his English skill is steadily growing? On the other hand, in order to use the site without restrictions, you will have to buy an inexpensive subscription, as in other cases, but the money spent is unlikely to go down the drain.
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Lingust.ru - online English: theory and practice


A good portal for learning multiple languages. Its undoubted advantage is the fact that absolutely all the content on it is free and you do not need to buy a subscription. On the other hand, classes on it are much more reminiscent of school lessons than a game. But still, the material covers English from the basics to a good conversational level and is perfect for anyone who wants to learn the language quickly and for free. Alas, the site does not have a mobile application or interactive programs, but the user can always communicate with other students, since the Vkontakte comments widget is connected to each lesson, which makes it not just a forum, but a means of constant contact and language practice.
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Polyglot Club - communication in a foreign language with native speakers


In essence, this site is more like a social network than an interactive online course. But this has two very important advantages: firstly, there are a lot of foreigners registered here who will be happy to talk with you about everything in the world, even in correspondence, even in video chat, while you can both practice the language and just make friends. Secondly, you can leave texts for review, thereby getting feedback from native speakers. It will be appreciated by those who understand well English language, but I'm not sure about my writing skills, because usually online platforms do not involve checking long texts, but here it happens very quickly and is often carried out by several people. In a word, for language practice Polyglot Club fits like nothing better.
Web site:

Learn at Home - an interactive portal for learning English


Online portal Learn at Home generally similar to Puzzle English- there is also quite a lot of entertainment content, clips and films, and not everything is available in the free version. However, the user can learn quite a few key phrases from comics and clips, practice sentence construction, and interact with other students. And yet, the main part of the functions can hardly be appreciated in the free version, therefore, for a serious study, you still have to fork out a little.
Web site:

Today, English is the universal means of communication. It opens up excellent career prospects. And you should not forget about access to a large information material. Thanks to the knowledge of the English language, you can watch your favorite TV shows at the time they are shown, and not wait until they are translated and adapted to the Russian language.

The advantages of knowing a second language, and as a rule it is English, are many and they can be listed for a very long time. Learning the language of Shakespeare is difficult even in England itself. But, to comprehend the basics of a simple spoken language everyone can.

This does not require teachers and stuffy classrooms. Thanks to modern methods, self-study of English is an exciting and interesting activity. And not as difficult as it seems at first glance.

IMPORTANT: There are no people incapable of "languages". Yes, learning a foreign language can be easier for someone, and more difficult for someone. The main thing is to learn how to properly motivate yourself and find a course of study that is suitable for this.

Of course, if English is needed not for watching TV shows and reading your favorite blog, but for more serious tasks, then self-study is unlikely to help here. You will have to attend special, narrowly focused courses. But, and they can be reached, starting from self-study.

Of course, learning any language from scratch, including English, is much easier by attending special courses and communicating with a "live" teacher.

However, such communication has a number of disadvantages:

  • these activities cost money.
  • need to fit in with the schedule.
  • Missing one class can leave you far behind.

Of course, many of the disadvantages of such training can be minimized by training with Skype. But, if it is not possible to carve out several tens of thousands of rubles from the budget for such an activity, then the only way to learn English is to study it on your own.

How to learn English from scratch?

  • In order to learn the language of JK Rowling from scratch, it is best to use computer program or an audio course for beginners. With their help, you can understand the pronunciation of individual letters and words. By the way, the audio course in this has a lot of advantages.
  • With its help, training can be carried out without looking up from other things. It can be turned on in the car when commuting to work. If you prefer to travel by metro, then download this course to your smartphone and listen to it on the way
  • Of course, an audio course cannot replace the visual perception of the English language. But, there are special online trainings for this. Choose the course you need and start learning

IMPORTANT: From the first day of learning English, you need to try to speak it. If this is not done, then you will not be able to speak it even when vocabulary and grammar knowledge will improve.



In order to learn English from scratch, first learn the alphabet, then move on to simple words - house, ball, girl, etc.

Choose a training where the study of new words is presented in the form of cards. The word in English should be written on it and what it means should be drawn. Scientists have long established the power of visual memory of information.

There is no need to try to remember a lot of words at once. At first, new information will come easily. Then, new words will be remembered easily, and old ones can be forgotten. In order to avoid this, it is necessary to pay more attention to the consolidation of new material. It is better to learn one new word a day, but reinforce all the old ones, than to learn 10 new words a day, but forget what has already been passed.

Where to start learning English?

  • Usually they start learning English from the alphabet. This has its own reason, you can understand how this or that letter sounds. But, it is not at all necessary to memorize its correct order. You can remember the pronunciation of letters without the alphabet. Moreover, they do not always sound like in this list of letters from “Hey to Zeta”
  • When you begin to understand the letters, try to read as many English texts as possible. It is not necessary to understand what is written there. Of course, interesting pictures in the text will make you want to understand what is written in it.
  • Then you can use online translators. But, do not paste all the text into them. Translate one word at a time. This will allow you to learn the language even better and remember a few words.


After you get comfortable in English, get a dictionary
  • Write down in it (just write down with a pen) all the unfamiliar words and phrases you encounter, and their translation
  • In parallel with maintaining your vocabulary, you need to start paying attention to grammar. In English very a complex system times. There are irregular verbs and other difficulties in the way of learning this language. They all need a lot of time. But it pays off handsomely
  • Don't forget about pronunciation. Even a person who understands well what is written English text will not always be able to make out what native speakers of this language are talking about. As a rule, they speak faster than teachers and teachers of language schools do.
  • To make it easier to understand English speech watch movies, series and documentaries without translation. It's a great way to learn this interesting language

IMPORTANT: Try to spend at least 30 minutes in English every day. To do this, it is desirable to select certain hours. So our brain will be able to “tune in” by this time and the learning process will go easier in a few days.

How to learn English easily: a method of teaching English?

There are quite a few methods of learning this foreign language. The most popular are:

  • Method of Dmitry Petrov. A well-known polyglot in our country invented his own methodology and method of presenting information that fits in 16 lessons. Probably, many who were interested in learning English saw a series of TV shows in which Dmitry taught famous people. Thanks to this technique, you can quickly immerse yourself in the language environment and understand the grammar.
  • Method "16". Another technique that allows you to learn the basics of the English language in just 16 hours. It is based on learning dialogues, having mastered which you will be able to understand English.
  • Schechter's method. This system of learning English was developed by the famous Soviet linguist Igor Yurievich Shekhter. Unfortunately, this technique cannot be used for independent study of a foreign language. Moreover, a linguist teacher who will be allowed to teach using this method must himself undergo special training and pass an exam.
  • Dragunkin method. A popular method of teaching English in our country, which was developed by the famous philologist Alexander Dragunkin. He built his system on the so-called Russified transcription. In addition, he deduced the "51 rules" of English grammar. By learning which you can master this language

The above list of methods for learning English can be continued for a long time. The above systems are well suited for self-learning this language.



But, best practice learning English is Frank method

English learners using this method are given two texts. First comes the adapted passage. Usually this is a literal translation, often provided with lexico-grammatical comments. After reading such a passage, the text in English is presented.

The technique is very good, interesting, but has one significant drawback - it is more suitable for learning to read in English, rather than speaking it.

How to quickly learn words in English?

  • There are many ways to memorize words foreign language. The simplest of these is the traditional method. In the notebook you need to write down a few words in English (on the left side of the sheet) and their translation into Russian
  • It is advisable to always keep the notebook open and in a conspicuous place. Read the words and repeat from. Try to remember and go about your business. Refer to your notebook several times a day. After a while, you can write down a few more words. It is advisable to do this on another sheet. So, to leave it in a conspicuous place and at any moment to throw your eyes on the sheet with words
  • If you don't want a notebook, you can use the card method. To do this, cut sheets of cardboard into small cards. On the one hand, you need to write a word in English
  • And on the second, its translation into Russian. Turn the cards over with the English or Russian side facing you and try to translate the words that are written there. Unfold the card and check the correct answer


The card method is very popular.

On the Internet you can find online services where such cards are presented in in electronic format. Thanks to the popularity of this method, today it will not be difficult to buy ready-made cards. However, it is better to make them yourself. After all, writing down something on paper, we write it down in our subconscious.

Do not immediately try to remember a lot of words. In the long run, this is not very effective. Words learned quickly are usually forgotten quickly.

How to learn English verbs?

In principle, the above methods of memorizing English words are suitable for both nouns and verbs. But, among this category of English words there are so-called "irregular verbs". Like the correct ones, they mean:

  • Action - to speak (to speak), to come (to come)
  • Process - to sleep (sleep)
  • State - to be (to be), to know (to know), etc.

In school, such verbs are taught as follows. The students are given their list and the teacher asks them to learn as much as possible from it for the next lesson. This list does not have any structure that facilitates the study of such verbs. Therefore, few of us were able to master English at school.



Modern techniques very different from those in which foreign languages ​​are taught at school

How to quickly learn irregular English verbs?

  • As mentioned above, the “card method” can be used to memorize such verbs. But, unlike "simple" words, irregular verbs have three forms. What actually makes them wrong
  • To make cards with irregular verbs, you need to write the first form on one side, and the other two on the second side. Moreover, the first form does not need to be provided with a translation. And on reverse side it is necessary not only to write two forms of the verb with a translation, but also to provide a hint. For example, "alternating irregular vowel verbs in the root from to [e]"
  • The advantage of this method is that it is easy to use. Cards can be sorted out by hand, remembering first the main form, and then turn over and do the same with other forms. Such training can be carried out both at home and at work. Students can take such cards with them to the institute and repeat the verbs during the break.

Card example:

To make it easier to remember irregular verbs, they can be grouped by:

  • the method of formation of the second and third forms
  • repeatability or non-repetition of forms
  • root vowel alternation
  • sound similarities
  • spelling features


All other verbs need to be structured not alphabetically, as in school, but according to the above principles:

How to learn tenses in English

Another pitfall for anyone who wants to learn English is the times. By understanding their use, you can take a big step forward in learning this language.

In general, there are three tenses in English:

But, the difficulty lies in the fact that each time has types. The first type of such times is called Simple (simple). That is, there is:

Continuous (continuous, long) is the second type of tense.

The third kind is called Perfect. Thus, there are:

There is also another type of tense that combines all the previous Perfect Continuous (perfectly extended). Accordingly, the times can be:


IMPORTANT: In the specialized literature on the English language, Simple can be called Indefinite, and Continuous can be called Progressive. Don't be afraid, it's the same thing.

  • In order to use English Times in sentences, you need to understand what action is happening? It is regular, it was yesterday, it is happening at the moment, etc. Simple tenses denote an action that occurs regularly, but its exact moment is not known. on Sundays - on Sundays (the specific time is not known)
  • If a specific time is indicated in the sentence (at the moment, from 4 to 6 o'clock, etc.), then Continuous is used - long time. That is, time that denotes a specific moment or a specific period of time.
  • If the action is completed, Perfect is used. This time is applied when the result of the action is already known or it is possible to know exactly when it will end (but may still be going on)
  • The Perfect Continuous construction is used least often in English. It is used to designate a process whose action is not completed, but it needs to be said at the moment. For example, "In May it will be 6 months since I study English"
  • To study the tenses of the English language, you can also make tables, as for irregular verbs. Only instead of them enter linguistic formulas. You can use special literature. Better than multiple authors


Very well told about the times in Dmitry Petrov's method "Polyglot 16"

How to learn text in English?

  • If you need to learn a text in English in a short period of time, then you can use several methods for this purpose.
  • Before learning a text in a foreign language, you need to prepare. Namely, translate it. On the one hand, learning a text in English without knowing what is written there will not work. And on the other hand, while we are translating, something will already be written to the “subcortex”
  • During the translation of the text, you need to reread it several times. If you do this during the day, then before going to bed, repeat this procedure. We will sleep and the brain will work
  • In the morning, the text should be printed and hung in prominent places. Cooking, the text should be in the kitchen in a conspicuous place. Vacuuming in the living room, it should also be visible


The text in English is very well remembered if it is recorded on a voice recorder

Let's go to the store, headphones in your ears and listen, repeating every word to yourself. V gym, instead of hard rock, you need to listen to this text again.

If the text is large, then it is better to break it into several small passages, and memorize each of them in turn. Do not be afraid, learning a text in English is not as difficult as it seems.

How to learn English in a dream?

At the end of the Soviet era, many “unique” methods of self-education poured into our country. One of them was to study foreign languages ​​during sleep. Before going to bed, a cassette with lessons was put into the player, headphones were put on and the person fell asleep. They say that this method helped some.

Everyone knows that sleep is very useful. According to researchers involved in this problem, sleep can improve mental abilities.



And in general, a sleepy person “absorbs” information better.
  • But, for some reason, he absorbs it after sleep. English words from the player can only spoil the dream. So, worsen the perception of information the next day
  • But, sleep can really help. But, only if you take the time immediately before it to study English
  • After such a lesson, you can sleep, and the brain during this time will “process” the information and put it on the “shelves”. This method of learning foreign languages ​​has proven to be effective and is used by many people.
  • And you can improve this technique if, immediately after sleep, you consolidate what was studied before bedtime.

Learning English: reviews

Katia. To learn a foreign language, you need to spend at least 30 minutes a day on it. Every day for half an hour. Even one missed day will have a very negative impact. I make sure to devote 30 minutes of English a day. Plus, if there is still time, then be sure to take a bonus.

Kirill. Now there are a lot of sites on the Internet where in game form material is supplied. I am learning English through series. I watch serials in this language with Russian subtitles. I used to read subtitles all the time. Now I'm trying to understand myself.

Video: Polyglot in 16 hours. Lesson 1 from scratch with Petrov for beginners

Nowadays, ignorance of the English language turns into a disadvantage that can poison life. Luckily, fixing it isn't that hard.

Why is it important to know English?

Nobel laureate Joseph Brodsky wrote that before 1917 bilingualism was the norm for an educated Russian. Alas, the social cataclysms of the twentieth century led to the fact that by the beginning of the third millennium, only a few could boast of knowledge of foreign languages. Fortunately, the realization of the deep depravity of this practice has nevertheless come, and at the moment the percentage of people who speak at least English is steadily increasing. This is largely due to positive changes in the education system - if earlier English was quoted at the level of labor and physical education, now it is one of the main subjects in the school curriculum.

All this means that in the near future a huge number of specialists will enter the market who will not only be young and ambitious, but will also have an excellent command of Shakespeare's language. Naturally, this will make their resumes especially attractive to employers. Experts say that in the near future it will be impossible to get an adequate place without knowledge of the English language. Perhaps that is why the sacramental questions "How to learn English in a month?" are increasingly driven into Internet search engines. and

If you are still not at odds with the "English", it's time to close this gap. Fortunately, there are plenty of opportunities these days.

How to do it?

If you are a schoolboy or a student, then everything is simple - you just need to gather your will into a fist and prepare more diligently for classes. If you have missed too much and do not understand what the teacher is talking about with such interest, contact him for
individual consultation. Schools and universities are still full of enthusiasts who will gladly answer your questions after hours, and also for free.

If the days of your youth have already passed, it is worth considering the option with courses. There are a lot of options - for any pocket and any level of training. Somewhere they teach English from scratch, somewhere they purposefully prepare for exams for obtaining
certificate or work visa, somewhere they give priority to specialized vocabulary - for example, now English courses for IT specialists are gaining popularity.

How to combine it with work?

As a rule, firms offer a variety of formats for classes - you can work individually (it will cost more), you can work in large groups. The second option will be cheaper, in addition, it will be easier to practice speaking skills in a group. On the other hand, if there are more than 5-6 people in the group, you will rarely speak, and there is also a high probability that there is an obvious outsider in the group, because of which the teacher will have to spend more time explaining trivial things.

Most firms are ready to adapt to your schedule - there are weekend groups, there are "lark" groups, there are "evening parties".

Is it possible to learn English at home?

Despite the large number of offers, not everyone goes to the courses. Someone lacks motivation for this, someone is scared off by the price, someone is very embarrassed to make their ignorance of English public.

If you fall into any of these categories, don't despair. Of course, you can learn English on your own. Of course, this option has disadvantages, but there are also many advantages. First, you will solve the problem with "English" completely
free of charge, and secondly, you will be able to study according to the most flexible schedule.

There are many examples of how people got from zero to B1 in just a few months - the only question is perseverance, desire and willingness to regularly devote the necessary time to learning the language.

How to start learning English on your own?

The first important step is to understand that "alone" does not mean "alone". The main thing in learning a new language is consistency. There is always a risk to spend
time for unnecessary things, so at least at the very beginning it is advisable to get advice from a person you trust - a professional teacher or just a friend who knows the language very well. It is even better if there are several such people. They will suggest literature, websites and what words to learn in English.

Once you've collected your recommendations, you can begin to develop a clear plan. There is nothing more useless in the world than taking on a global project without a clear idea of ​​how to implement it. Learning English is just such a global project. Practice shows that people who set such vague goals as "Learn English in a month ... or more" rarely succeed. Much more often, goals are achieved by those who initially divide a large task into several smaller tasks and methodically solve them, smoothly moving from easy to more complex ones.

For example, for the first month, you can set yourself the task "Learn 800 words and deal with the structure of the verb."

It is very important to immediately choose for yourself some basic way of learning a language. Options are here by and large are limited to a textbook or the internet.

In both cases, it is critical to find the most suitable source of information for you. There are hundreds of textbooks in bookstores, millions of sites on the Internet, but for some reason not everyone still speaks English. This means that not all of these textbooks and sites are suitable for solving such problems. challenging task. Meanwhile, there are truly high-quality manuals, but it is not always easy to find them - that is why we recommended starting language learning with a consultation. There are many ways to learn English, and a professional language teacher will surely be able to tell you exactly which one will be most suitable for you.

Having decided on the leading method and drawing up a schedule, start working. At the same time, always remember that a foreign language is akin to a beloved girl who does not forgive betrayal. As soon as you relax and give up working on the language for one or two days, the chances of overall success will drop. The work must be systematic and purposeful. You can achieve the goal only if you regularly devote 1-2 hours to the language.

Where can you find the time?

Let's immediately anticipate the traditional exclamation "Where can I get the time?!" Believe me, you have it - just think about how much you spend every day aimlessly surfing the Internet, browsing social networks or talking with colleagues. All this can be replaced with additional English exercises.

On the way to work and back, it is also not at all necessary to look out the window sadly - after all, you can have fun looking at the textbook! Or on the screen of your phone - if this option is closer to you, then you should take a closer look at the impressive market for applications for language learners. There are many options there - from simple programs in the spirit of "We give you the word, you translate for us" to full-fledged educational platforms "How to learn English in a month."

By the way, most of these programs are absolutely free.

More about the benefits of reading

Few people can boast of a love for monotonous work. As a rule, we all act much more productively, regularly changing the type of activity. This fully applies to the study of a foreign language. Yes, you should have some basic way of working in your stash, but it just needs to be combined with others - perhaps more enjoyable ones. "Constant change of activity" is the best answer to the question "How easy it is to learn English on your own and for free."

A great way to test your achievements in practice and at the same time seriously replenish your vocabulary is to read in a foreign language. Here again, the bookstore and the Internet can come to the rescue. In the bookstore you can buy books in English, and very often you can find specially adapted books for people who are just starting to learn the language, or who speak it at an intermediate level.

Many shops also sell English-language newspapers and magazines. Of course, when choosing publications, you need to start from your own interests - for example, a football fan will be really interested in trying to read an English-language article on a favorite topic, and the likelihood that he will get bored and put down the newspaper will noticeably drop.

The Internet is an even more bottomless trove of materials. There are a large number of sites offering you adapted texts for reading - of the most different sizes and based on the most different levels of preparation. In addition, there are billions of English-language portals on the Internet, including those about your favorite band, your favorite actor, and your favorite sports team. The hint, we believe, is clear!

It is important that such reading will enrich you not only lexically, but also intellectually.

You can become an expert in English grammar, but what will it give if no native speaker understands you? The English language has a fairly complex phonetics, which has its own methods and techniques to work with.

First, you should fall in love with foreign music. Listening to songs in English is a great way to learn pronunciation. Many people who are fluent in English admit that they learned it from the songs of their favorite bands, and not at school.

More complex, but more reliable way- Watching movies in English. At the same time, forget about Russian subtitles - our brain is tuned to look for the simplest ways, so from some point you will simply start reading subtitles, not paying attention to what the actors are saying there. But English subtitles can be used, especially at first - not all actors have the Moscow Art Theater articulation, and it will be difficult to deal with the intricacies of pronunciation. Text insurance won't hurt. In addition, do not forget that many films are shot in the United States, and American English is a topic for a separate discussion.

How to learn English in a month? It's impossible. In order to proudly call yourself an English-speaking person, you need to spend years, and then do not forget about practice - without training, language skills disappear very quickly.

Successful work on a new language starts with motivation.

There are many advantages to learning English on your own from scratch. Firstly, it is convenient in terms of time planning, and secondly, it is cheap or even completely free - most teaching materials for beginners can be found in the public domain. And third, it's fun - you can easily skip boring topics and focus only on what you like. In this article, we will give some useful tips, where to start learning English for beginners and, in fact, how to learn English from scratch to an acceptable level.

How to learn English from scratch on your own

Reading Rules

Deciding to learn English on your own, first of all figure out how to read in this language. The first stage includes:

  1. learning the alphabet;

  2. learning the basics of pronunciation - pay attention to sounds that are absent in Russian: [ŋ], [r], [ʤ], [ɜ:], [θ], [ð], [ʊ].

Also check out the cases when several letters in the transcription make one sound. For instance:

enough [ɪˈnʌf]- enough
although [ɔlˈðoʊ]- although

Work on your pronunciation

Even just starting to learn English, gradually get rid of the accent. Some online dictionaries have a voice acting feature. Use it when in doubt about pronunciation.

Keep practicing correct pronunciation [ŋ], [r], [ʤ], [ɜ:], [θ], [ð], [ʊ], as they are difficult for beginners. Special tongue twisters for each sound of the English language will help you with this.

Increase your vocabulary

When, while studying English on your own at home, you will understand the basics of reading and pronunciation, start replenishing your vocabulary. Beginners should start with simple vocabulary on topics.

Standard topics for those who want to learn English from scratch:

  • family;
  • sport;
  • relaxation;
  • animals.

These topics are standard, but if they make you sad, replace them with something that interests you. For example, field hockey, medieval literature, music from the mid-twentieth century, electric cars, etc.

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Irregular verbs of the English language: table, rules and examples

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In addition to nouns, learn simple verbs: take (take), give (give), walk (walk), eat (eat), speak (talk, speak), ask (ask), thank (thank), play (play), run (run), sleep (sleep ) etc. Do not forget the main adjectives: big-small (big-small), fast-slow (fast-slow), pleasant-unpleasant (pleasant-unpleasant), good-bad (good-bad), etc.

Try to speak already at this stage, making simple sentences from the learned words.


Learn grammar

When you have learned how to read and write words and learned the basic vocabulary while studying English on your own, it's time for grammar. But do not immediately dive into this topic with your head. All we need now is to learn how to correctly build simple sentences.

For beginners in English at home, it is enough to master:

  • conjugation of the construction "to be";
  • 3 tenses (present simple, past simple, future simple);
  • word formation.

When studying tenses, you will find that some verbs form the past tense differently than others. These verbs are called irregular, and each of their forms must be learned by heart.

Listen to the speech

Finally, we come to the most interesting stage of self-study of the English language. When the foundation is laid, feel free to start practicing, and already in the process, brick by brick, add new knowledge to it.

Practice is speaking and listening, inextricably linked. For beginners at this stage, it is important to remember the following tips:

  • To speed up the process of learning English, you can watch video lectures, video blogs, TV shows, news releases, listen to radio and podcasts.
  • Language learning will go faster if you decide to get acquainted in in social networks with a foreigner and start communicating in writing and/or via Skype.
  • Your best assistant in learning English will be trying to speak it. Pester family and friends with the question How are you? (How are you?), or better, tell them everything yourself: what you do, what you think about, what you want, etc. If shyness interferes, talk to yourself, the main thing is to practice speaking.

By this time, with self-study, the English vocabulary of the beginner will no longer be enough to understand colloquial speech. Therefore, learn to memorize not individual words, but phrases and set phrases at once.

Read more

Learning to read English well is not easy, especially for a beginner who has chosen the path of self-study. If during a conversation the context and facial expressions of the speaker tell you the meaning of phrases, then when reading in English, you only see impassive letters on a white background.

Useful advice:

For beginners, the method of Ilya Frank, designed for those who decide to learn a language from scratch, will be useful: read special books in which sentences in English alternate with translation into Russian. This allows you not to be distracted each time by looking for the right word in the dictionary, but to memorize it immediately in context.

With this method, after 2-3 months, even with self-study, you are all less attention you will pay attention to the translation, and in the end you will completely stop noticing it.


Use apps and websites

Bab.la

A useful dictionary, both for beginners to learn English and for advanced students, in which words and phrases are presented immediately in the context of their use, so you can trace their meanings in different situations.

Multitran

The Multitran dictionary is useful for both beginners and translators. For each word, dozens of meanings are selected here. Multitran also boasts phraseological units and set phrases in English.

Duolingo

Duolingo is a comprehensive language learning platform. A great option for beginners to learn English on their own. On the site or through the application, students consistently go through lessons consisting of theory, tests, practical exercises and game tasks. As you progress, the complexity of topics and tasks increases.

Busuu

Another site using A complex approach in learning English from scratch: Busuu has materials for learning vocabulary, grammar, and speaking, listening and writing.

Learn English by British Council

Learn English by British Council is an educational resource focused on British English. In addition to standard theoretical rules, hundreds of exercises and tests are collected here. Also on Learn English there are videos, podcasts, songs and games that beginners will also understand.

Cons of learning English on your own

With all its obvious advantages, the method of self-study has one significant drawback - it requires strict discipline from beginners. To achieve noticeable results, you need to practice regularly and systematically, but not everyone can make effective program and force yourself to follow it. Another difficulty for beginners to learn English may arise with error checking. English lessons for beginners from scratch are generally understandable, but they do not give feedback, and this is very important. If vocabulary and grammar can be checked in online exercises, then it is difficult for beginners to train listening and speaking without a teacher.

Useful video on the topic: