Technological era we are living in provides us with a myriad of fun and exciting learning apps it is quite simple to engage yourself in a study process, isn’t it? And yet, many students continue struggling with learning a new language, attributing it to bad memory or no flair for languages.

As a matter of fact, there is some truth in that, namely, memory is getting worse as we are getting older and, luckily, not all people are born to be philologists or linguists. On the other hand, we may well develop knowledge and skills by using effective methods and prompts for successful learning.

Basic Concepts

Before we delve into some of the most working methods of learning a new language, it is essential to highlight that there are no shortcuts and language acquisition requires a lot of effort no matter how fun the chosen methods and learning materials are.

The good news is that as soon as English becomes a part of your daily routine, and it happens through practising on a daily basis, it no longer appears to be a heavy burden.

The bad news is that you have to switch passive learning approach to mostly active one which implies high concentration on singular words or statements with the purpose of memorisation and applying a series of oral activities in order to move new information to a long-term memory.

Top 7 Effective Methods for Learning English

Here are some of the effective ways of learning a language based on my experience.

1. Watch a 3–5-minute video with English subtitles on different life topics, such as friendship, healthy eating, cities and towns etc. After watching it many times, try to convey orally the content using words and expressions from the video.
2. Read articles from a textbook or on the net out loud and check the pronunciation of any word that sows doubt in you. In addition, make a summary orally of what you have just read.
3. When it comes to new vocabulary, you may want to link new words to those with a similar meaning that you know already without translating into your own language. In other words, learn various more complex synonyms of the words you know already. For example, next time when you need to say “important” you will use “essential” or “crucial” instead.
4. It is also fundamental to keep in mind that new words get forgotten after a while unless you have created a strong association at the stage of their memorisation. Make sure to revise them periodically until they fix firmly in your long-term memory. You may do it by reflecting on different synonyms of the words you come across.
5. Any practice shouldn’t be something automatic like repeating words from a CD or after a teacher. The best way to master your English vocabulary is to be forced to put it into practice by answering spontaneous questions in a friendly environment, whether you talk to a friend or a “like a friend” teacher, or speak to yourself seeking to give as complete and rich vocabulary answers as possible.
6. Not to tackle far too difficult videos and texts that would make you look up every single word. This will probably cause you to lose interest soon.
7. Find a friend abroad or a friendly teacher of English you feel comfortable to share your thoughts and life events with. Put on a pyjamas, sit comfortably and make a call him or her and tell everything that has happened recently, trying to insert new words and expressions you have come across lately.

Learning a New Language Abroad

It may seem that the best way to learn English or any other language is in the country of its origin, and yet it is not the easiest one. Its effectiveness is justified by indispensable integration that immigrants deal with and by the necessity to communicate with residents or coworkers in their language.

Plus, during a dwelling in a foreign country we unconsciously tend to pick up on some words and expressions around us that are being deposited in our minds. That’s why the study process appears to be faster and less demanding than when you do it with the help of a textbook.

However, you should take into account that, as long and boring a learning process “with a textbook” may seem, anyway it is less stressful and overwhelming considering unlimited time at your disposal, in comparison to learning in a foreign country where you may need to use the language for work or study purposes immediately.

A Major Obstacle and how to Deal with it

So, as it was already mentioned, the learning approach should be active. In the meantime, a major challenge remains that of non being able to find proper words and being stuck in an attempt to retrieve relevant vocabulary while speaking, not to mention, the fear of making mistakes. To overcome this, you need a friendly, encouraging, non judgmental interlocutor who would help you feel comfortable with the language your learn, and who no way demonstrates prevalence over you. The more you are relaxed, the less anxious you feel, and thus you get more fluent.

You may have times when you are more talkative and times when it is hard to retrieve appropriate words. What really matters is how you forgive yourself some weaknesses on the way of continuous improvement and becoming a better version of yourself. The real interest awakens when we start comprehending more so that it doesn’t take much time to read an article or listen to a radio programme. Subsequently, the feeling of accomplishment stimulates further mastering of a target language.