Lessons on learning English on your own. English for beginners: program for Beginner and Elementary levels

Hello dear readers!

How are you progressing in learning English? What methods and systems have you tried? Have you already chosen what's right for you?

Currently, there are many different offers on the educational services market. And, of course, for beginners learning a language, it is very difficult to navigate and make the right choice so that the learning is effective and brings results.

This article provides an overview of the best tutorials and gives my recommendations for improving the learning process.

About teaching methods

It is believed that The English language self-teacher will help you master the basic course quickly and without the help of a leader or mentor.. In addition, this is a less expensive way to learn a language, which is important. Therefore, quite a lot of people choose this method. Is all of the above actually true? Let's figure it out.

All English language tutorials can be divided into several types:

1. traditional,
2. to master spoken English,
3. for an intensive course,
4. copyright,
5. art self-instruction books,
6. tutorials from native speakers,
7. online tutorials.

A good tutorial must come with an app audio material!

Standard training

You can start learning from scratch using traditional methods, in which the presentation of material proceeds from simple to complex. Here you will receive information about the phonetic system, correct pronunciation, intonation, basic grammatical rules, and find useful tests and exercises.

One of the popular ones in this category is “The best self-teacher of the English language” by A. Petrova, I. Orlova.

Here one of the reviews on the popular website litres.ru, which reflects the entire essence and content of the textbook: “I liked this book right away... the text, simple and understandable drawings, a clear structure for presenting the material... Everything is clearly laid out on the shelves: we start with the basics and end at a significantly advanced level!”

Download the book on Litres

Download the book on Litres

Speech development

The following textbooks are suitable for mastering spoken English.

T. G. Trofimenko “Conversational English” . Without studying grammar, you can learn to construct the necessary phrases on your own. The technique presented here will help you remember the necessary words and expressions, as well as master pronunciation. This textbook is also suitable for children.

Download the book on Litres

N. Brel, N. Poslavskaya. “Course of spoken English in convenient formulas and dialogues” . This textbook is recommended for beginners and those who have difficulty speaking. It is designed to overcome the language barrier.

Download the book on Litres

M. Goldenkov. “Hot Dog Too. Spoken English” . A valuable guide from which you will learn about the features of modern language and slang, common idioms, and business correspondence.

Short terms

Intensive methods are mainly intended for training narrow specialists in any field. Here, acquaintance with new material goes in parallel with the consolidation of covered topics.

Book by S. Matveev “English for Beginners” It is interesting because the author presents the material in an extraordinary way, taking into account the psychological characteristics of mastering a foreign language, and makes different types of memory work. In this book you will find great reviews. “A good book that helps you learn the language from the very basics. Complex topics are explained clearly and clearly, English words are easily given" By the way, I have information about this author’s books.

Download the book on Litres

To gain knowledge about business correspondence, negotiations and telephone conversations, I advise you to use the manual S.A. Sheveleva “Business English in 20 minutes a day” .

Download the book on Litres

Author's methods

I would like to note the publication Dmitry Petrov, a famous linguist and polyglot. "English language. 16 lessons” is an initial language course that allows you to quickly start speaking English. You will learn the basic algorithms of the language, learn how to apply them in practice, and turn everything into a skill.

Download the book on Litres

Native speaker

Here you can highlight the textbook K.E. Eckersley “English Language Self-Teacher” . It is suitable for students of universities and colleges. Wonderful presentation, a lot of regional material, a cool selection of examples and exercises will make learning easy.

Download the book on Litres

Online tutorials

Lingualeo . This service can rightfully deserve the title of a tutorial. Therefore, feel free register and use it - it's free. And besides this - interesting, easy, effective! I wrote about this service on the blog pages - for example, here.

If you want step-by-step work, then feel free to purchase a paid course « English from scratch». After this, you can switch to grammar by purchasing the course « Grammar for Beginners» . Also take the course « About yourself and loved ones in English». I am writing all this for those who do not know where to start the process here. I think you will succeed!

Another interesting and increasingly popular online tutorial is Lim-English. This simulator is aimed at the simultaneous development of listening, reading, writing and speaking. Study for 30 minutes a day and your English level will improve significantly! I tried it and really liked it - now you are sure you will enjoy it and get results!

Currently, almost all books have electronic versions. Of course, they can be downloaded for free, but the world does not stand still. Everything is changing, revised and improved editions are coming out. Therefore, in my opinion, it would be a better decision to buy a textbook. You will receive high-quality material for a small fee and appreciate the author’s work. If you are not a beginner, choose audiobooks, they will improve your perception of foreign speech and pronunciation.

So, to the conclusions

Yes, tutorials can be used, it’s especially worth paying attention to those that come with audio reinforcement. But be prepared for the fact that during the learning process you will have a huge number of questions. And you won’t be able to find answers to all of them on your own. And the search will take up too much of your time. Is it worth wasting such a colossal amount of time? After all, time, as you know, also costs money.

In my opinion, for productive and effective studying, as well as to achieve results as quickly as possible, work on the tutorial should be combined . He will be able to monitor your training once every week or two and purposefully lead you to a new level. By the way, I did comparative review of several online English language schools- be sure to check it out - who knows, you might want to change your English course a little from a self-teacher to a real teacher!

In any case, good luck to you!

P.S. Feel free to take a minute to look into the comments on this post and ask a question, write about your personal experience, or simply add your own experience to the information. This may be useful for both you and other visitors!

Do you want to learn English quickly and easily? If you didn't have time to do this in school or didn't have the opportunity, don't despair! You can speak English very quickly with very little effort if you approach learning English the right way.

Coming out of your comfort zone is tough in the beginning, chaotic in the middle, and awesome in the end...because in the end, it shows you a whole new world !!! Make an attempt.

Getting out of your comfort zone is so difficult at first, chaotic in the middle, but how wonderful in the end... Because in the end the whole world will open up in front of you in a new way!!! Just give it a try.

In the modern world, there are many ways to study foreign languages, and sometimes it is not easy for a person to understand this variety of methods, textbooks, schools and approaches. A few simple tips will help you take the first step and choose what is right for you and stay on track.

You can learn more about the intensive method of learning English from the article

English for dummies from scratch. How to start?

The initial stage in learning English is the most difficult, but you have the most important thing - strength and desire

Where to start learning English?

Learning English from scratch simply won’t work, because you already have a certain amount of knowledge in your head. And this is thanks to the many borrowed words ( information, conflict, comfort), brand names ( Tide- clean, Safeguard- protection, Dove- dove), speaking the names of famous people ( Tina Turner(turner), Nicolas Cage(cell), names of musical groups ( No Doubt(without a doubt), Destiny's Child(child of destiny) Spice Girls(Pepper girls). Not to mention the well-known phrases thank you, hello, yes, ok, wow, which we have been using in Russian colloquial speech for a long time.

Without knowing it, you already speak English words and expressions. And this is the first thing that should inspire you! All that remains is to direct the existing knowledge in the right direction.

How to choose a school and English teacher?

The best option at the initial stage of language acquisition is to find a teacher. As the famous saying goes, a student is not a vessel to be filled, but a torch to be lit. This torch can be lit for you by a teacher, with a twinkle in his eye and a great desire and ability to teach. The most important thing is that it must be a professional in his field .

“You are looking at an unprofessional if, instead of constructing live conversational situations, he forces you to perform tasks at the level of meaning, i.e. just “chasing” you through the textbook. Instead of constantly complimenting you, encouraging communication, he makes comments, rejoices at your every mistake, if he goes to class without original materials (newspapers, magazines, books, radio programs, etc.), and limits himself to textbooks.” Ilya Frank

Russian teacher or native speaker?

And one more wish - first of all, it should be a Russian-speaking teacher. Only he will be able to understand why you made this or that mistake, and will explain complex grammatical phenomena in simple words, the difference between words, comparing them with the Russian language.

However One teacher is not enough to master a language. In your free time from classes, do additional tasks and repeat what you have learned. Anyone who has the desire and interest will definitely do it.

Or it is possible that you have motivation, but for some reason you decided to learn English on your own. Be prepared for the fact that this will require much more time and effort, since you will need to not only complete tasks, but also select and check them yourself! Here, YouTube channels for learning English can help you.

Group English classes at an offline school are a great way to learn the language and meet new people

To clearly understand what you need to learn, you need to know its structure. Imagine that words (vocabulary) are musicians, each of them can play individually, their instruments make sounds (phonetics), and in order to organize them into a single orchestra, coordinate them, they need a conductor (grammar).

If the musician doesn’t show up (you don’t know the word), or he comes but plays the wrong notes (pronounce it incorrectly), or the conductor gives the wrong command (break a grammar rule), you won’t get a perfect symphony!

Important!

Vocabulary, grammar, phonetics are the three pillars on which the language rests. Only by studying them together can you master and understand the language and sound beautiful and correct.

Learn English words

Suppose a lost tourist does not know grammar, but he knows individual words - i, search, station, or only one word station. Even if he pronounces it with an accent and not entirely correctly and addresses this word to passers-by, then, most likely, they will understand him. But if he doesn’t know how to speak a station in English, they’re unlikely to help him. Words are your base, constantly expand your vocabulary.

The vocabulary of most native English speakers is 12,000-20,000 words, and in order to communicate in English, it is enough to learn 1,500-2,000 words. And this is not so much, especially if you set yourself a goal of learning 5 words every day.

There are a lot of ways to remember words; long lists of words in textbooks give way to colorful visual dictionaries, video materials on the Internet, where words on a specific topic are presented with their image and pronunciation. Or it could be paper cards that you can buy or make yourself.

Cards with pictures and translations on the back will help you quickly learn English words.

Let English words surround you! The method of hanging notes with words around the house has worked well. Hang a note on your door, window, or table with the word for this item, and believe me, very soon you will be naming these items in English.

From the very beginning, create your own dictionary in which you will enter all new words and expressions. And in order to make the results more noticeable and have something to praise yourself for, number the written words, highlight them in different colors depending on how easy or difficult they are for you. Be creative, turn your dictionary into a unique creative masterpiece! See the video below for some ideas on how to design a dictionary.

And most importantly: do not learn everything, but only the essentials. Choose priority topics for yourself, for example, family, food, shopping, travel. Don't try to embrace the immensity. You learn a language all your life!

Having found the desired word in the dictionary, take the time to look through the entire dictionary entry. There are situations when it is better to learn not a single word, but a whole expression, especially if it sounds different in Russian, for example, to get acquainted with, to be afraid of, to catch a cold. Having memorized such phrases as a whole expression, you will remember them ready-made, like one long word.

Don’t forget to repeat the written words from time to time, and then they will be remembered quickly and involuntarily. You can also install mobile applications for learning English words, of which there are quite a lot on the Internet now.

Learn English grammar

Grammar cannot be ignored. No matter how much supporters of alternative and communicative techniques fight against “cramming” grammar rules and boring exercises, grammar rules need to be taught and trained. At the initial stage of study, it will be easier for you to learn a ready-made rule and exceptions than to identify patterns yourself.

However, learning grammar should not become an end in itself. To consolidate the studied grammatical material, combine it with vocabulary. For example, having learned, write a story about your family or work day, having learned the degrees of comparison of adjectives - describe the weather forecast yesterday and today, having studied adverbs of quantity - write a recipe for your favorite dish.

Practice makes perfect

Consolidate the acquired knowledge in practice in all forms: reading, listening, writing, speaking. If you miss even one link from this chain, you risk never overcoming the language barrier.

These should be simple articles and news. Or adapted literature, where intricate constructions that are unnecessary at first are excluded, there are explanations and exercises for reading comprehension. It is convenient to read books in electronic form with an electronic dictionary, because you just need to point to an unfamiliar word and the dictionary will provide you with a translation, which is much easier compared to a paper dictionary.

Learn English by listening

This could be news, podcasts for beginners, stories. From time to time, use the passive listening method, having English spoken in the background. Believe me, the information will be remembered on a subconscious level.

Try to repeat what you hear from native speakers, imitating intonation and pronunciation. You can see an example of intuitive memorization of words by watching the video.

Listen also to English songs, pick up individual words, develop your linguistic intuition. It is especially helpful to start with simple songs where lines or structures are repeated. For example, thanks to the song “All at once” (author Lenka) you will learn to compare:

It’s quite possible for even a beginner to repeat these lines, and by singing them, you practice pronunciation and can transform your speech.

What to watch first?

Find your method to learn English comfortably

A good start will not make you a fluent speaker. The tongue, like a plant, requires care, water it every day: read, listen, write, speak! And only then will it bear fruit.

Find your own path to your goal. Nobody knows you better than yourself. Try to think in English, describe everything that surrounds you. Let them be individual words at first, then phrases, and soon sentences.

French linguist Claude Agége once said: “Of all the languages ​​on the planet, English is the most flexible and most responsive to changing reality.” And it’s true! Every year the English language is replenished with 4,000 new words!

Try teaching English to someone who knows it less well. Yes, you won’t learn anything new, but by explaining it to others, you will better understand and consolidate your knowledge. You can study together with someone (relative, friend, colleague), and compose short dialogues. It’s good if it’s a person who is as eager to master the English language as you are. Perhaps it will be easier for you to figure it out together.

The main thing is to exercise regularly and as often as possible (ideally every day). Your results depend on how systematically you do this. It's like an athlete who needs to stay in shape. This is the only way you will get used to the language. That's right, you need to get used to the language.

Finally:

The initial stage in learning English is the most difficult; it is at this stage that the foundation is laid. You have to overcome the language barrier and believe in yourself or lose the desire to learn the language forever. Remember the simple rules for successfully learning English:

1. Find not just a teacher, but a professional in your field; if there is no opportunity or desire, be your own teacher.
2. Practice regularly, do not take on new things without repeating what you have learned.
3. Train all types of speech activities: listening, speaking, reading, writing. Let the English language into your life, and it will reciprocate your feelings.
4. Love what you do so that learning a language becomes a part of your life and brings pleasure. With the right methods and materials it won't be difficult! Good luck!

In contact with

Friends! I wrote these English lessons for those who want to learn to speak English. This is a kind of online tutorial for beginners. With its help, you will learn how to put words into sentences and learn about 500 common words and expressions.

Recently, these lessons were published in the form of a textbook called “Conversational English Grammar.” The book was published by AST Publishing House and is available in electronic (pdf) and paper form. I talked more about the tutorial in this video:

The textbook can be purchased here:

The book includes the same 59 lessons that are presented here, but in a slightly expanded form: some lessons have been rewritten (taking into account the book format), many more exercises have been added, including oral tasks for practicing speech structures.

Introduction

Who is this textbook for?

Firstly, for beginners, but not for absolutely zero level. You are expected to:

• know;
• you can use words like: go, stop, car, name.

Don't worry about unfamiliar words - in the lessons the words are given with translation.

Secondly, for those who speak English at an intermediate level, but are still struggling when it comes to putting words together into a sentence. You know the words, tenses, etc., but sentence patterns are chaotically piled up in your head? Take this course to clean up your conversational grammar arsenal.

Textbook objectives

The main purpose of the textbook is to help you learn put words into sentences. I myself had the same problem: I knew the words, but I couldn’t put them together into a sentence. And it is impossible to communicate without this, because we speak not in words, but in sentences.

Each lesson (with rare exceptions) is a speech pattern plus its variations. There are not many basic “blueprints” of sentences; I chose those that you absolutely must master to communicate in English. In other words, this is a textbook conversational grammar– that part of the grammar that is needed in everyday speech, plus a minimum of vocabulary.

After completing all the lessons, completing all the exercises and assignments, you will learn to construct sentences according to the patterns necessary for oral communication.

What will you NOT learn with this tutorial?

1. The textbook is not a tool for preparing for the Unified State Exam or any other exam. Words and colloquial expressions are given in the textbook in a small volume. They are discussed in more detail on this website in the section.

2. It is important to understand that neither this nor any other textbook can replace real people. Theory is important, but without practice you will only have knowledge(I I know, how to tell how I'm doing), but it won't skills(I Can tell me how I'm doing).

How do these lessons differ from the Grammar section?

Section is directory on various topics. For example, if you want to remember/learn something about Present Simple time, you open a directory article. The textbook is well, where the material is given sequentially, from simple to complex, lesson by lesson.

How is the textbook structured?

I proceed from the fact that all sentences can be divided into four large groups - they correspond to the four parts of the textbook.

Part 1. Sentences with the verb to be (to be, to be) at the base, for example:

My cat is kind. – My cat is kind ( is kind).

Part 2. Sentences based on a verb expressing an action or state:

My cat bites.- My cat bites.

Part 3. Sentences based on two verbs that form a single semantic whole:

My cat can sneak. - My cat knows how to sneak.

Part 4. Complex sentences consisting of two simple ones:

(1) My cat can sneak, (2) but mice feel it. “My cat can sneak, but mice can sense her.”

How to use this tutorial?

Part 1. Sentence with the most necessary word in English

Chapter 1. Sentences with the verb to be and an adjective

“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 think 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 have 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.

You will learn some more useful tips in the following video.

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 completely 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 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 another 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.

There is so much information about English that it is easy to get confused!

Dear readers! I know from my own experience how difficult English is for beginners. And the point is not a lack of textbooks or information, but rather an excess of them, information noise that is impossible to understand.

In this article, I have collected and systematized materials from the site that will be useful for beginners, those who are learning English from scratch. In these articles, I share my opinion on where to start learning a language, what online resources and books are best to use, where to find good video lessons, how to choose courses and where to find an online tutor.

Where to start learning English?

If you decide to learn English “from scratch,” then you need to go from simple to complex, from the most necessary to the rarer. First of all, try to lay the foundation for future knowledge and skills and learn the basics of the language. The most basic knowledge includes:

Having laid the foundation, you need to practice a lot and in a variety of ways in all types of speech activities: reading, listening, writing and speaking in English.

Actually, that's all. You've just taken a short course in language learning! The rest is details and particulars.

You can find the necessary materials both on this site (links above) and in textbooks and online training courses for beginners. I recommend that at the initial stage you study using a textbook for independent study (self-instruction manual). In my opinion, the most convenient way to learn the basics of a language is from a textbook, using interactive materials, such as vocabulary cards, as auxiliary materials.

You can also use mine as a tutorial.

What websites are there for English language beginners?

The main advantage of the textbook is that the material is presented in a methodically correct order, in convenient portions. You don’t have the feeling that you are wandering in the dark; the textbook literally leads you by the hand, giving extremely specific instructions. But in addition to textbooks, you can also study using educational programs - they contain a lot of audiovisual materials, and the learning process is built in a game form. The following sites are suitable for beginners:

“Teacher Method” – a step-by-step course for children and adults

“Teacher Method” is an interactive course for different levels, starting from almost zero. It includes courses of three difficulty levels for adults and children, as well as a separate children's course for the little ones.

In the course for beginners, learning begins with the alphabet, all explanations are made in the form of short videos in Russian with explanations from teachers, and tasks are given in the form of interactive exercises. The material is chewed down to the smallest detail. The service is paid, but is available free of charge in a limited form.

Lingvaleo is a service for self-learning English using:

The lesson plan is created automatically and looks like a list of “Today's tasks”, but it is not necessary to follow it. The site has a lot of audio, video and text materials of different levels of complexity - from simple to original materials of foreign TV, so it is suitable not only for lesson-based language learning, but also for practice in reading and listening. Most of the features are free, but for an additional fee you can purchase interactive courses (for example, grammar or English for children) and unlock some word learning modes.

Duolingo

A free interactive course, in which, like in the “Teacher Method”, you need to go from lesson to lesson. But there are almost no explanations here; training is built on a different principle. You need to complete tasks, studying the practical side of grammar and applying the vocabulary learned at the beginning of the lesson in practice: constructing and translating phrases. It is not advisable to take this course as a basis for learning English, but it is suitable as an auxiliary educational game.

English for beginners: free video lessons

Useful Internet resources are not limited to just educational sites. Fortunately, there are now a lot of useful, interesting and free video lessons. Lessons are available in both Russian and English.

For beginners, it is better to start with lessons in Russian. For example:

I believe that it is better for beginners to study with Russian-speaking teachers, and here’s why:

• He better understands the peculiarities of teaching Russian-speaking students.
• At the initial stage, it is better to explain tasks and rules in Russian.
• It will be too difficult for you to understand a teacher who does not speak Russian.

The principles of language learning are very simple and have been known for a long time.

1. Set specific and achievable goals

It is much more convenient to move towards a goal when it is marked than when it is an unclear fog over the horizon. Why did you decide to learn the language in the first place? To get a job as a chief engineer at New Development Engineering? To move in with your aunt in Sydney? Your goals will largely determine how you go about achieving them. For example, if you want to study at a foreign university, you will need to be able to write correctly, which is not so important for a trip to the USA under the Work and Travel program.

It is advisable to set short-term goals in addition to long-term ones. For example, complete lessons 1 – 6 in two weeks, learn 100 words in a week, read the first chapter of Harry Potter in a month, etc. No need to set unrealistic goals. It's better to take small steps, but without stopping.

2. Try to exercise regularly, preferably every day!

Ideally, you need to practice every day for 1-2 hours. In practice, not everyone will be able to do this, but if you really want to, you can set aside at least half an hour a day. The main thing is not to deceive yourself by coming up with excuses about lack of time and crazy busyness. It's okay if you watch half an hour less TV or get things done half an hour earlier.

Even if you are a businessman/supermodel/pizza delivery guy, finding at least 15 minutes a day in your crazy schedule is exactly 15 minutes better than 0 minutes. And don’t forget that you can listen to audio lessons while you’re dying of boredom in a traffic jam.

There is no need to organize crazy marathons once a month either. It is better to exercise for 30 minutes 7 times a week than 210 minutes once a week. What's the point of running a 3-4 hour marathon a day if everything is forgotten within a week?

3. Practice makes perfect

You don't need any great intelligence or talent to learn a language. You just need to practice regularly - that’s all. Pay attention to all aspects of the language: vocabulary, grammar, practice in reading, listening, speaking and writing - and everything will be ok. Don't get hung up on theory and try to practice more.

Language is a means of communication, transmission and perception of information, knowledge, and expression of emotions. They need to be used. Learning a language but not using it is like learning swimming from books without diving into the water. Read and listen more, don’t hesitate to communicate!