Foreign languages cannot be learned in one day or week, but if you do some exercises every day and use life hacks from our list, then you can improve language skills in a few months.
Set yourself small tasks
All languages need to be learned gradually, but for this it is worth setting yourself small tasks that you will certainly complete. For example, learn 10 new words every day, read one chapter of a book in English, etc. Mark your progress in a handy tracker (or even in a paper notebook).
It is not necessary to take difficult books to begin with - you can read those that are suitable for beginners. Such words usually have translations of the most difficult words. Then you can move on to more complex works.
Learn vocabulary
Oxford and Longman dictionaries have an average of 3,000 words, knowing which you can understand 86% of what people say in English. This also works if you read books. All you need to do is learn them gradually. Cards will help you with this. Divide them into three groups: the first is that you don't know the word well, the second is that you know the word intermediately, and the third is that you know the word very well. Repeat the words you've already studied and learn a few new words every day.
If you are too lazy to make paper cards, then make electronic ones — Quizlet, Anki or The Mnemosyne Project will help you with this.
Content in English
Translate all your social networks and devices into English, watch videos, movies and TV shows, listen to podcasts in the original language, read the news on BBC Learning English (there, by the way, you can adjust your level of language proficiency and read adaptive text). You can write down phrases, words from anywhere that you have not heard before.
Speak English
It is very important to practice your oral English, to overcome the fear of speaking it. If there are no suitable interlocutors, then you can practice saying phrases yourself – listen to what the person said and try to repeat it as accurately as possible.
You can register on Italki, HelloTalk, Tandem sites, where you can chat with a native speaker.
Find motivation
Learning English aimlessly is not very interesting, so you will quickly dislike it. So find something that will motivate you! Maybe you want to work in an English-language magazine or watch movies in the original language? This is a good motivation. Monetary motivation also helps very well: when you have paid a round sum for courses, it will be somehow a shame to miss classes.
Make time for it
Set aside time for English classes in your schedule. For example, it can be classes for half an hour several times a week. According to clinical psychologist Michael Breus, people remember information well either from 10:00 to 14:00, or from 16:00 to 22:00. At night, especially from 4:00 to 7:00, you need to sleep, because at this time the brain works the slowest. Based on this information, you can set your lessons at a time when your performance is at its maximum.
Learning English is easy if you have the motivation, discipline, and schedule!
