Good day!
Today's post is not directly related to the topic of the site, but me highly asked to share how I at one time managed from "almost complete zero" to bring English to the ability to read simple books, articles, watch TV series and speak a little with people (although, for myself, I still think that I know almost nothing) ... 😢
At all, I began to learn English at school, after at the university. In total, it turns out about 9-10 years, but the result then was almost "none": I knew only 5-6 memorized phrases ("what is your name" and "I was born then"), and two or three dozen common words. Apparently, after all, something is wrong with our education system (or with me?) ...
Actually, from about such a "near-zero" level, I began after myself to try to pull up English. If you have a similar situation, and there is a desire to learn a little English (but somehow it is difficult to give it and nothing works) - maybe my experience will somehow help you ... 😉
Note: I am not an English teacher, I have no pedagogical education, and everything that is said below is just personal experience. I don’t know how "it is necessary to do it right", but I experienced "what makes it possible to take the first step" ...
*
Practical advice when learning English (when it doesn't work out)
❶
The basics. Start.
And so, in order to successfully learn something new, you need to have two things:
- interest: if you are bored in the process, you get tired quickly, and downright force yourself to do it - the result is very difficult to achieve!
- practical examples: take a textbook and just read some rules and theory, learn everything - the road to nowhere (in my opinion). For example, you can once in practice show a person how to send a message by e-mail (and he will immediately understand), or you can describe it in theory for a long time (without having achieved understanding ...).
Regarding English, in this regard the games helped me a lot (and I recommend everyone to start with them!).
Of course, 👉 you need to download and install English. version, and you need to choose the game that was interesting to you once in Russian.
Even just entering the menu, you begin to understand many words from the context ... (Screenshot from Civilization IV)
What it gives:
- firstly, it is interesting (which means it is much easier to learn);
- secondly, many English. the words in the game will be clear from the context: you saw a warrior's figure running, hover with the mouse - and above it "Warrior" (is it clear?); clicked on "Exit" - the game is closed (it means "exit");
- thirdly, the game will sometimes "push" you to translate some tasks (conditions, etc.);
- fourthly, unlike movies (or books) in the game, you do not need to know the translation of everything and everything (to understand the meaning). It is enough to write out 5-10 new words in your notebook in 1 hour and translate them (then repeat them several times, and the next time you will already know them!).
*
Simple math: if you play for about 1 hour every day, write down and translate 👉 5-10 words in the dictionary (which you most often see on the screen) - then:
- in a month you will know about 150-300 words;
- after six months - about 900-1800 words;
- in a year - 1800-3600.
And this is already a very good reserve for further advancement ... the main thing is consistency, and do not set yourself over-goals at once! (I don't think that translating 5-10 words in 1 hour will somehow make you tired ?!)
*
❷
Second step
When it turned out with the help of games to remember a few hundred first words - I noticed on books (it is true that reading very quickly allows you to memorize words, and in general, speech turns).
Of course, to read something at once in full original is too hard and dreary (at least for me) ...
But at that time I came across books adapted according to the method of Ilya Frank. The essence is as follows: first comes the English-Russian text (after each expression in English - there is its translation), and then the same paragraph is completely in English. (👇).
An example of reading by the method of Ilya Frank
Due to the frequent repetition of the same words, phrases - you yourself do not notice how you begin to memorize a bunch of new words (i.e. in the process of reading you do not need to climb into a dictionary, learn or memorize something - you just read!).
In general, I noticed the effect after reading a dozen medium-sized books (you can buy them, for example, at Ozone).
Reading in English. according to the method of Ilya Frank // Shop Ozone
Approx. : when I started reading, I put the games aside (and I stopped repeating the words from my notebook, because when I read many of them I came across many of them ...).
Of course, it is better to take books that are of interest to you (fortunately, there are plenty of such adapted literature now, there is plenty to choose from ...). I would recommend reading about "The Wizard from the Land of OZ", "Irish Tales", "The jungle book"...
*
❸
Third step
Only after that I would advise you to switch to serials (it is better to start with "Extra @"). Due to the fact that you will already have a certain base - you will be able to read subtitles in English. and quickly master phrases and expressions by ear.
The choice of series is also individual (I started with "Extra @", "ALF", "Friends").
The main thing is not to take any specific series (for example, about doctors, chemists, etc. where there are a lot of special terms that are definitely not needed to start studying ...).
Popular TV series covers: "Extra @", "ALF", "Friends"
*
❹
About Android apps
They have been gaining more and more popularity lately. Conventionally, I would break them all into three groups:
- dictionaries and translators: useful things for quickly translating some words you come across when a PC is not at hand (I would recommend trying Language Live - this application, in addition to direct translation, shows many idioms, slang, etc. 👇);
Language Live
- training programs (courses): I honestly have a negative attitude towards them (with the exception of audio courses). It is quite difficult to "stare" at the small screen of the phone, performing various tasks and lessons (it is better, nevertheless, to do this for a PC);
- messaging apps with carriers, for live communication. But this, in my opinion, is a very useful thing. In such applications, you can ask a native speaker how to correctly: "this way or that way". I would highlight the products:HiNativ (for text questions: how it is spelled, how it is understood, etc.), andTandem (allows you to talk with foreigners, somewhat reminiscent of Skype).
HiNativ
*
❺
Brief theses
Of course, all of the above will not make you an "Englishman", but no one promised this ✌. Perhaps most importantly, if you have not succeeded at all in learning English before, pay attention to:
- consistency: it is much more effective and easier to train for half an hour a day than once a week for 5-6 hours;
- interesting: play, read, watch and do only those things that are interesting to you (this is very important! As soon as it is "hard" for you - that is, there is a good chance that you will quickly abandon the process);
- do not set over-goals: on the Internet, many write that they learned English in six months ÷ a year (someone even faster). I would advise you not to pay attention to this, and not to set any such over-goals (it is better to set another goal: to study for half an hour a day!);
- Write down more often: Train yourself to write down unfamiliar words in a notebook and translate them. When we write, we memorize words mechanically (without noticing it ourselves).
*
Perhaps for some it all will seem like a complete banal, but it was in this vein that it helped me (it is not for nothing that they talk about those who are constantly looking for some cunning secrets, not noticing simple working things).
You just need to do it every day and little by little, remembering "a teaspoon per hour."
In any case, for those who did not succeed earlier, I recommend trying.After all, you almost do not lose anything! ..
*
Additions on the topic are, of course, welcome!
Good luck!
👣
