The best way to learn English is a mix: mostly English you can understand, plus review and real conversation, with the balance set by your goal. English you can mostly understand is called comprehensible input. Below, you'll see what each way of learning builds and the mix that suits six common goals.
Which Ways of Learning English Work Best?
Reading and listening to English at your level works best, and each other method adds one skill on top of it.
| Method | What it builds | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Reading and listening at your level | Words, grammar and listening | Most of your time |
| A structured course | An order for the basics | Your first months |
| A tutor or conversation partner | Speaking and quick replies | Using what you know |
| Flashcards or other review | Words that stay with you | A few minutes each session |
| Shows, podcasts and radio | Natural, everyday English | Fun, once you follow most of it |
| Grammar study | Why a sentence works | Patterns that confuse you |
Input is the base of the mix: a 2016 review of 49 studies in Reading in a Foreign Language, a University of Hawaii journal, found that reading a lot of easy material improves reading in a new language.
What Is the Best Way to Learn English for Your Goal?
For every goal, the best way is the same base of reading and listening, with the rest of your time on the skill that goal needs most.
- Use English at WorkRead and hear English about your field most of the time, and practice meetings and emails with a tutor.
- Pass an English ExamRead and listen at your level most of the time, and try the free sample questions on your test's official site, such as IELTS, as the test gets close.
- Move to an English-Speaking CountrySpend most of your time on everyday English about shopping, work and your neighbors, in the kind of English spoken where you will live.
- Understand Films and SeriesPut most of your time into listening, starting with videos made for learners and moving on to episodes with English subtitles.
- Talk With Family or FriendsRead and hear lots of everyday conversations, and spend the rest of your time talking with them or with a tutor.
- Travel With EnglishSpend most of your time on short dialogues about hotels, food and getting around, and say each one out loud.
To see how many hours each stage takes, read how long it takes to learn English.
What Are the Best Resources for Each Part?
Each part of the mix has a good free option, such as News in Levels for reading or Anki for review, and an app or service for when you want more. Bubblegum, which appears in two rows, is a language app where Poppy, an AI tutor, writes English lessons at your level about things you like, in American, British or Australian English.
| Part | Free option | App or service |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | Oxford Learner's Dictionaries, which plays each word in British and American English | ELSA Speak, which listens as you speak and points out sounds to work on |
| Reading and listening at your level | News in Levels for news, Real Easy English from the BBC for listening | Bubblegum or Readable |
| Shows, podcasts and radio | Language Reactor for shows, BBC World Service radio for full-speed listening | LingQ for videos, books and songs you choose |
| Review | Anki, free on computers and Android, with shared English decks on AnkiWeb | Bubblegum's Regenerative Review™, which brings saved words back in new lessons |
| Conversation | A language exchange on HelloTalk or Tandem | A tutor on italki, Preply or Cambly |
| Grammar | Free grammar lessons on the British Council's LearnEnglish | LingoDeer, whose English course is built around grammar |
What Should You Avoid?
Avoid anything that keeps you from reading and hearing real English sentences you can follow.
- Lists With No SentencesSave words from lines you have read, so you also learn the words that go with them, like “make” in “make a decision”.
- Mixing Two SpellingsPick American or British spelling for your own writing, such as “color” or “colour”, and use it every time.
- Shows You Can't Follow YetSave films and series for when you can follow an episode with English subtitles on, and watch videos made for learners before that.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it better to learn English with an app or a teacher?
Use an app for the hours of reading and listening, and a teacher for speaking and corrections. Lessons with a tutor on italki, Preply or Cambly are paid, so spend that time talking, and do your reading and listening on your own.
Should I learn English grammar first?
No. Learn grammar from the English you read and hear, and look a pattern up when it confuses you. A rule is easier to learn once you have seen it a few times: after I have lived here for two years and She has worked there since May, the pattern for something that started in the past and is still true is easy to spot.
Which English app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning English, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Our English app comparison covers courses, tutors and speaking apps too.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- Jeon and Day (2016), The effectiveness of ER on reading proficiency: A meta-analysis, Reading in a Foreign Language 28(2), University of Hawaii
- IELTS, the official site (free sample test questions)
- Anki, official downloads (free computer version and AnkiDroid)
- HelloTalk, learn English (free language exchange)
- British Council, LearnEnglish (free lessons)
- Oxford Learner's Dictionaries (British and American pronunciations)
