English for Beginners: How to Master the Basics

Learning English for beginners might seem overwhelming to you at first. You have to learn complex grammar rules, as well as when English doesn’t follow its own grammar rules! On top of that, there are thousands and thousands of words you need to know just to do everyday things like ordering food to go from a restaurant or holding a conversation with someone at work. Though it seems obvious, it must be pointed out that every non-native English speaker began in the same situation: knowing absolutely no English! 

Going from total beginner to high-level fluency takes work and dedication. However, if you study hard, you can join in a conversation with over a billion other people. Learning English is a journey, and like all journeys, learning English begins with simple steps that grow into something much larger.

English for Beginners

Everyone starts somewhere. The best basketball player in the world started learning how to play basketball for the first time at some point. The best guitar player in the world had no idea how to play guitar in the beginning. Think of any ability a person has. Think of any skill a person has. All skills and abilities have something in common: they must be learned. Anyone who has a skill or ability now started out as a complete beginner at some point in the past.

The same is true with your ability to use English. The most fluent English learner that you know did not know a single word of English when they began. At one point, you did not know a single word of English, but, if you are reading this, then you probably know some English now. However, you probably want to keep improving. For beginner English speakers, along with intermediate and advanced English speakers, the advice is the same. Just like for guitar players and basketball players, the way to get better as an English speaker is to practice, practice, practice.

If you are enrolled in English classes, try to use your English as much as possible. Talk to your teachers before or after class. Talk to your classmates. Ask questions in class. Take every chance you can find to use your English in class. Outside of class, or if you are not taking an English class at all, keep looking for chances to use your English. One great way to do this is to do a hobby or fun activity in English. If you enjoy playing sports, then when you play basketball use your English to talk with your teammates before, during, and after the game. If you play guitar, learn some English songs and practice singing them while you play guitar. That way you are combining an activity you like (your hobby) with another activity you may not find as fun (learning English). This can help make English interesting and fun to study. It gives you a way to use your English in a way that means something important to you. This will help motivate you to build your English!

A few years ago at the Portland English Language Academy (PELA), we had a student join us who was an absolute beginner when he arrived. One of the first things he did after he arrived in Portland was join the local gym near our school.  Every Tuesday night he would go to the gym and play volleyball.  Though he was just playing volleyball, his time at the gym was like 2 extra hours of English practice. Also, because he played volleyball with local Americans, he was listening to them talk, and he got to talk with them before, during, and after games. His time playing volleyball helped build his confidence in communicating in English. He got to see how English was used in the real world, by real, native English speakers.

One year after he joined our school, the volleyball player visited my office at PELA.  I was blown away by how much his English improved! He had a very American style of speech and showed ease and comfort holding long, in-depth conversations about a variety of topics. He went from absolute beginner to being able to talk to me all about his life in Portland and his future plans. 

If you live in an English language country, joining a local sports team is a great way to improve your English!

Basic English Speaking Tips

If you do nothing else, learn as many English vocabulary words as you can.  However, there are about 170,000 English words, so where should you start?

Start with what you see around you. What things do you see in your apartment, bedroom, or your classroom? What do you see on your way to school or on the way to work? Start with learning the vocabulary words for the things you see around you in the places where you spend time the most. Start with learning the vocabulary words for the things you see when you look out the window on your way to school or work. Also, start with learning the vocabulary words for your daily activities, such as eating, studying, working, or doing your hobbies.

Why are these words the best ones to start learning? Because the more you use a word, the more you see and think about it, the quicker it gets locked in your memory and you will not easily forget it. So, if you choose to learn the English word for things you see and do often, you will automatically be repeating these words often both out loud and in your head. This gives you the repetition it takes to make the words your own and remember them.

Do you know the English word for everything in this photo? How many can you name?

Another important speaking tip is to put yourself in a position to hear and speak as much English as you can. If you are at school, make sure you ask questions in class. Using your English improves your English and speaking with your teachers as much as possible is a good way to use it. If your school has a tutoring center or conversation group, make sure you attend them as much as possible. If you are not in a school environment, you need to find other opportunities to learn English. Websites and apps like Duolingo can help connect you with native English speakers online. If you live in a large city, there is likely a website which helps you connect with people who share common interests. In the U.S., websites like Meetup let you search for local activities where you can hang out with people who have the same hobbies or interests as you.

As long as you are communicating in English, you will be improving your English. However, if you have no other people to communicate with, then you need to get creative.  One thing you can do is use the voice memo on your phone. Create voice memos of yourself speaking English; talk about what is around you or your daily activities, then listen to yourself to see if you can spot any ‘simple mistakes’ you made. Websites and apps like Duolingo let you upload audio files and ask for feedback on pronunciation or grammar, too! It will feel strange to be talking to yourself like this. However, it is important to practice speaking. It may also be fun to listen back to yourself in 6 months or a year and hear just how much your spoken English has improved!

English Lessons for Beginners

In addition to practicing English outside of the classroom, English lessons with a real English teacher are very important for beginners. Your English teacher can communicate with you in a way that allows you to understand English grammar and vocabulary more deeply than by just trying to use it out in the real world on your own. Teachers can also help to push your English abilities to higher levels more quickly.

When you are an intermediate and advanced speaker, you can speak to most people and understand a lot of what they are saying. However, as a beginner, it is hard to understand what people are saying. Another problem is that in the real world, most native English speakers will not correct your English. They often don’t correct you because they feel it would be rude to correct your English or because they understand you enough and don’t want to spend time trying to ‘teach’ you how to say something better. The job of your English teacher, however, is to correct your English! Because you may need advice on words or phrases that effectively communicate your ideas, an English teacher will be your best guide to correct your English if needed. They know when it is valuable to point out something you said incorrectly or to give advice on a more natural way of saying something. Therefore, taking English lessons for beginners with real English teachers is a great way to quickly improve your English.

English Books for Beginners

There are many English books for beginners students can use to improve their reading skills. Of course, you can buy English textbooks or short novels from companies that publish English-learning material, but you can also build your English by reading books that native English speakers read!

One advantage of reading ‘real’ English books is that you can learn English the same way that young, native English readers do. Even if you are an adult, reading almost any children’s book or ‘young adult’ book can be an effective way to strengthen your English reading ability. You will see how English vocabulary and grammar is used in ‘real books’, and the stories are often more entertaining than stories found in English textbooks or other material created by language-teaching companies.

Below are some of my favorite books to introduce to beginner English readers to help them with their reading skills!

The Choose-Your-Own-Adventure books (written by various authors) is a series of adventure books for youth adults. What is fun about these books is that you are the hero of the books, and you get to make decisions about what you do when events happen in the story. It is kind of like playing a computer game, but it is in a book not on a computer! In some stories you explore outer space or the ocean, while in others you are a spy or cowboy.

The Chronicles of Narnia books by C.S. Lewis is a series of seven fantasy novels set in a fictional world called Narnia, a world of magic, monsters, and talking animals. It narrates the adventures of a group of British children who travel to Narnia and have many adventures there. Both children and adults will find these books entertaining to read.

The Adventures of Tintin is a series of comics (originally written in French) about a boy news reporter in the early 20th Century who has adventures and solves mysteries with his pet dog and other friends. This is one of the most popular comics ever written, and it is enjoyed by both children and adults.

Animal Farm by George Orwell tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to create a society where the animals can be equal, free, and happy; however, the end result is not what many of the animals expected. This book is a very adult book because it raises issues of politics and economics, but presents them using simple language that adults and children can understand and think about.

The Little Prince is often called “a children’s book for adults”. It has simple vocabulary and grammar (the original book was written in French but the English translation is excellent) which makes it easy for very low-level English readers. However, it is a very thoughtful book, exploring deep, complex issues in creative ways.

Improve Your English with PELA!

PELA is a great school for English classes for beginners. We welcome students of all different levels, including absolute beginners. Students can move quickly through levels and achieve a high level of English if they study hard. In addition to 4 hours of Intensive English classes a day, PELA provides tutoring, conversation groups, and additional English classes for Academic English and IELTS Preparation in the afternoon. Beginner students find PELA teachers to be very supportive, so PELA classes can be very effective at helping students build their English quickly.

Plus, PELA gives students a lot of chances to practice and improve their English outside of the classroom. Not only do students do tutoring and conversation groups and extra classes, but they also take part in PELA’s busy social calendar and school outings. Every week, PELA is taking students out into the real world to give them opportunities to use their English with Americans and build their confidence in communicating with native speakers. As a beginning English student at PELA, you join a group of fellow English learners and can improve your English skills together, helping each other to master English. You will leave PELA ready to join a conversation with a billion other English speakers all over the world.