How to Learn English Fast

If you really want to learn English fast, here is what you should do. This advice not only applies to English, but to other languages as well. However, a common difference between English learners and learners of other languages is the amount of previous classroom instruction. Typically, many English learners have studied English in a classroom as part of their schooling. Regardless, these tips are sure to set you up for success in your language learning endeavors. 

1) Find the Thinnest Grammar Book Possible 

In short, a grammar book is a resource to reference. It should not be used as the foundation of your language studies. I recommend the Dover series, available for English and many other languages. Grammar is not something that we absorb right away. It takes time to recognize the patterns and develop an intuition for the structure of the language.

Grammar books often try to account for all the subtle ways a language works, with its many exceptions. These explanations are often long-winded and difficult to understand. Therefore, don’t attempt to memorize grammar! Skim through your grammar book quickly, but refer to it often.

A small amount of regular grammar review needs to be combined with a lot of listening, reading and speaking. Reviewing grammar isn’t bad. In fact, you may notice patterns in the language more frequently and easily because of your grammar review. Regardless, reading and listening with small spurts of grammar review is more effective than attempting to master all the rules from the get-go.

Tip: At a later stage in your learning, you may find more detailed grammar explanations helpful. You’re likely trying to refine your language and may seek more in-depth explanations. However, remember that any benefit of reading a grammar explanation is usually quite short lived.

2) Skip the Drills and Exercises

Language drills and exercises are time-consuming and can be more frustrating than helpful. If you are in a hurry or pressed for time, you shouldn’t prioritize these types of activities. Most of your time should be spent listening and reading (and eventually speaking). 

However, if you’re the type of person that enjoys putting your knowledge to the test, LingQ offers a good compromise. On LingQ, you’re able to review what you’ve just read or listened to with custom activities. LingQ automatically generates translation, dictation, and cloze exercises to reach a deeper understanding of your material.

3) Use Graded Reading Material Where Audio is also Available 

There are many sources of graded readers on the Internet. The best graded readers include high-frequency vocabulary and lots of repetitions of key sentence structures. A good example of graded readers are the mini-stories at LingQ, a course of 60 lessons that cover everyday situations. I find the mini-stories especially valuable because they also include the same story across more than one perspective, allowing you to reinforce your understanding while noticing new patterns in the language.  

Listen and read these materials as much as you can (or at least until they become too easy/not interesting). LingQ helps make this process more encouraging and engaging, as the platform is designed with language learners in mind. You can watch your progress grow, gauge the difficulty of new texts, and customize your own personal library in the target language. 

4) After a Few Months of Graded Content, Move on to Authentic Content

Authentic content could be podcasts, movies, videos, music, etc. Basically, use whatever material that you can find and enjoy. If it’s in the target language and you find it interesting, it’s worth your time. For example, many learners enjoy content from YouTubers who teach English. If you’re interested in content recommendations, check out this post, The Best Way to Learn English by Using YouTube.

Tip: If you want to learn fast, you will need to spend hours a day listening and reading in order to get your brain used to the language. I find great success by combining language learning with dead time. What do I mean by dead time? When you’re washing the dishes, going on a walk, waiting for the bus, etc., you might as well listen to English content. The time adds up quickly.

Be a little fanatical about committing the time to reading and listening. The amount of time you spend will determine how fast you learn.

5) Step up Your Speaking at the Intermediate Level

Don’t speak too much until you feel that you have enough vocabulary to maintain a meaningful conversation. Once you have achieved an intermediate grasp of the language, look for every opportunity to speak. Don’t stop your listening and reading, but integrate more speaking practice into your routine. This is the period in which you want to convert your passive knowledge into active knowledge. 

If you can find English speakers around where you live, talk to them. If you have to pay for a teacher, start taking lessons. However, don’t let the teacher “teach” the language. You don’t have time for that. Your priority is conversation, not lectures. 

If you have no one around you to talk to, get on a site like italki and find a tutor. You can even find language tutors on LingQ. I repeat, the priority with these lessons should be conversation. Personally, I ask my tutors not to correct me too much while I am speaking. I want to develop a good conversational flow, and if I’m intelligible, what’s the issue? Afterwards, my tutor typically sends me a list of vocabulary or sentence structures that I had difficulty with. 

Tips for Language Classrooms 

Language schools or courses can be a great means of staying motivated. It’s fun to interact with others and many of us benefit from the external pressure. However, if you go to school, you have to be in charge. I would avoid larger classrooms, especially if the other learners speak English poorly or share the same native language as you.  

In my opinion, fewer hours of one-on-one instruction and more time spent learning on your own is of greater benefit. Hours and hours of group lessons is less efficient. You’re speaking less and you get through less material. You can’t afford to lose all that time if you are in a hurry to learn.

Final Thoughts: Commit to English

Pretend that you are a native speaker of English, or intend to become one. Don’t worry about your mistakes. Study daily like a fanatic and know that you will succeed. Find content that interests you. If you want to learn “cool” English words or would rather study classic literature, go for it. Don’t doubt yourself, and don’t get discouraged. Trust that, over time, the language will gradually be absorbed by your brain. Be confident that you will continue to improve if you just stay active and determined.

If you are committed, and take charge of your learning in the way I have outlined above, you will learn as fast as is possible. Believe it!