Are you an adult looking for Beginner English Lessons? READ THIS
Are you an adult looking for beginner English lessons? There are some key principles of language learning that you should understand that will help you to learn English faster.
DO NOT work with a teacher who speaks your own language
It is easy to work with an English teacher who also speaks your own language. For example, if your first language is Spanish, you may think working with an English teacher who is fluent in Spanish is the best fit for you.
However this approach will not make you fluent in English fast. The reason is both of you will end up communicating in your first language and you will not get enough practice speaking English.
If you are looking for a teacher for Beginner English lessons always pick a teacher who cannot speak your own language. This will force you to communicate only in English.
Speaking in English as much as possible is the best way to be fluent in English, even if you are taking Beginner English lessons.
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English learning software will not help you become fluent
Language learning software such as Du0lingo or Babbel are good if you want to learn the first 200 words of a language. For an example, if you are a native French speaker who wants to go to New York City as a tourist for 2 weeks, Duolingo is a great way to learn basic English words to greet and meet people, get directions or order food.
However, language learning software will not make you a fluent English speaker. To be a fluent English speaker, you need to practice speaking with native English speakers.
Understanding this is important for any adult taking beginner English lessons. If your English course only uses language learning software, you will not improve beyond the basics. If your goal is to pass exams such as IELTS or TOEFL, your beginner English lessons need to be more advanced, and can’t be using just English language software.
Start learning Idioms and Slang early
There are a lot of English schools who will teach idioms and slang for Beginner English lessons saying it will over complicate things. We disagree.
The goal of learning idioms and slang is not to be able to use them in real conversations right away. That will of course be hard for a beginner. BUT, you should be able to understand what an idiom or slang expression means so that you can respond in English. (because Native English speakers you talk to will use idioms and slang without even knowing they did)
So make sure your Beginner English lessons don’t ignore idioms and slang. They are a critical part of real Spoken English and you should at least be able to understand them.
Here are some simple idioms to get you started today:
Couch potato
Lazy person who is inactive and spends a lot of time watching TV
E.g. John was becoming a total couch potato after he lost his job
Once in a blue moon
Something that happens rarely
E.g. Mary gets angry only once in a blue moon. She is a very patient person.
Pig out
Eat a lot and eat quickly, creating a mess
E.g I love BBQ, I just have to pig out when I see a good BBQ plate.
