Helpful tips for learning English!

1. Relax, breath, and go for it!
For a lot of people, the fear of speaking and not being understood is real. It is also natural and one of the biggest reasons people don´t progress and reach their full potential!
Remember, practice makes perfect! The more you speak, the more confident you will feel. Take a deep breath and use what you have. People will want to understand you!
2. Stop apologising for your “bad English”
Phrases like ´My English is very bad´ or ´I don´t speak English´ will hold you back! Nobody expects you to know everything! As we say in English, Rome wasn´t built in a day! You should take every opportunity to practice, build your vocabulary and confidence. Learning a language takes time and dedication.
3. Try speaking aloud at home to get used to hearing your own voice in English.
Making a list of useful phrases including new vocabulary and repeating them every day will help with your fluency! Try it!
4. Make an extra special effort to incorporate the language into your daily life.
Try following a YouTube channel in English or subscribing to a podcast! Graded audio books are also very useful as you can listen to them on the train, bus, walking or even in bed. Selecting a level slightly lower than your own will mean you can follow the book easily and enjoy it!
5. Ask questions!
The best language learners are the curious ones! Start getting interested in WHY and resolve your doubts. Ask your teacher as many questions as you want, the more you understand, the easier things will seem.
6. Don´t be afraid of making mistakes.
We have all made mistakes, in all areas of our lives, it is how we learn for next time! Remember that nobody is perfect ☺ Ask people to correct you and show them that you appreciate it! If you expect yourself to do things perfectly the first time, you will likely end up disappointed. Don´t be hard on yourself, allow yourself to learn and enjoy seeing the progress!
7. Don´t give up when you come to a hurdle!
Sometimes you will see big, fast improvements in your level, especially reaching an Intermediate level. Be aware that there will be ´plateaus´, periods of time that can seem like forever when you will feel like you are making little or no progress. Making the change from Intermediate to Upper intermediate is a good example of this. Don´t give up, keep going and eventually you will come out the other side, whether you have noticed or not ☺
8. Keep a diary!
Making the effort to recount your day in English will help you look for new vocabulary and practice your writing skills. Later, as you improve, you can go back over past entries and try to correct them yourself!
9. Find new ways to practice
Is there a group that meet to practice English in your area?
Do you know anyone who also speaks English you can meet for coffee to help each other practice?
Have you tried watching interviews with your favourite actors in English?
Try to find new ways to introduce English into your life to keep yourself interested!
10. Last and certainly not least…
SIGN UP TO CLASSES WITH A PIECE OF ´ENGLISH` CAKE AND LET US HELP YOU ☺