How I Would Learn English If I Had To Learn It As A New Language

So I'm sure you've noticed that I speak English.

I was raised in an English speaking country,

and it is my first language.

But I was thinking the other day, what would

I do if I had to learn English?

Well, in this English lesson, I'll tell you

the eight things I would do if I

was starting to learn English today.

So the first thing I would do if I was

starting to learn English today is I would learn the

500 most common words in the English language.

Or maybe the thousand most common words in the

English language if I was feeling really energetic.

I think this is a great

first step when learning a language.

If you could find with a simple Google search, I'm

sure you could find the 500 most common words.

If you can find them and learn them, you have a

real head start when you start to do other things.

So I would make flashcards, I would

use Quizlet or another online app.

I would do whatever I could to learn

the most common words in the English language.

The second thing I would do is I would

find a really good app for learning English.

I'm a big fan of Duolingo, but

there are other apps as well.

I would find an app, I would install it on

my phone, and I would do it every day.

I just love technology, and I like systems that teach

things where it's a little bit like a game.

I like being rewarded with experience points or

other little digital rewards when I'm learning something.

So I would certainly do that, and I

just think it's another good way to start.

A lot of those apps are designed to kind

of identify whether you're a beginner or intermediate or

advanced, and it will help you learn the things

that are most important for you to learn.

So the second thing I would do, I would

install some kind of app like Duolingo on my

phone, and I would use it every day.

The third thing I would do is I

would listen to a lot of English music.

Music is a great way to learn any language.

So I would find lots of songs in English.

I would memorize the lyrics and look up the words,

and I would listen to English music whenever I could.

If I was doing dishes, I would listen to English music.

If I was going for a walk,

I would listen to English music.

Music is just awesome because repetition is a great way

to practice a language, and music is something that you

don't mind listening to over and over again.

So the third thing I would do, I

would listen to a lot of English music.

So the fourth thing I would do, if I

was learning English for the first time is I

would think of a couple of books that I've

already read in my native language and then find

the English version of those books and reread them.

When you already know the story, when you already

know the characters and the plot, reading a book

in your target language, the language that you are

learning, that you've already read in your native language,

can be a very good learning activity.

You don't have to spend as much time trying to figure

out who all the people are and what they're doing.

You already know all that, so you can

focus on learning new words and phrases.

So the fourth thing I would do, I would think of

a couple of books that I've already read in my fictional

native language, buy them in English and reread them.

The fifth thing I would do is I would watch

a lot of TV and I would watch a lot

of videos on YouTube in English, of course, because that's

the language I'm trying to learn, right?

I like TV and I like YouTube

better than movies for learning a language.

And let me explain why.

When you watch a TV show, you get to hear the

same actors in every episode and you start to learn exactly

how they speak English and recognize how they talk.

When you watch YouTube, the same thing happens.

You've probably noticed if you watch the same Youtuber,

it becomes easier and easier to understand because you're

getting used to the way that they talk.

So the fifth thing I would do if I was trying

to learn English, I would watch a lot of English language

television and a ton of English language Youtube videos.

The 6th thing I would do if I was learning English

is I would try and find a grammar book that explains

English grammar but is written in my native language.

So let's say I'm a French speaker learning English.

I would try to find a book that's

written in French that explains English grammar

to me. Especially when you are

starting out, grammar can be tricky.

And trying to read an English explanation for

an English grammar concept can be quite confusing.

But if you can find a book written in your

own language that explains some of the silliness of English

grammar, some of the parts of English grammar that are

very confusing and challenging, it can really help you out.

So the 6th thing I would do, go to

a bookstore or go to an online bookstore and

try to find a book that explains English grammar

but that's written in your native language.

The 7th thing I would do if I was

learning English for the first time is I would

find an English speaking partner or an English tutor

that I could meet with online sooner than later.

What I mean by that is this,

when you start to learn a language, it's

easy to do a lot of reading.

It's easy to do a lot of listening, but you

don't necessarily start speaking soon enough, in my opinion.

After you've learned your 500 or 1000 basic

words, after you've done Duolingo for a few

weeks, it is worth it to find someone

you can start having conversations with.

And that's what I would do if I was learning English.

It does cost a little bit of money, but

I think it's very, very much worth it.

That person can help you by answering questions about some

things that maybe you would struggle with for a long

time if you didn't have someone to help you.

So the 7th thing I would do,

find a speaking partner sooner than later.

It will really help your English learning.

The 8th thing I would do is I would find ways

to practice my writing, even if they're just little simple ways.

You can start by just keeping a journal.

Maybe every night, write down some of the new words

and phrases that you learned in English that day.

You could leave comments under videos.

You could write little notes about the things you're going

to talk about the next time you have an English

conversation with your English tutor or speaking partner.

So find ways to practice your writing.

It's not the easiest thing to do.

Sometimes it's easier to do a lot of reading

and listening, but do find ways to practice your

writing so that you're developing in all the areas.

So what would I do if I was learning English?

Well, I would make sure that I am

doing some reading, I'm doing some writing, I'm

doing lots of listening, I'm doing some speaking.

I would make sure that I'm learning new vocabulary every

day and I would make sure that I'm learning a

little bit about the grammar of the English language.

Well, hey, thanks for watching this video about the things

I would do if I was learning English today.

Obviously I'm an English speaker and I don't need

to do that, but I just thought it would

be fun for me to reflect on what I

would do if I had to learn this language.

Hey, if this is your your first time here,

don't forget to click that red subscribe button.

Give me a thumbs up, leave a comment,

and if you have some time, why don't

you stick around and watch another English lesson? Bye.