Mega list of tips to help you learn English quickly and effectively

Learning English is a process that won’t happen in a week or a day or as quickly as you expect it to. It’s a long journey but remember it’s one of the main reasons you came to Australia!

I learned English from scratch and I can tell you that it is absolutely possible!!! You just need a mix of ingredients to create the perfect formula that will make the learning process easier for you.

In this article we will give you some valuable tips that you can use as tools to boost your English levels. Follow us and see how much faster your learning process will accelerate.

Here we go!

Tip #1. Get in the mindset to learn

It may sound too simple, but you must have faith that you are capable enough to learn English and that it comes easily to you (you have to believe the story!). Repeat this every day without fail.

Make the process of learning English something you can enjoy, not something unpleasant. The following tips will help you learn how to get to this point.

Tip #2. Define your goals

Make a commitment to yourself. Think that learning English is the most important goal for you right now and that you will do everything in your power to keep this in mind.

Remember that knowing English opens many doors not only in Australia but around the world. Wherever you go you will need to speak English so be aware of the importance of learning.

Set yourself something concrete: to be able to hold a conversation in English with someone for X amount of time, to get above a certain score in the IELTS, to feel comfortable speaking English in a job interview, to watch a show in English without having to put the subtitles on and understand what they are saying.

Tip #3. Be consistent

You need consistency and discipline to achieve any goal. Try to be consistent with your learning process. For example: Do your homework after class, always practice in your free time, if one day for some reason you can’t practice, try to make up for it by making more time another day. Contribute every day with a grain of salt to your learning process.

Tip #4. Socialise with people who speak English

It’s okay to socialise with Latinos, you may be able to find some jobs through them, but don’t hang out with Latinos all the time.

Get out of your comfort zone and try to meet people who speak English. You will soon see how your speaking skills improve.

How to meet people? There are Meetups, volunteering, socialising apps you can use. I would say that Australians are a bit shy and at first it is not very easy to interact with them. In general they are nice people and are always willing to listen to you.

Tip #5. Start with what you like.

If you like movies, start by watching movies in English with English subtitles. That way you can pick up a lot of vocabulary. If you watch a film that you have seen many times in the past, you will know the words related to that scene.

If you like listening to music, start by translating the lyrics of the songs you like. Look in the dictionary for the meaning in English and Spanish.

Honestly, in my case it worked better to look up the meaning of the word in Spanish rather than reading the meaning in English. I feel that if I try to understand what the word means only in English I get more confused.

If you like YouTube videos, listen to the videos in English without Spanish subtitles and then try to write in your own words what you understood. It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t make much sense, then watch the video again with English subtitles and compare if you got what you wrote right.

Tip #6. Try to understand a bit of Spanish grammar in case you don’t know much about it.

This may sound strange but try to understand what is a verb, a noun, an adjective, a conjunction, an article and connectors. Also take a look at the concept of adverbs of time, place and frequency. All this will help you build sentences in English because the structure is very similar.

Another recommendation is tenses. Refresh yourself on what is present, past and future. It may seem obvious but believe me you will need this information to understand the tenses in English.

This will pay off in English classes as your instructor will assume that you already know these things and it will be easier to understand.

Tip #7. Speak English without embarrassment

Australians don’t mind if you don’t speak perfect English. Just practice and talk to them. It’s the only way you will learn, by practising.

Don’t be ashamed of your accent. Many people I’ve met find Latin accents very sexy!

During my time in Australia I can say that most people were patient while I was learning. Sometimes it was frustrating when they didn’t understand what I was trying to say (especially when I didn’t pronounce some words properly) or when I didn’t understand what they were saying.

Tip #8. Understand that English is finite

Think that a language is not infinite and that one day you will know everything you need to know to be proficient. Think that English is not going to be constantly changing and you are not going to have to change everything you already know constantly.

Tip #9. Test yourself!

Set yourself a daily goal of words you can learn per day. For example: 5 new words per day. Try to draw a picture of that word with your own hands and then use that word in a sentence.

Tip #10. Make associations

If you think a word is similar or sounds similar to something you know or remember try to make a connection, believe me you will never forget that word.

Tip #11. Be curious!

Look at the newspaper and try to understand an article, look for words you don’t know and circle them. Then go to the dictionary and look up the meaning.

Look at the Chemist Warehouse or Woolworths weekly magazines. These are free, and usually have short, interesting articles that you can browse through and get a general idea.

Tip #12. Join the library!

Libraries are free in Australia! You will find abundant resources for learning English in libraries, there are books, movies, magazines and computers if you need one.

One thing I recommend is that if your english level is very basic, go and look at children’s books. Apart from being fun, they have lots of new words and illustrations. I’m sure you will have a 90% better chance of remembering those words because of the pictures in the book but also because you are learning on your own initiative and not from an imposed task.

Tip #13. Keep a dictionary handy

When you come across with an english word that you don’t know, immediately go to the dictionary and look up the meaning. Then write down the word, draw a picture (similar to tip number 9) and write a sentence.This is important for building a mental glossary.

The ANKI app can be useful for making flashcards with words.

Tip #14. Make the most of space

Take an afternoon to go to the park. Think about the words you don’t know about the place you are in and ask yourself for example:

• How do you say tree in English?

• How do you say climb a tree in English?

• How do you say ride the swing in English?

Try to internalise these words and change the location next time. For example, the beach, the zoo, the aquarium. Include words, but also actions.

Tip #15. Discover your own learning method

Everyone learns differently. Some people are visual and learn by watching. Some people have a more developed ear and learn by listening. Others like me need to write to learn, discover it yourself!

To summarise

Make the learning process a fun journey. Trust your brain and see how wonderful it is and how well it responds to stimuli. If someone makes fun of your accent, don’t pay attention to them. At least you are learning a second language, they only know one!

If you start dreaming in English, you’re on the right track, your brain in already processing the new language.

Let us know which tip worked best for you!