17 TECHNIQUES TO LEARN ENGLISH QUICKLY - ARTE - 2025

The techniques to learn English that I will explain below will help you to start speaking and understanding the language quickly. This language is the most common in all the countries of the world, therefore it is important to learn it if you want to have more professional opportunities or simply to travel.

The globalization and outsourcing of companies in the world market have promoted a boom in languages. According to the Adecco job portal, currently 70% of job offers require knowledge of a second language. And what is the most required in the job market? English, whose demand is close to 90%.

According to the Traduspanish.com portal, English, as a final result, accounts for 90% of requests in translation and interpretation companies and the most requested language in academies.

However, despite these linguistic needs, Spain and many Latin American countries lag behind in terms of knowledge of English. In a survey carried out by Eurostat, it is revealed that only half of Spaniards speak a foreign language, far from the European average (66% know a second language) and light years away from Nordic countries such as Sweden (92%) and Denmark (94%).

Techniques and tips for learning English

1- Don't be afraid to learn

It sounds strange that this advice is given to a person who precisely wants to learn, but although it is a truism, many people feel a real panic to follow the guidelines for training.

By this we mean avoiding public speaking, not asking questions or not making an effort to attend to dialogues and expressions because you assume that you will not understand them.

Be clear that you are learning and nobody is going to reproach you for anything. Fear is not a good ally to carry out any activity in this life. Take a deep breath and talk even if your nerves eat you up inside.

The first day you will be able to articulate few words, but when you least expect it, you will be speaking for ten minutes a day and, if you keep trying, you will be able to attend classes completely in English.

Don't apologize for not knowing something and of course avoid the recurring "I can't speak English well." Instead say: "I am learning English, could you repeat it?"

2- Sign up for an introductory course

Although it is possible to study on your own, it is usually advisable to take an introductory English course to learn basic concepts of grammar or vocabulary.

The ideal would be to carry it out with a private teacher, but in most cases they involve too high a cost that not everyone can afford.

In this case, option b is to enroll in an academy, where you can socialize with other colleagues. If you choose the option of the private teacher or the academy, try that the teacher is native.

To learn vocabulary more quickly and effectively you can use these memorization techniques.

3- Avoid using your mind as a simultaneous translator

Although it is difficult at first, avoid as soon as possible translating word for word what your counterpart is trying to tell you. This will cause you not to focus on learning the language and your knowledge will slow down.

4- Get a notebook

Act like a journalist and write down important words or phrases. Simply taking the time to collect it will help you memorize it.

5- Join the dictionaries

Buy yourself a physical dictionary to accompany you to your readings or it serves as a solution to the doubts that assail you during the activities.

It is also easy to find different translation tools online, the most famous being Google Translate.

However, we recommend that you opt for the translators offered by the Oxford, Cambridge, Merriam Webmaster and The Free Dictionary pages. Totally reliable!

7- Lean on series and movies

Take advantage of the golden age of the series to get hooked on a couple of them and get heard in a fun and relaxed way.

Although it will depend on your level, the ideal is to see them as is, avoiding the use of subtitles that make it difficult for you to follow the plot or appreciate the pronunciation of the protagonists.

In a survey carried out by the Kaplan academy in 2012, among the favorite series of students who wanted to learn English, appeared Friends (26%), The Simpsons (8%) and in a more distributed way How I knew your mother, CSI, Family Guy, House or The Big Bang Theory. In terms of movies, the favorites were Harry Potter (24%), Titanic (11%) and Toy Story (7%).

There are various portals to watch series and movies online, both with and without subtitles. Netflix.com may be the most complete and well-known within the network, since you can find the series in an orderly manner by popularity, difficulty, genre, year of broadcast, etc.

8- Read books

There are of all the levels and they are easy to acquire them in any bookstore. From an early age, language academies promote reading among their students, as it is one of the best methods to acquire vocabulary and learn grammar.

Accompany your readings with a note sheet where you can write down your doubts and later solve them with the dictionary. The most normal thing is that that word or expression will not be forgotten again.

9- Read international press

The written press has long been digitized, making it possible to find front-line newspaper portals such as The Guardian or The New York Times, with which we can improve our reading comprehension while keeping abreast of what is happening in Anglo-Saxon countries.

If you are not interested in reading news or reports from other countries, some Spanish digital media such as Elpais.com or Marca.com, report what is happening in the national territory but in the language of Shakespeare.

10- Radio is an old ally

As with the international press, thanks to the Internet we can listen to almost any station in the world online.

Having an Anglo-Saxon dial in the background to look at the pronunciation of the announcer or simply having it in the background while you carry out other tasks, will be of great help so that your hearing is tuned even more.

For beginners, perhaps the most appropriate station is Vaughan Radio, developed for all those who want to learn English. Later, venture to tune in to channels such as the legendary BBC (British) or WNYC (American).

11- Find out what your favorite artists are talking about

Surely many of your favorite singers or groups are English speakers and you will know their songs, or at least you will hum them. Why not know what they are trying to express with their songs?

There are many portals, such as lyster.com, musica.com or queletras.com, where you will find the lyrics to be able to analyze and understand them.

Although you have a special predilection for artists like Nicki Minaj, they are not the best option considering that their rhythm is very fast and they also play a lot with words. A recommendation?

The mythical The Beatles are a band with very simple lyrics that give more possibilities to understand each other. Amy Winehouse or Adele are also artists to enjoy to tune your ear.

12- Avoid feelings of negativity

Do not give up and above all do not underestimate yourself. Neither Diego Armando Maradona was born as a professional footballer, nor did he ever err in his career because he was one of the best. Effort and practice will only lead to positive results.

Injuring yourself with negative self-talk about your ability to learn will only make you decide to abandon your purpose.

Instead of thinking “what a fool I am” convince yourself that “English is complicated, but I will keep trying”. By being positive you will take a faster path to reach your goal.

13- travel

It seems obvious and, although we know that it can be an expensive option, it is irremediable to put it on the list because it is one of the most advantageous techniques. English, since the 17th century, has spread throughout the world due to its political, economic, scientific or cultural influence. That is, the "official" language in international discourse.

Between countries and dependencies of the United Kingdom and the United States, the letter of geographical areas where English is spoken reaches the five continents, being official in more than 30 countries.

Take advantage of low cost flights and visit countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Nigeria, South Africa, Canada or Australia and establish your knowledge.

14- Avoid getting together with compatriots

When a person emigrates or decides to study in a foreign country, they often make the mistake of associating with people from their own country.

This is because, when we are outside, loneliness becomes latent and we find ourselves in the need to speak with someone who understands us or feels identified emotionally. This results in our learning stagnating.

15- Live an experience outside living with natives

If you decide to study / work abroad, don't be afraid to share a flat with natives. Although living together may be confusing at first, you will soon create a bond that will help you in a very effective way to better understand the language and especially to understand the idiosyncrasies of the place.

16- Discover the audiobooks

Our learning capacity is both visual and auditory. Human beings when reading a word or phrase "draws" it in their mind. Registered by the brain, when we want to remember the "image", it will come to us automatically.

In the case of our hearing ability, it happens exactly the same, the best example being when we remember songs or poems from our childhood and we know it by heart.

With audiobooks we combine these two skills to capture and process information, which makes it an easy and effective method to learn English.

In bookstores or portals like Amazon.com you can find a great variety. In addition, on YouTube there are many tutorials from basic to advanced level.

17- Do you know the Tandem?

A tandem or language exchange consists of the meeting between two people with different languages ​​to spend half of the time practicing

Forums on Facebook or web portals such as Alandum serve to put in contact anyone who wants to exchange language.

Among the benefits of carrying out this technique, we find the comfort of not having to adhere to established schedules like in an academy, the possibility of making great friends and, above all, discovering a lot about their culture.

In order for you to enjoy this experience, make sure to find a partner with a similar level of language, divide the time spent on each language equally, find a comfortable and pleasant place for both speakers, and politely and constructively correct the your partner's mistakes.

Taking into account the statements that we have collected from people with experience abroad, we can extract something clear. By carrying out a social life with local people and combining it with reading and watching movies or series, in about 4 or 5 months you can master a language such as English to a considerable level.

Conclusions

In Spain, Latin America and we have a historical debt to the language. The new policy that is coming and the multiple tools and facilities for learning should be a push to, once and for all, travel the world without fear of getting lost or being able to return an answer to a lost tourist without fear of saying “no. I speak English".