9 TIPS for English learners in Englishspeaking countries
Hello I’m Emma from mmmEnglish!
Since you’re here at mmmEnglish, I think it’s safe
to assume that you’re learning English right?
But tell me, do you live in an English-speaking country?
Or are you planning to one day?
Perhaps you’re planning to study in America
or live in London for a year to improve your English.
Maybe you’re trying to get your visa
to work in Australia or Canada.
I’m curious. Let me know in the comments if you are
planning to study or work
in an English-speaking country
because living in an English-speaking country
can be an incredible opportunity to improve your English
so if you ever have the opportunity to do it, well do.
But just because you moved to the UK, Australia,
America, Canada, New Zealand,
it doesn’t mean that you will suddenly speak
perfect English like magic.
It is totally possible to live in an
English-speaking country and rarely use English at all.
So today I’m going to give you nine tips
to help you make the most of your time abroad.
Now I’ve got nine but perhaps you’ve got a few of your
own tips too.
So if you do, please add them to the comments
if you think I’ve missed any.
Even if you don’t live in an
English-speaking country, you will still be able to apply
some of these tips to the way that you
study English in your own country.
Now living in a new country is never easy
and even more of a challenge if you
need to use a different language
but if you participate in your new life,
you will notice a phenomenal improvement
to your English language skills. But before I go on,
make sure you subscribe to the mmmEnglish Channel.
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Tip number one. Don’t live with someone who speaks
your native language.
And in my opinion, the most important one today.
Now I’m sure that you would feel more comfortable
sharing a house with a friend or a family member
or at least
someone who speaks your native language, right?
You’d probably have a whole lot of fun with them.
They will probably understand your jokes,
they cook meals that remind you of your mum’s cooking
and share lots of nice memories from home.
But this is not going to help you to improve
your English, right?
At the end of the day, no matter how motivated
you think you will be, you won’t be motivated
to keep practising your English when it’s so easy
just to fall back to speaking your native language.
So don’t even give yourself the option to be comfortable
Don’t give yourself the option to be lazy
and kind of cruise-y. If you find a roommate who
doesn’t speak your language,
you’ll have to keep practising English all day.
As you discuss what you’re going to make for dinner
or you’re thinking ‘Who took the dog for a walk?’
or ‘Whose turn is it to clean the bathroom?’
In this situation, you’ll have the ability
to continue learning and using English
and improving every day.
Okay so what if you don’t know anyone else
who you can live with?
Well, that brings me to tips number two and three.
Don’t limit yourself to only native English speakers.
Native English speakers are not the only people
that you can learn from.
Other English language learners, who don’t speak
the same native languages as you,
are an incredible resource for you.
Spending time with or even living with other
English-language learners can be a great way to avoid
speaking your native language.
And doing so will help you to feel less nervous or
stressed about making mistakes, right?
You’ll feel more comfortable asking questions
or trying out new vocabulary with someone
who is also learning just like you.
Someone who is patient and willing to help.
You’ll share new words as you come across them
and chat about some of the embarrassing moments
that you’ve had.
But what if you don’t know anybody else who’s
also studying English?
How do you find these people?
Don’t just sit around and wait for new friends to find you,
connect with people through social networks.
Facebook groups, Meetup groups, your local library,
or community groups are a great start.
Most cities around the world have hundreds
of online communities full of people just like you.
So find groups of other expats or language learners
or non-native English speakers who are living in that city
Connect with those people.
They’re going to really understand the challenges
and frustrations that you’re having because they’ve
probably had the same experience as you, right?
So they can be a really invaluable support,
especially when you’re first starting out.
And there are so many websites like Craigslist, Gumtree
and others where you can find homes with spare rooms
and move in with housemates instantly.
Even AirBnB is a great place to start
and connect with someone local.
Tip number four.
Don’t watch the football game at home.
Whether you like football or not,
push yourself out of your comfort zone
and head to the local bar to catch the game.
Even if it’s not something you normally do at home,
heading out to take part in local social events
is a great way to meet people,
to learn a little bit more about the culture and
probably learn some local slang too.
Come on!
What a joke!
And if a football game really doesn’t suit your style,
then check out any other sporting event
or a local trivia night or happy hour specials
or a comedy show - you get the picture.
This can sometimes be daunting or scary
to put yourself in a situation
where you may not know anybody
or you might be forced to chat with the locals.
So local people tend to be more relaxed and
and willing to chat in these situations. Often,
they’ll happily explain the rules of the game and tell you
why the other team are no good.
But if you don’t feel comfortable joining a conversation
or cheering from the sidelines..
Tip number five.
Don’t put pressure on yourself
to start speaking immediately
especially if you’re new to a place or if
speaking in public makes you feel stressed or anxious.
It’s okay to just observe,
watch what other people are doing,
watch their body language, listen in on conversations,
try to understand what’s going on.
Being there and experiencing it
will help you to understand it.
Watch what the locals do
so that you learn more about the way that they interact
and the things that they talk about in social situations.
Don’t let your fear of making mistakes
or not knowing what to say keep you at home.
Allow yourself to be surrounded by English,
that way you’re learning, not hiding.
Don’t allow yourself to hide in your new home
because you’ll tell yourself
that you don’t have the confidence.
But before you know it,
you’ll start feeling more comfortable
about joining those conversations.
Tip number six.
Don’t expect to learn only in informal situations.
Living with someone
who doesn’t speak your native language,
finding groups of other English learners,
meeting people at the pub, they’re all great ways
to improve informally.
But it’s super to have a mix of formal and informal
learning opportunities.
Try to find a local tutor who can answer
all of your questions that you just need to ask, right?
Keep track of all the things that confuse you.
Actually, that’s my next tip, so keep watching
but go to your tutor with a list of questions.
Ask them how to pronounce difficult words or
about a strange expression you heard,
how to say that phrase that you really needed
at the coffee shop yesterday
or what you heard your neighbour yelling down the street.
Even if you only meet your tutor for a month or two
when you first arrive,
it would be a great investment
- both in time and in money.
As long as you make the most of it.
Now what was I saying earlier?
I think I had something that I wanted to tell you
so it was quite important. If only I’d written it down.
Tip number seven.
Don’t forget to keep track of your questions.
Whether you carry around a small notebook to write
down tricky words that you come across
or maybe you take notes on your phone, whatever.
But come up with a simple and easy system
to remember the language questions
that you think of at any time of day.
When you come across a word that you don’t know
or a phrase that you’re unsure how to use correctly
or just a general grammar question.
If you don’t make a note of it, the chances are
that when you finally have the opportunity to ask
someone like your tutor, you’ll have a hard time
remembering what those questions were.
And then you’ll miss the opportunity.
Making mistakes or recognising
times when you feel confused
are the best learning opportunities
so take advantage of them, write those things down.
Tip number eight.
Don’t get a job that requires you to speak in your
own language.
Learning a language takes a lot of hard work
and dedication.
Sometimes it can get really frustrating
and of course when we’re tired,
it’s really tempting to take the easy route, right?
We all do that.
But while it can be easy to give up or get lazy
in the comfort of your own home,
it’s not like that in the workplace, is it?
In the workplace, you must keep
working on your English.
So get a job where you have to work in English.
This will be a challenge.
It’s going to be a huge challenge for you.
At work, there’s no giving up or slacking off.
You must use your English, you must find ways
to improve and communicate clearly
so that you have a better experience
with your colleagues and with your customers, right?
Now you may be thinking
‘But Emma, my English isn’t good enough to get a job.
No one will hire me if I don’t speak fluent English.’
Well that brings me to number nine.
Don’t make excuses for yourself.
If you try to find a reason why you can’t do something
or it’s too difficult or even impossible,
you will always find an excuse.
It’s easy to find reasons why you can’t do something,
why you shouldn’t do it.
And it’s easy to tell yourself that
you’re not good enough. It’s safer right?
You reduce the risks of making mistakes.
Well, I say, stop making excuses and just go for it!
The best and most exciting things happen on the
other side of fear.
So every time you hear yourself making an excuse,
then block that thought and do the opposite.
All of these tips may sound like great ideas
but the decision to make these changes
comes from you.
It doesn’t matter how great your teachers are
or how long you studied English for.
Or if you live in an English-speaking country or not.
So often we just sit back and watch these
opportunities pass us by.
There are so many opportunities around us
and those people who take them will benefit the most.
So let’s recap from the top.
If you’re living in an English-speaking country,
don’t live with someone who speaks
your native language.
Don’t seek out only native English speakers.
Don’t wait for new friends to find you.
Don’t watch a football game at home.
Don’t put pressure on yourself
to start speaking immediately.
Don’t expect to learn only in informal situations.
Don’t forget to keep track of your questions in some way.
Don’t get a job where you have to
speak your own language.
And don’t make excuses yourself.
Take action. So those are my tips.
Do you have any of your own tips to add?
I’d love to hear about your experiences
living in an English-speaking country.
And if you know someone who is living abroad
right now or is planning on moving
to an English-speaking country,
then make sure you share this video with them.
Subscribe right here and don’t go anywhere just yet.
Check out these other English lessons right here.
I’ll see you in the next video.