Hello!
Can you learn English on your own?
Here’s the short answer. Probably yes, but it depends a bit on the person and what level you’re starting at.
I know there are people who have successfully learnt English completely on their own, but I think they are rare.
It’s more likely that they started with lessons and school and then continued on their own. Or maybe they’ve already learnt another language so they know what to do. And they are almost certainly organised and super motivated.
But for many learners, it’s probably easier to learn, practise and improve English with other people.
In my case, I know how to learn a language because I’m a teacher and because I’ve learnt languages before. But my problem is a lack of consistency and self-discipline! I do better when I have regular lessons to keep me motivated.
What about you?
Learning on your own
Now let me give you a longer answer!
There are many things you can do to improve your English on your own. And even if you have lessons, you can and should do these in addition to your classes.
Solo speaking
Say your thoughts out loud in English. Talk about what you did today or what you’re planning to do tomorrow. Maybe even record yourself speaking on your phone. Or chat with an AI.
Reading
In my opinion, reading is the absolute best way to improve your vocabulary. At the same time, you can see grammar used in context and you get a feel for natural English. Reading doesn’t have to be just books. It can be websites, newsletters and social media too.
Listening
Watch YouTube and Netflix to improve your listening skills. This helps with pronunciation too. You can also listen to podcasts and English-language music.
Writing
Write a diary or a journal or, if you prefer, write posts and comments on social media.
Grammar and vocabulary
There are many grammar and vocabulary books available, or if you want free materials, you can find them online. And don’t forget the benefits of reading for expanding your knowledge of the language, as I mentioned above.
Learning with a teacher
So if you can do all these things on your own, what are the benefits of having English lessons with a teacher?
(This teacher doesn’t have to be me but it might be! And your lessons could be one-to-one or in a group. See last week’s post about the pros and cons of each.)
💙 Maybe you just don’t know where to start. There’s so much information out there, it can be overwhelming. A teacher can help and guide you so you don’t feel quite so lost.
💙 There are a lot of free resources online but how do you find them and how do you know which ones you can trust? That’s something a teacher can help you with.
💙 I mentioned before that you can practise speaking on your own or you can chat to an AI. But lessons can provide you with real conversation and speaking practice with real people.
💙 A teacher can give you feedback on what you’re doing well and what you need to work on to improve.
💙 A teacher can help you identify and fix your mistakes so you can improve your accuracy.
💙 A teacher can also help you find alternative or more natural ways to say what you want to say.
💙 You discover the gaps in your knowledge. When there’s something you want to say and you’re not sure how to say it, the teacher can help you fill the gap.
💙 Lessons will help you with your confidence. I create a safe space for my students where they can ask questions and make mistakes without having to worry about what other people think.
💙 Regular lessons help you stay motivated, develop good habits and keep going, rather than saying “I’ll do it tomorrow” and then never doing it.
💙 Although you can definitely do a lot to learn on your own, you’ll probably make faster progress with some help.
So if anybody is interested in how I can help you with your English, here are two options:
1. Conversation Club
My Conversation Clubs are small groups that meet to practise speaking on Zoom. My Wednesday women’s group is now full and I’m looking for new members to start new groups.
I’d especially like to find people who’d like to join me on Mondays at 11.00 am, UK time. This might be a good time for you if you live in East Asia as my morning is your evening. Google will be able to tell you the time difference but don’t forget that we change the clocks from BST to GMT very soon.
2. Substack membership
If you upgrade from a free to a paid membership here on Substack, you can join a group chat on Zoom once a month. You’ll also get access to my library of lessons.
See you next week!
Katie 💙
I think indeed it depends a lot on the person and what they want to achieve with their target language. I learnt English at school the boring way but then I discovered that I can enjoy reading or watching things on the internet (as you mentioned) and write well enough, though I might make preposition mistakes and talking with my kid I realised I might often not know how to describe movement or actions because I basically always communicated in a more academic English :) So, yeah conversations with teachers I think would be a great way to improve in cases like mine, to target those needs more efficiently 🙂
Great reflection on how to move forward with your language learning ...