Learning English for Beginners: My top tips

Summary

In this video, Emma shares six essential tips for beginners learning English. She recommends starting with common verbs, not worrying about perfect grammar, and focusing on the three key tenses: simple present, past, and future. Emma advises practicing listening skills in short bursts and learning vocabulary relevant to your daily life, including family, work, and weather words. Lastly, she stresses the importance of consistent practice and reviewing new words regularly. Emma also suggests using the website www.engvid.com for additional learning resources.

Takeaways

• 📚 Learn common verbs first: Focus on the 50 most commonly used verbs in English, such as 'ask,' 'be,' 'have,' and 'work.'
• 💬 You don't need perfect grammar: It's okay to make mistakes; communication is more important than perfect grammar.
• 🕒 Focus on 3 verb tenses first: Start with the simple present, simple past, and simple future tense to build a solid foundation.
• 👂 Practice short listening: Listen to short segments of English (10 seconds to 1 minute) to improve your listening skills effectively.
• 🏠 Learn vocabulary relevant to your life: Focus on learning English words that are important to your family, work, and daily routines.
• 🌦️ Master weather-related vocabulary: Learn common weather terms like 'cold' and 'hot,' as they are frequently used in conversation.
• 🔁 Review new words frequently: Practice new vocabulary multiple times a week to help retain and reinforce the words you learn.
• 📖 Test yourself: Challenge your memory by quizzing yourself on the new words you've learned.
• 🌍 Tailor learning to your environment: Learn English that's meaningful to your own life, like family or work-related words.
• 🖥️ Use online resources: Visit websites like www.engvid.com for more practice in vocabulary, grammar, listening, and pronunciation.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video?

The video focuses on providing tips for beginners to learn English effectively.

What is Emma's first tip for learning English?

Emma's first tip is to learn the most common English verbs or action words. She recommends starting with 50 commonly used verbs.

Why does Emma emphasize learning common verbs first?

Emma emphasizes learning common verbs first because most English sentences contain one of these verbs, making them essential for basic communication.

What is the second tip Emma gives in the video?

Emma's second tip is that learners don't need perfect grammar to communicate. Making mistakes is acceptable, as communication is more than just grammar.

How many verb tenses are there in English, and which ones are most important for beginners to learn first?

There are 12 verb tenses in English. For beginners, Emma recommends focusing on the simple present, simple past, and simple future tenses first.

Can you provide examples of sentences using the three basic verb tenses Emma recommends?

Yes. Simple present: 'On Mondays, I work.' Simple past: 'Yesterday, I worked.' Simple future: 'Tomorrow, I will work.'

What does Emma recommend when it comes to listening practice for beginners?

Emma recommends starting with short listening exercises, such as listening to English for 10 seconds to 1 minute, instead of watching long movies.

Why does Emma suggest learning English vocabulary that is relevant to your own life?

Emma suggests this because learning vocabulary that is meaningful and important for your everyday life, such as family or work-related words, will make the learning process more practical and engaging.

How does Emma suggest learners review new vocabulary words?

Emma suggests reviewing new words often by studying them repeatedly, testing yourself, and making sure to revisit the words multiple times to help remember them.

What resources does Emma recommend for further English learning?

Emma recommends visiting the website www.engvid.com, where learners can practice English and learn more about vocabulary, grammar, listening, pronunciation, and other language skills.

Outlines

00:00

📝 Introduction to English for Beginners

In this introductory paragraph, Emma introduces herself and the topic of the video: tips for beginners learning English. She emphasizes the importance of learning common words first, specifically common verbs. Emma provides a list of 50 essential verbs, highlighting their importance in everyday English sentences. She encourages learners to identify which verbs they already know and to focus on new ones from the list.

05:10

📚 Understanding Verb Tenses in English

Emma explains the importance of learning the most common verb tenses when starting to learn English. She discusses the simple present, simple past, and simple future tenses, using examples like 'I work' for the present, 'I worked' for the past, and 'I will work' for the future. These are the three foundational tenses that learners should master first before moving on to the other nine verb tenses in English.

10:18

🎧 Tips for Improving English Listening Skills

Emma shares advice on how to improve listening skills in English, emphasizing the value of short listening sessions over longer ones like watching full-length movies. She suggests listening to short clips, such as 10 seconds to 1 minute, to build comprehension and avoid overwhelming the learner. She encourages learners to focus on brief, manageable listening exercises as part of their learning process.

🏠 Learn English Relevant to Your Life

In this paragraph, Emma advises learners to focus on English vocabulary that is meaningful to their own lives. She suggests learning family-related words or terms relevant to daily routines and work environments. Weather words are also highlighted as commonly used terms in English conversations. By learning vocabulary that is directly applicable, learners can more easily integrate new words into their daily interactions.

💪 Practice English Every Day

Emma concludes by stressing the importance of consistent daily practice. She recommends practicing English for at least 10 minutes a day and regularly reviewing new vocabulary to reinforce memory. Emma suggests testing oneself as an effective method for retaining new words and encourages learners to revisit words multiple times. She also points learners to additional resources, such as the website 'engvid.com,' where they can further practice and expand their English skills.

Keywords

💡Common words

The video emphasizes the importance of learning common English words, particularly verbs, as a foundation for beginners. These are frequently used in everyday communication. For example, the speaker lists 50 common action verbs such as 'ask,' 'be,' and 'become,' encouraging learners to focus on them to quickly improve their understanding and speaking ability.

💡Verbs

Verbs, or action words, are a central focus in the video. The speaker suggests that beginners should prioritize learning the most common verbs because they form the backbone of most English sentences. Examples given include 'work,' 'go,' and 'have,' which are used to describe actions and states in various tenses.

💡Simple present

The simple present tense is one of the first verb tenses the speaker advises learners to study. It is used to describe actions that happen regularly or facts that are always true. For instance, 'On Mondays, I work' is an example of using the simple present to describe a habitual action.

💡Simple past

The simple past tense refers to actions that have already happened. In the video, the speaker highlights this as one of the three most important tenses to learn first. An example from the video is 'Yesterday, I worked,' showing how 'worked' expresses a past action.

💡Simple future

The simple future tense is used to talk about actions that will happen. The speaker emphasizes its importance for beginners, using the example 'Tomorrow, I will work' to demonstrate how the verb 'will' signals a future action.

💡Grammar

The speaker notes that while grammar is important, perfection is not necessary for effective communication. Beginners are encouraged not to worry about making mistakes, as understanding can still occur even with imperfect grammar. This encourages learners to focus on communication rather than being overly concerned about correctness.

💡Listening

Listening practice is another key component of learning English discussed in the video. The speaker advises beginners to start with short listening exercises, as long sessions like watching full-length movies can be overwhelming. Short, manageable listening tasks help build comprehension over time.

💡Practice

Practice is repeatedly emphasized in the video as essential for learning English. The speaker advises learners to practice daily, even if only for 10 minutes, and to review new vocabulary regularly. The idea is that consistent practice leads to mastery over time.

💡Vocabulary

Building vocabulary is a major theme, particularly in relation to learning words that are relevant to the learner's own life. The speaker encourages focusing on words related to family, work, and daily routines, as these are the most immediately useful in real-life communication.

💡EngVid

EngVid is a website recommended by the speaker as a valuable resource for English learners. It offers lessons on vocabulary, grammar, listening, and other aspects of language learning. The speaker suggests using the site for further practice and self-testing.

Highlights

Learn common words first to build a strong foundation in English.

Focus on learning the 50 most common verbs in English as a beginner.

The list of 50 common verbs includes 'be', 'have', 'do', 'say', and 'will', among others.

You don't need perfect grammar to communicate effectively in English.

Understanding that communication is more than just grammar is crucial for beginners.

Learn the three most important verb tenses first: simple present, simple past, and simple future.

Examples of each tense are provided to clarify their usage.

Listening to English for short periods is recommended for beginners.

Avoid long listening sessions like full movies and opt for shorter clips.

Start learning English that is relevant to your personal life.

Consider family, work, and daily routine when selecting English words to learn.

Weather-related vocabulary is commonly used in English and should be learned.

Practice English daily, even if it's just for ten minutes.

Review new words frequently to reinforce memory.

Testing yourself with new words helps in remembering them.

Visit www.engvid.com for comprehensive English learning resources.

Subscribe to Emma's YouTube channel for more English learning content.

Transcripts

Hello. My name is Emma; and in today's video, we are going to talk about

English for beginners. I will tell you my top tips to help you learn English.

So, let's get started. My first tip: Learn common words first. So, learn the

popular English words. For example, there are 50 verbs or action words that

are very common in English. Here is the 50 most common verbs in English — I

recommend you learn these verbs first. So, let's go through this list. Think:

"What verbs do I know? What verbs are new?" Learn the new verbs. Okay? So, the

top 50 most common verbs in English. Number one... Well, so, alphabetical.

These are alphabetical. There is: "ask", "be", "become", "begin", "call", "can",

"come", "could", "do", "feel", "find", "get", "give", "go", "have" — this one

is very important — "hear", "help", "keep", "know", "leave", "let", "like" —

again, this is also very important — "live", "look", "make", "may", "mean",

"might", "move", "need", "play", "put", "run", "say", "see", "seem", "should",

"show", "start", "take", "talk", "tell", "think", "try", "turn", "use", "want" —

very important one — "will", "work", and "would". So, what should you learn

first? I recommend learn verbs; learn action words. These are the most common

action words in English. Most English sentences have one of these verbs; they

are the most common words or verbs in English. So, that's my first tip: Learn

these words. Okay?

So, tip number two: You don't need perfect grammar. Okay? You can make

mistakes — it's okay. Communication is more than grammar. Sometimes people make

mistakes, and we can still understand them, so you don't need perfect grammar.

My third tip: In English, there are twelve different verb tenses in English.

So, there are about twelve different verb tenses in English. Many students

find it difficult to learn the twelve verb tenses. When you start learning

English, at the beginning, the three most important tenses are the simple

present, the simple past, and the simple future. These three verb tenses are the

tenses you should learn first. Okay? So, learn one, two, three. The first three

tenses you should learn. Here is the simple present: "On Mondays, I work" —

the verb "work" is in the simple present tense. So, "work" is the verb and it is

in the simple present tense. So, right now, on Mondays, I work. The second verb

tense you should learn is the simple past. The "past" is before. "Yesterday"

is the past, "last month" is the past, "2000" is the past. So, before is the

past. In English, it's important to be able to talk about the past — we use the

simple past tense for this. Here is an example: "Yesterday, I worked." So, the

verb is the same. This verb is in the simple present; this verb is in the

simple past — it has "ed". So, those are the first two tenses to learn. The third

verb tense to learn is the future. "Tomorrow" is the future, "in 50 years"

is the future, "next year" is the future. It's important to be able to

talk about the future in English. So, here is an example of the simple future:

"Tomorrow, I will work." When we talk about the future, we can use the verb

"will": "I will work." So, the first three grammar tenses to learn, the first

three verb tenses: The simple present — check, the simple past — check, simple

future — check. And then you can learn the other verb tenses in English. So

first, these three, then the other nine tenses.

Tip number four: When you start learning English, it's difficult to listen. My

recommendation is: Listen for a short amount of time. So, listen for a small

amount of time; not a long amount of time. So, a small amount of listening is

good. Small. Movies in English are about two hours. If you watch a movie in

English, this is not small; this is long. It's difficult to listen to a

movie in English for two hours. I recommend: Don't do this. I recommend

short listening for maybe ten seconds of English to one minute of English — this

is better for you to learn how to listen in English. Let me tell you some more

tips on how you can learn English as a beginner.

Here is tip number five: Start with English that is important for your life.

The English for your life might be different than the English for my life.

So, for example, think about your family. What family words do you need?

Do you need words for children? Maybe for "mother", "father", "sister",

"brother". Think about your family, and learn words about family that are

meaningful to you. Think about work: What words are important for your work?

Learn these words first. Think about your life every day: "What do you do

every day? Do you brush your teeth?" Probably. "Do you clean your house? Do

you...? Do you watch TV?" Think about your life, and learn the vocabulary or

the words for your own life for the routines you do. Weather words are very

common words. It's good to learn weather words as well. In English, we talk about

the weather a lot. I recommend learning weather words, like: "It's cold", "it's

hot". These are very important words. So, learn the English that is meaningful

Okay. My last tip, number six, is: Practice. Practice English. A little

practice every day is important. Ten minutes of English every day will help

you a lot in your learning. So, practice makes perfect. Review new words often.

If you learn a family word on Monday — review or study it again on Tuesday,

study it again on Wednesday. To remember a word, you need to see the word many

times, so review many times. Test yourself — this is a good way to help

you learn new words. When you learn a new word, wait a minute, and then think:

to your life.

"What is the word I just learned?" Test yourself, and that will help you to

remember new words.

Finally, visit www.engvid.com You can practice your English on this website.

You can learn about vocabulary, you can learn about grammar, about listening,

about pronunciation, about writing, or reading. There are many things you can

learn about English on this website. Thank you so much for watching. You can

also subscribe to my YouTube channel to learn more English. Again, thank you for

watching; and until next time, take care.