How to study English on your own

Make your home your personal classroom!

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There are lots of ways to personalize your learning without signing up for expensive classes and committing to inconvenient schedules. Here’s how you can learn English on your own, from home!

Develop good study habits

The biggest challenge for people learning English on their own is developing a study plan that they can stick to. It takes a long time to build proficiency in a new language, so staying motivated is really important!

Here are tips for getting into the habit of studying English on your own:

• Make a study plan that works for your schedule. Ideally, your study plan will allow you to practice English most days of the week by doing a little at a time as a regular part of your routine. Perhaps you’ll decide to listen to the Duolingo podcast every morning on your commute to work, or maybe you’ll read in English for ten minutes every night before bed. That’s much better for learning than binging for a couple of hours every Sunday!
• Set realistic expectations. Language learning is hard, and it takes a long time! Think about the proficiency level you’ll need to achieve, and remember that you don’t need to be “fluent” to be comfortable and conversational! And for those intermediate learners, know it is normal to encounter a learning slump once you’ve passed the more rapid progress you may have experienced as a beginner. Luckily, there are strategies you can use to keep moving forward!
• Decide on personal goals to help you stay motivated. Setting smart goals will help you notice your progress. Consider what you want to do with English after a month, instead of looking a year ahead or to “fluency.” Think about why you’re studying English and what’s important to you: Is it speaking with family? Studying in another country? Getting ahead in your career? Then set related goals that are both specific and realistic, like: “After two months, I want to be able to read a menu” or “By the end of the summer, I want to ask my little cousins about their school.”

Make Duolingo your personal tutor

You’re motivated, you’ve set personal goals—now it’s time to learn English! With Duolingo, you can study English for free with a course made especially for you, whether you’re brand new to the language or are ready for more advanced English.

Duolingo’s English courses were designed by English teachers and learning scientists to align with international language standards (set by the Common European Framework of Reference for languages, or CEFR), so you can be sure that you’re learning the most important vocabulary and grammar to get you communicating. You’ll also find lessons focused on pronunciation practice, advanced Stories featuring our beloved characters, instant feedback, and practice sessions tailored to your strengths and weaknesses.

Build practice into your regular routine

You’ll learn English best when you are interacting with it, so at-home learners should take advantage of their hobbies and daily routines for extra English practice. Incorporating English into your interests will make it easier to stay motivated and get practice throughout the day (instead of cramming lessons or classes just once a week)—and you’ll be learning the English words and phrases most important to you!

To keep your learning fresh, engaging, and effective, mix up the ways you practice English. Doing the same things over and over again makes learning feel like a chore, so instead incorporate a variety of activities and balance the 4 skills you’ll need in English: reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

Here are easy ways to get English practice throughout the day:

• Turn your favorite TV and movies into English practice. Put on subtitles the next time you’re watching a show or movie! You’ll learn new words from context and will get a lot of practice reading fast. Naturally, TV and movies are a fun way to get listening practice, too. When picking a show or movie, consider choosing something you’ve watched before. This way, instead of using all your brain space to follow the storyline, you can use your energy to focus on language!
• Follow social media accounts that post in English. Adding English accounts to your usual scrolling helps you read and listen to a little English at a time. For extra practice, challenge yourself to write comments in English! You might start with a simple Great! or Cool, and as you get more comfortable, you can write more and even ask questions. Maybe you’ll make posts of your own in English, too!
• Re-read books that you already know and love. Even familiar kids’ books can make for good language practice, and just like with TV and movies, being familiar with the characters and story makes it easier to pick up new vocabulary and grammar.
• Daydream about destinations in English-speaking countries. Even if you’re not really planning a trip right now, you can have a lot of fun with English by exploring city streets on Google Maps, reading articles about top restaurants at the destination, and checking out local websites (and menus!) in English.
• Build personalized English-language playlists. Music is a great way to get used to the sounds of English! It can also help early learners become comfortable with the rhythm of the language, even if they don’t understand everything they’re humming along to yet. The catchiness and repetition of music also means you’ll be practicing in your head long after you’ve closed Spotify.
• Change your phone’s language for authentic practice. Intermediate and advanced learners will find that setting your phone to English makes vocabulary learning easy because you already know the apps, buttons, and menus so well!  And as most people look at their phones many times a day, the repeated exposure will help ensure all those new words stick.
• Take notes in English. Part of the challenge of writing is just knowing what words go together, so there are a lot of benefits to writing to yourself. For example, start writing your shopping list in English—it’ll really help you remember the English words for your favorite foods! Anything you put in your Notes app can be written in English, whether it’s personal reminders, to-do lists, or even your own personal reviews of restaurants.

Make your home your personal classroom!

All the tools you need to study English on your own are right at your fingertips! Find the combination of study habits and fun practice that work best for your schedule and learning goals. Start learning English today!