Learning English through listening is one of the most widely used methods for assimilating the language and improving your communication skills. Constantly listening to the English language, whether through movies, music, podcasts, or speaking with native speakers, will help you acquire new vocabulary and understand grammatical structures, while also improving pronunciation.
Today, we'll share effective tips to help you get the most out of this technique and make listening the perfect ally for learning English comprehensively.
Learning Through Listening to Speak English Effectively
Listening is one of the basic skills for learning any language. Through listening, the brain receives and processes information more effectively.
When we listen to content in English, we are exposed to new words, phrases, and sounds. We also become familiar with a wide variety of accents and intonations, which are key tools for training our ear, our listening comprehension, and enjoying all the benefits of this method.
However, it is important to remember that this method must be accompanied by the study of other areas of the language: reading, writing, and speaking, for the results to be favorable.
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Advantages of the method
Improve your listening comprehension
Active listening in English will help you improve your ability to understand everyday dialogues and conversations, movies to learn English, videos, music, etc.
Expand your vocabulary
Learning English through listening is a very interesting exercise because you'll be exposed to the language in real-life contexts, which contributes to expanding your vocabulary naturally and spontaneously.
Your pronunciation will be more fluent.
When you watch, for example, a YouTube video in English, you'll hear how native speakers speak. You'll learn to pronounce English words correctly and use accents correctly.
The same thing happens if you take classes with native teachers. By imitating what you hear in the lessons, you'll develop your ability to communicate clearly orally, understanding and imitating their pronunciation.
Disadvantages of the method
You have no control over the speed and context of the audiovisual material.
If you choose to learn English by listening, it's essential that you understand that this method is somewhat difficult for beginners. Native speakers sometimes speak very quickly or use jargon that's unintelligible to a language learner.
You Can't Objectively Evaluate Your Progress.
Unless you attend a class with a native teacher who evaluates your English learning process by listening, it's difficult to objectively analyze your progress, especially if you only use this technique to master the language.
5 Tips to Learn English by Listening Quickly
Do you want to learn English by listening, but don't know where to start? Don't worry, we've prepared a comprehensive list of 5 tips to help you achieve it in record time.
“To get the most out of listening, I have three recommendations. First, actively listen for the things you struggle with. Second, notice what seems unusual or completely incomprehensible. Finally, don't get hung up on mistakes or misunderstood words. The moment you get hung up is the moment you lose your way and learn the least. Let your brain do its tricks :)”
1. Listen to audios that interest you
One of the keys to learning English through listening is choosing audios that capture your attention and motivate you to study the language without getting overwhelmed or bored.
It's also important to select content based on your English level and start with the step-by-step listening method. This will help you build on a solid foundation that will allow you to achieve quality learning and express your emotions confidently in English.
2. Don't expect to understand everything perfectly at first
Don't forget that practice makes perfect, so don't expect to understand everything you hear at first. Over time, you will acquire skills, and your ability to understand words, phrases, and ideas will gradually improve.
One of the tasks we recommend for the entire process of mastering English through listening to be successful is to make it a daily routine. Only then will you perfect your English language skills and remember every word and sound you learn.
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3. Subtitles and transcripts will help you
Start by watching movies or programs with English subtitles so you can associate what you hear with the writing and better understand the context. As you become more comfortable with the language, turn off the subtitles and challenge your listening comprehension.
You can also go to YouTube and activate the transcript option to learn more vocabulary and grammar topics such as English verb tenses or the use of was and were.
4. Listen to the same audio or content several times
The key word for learning English through listening is repetition. The brain has an adaptation period, especially when learning a new language, so it's ideal to repeat the same audio or content as many times as necessary so it begins to recognize the sounds and contextual meanings.
You'll see that when the situation is familiar, you'll more easily pick up words and phrases naturally. We also recommend listening to the audio at a slow speed to differentiate the vocabulary.
5. Take classes with native teachers
Classes with native teachers that encourage speaking and active student participation are essential if you're interested in learning English through listening.
The teacher will guide you throughout your learning, and you'll have the opportunity to listen to the language in each class and lesson, which translates into correct pronunciation and language proficiency. Just like what we do at Papora with our online group English classes with native teachers.
What are the best methods for learning through listening?
There are many methods for learning English through listening, but the ones we'll mention below are those that have proven effective and teach the language most quickly.
“Repeating audio clips helps a lot to clarify the myths we have about English pronunciation. It's not necessary to understand everything the first time; focus on trying to understand the topic being discussed and some of the ideas presented. I recommend starting with simple audio clips on interesting topics, so there will surely be words I'll recognize immediately.”
Listen to music in English
Who wouldn't like to learn a new language by listening to their favorite songs? Well, the good news is that it's one of the most widely used techniques for working on listening comprehension and improving vocabulary.
There are many songs to learn English. Choose the ones that best suit your musical tastes and level, and study the English language in an engaging and interesting way while studying the lyrics and pronunciation.
Watch Movies, Series, and TV Shows
If you're into film and audiovisual productions, what are you waiting for? Learn English while having fun watching a movie or TV show? Aside from getting used to the language, you'll also be able to interpret words in context and improve your pronunciation.
A good alternative to consider is watching the BBC online, either on its website or on YouTube, where you'll find news, entertainment programs, and other additional information such as details on culture, sports, comedy, and music.
Listen to Podcasts and Audiobooks
You'll find podcasts and audiobooks on a wide variety of topics. The idea is to find something that catches your attention and focus on it for a few minutes a day. Over time, your English will surely improve considerably, and the results will be visible in the improvement of your communication skills.
However, if you have more academic and less informal goals, opt for educational audiobooks or podcasts designed specifically for learning English. These resources will explain valuable grammar, vocabulary, and idiomatic expressions to you.
“I recommend choosing listening material that interests you, whether it's a podcast, a TV series, or music, because retention is facilitated by an emotional connection. Pay attention to details, try to understand the general idea, and note and repeat pronunciation. Finally, don't be afraid to repeat the same content several times so you can internalize new words and expressions.”
Conversations with Native Speakers
Listening to and participating in real-life conversations is the best way to learn English. Look for opportunities to speak with native speakers or sign up for classes with native English speakers and experience language immersion.
Learn English by listening to experts at Papora
As you can see, one of the best ways to learn English is by listening to native-level experts, which you can do at Papora.
It's an online English teaching platform that offers you the opportunity to attend unlimited live classes per month with native-level teachers, providing real-time interaction so you can listen to them during classes and speak with them.
It also offers a self-guided course available 24/7 so you can stay up to date.
All Papora classes and lessons include audiovisual tools such as audio, videos, images, and speaking exercises, where all the pillars of the language are developed simultaneously, but with a special emphasis on listening and pronunciation.
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Unlike other platforms, Papora stands out for offering quality teaching through unique content and its 100% interactive method.
It allows you to quickly incorporate the language into your daily life, learning everything from basic topics like the verbs make and do to more complex ones like phrasal verbs.
Frequently asked questions about learning English by listening:
The time it takes you to learn English through listening depends on factors such as your dedication and consistency with practice, your prior knowledge of the language, your study methodology, the resources you use, and your learning context.
To learn English quickly, you must be highly disciplined, study all areas of the language simultaneously, and practice daily using methods like active listening. However, it's best to attend classes with native-level teachers, like those offered by Papora, so you can be part of an effective learning environment.
