10 tips to improve your English

You know it’s important, but you don’t know where to start and you’re looking for tips to improve your English? Well, we have gathered ten that will surely help you.

English is the most used language in an increasingly global job market and being fluent or not in the language can make a big difference in many professional areas.

If it’s time to bet on this tool to be able to do more and go further in your career, start today.

The language has been part of the school curriculum since the first cycle. We use loanwords in normal conversation. There are many personal and work communication tools that are based on it.

We have a special ability to learn new languages ​​and we know that English is one of the most important in the world.

Despite everything, the truth is that there are still many people, even with a high academic level, who do not have enough (or even very basic) knowledge to allow them to have a fluent conversation, or who do not master this foreign language at all.

Improve your English: 10 practical tips

Learning or improving English, like another language, requires dedication, training and, whenever possible, direct contact.

If you have availability, you can enroll in an English course suited to your level and specific needs. There are many available on the market. There is the possibility of enrolling in a distance course, which can facilitate your attendance without having to travel further.

If you prefer and make a commitment, you can purchase an online course and learn on your own, at your own pace. You can also get free online versions.

Apps and platforms help to learn the language from just a few minutes a day. You can also use it to improve your daily life in a simple and fast way. Discover some examples:

• Hello Talk: is a platform to interact with native English speakers;
• Duolingo: offers quick lessons and has a gamification system. You can even create groups with friends;
• SpeakingPal English Tutor: is very interactive and presents quick lessons in a fun way;
• Cambridge website: corrects texts with feedback on writing;
• FluentU: several podcasts in English;
• Lyrics training: helps to understand song lyrics in a practical way;
• Meet Up: platform to interact with people from different countries and languages.

It could be an internship, training, an Erasmus program or another. If you have the opportunity to spend a season in an English-speaking country, this is one of the most effective and quick strategies to learn.

Being obliged to speak will do it and improve, even if they make some mistakes along the way. In addition, you will meet new people, a different culture, make new contacts and gain an enriching experience for life, which may even open up other horizons.

If you go alone and stay with a native family, it will be the ideal way to learn or improve your English.

Understanding what you hear or read is important, but to be fluent in English, like any other language, you must be able to speak and write correctly.

To train verbal and written communication in English, listen to phrases and excerpts and then repeat what you heard out loud. You can record and compare. Simultaneously write to associate the two aspects of words/expressions and memorize.

In a first phase, and if you feel more comfortable, it may help to have a dialogue with yourself. It may sound strange, but it works. Experience common everyday situations. You will recognize results.

If you like watching movies and series, this can be an excellent way to learn English, if you choose not to resort to subtitles in Portuguese.

This will require greater attention to what you are listening to in order to understand and become familiar with the language. Start with simpler stories or ones you already know.

You can start by leaving the subtitles in English and writing down the words you don’t know, that way you will also increase your vocabulary.

The rule also applies to Portuguese: reading is essential to writing correctly. Reading allows you to memorize the spelling of words and thus you will know how to write them.

It might be a little more difficult, but it’s essential if you really want to improve your English. Choose a smaller book or one with a simpler story.

Avoid very complex or technical content. Have an English-Portuguese dictionary with you while you read and take your time. Reread as many times as necessary to understand.

The internet has no limits and is a very useful tool for anyone who wants to learn or improve their English. There are even those who achieve such a feat through the games available online.

Despite being, usually, a more popular English, it is still relevant to learn to communicate and train that same communication.

As with exchange programs, having the opportunity to interact with native speakers is the best way to improve your English.

You can do it online, through forums, groups or digital platforms, or in person, attending some places where you know you can find people who speak the language, integrating groups of people on exchange in Portugal or even through volunteer programs that allow this contact. .

All daily contact with the language, however brief it may be, facilitates its learning and improvement. Changing the language on your smartphone can be a good strategy to force yourself to deal more naturally with English. The GPS feature also helps. In those moments, take the opportunity to practice and repeat what you hear or read.

After all, the smartphone is an element with a strong presence in everyday life. Enjoy it.

These are just a few tips to improve your English. Understand which ones are best suited to your daily life and needs, or discover others that can help you, so that when someone asks you “Do you speak English?” can answer “Yes!”.