I started learning the language when I was 6 years old. So, in my case, English has long been an integral part of my life. For years, my friends and other people have asked me the same question. Everyone wanted to know how to learn English quickly. And at this moment, as a teenager, I immediately wanted to scream, but how do you imagine it!

The thing is that learning any language is a process. Do not believe those charlatans who promise you full training in 7-14 days. 2 months, by the way, will not go either. This is just in case. That is why, rule number 1: do not even try to learn English or German or French or Chinese quickly. I mean be ready to devote half an hour or 10-15 minutes a day to the process of learning. And be ready not to quit one day if you are too tired or bored.

You can read American books, listen to English songs, and play word games online. Reading is always fun. Nowadays it is so easy to find a book you are interested in. For example, less than a year ago I started to learn Software Testing. I quickly found out that lots of useful tutorials are written in English. To say the truth, I understood it while reading books in Russian. I felt that some parts of the text remind me of a poor-quality translation. What I am talking about is that one can always find his or her book. Do not be afraid to start with something simple and understandable. Lots of my pals approached the improvement of English when they began to read aloud for the children the chapters of “Winnie the Pooh” by Alan Milne.

If not quickly, then how?

The main idea is not to stop learning, cause the more you learn, the more you earn they say. And there is no reason, I am sure, not to believe it. Language learning is a pleasure itself. Moreover, it gives you several opportunities one should not neglect. Let’s have a look at them in more detail.

• While you are reading and speaking, you learn to formulate your thoughts. It is a useful habit for a project manager or business analyst, as well as for marketing specialists or QA.

• Some humans find it difficult to express their feelings in words. And for them reading books or watching films might be a real godsend. Just think about it for a while. We learn how to say “Hello world” when we are small. Usually we mock our favorite cartoon characters. I remember my niece at the age of 6 enthusiastically repeating after Dora the Explorer "Where is our map?" When we grow up, we unconsciously copy movie characters, when we enter into conversations with our boyfriends or relatives.

• As a linguist I am sure that the whole process of speech was born when a human being desired to make sense and order of the world. For me there is no order without a word. No wonder that it is stated that in the very beginning was the Word. And 1 followed by 100 zeros obviously rules the world now.

I am not a linguist. What should I do?

It seems to me that for those who decide to learn or improve their English, it is very important to decide what the purpose of learning the language is. If you need a language in order to use it at work, learn all the nuances associated with this process. Do you want to read a lot in English? Do you want to speak English fluently? Or maybe you would like to be able to write letters to your clients?

They say that all schemes are good, but ideal schemes do not exist. To begin with, I advise you to develop a personal scheme for learning the language. Don't try to achieve great results right away. Take small steps towards your goal. This will help you not to waste the reserves of enthusiasm along the way.

For example, you want to improve your listening skills. Then it goes without saying that you should listen to native speakers as much as possible. Listen to songs from the US and UK in the car. In half an hour of driving to work, you will somehow hear at least one new word. And then attention! I don’t think that right on arrival at the office you will get into the dictionary in order to find out what this term means. And it is natural. We all learn a language not as a collection of terms. Almost always in a sentence where there is only one unfamiliar word, a person is able to guess its meaning from the context.

If it is really impossible to guess the meaning of an unknown word, try learning extension. I am sure you will like it. The extension helps the beginners to listen and read simultaneously. Pros will be glad to slowly repeat rear terms. I suppose this function will be also effective for those who study new accents.

Hope you have got it. When you listen to any text you enrich your vocabulary. And it is not always about writing down new words on pieces of paper and hanging them on the refrigerator door. Although this method also works. It's just that in this case, most likely, you will study longer, and the garbage from the refrigerator is so difficult to get out.

Concentrate on the essentials

My father used to teach me to be quick to determine the essentials in order to focus on them. Just think about it. Our speech can be represented as a sequence of patterns. That is why a computer understands us when we address it with SQL or other programming language.

An engineer usually speaks boldly. He or she would rather use verbs and skip adjectives. Their speech is more neutral and sometimes it is simply reporting with little coloring. The same pattern is true for experienced military men, journalists or doctors. And it is not by chance. They all do not lack emotions as it may seem. They know that all their words have weight and tend not to deceive their counterparts.

Moreover, it is proved by linguists that the majority of humankind prefers to listen to low voices. On radio the lucky owners of such special vocal organs are called “Northrop B-2 Spirit” and used in prime-times. People do not like to hear screams and shrieks. It has felt like danger since ancient times.

We all begin to learn a language from the moment of birth, and according to a number of hypotheses even earlier - right in the womb. Therefore, it is worth paying attention to how children learn to speak. First of all, they copy the behavior of older family members. Children are observant. Nothing will be hidden from them: neither your accent, nor the timbre of your voice, nor intonation.

By the way, many children often do not immediately perceive jokes. This requires a certain skill. Most kids take everything we say at face value. And only with age does critical thinking bear fruit.

So what?

To conclude it I must admit that there is no way to learn English fast. Please, do not believe the titles that are stalking you on www.youtube. Yet there is a way to learn English slowly and smoothly. You can study while playing different word games, using video technology, and listening to popular songs. Draw inspiration from what you love. And remember that all great writers draw inspiration from just about everything.