Learn English from scratch

Tips to learn English

Identify your goal

You already know you want to learn English but you need one more thing: to determine why you want to learn it. Answering this will help you define your starting point.
For example, if you want to learn English because you will spend the summer in Australia or the United States, then it is better to start with speaking because that is the skill you will use the most in one of those places.
On the other hand, if you want to learn English because you want to study at Oxford or Harvard, then it is better to start with your writing and reading skills, and also get familiar with academic vocabulary.
Not having a clear reason for studying will prevent you from determining a starting point and this can overwhelm you, since there are many topics to study.

British English or American English?

Maybe you haven’t taken the first step to learn English because you don’t know whether to study British English or American English.
It is important to decide this because both differ somewhat in vocabulary and spelling. If you learn a mix of the two, you might get confused when expressing yourself or writing a word.

Depending on the country you will visit, or simply the one you like better, you can choose one of the accents. If you plan to emigrate to the United Kingdom, it is better to learn British English. On the other hand, if you are learning English to take the TOEFL, it is better to learn American English.

Focus on the basics

Focusing on the basics will keep you on the right track. What are the basics? Learning the names of places, household objects and essential adjectives; that is:

Develop your vocabulary

Learning vocabulary is the first step you must take because it will allow you to communicate at a basic level.

And how do you acquire new vocabulary? Without a doubt, the best way to learn new words is by reading texts in English, but it is not the only way. There are others like listening to songs and playing interactive games.

Memorize many verbs

Together with adjectives and nouns, learn the basic English verbs and their present tense conjugation. That is, learn the most used verbs, such as to be (ser), to have (tener), to do (hacer), to get (receive, obtain, get), etc.

You can also learn them by categories: regular verbs and irregular verbs.

Make use of pronouns

Also, focus on learning pronouns such as subject pronouns (I, you, he/she), object pronouns (me, you, him/her) and possessive adjectives (my, yours, his/her).

Start with simple sentences

When you have acquired basic vocabulary, you can start studying simple sentences. A simple sentence consists of a subject and predicate and conveys a complete meaning.

For example:

I have a dog. (Yo tengo un perro.)

I need to get a book. (Necesito conseguir un libro.)

To practice, write one every day using the verbs and nouns you have learned.

Types of sentences

Once you master the simple sentence, you can move on to the next topic: types of sentences. In English, there are four types of sentences.

1. Declarative sentences state a fact.
2. Exclamative sentences express a strong emotion.
3. Imperative sentences give a command.
4. Interrogative sentences ask a question.

Just like with simple sentences, you can practice these types of sentences every day. Of course, use the vocabulary you already know and the new vocabulary you acquire. This way, you will practice this skill and reinforce the vocabulary you have learned.