If you have been learning English for a while it is possible you might find yourself in one of these situations. You read an article or a page of a book but can’t really understand what is it about. You are watching a movie but don’t know what is all the talking about.

You could even find yourself using the same words & structures without learning anything new. You keep reaching for the dictionary or google translate but it seems the information just can't stick in your memory.

Don’t worry. This can happen to everybody. Once we reach a learning threshold with a language, we often relax & forget to keep the process going. It’s wonderful to live in our comfort zone but if improvement is the goal, we need to step out sometimes & below I mention a few points that helped me out.

Speak more often

Your grammar could be top notch & your vocabulary rich with words. You could understand above 80% of movies & podcasts but if you are unable to speak or are not confident, your language game is not complete.

There are no shortcuts in this area. Some people are born with more conversational skills and some with fewer but with practice everybody can become good. You can join various meet-ups or groups where English is being spoken.

English to English Dictionary

If you use a dictionary that translate from English to your native language, it’s time to say goodbye to it or at least use it rarely. Using an English to English dictionary will improve your vocabulary & English in general because instead of a word to word translation, you learn many new words in the way.

There are many options available online such as Cambridge or Oxford. You can even use google for that matter. In the google search box you can write : “define [your word]” you will get results in English with various usage examples.

The language of your electronics

What is the language of your phone? If it’s not English, it’s time to switch. It might be a bit challenging but the rewards are well worth it. The chances are you will understand a lot of it immediately.

Continue with every other device you have such as laptop, tablet, smartwatch, TV or any other device where you can choose the language. You don’t have to stop there! Change the language of the services you use as well such as Facebook account or any other website or service that you use.

Pick up a book

Reading is perhaps one of the most challenging steps in your path of improving your English. It is difficult now more than ever due to the digital environment we find ourselves in however, even if you spend as short as 10-15 minutes a day, you will realise the changes taking place almost immediately.

Once you are more comfortable you can certainly increase the amount you spend reading. If you are interested in some tips on how to make the process of reading more effective & less frustrating, please check out my article on how to read.

Start writing

Last but not least we should mention writing. Perhaps more challenging than reading is the process of writing. You don’t really need special talent or skills to be able to write. You could perhaps write about everyday events & activities just like how you would do with a journal.

You want to start slow & easy in the beginning like writing a paragraph or two per day. When you feel you are getting the hang of it, you can certainly increase the amount of paragraphs. Writing in any language could be a very relaxing & rewarding experience in many aspects. As usual if you need more more ideas you can check out this article on writing.

Conclusion

These are only a small number of things you can do to improve your English language abilities. Some techniques work better for some & some don’t. Good luck with your journey!