1. Set Goals and Motivation for Learning English
Many people are always in a passive state. You want to learn English just because your friends around you are learning English too much, so you also want to learn to avoid feeling worried. You should clearly determine with yourself and answer the questions: “Why do I have to learn English?”, “What will I have with English?”, “What will I lose without English?”, “How should I learn English?”, “Do I need to learn English for communication or for the Toeic, Toefl exams?”. You will not be able to do anything if you yourself do not want to. Set clear goals, find sources of motivation to always pursue those goals.
Setting goals, relentless effort, and perseverance in achieving goals are the keys to bringing happiness and meaningful life to everyone. The clearer the goal, the more potential you have to achieve success, wealth, and happiness.
2. Change Language Settings on Your Phone and Computer
Change the language from Vietnamese to English on your phone and computer right now. If you're truly ready for a language improvement journey, start with the smallest steps. This will help you learn many new words through these devices, ensuring faster memorization and reflexes as you see them every day.
Changing all the language settings on your computer and phone will give you more exposure to English. This helps you live in an English-speaking environment entirely. You will enhance your reflexes, and your English will improve significantly.
3. Find a Companion
You can go further with a companion. Pursue your goals with a friend or a group of like-minded individuals. This will help you focus more on your goals, and your friends will surely keep you on track for the common goals of the group.
A companion can help you practice speaking and communicating in English every day. Your companion can correct your mistakes and help you fix them. This is something you cannot do when learning English alone. Additionally, learning with someone else will give you self-awareness and motivation to strive.
4. Learn English through Sitcoms
Sitcoms are the right choice if you want to enhance your English proficiency. You can choose shows like Extra, Friends, How I Met Your Mother... These are all humorous shows with concise, memorable dialogues, easy to listen to, especially for improving your pronunciation by repeating the lines spoken by the characters every day.
You can learn common conversational dialogues that you can apply immediately in your conversations. Remember, 'Learning must go hand in hand with practice.' If you just listen, listen, listen, and record everything the characters say in the show, you're still just like a recording machine, your speaking ability is still 'stuck in place.'
5. Learn English through your favorite animated movies
Why should you choose your favorite animated movies? First, because you love the movie, your brain will be more stimulated, and you'll remember dialogues, gestures, and new words faster than with new movies. Especially, these are animated movies, so the dialogues are very memorable, and you won't be 'poisoned' with too many vocabularies compared to listening to news or reading English books.
Some animated movies you can watch are: Up, Toy Story, Kungfu panda, Mickey Mouse, The Secret Life Of Pets, Finding Nemo... You must pay attention not to get caught up in the plot of the movie. Take notes of phrases, dialogues with new words you learn, and review them regularly to make sure you always remember what you've learned.
6. Join an English club
Currently, there are numerous English clubs nationwide. By paying a small fee, you can immerse yourself in an English-speaking environment. You can choose clubs affiliated with English centers, those founded by English enthusiasts, or those organized by foreign students volunteering in Vietnam.
Depending on your current proficiency level, select an environment that suits your abilities. Make it a habit to attend a club at least once a week to interact with like-minded individuals passionate about learning English, thereby gaining additional motivation.
7. Learn English through useful online websites
There are numerous websites that can revolutionize your English learning experience such as Hellochao.vn, studyphim.vn, Spotlightenglish.com, busuu.com... These are platforms designed to enhance your English skills effectively. You can also utilize YouTube channels like Engvid.com, hellochannel, Let’s talk, mmmEnglish... Explore these English learning channels and pick the website that suits your daily learning routine.
Firstly, choose topics that interest you. When learning aligns with your hobbies and passions, you'll find inspiration and motivation to engage with English every day. Learning English should be consistent and regular, so establish a study schedule that works for you and stick to it.
8. Having a foreign friend to chat with every day would be amazing
You'll find yourself more excited about this language if you're constantly conversing with someone who speaks it fluently or is a native speaker. You can find such a friend by joining clubs committed to 100% communication with foreigners. Additionally, you can make friends on websites like: italki.com, verbling.com...
Furthermore, you can volunteer as a tour guide for foreign visitors to Vietnam. This not only gives you more time to converse in English but also helps introduce the beauty of Vietnam to the world.
9. Cultivating the habit of thinking in English
This is an excellent habit; you'll become quicker at reflexes as you get used to thinking in English. Abandon translating to Vietnamese if you want to improve faster. You'll feel tired initially, but if you persist, you'll see clear results.
Thinking in English is one of the best practice methods for speaking English fluently in a short period. However, our brains often receive new languages through the 'channel' of the mother tongue and then translate from the mother tongue to the new language. Therefore, many of us struggle with practicing thinking in English and often find it difficult to switch to thinking in English after a period of trying because the habit of translating from Vietnamese to English remains stubbornly entrenched.
10. Read and translate English stories every day
You can enrich your vocabulary through translating English. It's a task that requires perseverance; only through persistence can you reap its benefits. Initially, you can read and translate books like Diary of a Wimpy Kid, A Vision of Velvet, Picture Perfect...
Reading in English isn't just about finding relevant information for work; it has benefits that sometimes even avid readers may not know. Creating the motivation to learn English every day: Reading a lot of English materials will gradually become a habit. You will no longer search for knowledge on the internet in Vietnamese but instead discover new knowledge that can inspire you in your work. Learning to think in English: Naturally, when reading in English, words and phrases will repeat often. English images penetrate deeper and trigger thoughts.