
I’m sure you’ve heard that it’s important to practise speaking and listening in English, but did you know that there are ways to practise your listening skills in a new language? Here are some tips for improving your ability to understand native speakers.
1. Listen to English as often as you can, as much as you can.
○ Listen to native speakers, not just people who speak with an accent.
○ Listen to different types of programmes, not just news or talk radio.
○ Listen to short clips, not full episodes.
2. Tell your friends to speak English with you.
It is important to have friends who speak English with you. Friends can help you when you are learning and practising your English so that it becomes easier for you to understand the language. They will also help by giving new words or expressions that they have learned in their lives.
You should also try to talk with these people as much as possible by asking them questions about their lives and experiences in order of difficulty level until they feel comfortable enough with each other so they can start communicating without hesitation (or even any formality).
3. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes when speaking English with friends.
When you’re speaking a language with friends, it’s important to be open about your mistakes. You should never be afraid of making mistakes or asking for help. Instead, you should feel comfortable saying “I don’t understand.” or asking questions when something is unclear.
When many of my students were learning English as a foreign language, they would always make mistakes when speaking with friends in English because they were too hesitant about saying anything wrong or asking for clarification on something that didn’t make sense at first glance (like “What do you mean by that?”). This made their conversations more awkward than they needed to be!
4. Ask for help when you need it.
There are many ways to improve your listening skills in English. You can ask for help from a teacher, friend, book, or website. If you don’t have anyone nearby who can help you with this, then look online for tutors who specialise in helping people learn English as a Second Language (ESL)/ English as a Foreign Language (EFL).
5. Set goals for yourself, and keep track of your progress.
Setting goals is a great way to improve your listening skills in English. You can set a goal for yourself and keep track of your progress, but make sure it’s achievable. If you want to be able to speak with someone who has already lived in another country for several years and speaks English as their first language, then this might not be attainable on your own!
If you feel that something is too difficult or overwhelming for now, don’t worry—you can still work towards improving your listening skills over time by setting smaller goals throughout the year that are manageable and realistic. For example: “I will listen more often.” Or maybe even something like: “I will listen for five minutes every day.” These kinds of small tasks are much easier than trying to completely overhaul everything at once (or worse yet—trying nothing at all).
6. Figure out why you want to improve your listening skills in English.
Listenning is a key skill in any language, and it’s especially important for English speakers. Because of its global nature, it can be difficult to understand what people are saying unless you’re listening carefully—and even then, it may not be clear without context and understanding the underlying meaning of the conversation.
Listening helps improve your understanding of new words and expressions by providing context for them, as well as helping you practice speaking more fluently. It also helps build confidence when speaking with others because you often forget your vocabulary or phrase structure as soon as you stop using them!
7. Practise understanding different speakers and accents.
If you want to improve your listening skills, it’s important to listen to people with different accents. You can practise this by listening to music or audio books that have characters with foreign-sounding voices. You should also try listening to different kinds of voices—male, female, and young/old. For example, if you’re watching a movie or TV show dubbed in English but aren’t familiar with the actors’ native accents (American English vs British), there’s no reason why they shouldn’t sound just as clear as their American counterparts.
Listening comprehension isn’t just about recognising words; it involves understanding what someone is saying as well as how they’re saying it—and that means having an idea about whether someone has an educated accent or not!
8. Tune into native speakers on TV or radio news shows.
While you can’t always guarantee that your favourite news programmes will be broadcasting in English, listening to them is a great way to improve your listening skills. The best thing about TV and radio is that they’re for free, so there’s no reason not to tune in!
To make sure you’re getting authentic English speakers, listen for native accents and voices. When people talk on TV or radio shows (especially if they’re news anchors), it’s common for them to drop their tongue slightly when speaking because it makes the sounds easier for listeners who aren’t familiar with English pronunciation rules.
9. Expand your vocabulary by reading in English.
Reading in English is a great way to expand your vocabulary. You can read anything from newspapers and magazines to books and blogs, but make sure you’re reading something that’s not too long.
If you don’t know the words yet, look them up in an English dictionary or check out Wiktionary (if it’s an acronym). Once you’ve found the word, try using it yourself in sentences like this one: “I read my book while eating pizza.”
10. It’s important to know how to listen in every language, and trying new things can help improve your listening ability in a new language!
Listening is an important skill in every language, and it’s important to know how to listen in every language! Listening practice is a great way to improve your listening skills. Try new things, like listening through headphones or music that you like!
Listening practice can be fun if you make it so. You can do it anywhere—at home or at work—and it doesn’t matter if you have time for this activity during your day-to-day life; just find some time where there’s no pressure from other people around you (if possible) and let yourself relax while listening through headphones instead of trying out something new at school/work/home, etcetera).
Conclusion
In English class, you learn to listen carefully and communicate clearly. But it’s important to remember that listening skills can be improved throughout life —even if you’ve never studied English before!