Wanting to teach yourself English or looking to improve your English skills? Below is a comprehensive list of apps, podcast, music, book and video suggestions to help improve your English language level. All tried and tested by a English language teacher. Find your level (beginners, intermediate, advanced) then the skill you would like to improve underneath.
ESSENTIALS
TOP PICKS
BEGINNERS
Website/app: WordReference – Essential dictionary for translations from 16 languages
INTERMEDIATE
App: Tandem– Free language exchange app
ADVANCED
Podcast: Confident Business English – great podcast for advanced learners wanting to boost their business English
BEGINNERS
LISTENING
READING
WRITING
SPEAKING
VOCABULARY
App: LearnEnglish podcasts – Listening content from the British Council
PROS: Transcript to read along with; standard British English; slow steady speech; possibility to speed up or slow down audio
CONS: Lots of ads distracting from learning; limited content
App: BOOKR Class – App for children learning to read English
PROS: Follow along transcripts; all levels; animated stories; free options
CONS: Intended for children; a lot of paid content, HINT: filter by free options
App: LearnEnglish Grammar – Great for simple grammar structures
PROS: Clear but in-depth explanation; covers major grammar points
CONS: Lots of ads distracting from learning
Website: British Council A1 Speaking – Learn some basic useful phrases for conversation
PROS: Slow, steady, clear English with various British accents; can switch on the subtitles; transcript also available; speed can be adjusted; different tasks
CONS: Does not encourage you to speak the language out loud
App: DuoLingo – Incentivised game
PROS: Great for learning vocab; fun light-hearted learning
CONS: Limited attempts; annoying reminders
Website: Cambridge English – Listening practice for basic comprehension
PROS: Transcript to follow along with if required; activities
CONS: Limited content
Website: British Council A1 reading – Learn to read basic texts in English
PROS: Preparation and comprehension questions; downloadable PDFs
CONS: Limited content; no audio, HINT: copy and paste into a ‘text to audio website’ such as this one to hear spoken text.
Website: British Council A1-A2 Grammar – Everything you need to know from verb tenses to prepositions to conjunctions
PROS: Comprehensive grammar content; clear explanations; grammar tests
CONS: Classic learning style (i.e. in written form)
Website: iTalki – Paid online 1-to-1 lessons
PROS: Selection of different teachers from different parts of the world; different price ranges; suits your schedule
CONS: Investment required
App/website: WordReference – Your go-to dictionary for translations from 16 different languages
PROS: Available in several languages; forums for discussions
CONS: Doesn’t work offline
INTERMEDIATE
LISTENING
READING
WRITING
SPEAKING
VOCABULARY
Podcast: DECODE English podcast! – My podcast, made by an English teacher for English students
PROS: Where to begin!
CONS: Obviously there aren’t any 🙂
App: Readable: Read English Stories – Read along according to your language level
PROS: Language level specific; news or books; audio for reading along; swipe to translate to any language; word trainer
CONS: Limited reading with free version
Website: BBC Learn English Grammar – All the info you need to master English grammar
PROS: Bitesize grammar content; videos for the more audio-visual learners; free worksheet
CONS: Quite superficial explanations
App: Tandem– Language exchange
PROS: Free language exchange app; translation capacity; allows voice notes
CONS: Be prepared to be hounded! HINT: Toggle off the ‘Show in the community’ button to avoid having too many language partners – this is key to keeping the discussions alive!
Website/podcast: The English We Speak – Common English words and phrases used in everyday life
PROS: Clear, standard English; short snippets (2-3 minutes); transcript on website; available on podcast players under ‘Learning English Conversations’
CONS: None!
App: LearnEnglish videos – Videos with transcript from the British Council
PROS: Transcript; various topics; comprehension questions; lots of content
CONS: Requires download to watch the video – cannot be used offline
Your local library!
The cheapest way to improve your reading skills is to read authentic content. There is nothing quite as satisfying as reading a book from start to finish in a foreign language. Your local library will have an array of English books for all levels. HINT: Find a topic you actually enjoy and don’t worry if you don’t know every word – try to grasp the general meaning.
App: Complete English Grammar Book – Comprehensive grammar app covering all aspects of the English language
PROS: Covers all grammar points; clear structure; common grammar mistakes
CONS: Traditional layout (only in written form)
Mini-course: 5 days to improve your speaking – Tips and suggestions to improve your English speaking
PROS: Useful tips for improving your speaking; clear understandable English; short videos
CONS: A little outdated (filmed during the pandemic)
App: VoCat – My Own Vocabulary – Vocabulary builder app
PROS: Free app for building own vocabulary; compatible with Google sheets for importing long lists of vocabulary; automatic translation; pronunciation provided; can create flashcards;
CONS: Not all languages are available
More for fun: DECODE English playlists
ADVANCED
LISTENING
READING
WRITING
SPEAKING
VOCABULARY
Website: TEDEd – Talks covering various topics with a variety of accents
PROS: Variety of topics; different accents; different video lengths; transcript to read along with; comprehension questions; discussion questions
CONS: None!
Website/app: The Guardian – News articles from around the world
PROS: Improve your English while learning about the world; News, opinion, sport, culture and lifestyle sections
CONS: The world is very depressing at the moment; only 20 free articles per month on the app
Website: Write&Improve – Instant feedback from the free Cambridge English writing tool
PROS: Choose your level; instant feedback; entirely free; tracks your progress
CONS: I can’t see any, it’s a really good tool!
1-to-1 Speaking Classes
There are many websites and apps that offer 1-to-1 speaking classes for you to take it to the next level. Preply, iTalki and Cambly just to name a few. Once you have an advanced level of English, you just need to keep practising! Get in touch with me here if you are interested in taking English classes with me.
Podcast: Confident Business English – great podcast for advanced learners wanting to boost their business English