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Listening can be one of the most difficult skills. There are so many accents, and how people speak in real life can be very different to the listening activities you do in the classroom. One of the problems is finding videos with good subtitles. Here, I will talk about how to improve your listening skills and your confidence in three easy steps.
1. Practice Little and Often
It is important to practice listening regularly for short periods of time. Try to spend 10-15 minutes, 4-5 days a week.
Watch a short video without subtitles and make notes of the general topics. Then watch again with subtitles and check your notes. Did you miss anything?
Extension: When you watch the second time you can make note of any vocabulary words you don’t know, and look them up in a dictionary when the video is finished.
2. Listen to Different Accents
When you practice listening it is important to hear many different accents, just like you would in real life. So when you watch videos or listen to podcasts listen to Americans, British, Canadians, etc.
If you work, for example, only with Americans you can focus on this accent, but you should still listen to some other accents too.
3. Practicing Pronunciation Helps Listening
When you watch something with subtitles, it is a good idea to make note of any words that sound different from how they are written. Keep a notebook, and make a table like this:
Then next time you hear “wanna” you will know it means “want to”. All English speakers connect their words in sentences, and this will help you understand it is not one word, but two words connected.
Check out more listening tips in this video:
Got Questions?
Good Websites to Practice English Listening
Practicing at home between your lessons is very important to make you improve your listening skills in English. Here are some great websites and apps that you can use for your self-study.
Breaking News English
- News stories for any level
- Elementary = level 0-1, intermediate = level 3-4, advanced = level 6
This website is good because you can listen at five different speeds. It’s a good idea to start with the slowest and then listen to a faster one. You can also follow along reading the text while you listen.
TedEd
- Video lessons.
- Good for upper-intermediate and advanced.
This website is good because it has subtitles and it can help you develop your formal vocabulary. Also, all the videos are short (about 5 minutes). If you want longer videos go to Ted Talks.
ellentube
- Celebrity interviews with American presenter Ellen Degeneres.
- For all levels (elementary to advanced).
This website is good because it has subtitles, and uses natural conversations. Ellen also interviews celebrities from different countries so you will hear different accents.
- Activities and games
- Good for all levels (elementary to advanced).
This app is really good because you can practice all skills, but in the listening section it starts slow and gets faster to see your level. Then it asks you questions.
How Lessons Can Help Your Listening
Taking classes with a native speaker is a great way to practice speaking. There is no better way to get used to listening to English than to talk with someone who speaks it as their first language.
In classes we will also practice your listening skills with songs, videos, and short podcasts.
Do you have questions? Ask us in the comments.
And when you’re ready – book a consultation or a trial lesson with us.
