Learning English can –and should be– a fun process. Find what works best for you and set up your own goals and milestones. The most effective ways to learn English is to use it –with colleagues, at home, with family, when checking social media, or reading the news… English is one of the easiest most accessible languages to learn –it’s everywhere. There are zillions of resources out there to help you learn English. The issue? There are indeed so many that it can get overwhelming.
In this article, you have a selection of our favorite free resources that will help you in your English learning journey. Check them out and download this list in PDF. Save it on your desktop and access it anytime.
English Dictionaries
These are our top 5 dictionaries and autocorrect tools for English learners.
1. Word reference: Very comprehensive online dictionary with English definitions, synonyms, and bilingual translations into +15 languages (Spanish, German, French, Korean, Chinese, Swedish, Arabic, and more). It also includes a discussion thread about more specific meanings.
2. Grammarly: Grammarly is much more than an autocorrect. It’s an incredible tool that will help you write professional texts by reviewing your grammar, spelling, punctuation, and clarity. It also suggests improvements and indicates the tone of your message. You can add it to your browser for free or choose a paid subscription for more advanced features.
3. Hemingway App: If you are someone who writes often and you know you don’t have many grammatical errors, then Hemingway is for you. This web and desktop app helps you improve your writing style by giving you a readability score and identifying issues, such as too many adverbs, overuse of the passive voice, complicated sentences, and complex vocabulary.
4. Free Collocations: Collocations are combinations of words that usually go together. For example, even though ‘do’ and ‘make’ have similar meanings, we don’t ‘do the bed’, but ‘make the bed’. We don’t eat ‘quick food’, but ‘fast food’. Some of these may be obvious to you, but it gets tricky sometimes. Mastering these will help you sound much more like a native speaker. Click on the link, type your word, and check out the most common combinations with that word.
5. Cambridge Idioms: Idioms are groups of words that happen frequently in a language, and whose meanings are not deductible from the individual words. This means, that even if you know the meaning of all the words when they are put together, the meaning can be absolutely different. For example, to be over the moon doesn’t mean that you are thousands of kilometers above the Earth, but to be extremely happy. In this dictionary, you will find the meaning of this kind of phrases.
Resources to Improve Your English Pronunciation
6. Elsa Speak: Great speech recognition app designed to evaluate and give feedback on your English pronunciation and fluency.
7. Google Pronunciation: Did you know you can also practice your English pronunciation with Google? Open the search engine and type “Pronunciation” plus the word you want to learn to pronounce.
8. Talaera YouTube channel: Learn how to pronounce difficult sounds and link words smoothly with our tutorials on YouTube.
9. BBC Pronunciation: Improve your pronunciation with these video series that show you how English is really spoken. The videos are usually short and dynamic, and easy to understand.
10. Youglish: Learn how English is spoken by real people and in context. Type in a word and access YouTube clips where that word is used. You can also filter by accent.
11. Forvo: Find out how any English word is pronounced. The coolest part about this dictionary is that you can find how males and females across the world pronounce different words, thus being able to understand English speakers across the globe.
Resources to Improve Listening Skills
12. Talaera Talks: Improve your communication skills for work with this fun, educational podcast hosted by Paola and Simon. In this podcast, listened to in more than 150 countries, you will find great advice on cross-cultural communication, useful expressions, and interesting interviews with incredible professionals around the world. Visit the podcast website to access all the episodes and notes.
13. Ted Talks: Improve your listening skills with these inspirational and interesting talks. They also come with transcripts, that you can use to read as you listen, and practice the shadowing technique.
14. Ted Ed: Education platform where you can find lessons and videos about ‘ideas worth spreading’. The video is usually an animation with questions and conversation topics to reflect on.
15. Language Reactor: If you are a big Netflix and YouTube fan, make the most of your watching time with this great tool. It helps you to discover, understand, and learn from native materials. It works as a Google Chrome extension and it allows you to see dual language subtitles (original version and translation into your native language), and it includes a handy popup dictionary.
Resources to Improve Your Business English
16. Talaera Free Webinars: Free webinars to help you improve your communication skills for the workplace. Check out the calendar with upcoming events and grab your spot now.
17. BBC English at Work: Animated series by BBC that focuses on English communication in the office.
18. British Council Business At Work: British Council provides videos, audio files and texts related to business and work, that you can download or use online.
19. Talaera Free Guides: Download one of our free guides to improve your business Emails, presentations, business idioms, and more.
20. Video Vocab: Short videos that teach vocabulary in specific business areas like human resources, accounting, marketing, project management, and technology.
21. Real English Business Course: App with lessons for conducting meetings, giving presentations, negotiating, and communicating by telephone. (Free with in-app purchases)
22. Boost your Confidence Speaking: free email course that consists of 8 bite-sized lessons delivered to your inbox every Tuesday. In two months, you will learn important vocabulary and tips to feel more confident speaking English at work.
Other Great Resources to Improve Your English
23. ESL LAB: Short dialogues with transcripts and comprehension quizzes organized by level to improve your listening skills and expand your vocabulary.
24. Blinkist: Listen to short versions of 2000+ bestselling nonfiction books at the same time as you read. Try to recognize how words are pronounced and how to speak with the right intonation.
25. Connect With English: Another video series to practice common day-to-day situations and activities.
26. English Class 101: Create a free account to access this audio English course. You can use this resource in combination with others on this list to improve your general English.
27. Fleex: Learn English by watching movies and TV shows.
28. Audible: Amazon audiobooks are an easy way to ‘read’ books. You can either just listen to the audiobooks, or listen to them as you read them.
29. Duolingo: If you’re looking to get a beginner’s overview of the important vocabulary and grammar of a language (not only English), this app can be helpful.
30. Quizlet: Practice your English vocabulary with flashcards, simple games, and learning tools. You can create your own lists or use existing ones.
Top Websites to Go Social
31. Meetup: Social website and app to meet people in your area. Join a meetup or organize your own. From language tandems, to hiking days or drinks with other entrepreneurs – find your hobby and use it to meet people and practice your English.
32. Couchsurfing: Meet travelers from all around the world visiting your city. The website started as a source to find places to sleep for free, where people offered their couch or spare room. However, you don’t need to offer your house to meet people. Show travelers around or meet for a coffee and learn about their culture and ideas.
33. TandemPartners: Find people who want to learn your language, and are willing to practice English with you in exchange. For this, you need a combination that is interesting for you -if you are Korean, find someone whose first language is English, and wants to learn Korean. Or if you are Spanish, find someone who would like to learn Spanish. This quid pro quo system where everybody helps and receives can help you boost your confidence in English.
Take Your English to the Next Level With An Instructor
If you are serious about improving your English for the workplace, take lessons with one of our experienced instructors. Get in touch with Talaera and we will help you find the right teacher for you and your teams.
Keep Learning
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