Are you looking to improve your listening skills in English? Maybe it’s because you want to pass a language proficiency test or exam, or simply because you want to be able to understand your favourite series. Improving your listening skills can indeed help you ace your exams, but can also offer plenty of benefits in your academic, personal, and professional life.
In this article, we'll provide you with some tips on how to improve your listening skills in English, from listening to English content as much as possible to focusing on pronunciation and establishing a routine. With consistent practice and dedication, you can develop your listening skills and become a more effective communicator in English.
Listening is a skill and in order to develop it, you need regular practice. It can be as little as 10-15 minutes per. As long as it becomes a routine, you will definitely see results in the long run.
When you learn new words, make sure you also learn how they are pronounced. If you don’t, it will be difficult to recognize them when you listen. Also, it is important to notice how words are used in connected speech.
Were you expecting to understand every single word? I bet you can’t do this in your mother tongue either. Focus on the keywords, the information you are looking for, don’t expect to understand and remember everything!
Listening the same audio two or three times can result in a pleasant surprise as you will understand more each time. Finally, if possible, you can read the text i.e. the subtitles and check if what you got and what you missed.
English is spoken worldwide, with a huge variety of different accents. Make sure you get exposure to as many of them as the pronunciation of sounds as well as the intonation varies significantly.
Get rid of the negative mindset, as it might block your progress. If you feel stressed and lack confidence, your results and motivation will be affected. It takes time, but you will see results if you practise regularly. So, don’t say to yourself that you are not good at listening. You just haven’t practised enough yet.
Listen to audios about topics you are interested in: find podcasts, youtube videos, movies, series or songs that you like. Remember, motivation is important, so find a way to enjoy the process.
