5 Tips to Improve Your Listening Skills

Improving Your Listening Skills


We’ve all been there. Whether it’s a commercial on the radio or TV, or eavesdropping on the subway, our ears perk up when we hear someone speaking in our target language. Depending on your level, you may find it hard to understand what they’re saying. Here is a list of some tips and resources that can help you improve your listening skills.

1. Do a LOT of active listening.
One of the most useful exercises that one can do when practicing a new language is active listening. Search for an audio file, an audio book, a podcast, or a Youtube video (TED Talks are particularly useful) with a transcription. Listen to the audio file and follow along closely with the accompanied text. Try listening to the audio without the text first, and then go back and listen while following the text. Which words did you recognize? Which words did you have trouble recognizing?

Making strong connections between the sound of the word and how it is written will help you recognize it in the future. Listen to the word, read it, write it, and speak it. The “Easy Languages” series on Youtube covers multiple languages, and has subtitles in both your target language and English. Follow along while paying close attention to the words and the sounds that correspond to them. Rewind and listen multiple times if you have to!

2. Don’t let frustration get the best of you. Give your brain time to digest the sounds and the melody of the languages. Getting frustrated only sets up a “mental block” that will prevent you from making any progress. Take a deep breath, put your headphones in and enjoy the learning process.

3. Listen to something that interests you. You might feel more encouraged to actively listen to something that actually interests you. This is a great way for your brain to become accustomed to the sounds of certain topic-specific words that you might use or hear in the future. n your target language, search “videos about _____ with a transcription,” or “podcasts with transcription.” Search for a topic that interests you and start listening!

4. Listen to music. Listening to music is a great way learn new vocabulary. Although the words are being sung and not spoken, it is still a great way for your brain to internalize the sounds of the language, and to learn new vocabulary as well! Ask some native speakers to recommend you some songs. Search for the lyrics on Google and follow along!

5. Read lips. Whether you’re watching a show on Netflix, or speaking with someone face-to-face, reading will help both your listening skills and your pronunciation. Applying your knowledge of the way that sounds are made to the movements of the other person’s lips will help your brain distinguish the words that they’re saying. This will help you pick out words that you might not have recognized otherwise!
Don’t forget  — exposure is key! Do as much active listening as possible, and supplement it with passive listening. Radios, podcasts, the news, music, and just chatting with native speakers can help. Good luck with your language learning journey, and feel free to share any other methods for improving listening skills.
20 de enero de 2020
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Jeremy Dickinson

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*PLEASE CONTACT BEFORE BOOKING* Hello everyone! I have a BA in Spanish with a minor in linguistics, as well as a 100-hour TEFL certification from Oxford Seminars. I have a huge passion for language learning and I understand the difficulties that once can face when learning a new language, and I can help you overcome them! I am a very patient and understanding person, so don't worry about making mistakes during the lessons! ______________________________________________________ CONVERSATIONAL CLASSES: My conversation classes are focused on INTERMEDIATE to ADVANCED conversation in English. We pick a topic that interests you, we talk about it, and we will cover the grammar and vocabulary about that topic. This helps you feel comfortable talking about ANY topic you want. At the end of the lesson, we will review what we learned during the lesson, and I will let you know about any mistakes you made, and how to correct them. This includes some grammar review and accent reduction/pronunci...
Flag
Inglés
globe
EE. UU.
time
422
Habla:
Español
C1
,
Portugués
B2
,
Italiano
A2
,
Alemán
A1
,
Francés
A1
*PLEASE CONTACT BEFORE BOOKING* Hello everyone! I have a BA in Spanish with a minor in linguistics, as well as a 100-hour TEFL certification from Oxford Seminars. I have a huge passion for language learning and I understand the difficulties that once can face when learning a new language, and I can help you overcome them! I am a very patient and understanding person, so don't worry about making mistakes during the lessons! ______________________________________________________ CONVERSATIONAL CLASSES: My conversation classes are focused on INTERMEDIATE to ADVANCED conversation in English. We pick a topic that interests you, we talk about it, and we will cover the grammar and vocabulary about that topic. This helps you feel comfortable talking about ANY topic you want. At the end of the lesson, we will review what we learned during the lesson, and I will let you know about any mistakes you made, and how to correct them. This includes some grammar review and accent reduction/pronunci...
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