how to improve my english

[inverse]

hi;

I understand almost all reading passages ,I can write articles and read,but I can't understand videos ,how to leave this problem  ?

 

[DrKrettin]

It may sound silly, but try watching children's cartoons to get an idea of simple conversations. I also found that watching old Western films (cowboys and indians) can be an effective way of learning a language (in my case, dubbed in a foreign language) , because the plot is always simple and the dialogue is usually simple sentences ("The town isn't big enough for both of us" etc.). The  ability to understand the language is inversely proportional to the intellectual content (generally) so try something really primitive, even if the subject is boring.

[DrKrettin]

It may sound silly, but try watching children's cartoons to get an idea of simple conversations. I also found that watching old Western films (cowboys and indians) can be an effective way of learning a language (in my case, dubbed in a foreign language) , because the plot is always simple and the dialogue is usually simple sentences ("The town isn't big enough for both of us" etc.). The  ability to understand the language is inversely proportional to the intellectual content (generally) so try something really primitive, even if the subject is boring.

[studiot]

Sorry, Dr Krettin you don't get two upvotes because you posted the same thing twice.

But you do get a +1 because the Keep it Simple is really good.

 

I would add one alternative / addition to that.

Simple depends upon the reader.

Try to find some material about a subject you already know in the foreign language.

I did very well improving my German and French with cookery books and programs.

Edited September 28, 2017 by studiot

[inverse]

only pronunciation is problem. they are speaking very fast in movies otherwise I can understand written texts.no dr krettin it is not silly that you wrote 

[StringJunky]

You could use Google Translate. Put both boxes in English, type out or copy/paste words or sentences into the left box then press the speaker icon in the box on the right  and the words will be read out to you. This could be useful as a quick reference.

https://translate.google.co.uk/#auto/en/Hello. How are you%3F

Edit: you can do everything in the first box.

 

Edited September 28, 2017 by StringJunky

[DrKrettin]

Start here:

 

 

[Roamer]

20 hours ago, inverse said:

only pronunciation is problem. they are speaking very fast in movies otherwise I can understand written texts.no dr krettin it is not silly that you wrote 

Just find some website that offer voice-chat with strangers over the internet.

(skype/discord etc work as well, but you gotta bring your own, english-speaking, friends)

[Enthalpy]

I'd suggest to listen to the TV in English. Try the BBC, CNN and the others. In the news, they speak out clearly, it helps.

Differentiate the accents. If you learned with Texan teachers and listen to a Scots, it's perfectly normal that you need time to get accustomed.

Pick a dictionary that details the pronunciation of the words. Learn to read the bizarre symbols and use these indication for every new word. Failing to understand spoken English may (or not) result from imperfect pronunciation on your part. In that case, train it by reading texts loudly with the help of the dictionary. You could choose online newspapers as the texts, to waste less time in that training.

In case your mothertongue has no stresses (French, Japanese and few more), first get fully convinced that stresses and rhythm are vital both to speak and understand English properly. And if your mothertongue is anything but English, also get fully convinced that spelling and pronunciation are just decoupled in English - you must learn both for each word.