One of the questions I get asked most often is ‘what can I do to practise my English listening skills?’ Well these days, with access to the amazing power of the internet, there are SO many options. I’ve popped a few below for you. Give them a try and then let me know your favourite!
Watch a presentation
If you like some visual support with your listening practice, then TedTalks is a fantastic site to use. You can choose a video based on the topic, your level or the duration. Most videos come with subtitles or an interactive transcript, which can help with pronunciation too!
Listen to a podcast
These days, everybody is talking about their favourite podcasts! Choose one that sounds good to you and you can listen to it anywhere – on the drive to work, whilst you’re doing the cleaning, in the supermarket, etc – to get some daily English listening practice.
Watch a comedy show
I often recommend Michael Mcintyre because his stand up shows are based on experiences that most people can relate to, he keeps his language pretty clean and he is hilarious (well in my opinion!) Another bonus is he has a very clear British accent!
They say when you can understand humour, you have really mastered a language so give this challenge a go!
Use YouTube in English
Of course you can watch English lessons on YouTube but try watching other things in English too – cooking programs, how to change a bicycle tyre, snowboarding tutorials, make-up tips – whatever you want to learn, but in English! What a great way to learn real, daily vocabulary whilst practising your English listening skills!
Listen to audio-books
One way to get some great listening practice is to listen to audio books. I know so many people who simply love an audio book. You can download them online, visit your local library or buy one from a good old-fashioned bookshop!
Watch a talk show
One of my favourite programmes is The Graham Norton Show. He interviews celebrities from all walks of life, which is not only entertaining but a great way to challenge your English listening skills. You get a great range of accents too!
Get familiar with phonetics
If you can learn the sounds from the phonemic chart, you can really improve your pronunciation, which then helps with your listening skills. Check out Adrian Underhill’s videos for a detailed look at sounds and pronunciation.
Watch a short TV programme
Watching TV programmes is a great way to improve your English without too much effort. Popular shows you might like to try are Friends, How I Met Your Mother, the Big Bang Theory and Gavin and Stacey (that last one is great for British accents!). If you prefer documentaries, try David Attenborough’s nature programmes – He has an amazing voice to listen to!
Which one are you going to try? Leave me your reply below!
10 Responses
Listen to a podcast. I have to get used to Canadian speaking. Can You recommend any?
Ooh, good question! I don’t personally listen to any Canadian ones but I just searched for ‘Canada’ on my podcast app and lots of interesting ones came up – I guess it depends which topic you’re interested in. I hope you find one you like Juan. By the way, nice use of ‘get used to’😊
Watch a short film TV program
Great! That’s a very enjoyable way to practise your listening and you can choose whether to add the subtitles too. Thanks for the reply Quraish 😊
Hi Nicki,
I considered the proposals and I chose the you tube lessons.
I can watch and listen to you at the same time. When necessary, I look at the subtitles.
Thanks
That’s great Kalinka! I’m glad you’ve found an option that works well for you 😊
I would try the podcast as you can always go back and listen again.
Great point Grace! Repetition is so important when we’re improving our language skills. Thanks for sharing your tip 🤩
I watch comedy show and any other show for learning English but I can’t understand properly .
You can suggest me any English show .
Thank you
Yes, comedy shows can be tricky because there’s not a lot of visual support – you don’t necessarily ‘see’ what they are talking about. Maybe try something with a lot of visual support…. For example, a programme where a couple want to buy a house (Try ‘Location, location, location), or a home improvement show (Try ‘DIY SOS’) or a nature programme (Try ‘The Blue Planet’). All of those suggestions have great British accents too. Good luck! 😊