English LANGUAGE LEARNING GUIDE

If you have recently moved to Australia, or you are planning to move there in the future, and find it difficult to communicate with other people in English, starting an English course is one of the most useful steps you can take. Improving your English can help you make new friends, understand Australian culture, and feel more comfortable in your new surroundings. Strong English skills can also give you access to a wider range of employment opportunities and make everyday tasks, such as visiting the doctor, speaking to your child’s school or dealing with government services, much easier. If you run a business or plan to start one, speaking English can also help you communicate with customers, understand regulations and reach a broader market.

Learning a language may feel challenging at first, but working with a qualified Australian English teacher can help you progress more efficiently and develop the skills you need for real situations. Take a look at this guide and make your first step towards becoming a confident English speaker.

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1. Why Learn English Today?

If you are finding it difficult to get motivated, these are some of the main reasons to begin learning English this year.

To Access Better Job Opportunities

Improving your English can make you eligible for a wider variety of positions and help you communicate more effectively during applications, interviews and workplace interactions. Many Australian employers value workers who can speak more than one language, particularly in industries that serve multicultural communities or international clients. Strong English skills can also help you understand workplace policies, complete training and take on roles with greater responsibility. If you plan to open your own business, English will make it easier to deal with registrations, licences, contracts and customer enquiries.

To Expand Your Social Life

English is the main language used in most public, professional and social situations across Australia, so becoming more confident in it can make it easier to connect with the people around you. You will be able to have conversations with neighbours and colleagues, meet people at social events and build friendships with Australians and other migrants who do not speak your native language. English courses can also introduce you to other learners, while language exchanges and community events provide relaxed opportunities to practise speaking and meet new people.

To Feel at Home in Australia

Feeling unable to communicate confidently can make daily life stressful and isolating. An English course can give you the vocabulary and speaking practice you need for situations such as going to the bank, ordering food at a café, attending a medical appointment or asking for help in a shop. Understanding English will also help you follow Australian news and entertainment and participate more fully in local traditions, sporting events and celebrations such as Australia Day and ANZAC Day. Over time, these skills can help you feel more independent and connected to your community.

2. Learning with an English Teacher Vs Learning English on Your Own

After you decide to start learning English, you’ll be faced with yet another choice and that’s whether you want to learn on your own or get the help of a language professional. To help you make the decision, let’s compare the two options.

Learning English with a Teacher

If you’re committed to learning English, getting the help of a qualified tutor is one of the smartest things you can do. By doing so, you’ll be able to make a lot more progress in less time, and you won’t have to waste your time looking for resources. Additionally, there are other advantages you should take into consideration, such as:

Learn about Australian culture: If you study English at Language Trainers, we’ll pair you up with an excellent Australian teacher who will tell you all you need to know about Australian culture, which will help you understand cultural references when you watch films, and also spare you of some of the cultural shocks you might otherwise experience. What’s more, you’ll learn commonly used phrases and slang words that are hard to find in coursebooks, which can be extremely useful to sound more like a native.
Practise the language: Are you the type of person who can read and understand English, but find it hard to communicate verbally? If so, booking a course with a teacher is the way to go, as you’ll get a lot of practice time to improve your speaking skills. In addition to that, learning with a teacher will give you the confidence you need, and will get you ready for any type of situation you might encounter in real life.
Ask as many questions as you want: A major advantage of studying with a tutor is you’ll get to ask them every question you have about the language, which means you’ll end up learning some fascinating facts that would be pretty hard to learn on your own. On top of that, you’ll be able to have someone clear all your doubts and guide you through the learning process.
Feedback and encouragement: A good tutor will help you stay motivated, especially when you feel stuck, so it can make a real difference in whether you reach your language goals or not. Additionally, having someone who can correct your mistakes and help you identify the areas you need to work on, but also the areas in which you’re good, can be crucial to reaching your potential and becoming a fluent speaker as fast as possible.

Can’t wait to start learning? Check out our different English courses, and contact us today!

Learning English Alone

If you are an independent learner and want to be in complete control of your learning program, you might consider learning alone. As you probably know, one of the main advantages of doing this is you’ll get to learn for free and manage your own schedule; however, you may find it hard to find updated resources that cover all you need to learn. You should also take into consideration that although you’ll be in charge of making all the decisions, you won’t have someone to help you get through some of the challenging parts of learning a language, like when you feel unmotivated and frustrated, so if in the past you’ve found it hard to be disciplined, this option might not be the best for you.

3. Tips To Learn English Effectively

To help you become a fluent English speaker, here are some tips you can use to improve your skills.

Read As Much As You Can

A great way to expand your vocabulary and improve your reading skills is to make reading part of your daily routine. You could begin with Australian newspapers such as The Sydney Morning Herald or The Australian, then move on to Australian novels, magazines or online articles. Following Australian writers, journalists or other creators on social media can also expose you to natural language and everyday expressions. You can also explore our blog, which features useful articles about language learning, English and other languages, as well as cultural topics from around the world.

Take Notes

There’s a reason why taking notes is still being used by language learners to remember new vocabulary, and that’s because it works! Whenever you read or hear a new word, the best thing you can do to remember it is to write it in a small notebook you can carry with you, or an app like Evernote or ClevNote. When you write down, you should add some context, so instead of writing new words on their own, try writing sentences that help you remember how to use them.

Talk to People

As intimidating as this can be, the more you talk to people the more confidently you’ll speak. If you’re shy, you can start by chatting with native speakers on websites like Meetup and Interpals and once you feel confident enough, you can attend a language exchange in your local town or city. This will ensure you’re not like those learners who say they can understand English, but when the time comes to speak, feel like they can’t make a simple sentence.

Listen to Podcasts

If you find it difficult to understand Australians when they speak, especially those with strong regional accents, listening to podcasts can be an enjoyable way to improve your listening skills. A useful option is the ABC’s Conversations, which features interviews on a wide range of topics and can help you become more familiar with Australian speech, culture and everyday vocabulary. You could also listen to Aussie English, a podcast designed for learners who want to understand Australian pronunciation, slang and expressions more easily. Regular listening will expose you to different voices and speaking styles while helping you learn new phrases in context.

Use Language Apps

There are plenty of language apps you can use to work on your English skills in your free time. In case you don’t know which one to use, here are some of our top picks:

ELSA Speak is one of the best apps to work on your pronunciation. Although it’s not as efficient as a real tutor, this AI coach will help you sound more like a native and give you a lot of useful feedback.
Mondly is another useful app you can use to learn conversational phrases that you can use in real life.
Memrise makes picking up new phrases a lot easier by offering different games, flashcards, and video examples that will make learning new vocabulary really enjoyable.
Duolingo makes learning English feel like a game, with quick lessons, streaks, scoreboards, and skill trees, so if you’re looking for a fun way of studying the language, give this app a try.

Watch Australian Films and TV Programmes

An easy way to improve your vocabulary is to watch Australian films and TV programmes. Whenever you have some free time, explore Australian content on streaming platforms, such as Please Like Me, Bluey or any Australian film that interests you. Watch it once with subtitles in your native language. Then watch it again with English subtitles and write down any unfamiliar words or phrases. The third time, try watching it without subtitles to reinforce what you have learnt. If you follow this routine once a week, you will gradually improve your listening skills, become more familiar with Australian vocabulary and accents, and rely less on subtitles

4. How to Improve Your English Pronunciation

Do you find it difficult to speak clearly? You may need to spend more time working on your pronunciation. Along with getting help from an Australian English teacher, there are several things you can do to sound more natural and communicate more confidently.

Listen and Repeat: When you have some spare time, rewatch an episode of an Australian TV programme you enjoy, listen to an Australian podcast or tune in to a local radio programme. Repeat any words and phrases that catch your attention, paying close attention to the speaker’s vowel sounds, rhythm and pace. With regular practice, you will become more familiar with the sounds of Australian English and begin to speak more clearly.
Pay Attention to Intonation and Stress: Producing individual sounds correctly is only one part of clear pronunciation. You also need to notice how native speakers raise and lower their voices and which words they stress within a sentence. Stressed words are usually louder, longer and clearer than unstressed words. Learning these patterns will make your speech easier to understand and help it sound more natural.
Sing in English: Singing allows you to focus on pronunciation, rhythm and connected speech without having to create sentences yourself. Choose an Australian song you enjoy, record yourself singing it and compare your version with the original. This can help you identify sounds, stress patterns and vowel differences that still need more practice.

Tips to Master the Australian English Accent

If you want to sound more like a native Australian English speaker, reduce communication barriers and speak with greater confidence, these tips can help:

Focus on the General Australian Accent First: Australia has several accent varieties, ranging from Broad Australian to Cultivated Australian English. However, most Australians speak with a General Australian accent, which is widely understood across the country. Learning its main sounds and speech patterns will give you a strong foundation before you explore more distinctive regional or social variations.
Master the Schwa Sound: One of the most common vowel sounds in Australian English is the schwa, which usually appears in unstressed syllables. In phonetic transcriptions, it is represented by the symbol “ə” and sounds similar to a relaxed “uh”. You can hear it in words such as about, actor, sofa, banana and support. Although the sound may appear simple, learners often pronounce unstressed vowels too clearly, which can make their speech sound less natural.
Be Careful with the R Sound: Australian English is generally non-rhotic, which means speakers usually pronounce the “r” only when it comes before a vowel sound. For example, the “r” is not normally pronounced at the end of words such as car, teacher or better, but it is heard in words such as red and around. Australian speakers may also use a linking “r” between words, as in far away, to make speech flow more smoothly.

Want to learn more about Australian English pronunciation? Take a look at these articles from our blog:

As useful as these tips and recommendations are if you want to improve the way you sound, work on your grammar and have the vocabulary of a native speaker, your best choice is to book an English course at Language Trainers. Simply send us a quick inquiry now and we’ll help you achieve all your language goals as fast as possible.