I hope everyone is keeping safe and sane and to help you with this, I really believe that having small goals for the day is important, not only for your sense of well being but also to get a feeling of accomplishment, both of which we all really need at the moment.

1. Write ‘write To-Do lists with small goals’

So my first tip, apart from language learning, is to write a ‘To-Do’ list. Write a few, small and achievable goals, such as, ’learn a new phrasal verb with ‘get’, or, ‘read an article from The Guardian in English’. Marking them off should feel like a little win every time!

1. Make a list with all the new English words that you learn.

To help improve your vocabulary in English, I am a firm believer in writing down new words that you hear or read. If you are anything like me, using a translator is basically useless (I immediately forget the word/pronunciation/definition as soon as I have closed the app!) So the act of writing it down, with the definition, translation, pronunciation and some examples is really useful. Give it a go!

1. Search unknown words in films and series.

The other thing which I love for improving in your second language is watching series and films. Obviously, it must be something you’re interested in and don’t forget to put the subtitles on in English! I like to write down any new vocabulary I see, but not everything. Just the words/phrases that interrupt my understanding of the scene/sentence. If you focus on all of the unknown words, you’ll go crazy! So try to just write down a few key phrases to look up afterwards. You could even go back and watch the scene again after you learn the word so that you can enjoy it again and understand it a bit more.

Finally, the main thing to remember is that we are all in the same boat at the moment. If it feels like you are stuck in limbo and life is on hold, remember that every single one of us feels the same. Don’t be too hard on yourself; anything you do that is productive is worth celebrating. Life will return, so it is worth trying to use your time for learning a little bit. You are doing great!

Stay safe and healthy.

Much love,

Nicola

English Department Coordinator

Eurocentres Liverpool