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If you’ve been studying English for any length of time, you know how important it is to expose yourself to native speakers. Unfortunately, many students find it tricky to make English-speaking friends. Sure, television shows and books are great learning resources, but how can you expose yourself to the everyday language and master the ins and outs of English slang?
One simple answer might surprise you: YouTube! With hundreds of millions of videos from amateur contributors across the globe, the streaming video site makes it easier than ever to learn English online. A few minutes spent watching a few funny videos each day add up quickly!
If you’re ready to improve your grammar skills, perfect your accent, and get that illustrious vocabulary you’ve always dreamed of, discover why it makes sense to learn English on YouTube with vlogs!
Wait…What’s a Vlog?
Before we dive in, a vlog is specifically video content from amateur YouTubers that chronicles normal life. The word is a portmanteau of video and blog. Just like bloggers write on anything and everything online, vloggers often share little videos that provide a quick snapshot of what is happening in their lives. This bite-sized content is perfect if you’re looking to learn English on YouTube!
1. Learn to Speak Naturally
Learning to speak English comes with plenty of unique challenges. One such challenge is developing natural speech. Many students struggle with English pronunciation errors or use atypical sentence structure. This can make it difficult to hold a conversation with others or communicate clearly.
Because most vloggers don’t specifically cater to language learners, watching vlogs gives you the chance to hear how normal people speak. In fact, you might be surprised to find everyday English often varies dramatically from what you learn in the classroom. Plus, living languages constantly evolve, with new words and phrases becoming more popular every day.
By continually watching vlogging content, you’ll learn to recognize the speech patterns of a native speaker. With a little luck, you’ll even begin to mimic those patterns yourself, improving your English skills in the process.
2. Immerse Yourself in Common Situations
Vloggers cover a lot of different subjects in their video uploads. Many of YouTube’s most popular vloggers create content on the move, documenting their world on a daily basis. What’s it like to visit a clothing store in a foreign country? What does a normal exchange with a waiter in a restaurant look like? How do people interact on the street in other places?
These are but a few of the questions you’ll find answered in YouTube vlogs. In essence, vloggers provide a peek at the real world around them. Not only is this interesting from a cultural standpoint, but it also allows you to get familiar with commonplace scenarios you might not encounter otherwise. Whether your want to prepare for a trip abroad or simply scratch that curiosity itch, vlogs offer a great starting point.
3. Keep Yourself Engaged
Do you regularly struggle to keep yourself motivated? Say goodbye to the boring textbooks and long lessons, once and for all. Those who learn English on YouTube get to enjoy themselves while simultaneously expanding their academic brains.
It’s frustrating to find yourself listening to English without the ability to understand. For some students, this translates into a lack of motivation or desire to study. Watching English videos with subtitles in your native language can rewrite the rules of the game entirely!
Whether you actively work on defining vocabulary words you don’t understand or you take a more passive approach, research has continually shown that repeated exposure brings about greater fluency. Even if you’re someone with a short attention span, almost anyone can dedicate two or three minutes to watching a video online, right?
4. Find English That Fits Your Level
Have you ever turned on an English movie, hoping to enjoy yourself, only to find yourself completely lost in minutes? The simple reality is different students
struggle with different things. Maybe vocabulary is a real sticky point for you, or perhaps you simply can’t work your head around verb conjugation. Traditional English teaching curriculum provides a generalized look at the language, which is great when you’re starting out. If you’re looking to advance, however, it’s important to target your unique weaknesses.
If you learn English on YouTube, there are literally millions of potential videos that might fit your personal learning speed. Vloggers tend to speak to their followers the same way you’d chat with your friends. No complicated word structures or strange words you’ve never heard before. It’s easy to jump in and get started.
And, best of all, when you’re ready to push yourself a little bit, you can find English videos featuring different concepts or ideas that are still foreign to you.
5. Expose Yourself to English Across the World
If you’ve been studying English for any amount of time, you know there are a wide number of different English accents. Mastering the intricacies of the many accents out there gets immensely easier with vlogging content on your side.
Whether you hope to one day speak English properly like the queen or you can’t get enough of the southern twang famous in the United States, the sky is the limit online. Watching video content from people just like you in different parts of the world can give you experiences you might never encounter on your own two feet.
6. Learn English Faster than Ever
Spend long hours toiling away in a classroom and one thing becomes clear: memorizing conjugation patterns and endless vocab lists is not a quick way to fluency. Watching videos to learn English on YouTube? That’s a quick way to make certain you meet your English goals.
Videos on YouTube offer a number of different advantages over traditional learning tools. One such advantage is that videos allow you to learn words in context, based on visual clues.
Let’s imagine you don’t know many vocabulary words for clothing items. Watching a vlogger walk you through a “shopping haul” might quickly teach you words like jeans, blouse, and shoes. And, because you’ve chosen videos that interest you, you’re more likely to retain this new knowledge.
Ready to Learn English on YouTube? It’s as Simple as 1, 2, 3…
Simply tap any word in a subtitle stream to get an instant definition in your native language.
First, Download Woodpecker
First things first, you’ll need the right educational tools for your journey to fluency. It shouldn’t come as any surprise that we think Woodpecker is easily the best tool out there for learning English on YouTube.
Unfamiliar with our app? Woodpecker allows you to explore YouTube content like never before. The app supports multiple subtitle streams and word definitions in your native language, all with the touch of a finger.
Did you miss a word or do you feel confused? Quickly jump back a few seconds with a simple tap. Save the word to memory, or even better, create flash cards with the new vocab words you learn on YouTube.
Best of all, you won’t pay a penny to use it. Explore all of the features of this powerful video learning tool now.
Next, Build a Learning Plan & Set Appropriate Goals
Whether you’re a diehard movie buff, a sports fanatic, or a comedy lover, there is something for everyone on YouTube. Trying to learn a specific accent or want to improve vocabulary in a particular area? You need to choose the right content to learn English on YouTube!
Many English vloggers on YouTube host a channel where they regularly post themed content that revolves around their unique passions and interests. Find a channel that corresponds with your hobbies or interests and you’ve got a recipe for magic. Of course, trending videos also provide a great snapshot of what’s popular online right now. (Remember, you can view this within the Woodpecker app, too!)
Ultimately, random videos may prove more entertaining than educational English content, but don’t toss out your structured approach to learning English just yet. It’s often best to set miniature goals for yourself and then set about finding content that will help you meet those benchmarks.
For example, if you’re looking to improve your conversational English, you’ll probably benefit most from watching YouTube videos that feature chats among friends.
Finally, Make Video Learning part of Your Daily Routine
Just like any other pursuit, learning English requires an ongoing commitment. In the grand scheme of things, spending 20 minutes watching English videos online every day isn’t too much to ask, is it?
Naturally, finding content that interests you is vital if you want to learn English on YouTube, but you also need to keep at it. Remember, you will encounter challenges along the way. Sometimes it will feel easier to stick your head in the sand or avoid studying English for a few weeks. Don’t fall prey to this common error! Make an intentional effort to incorporate video learning in your daily routine and you’ll see the impact in no time.
Ready to get started? Download the Woodpecker to view vlogging content now!