Top 5 English Learning You Tube Channels
[:en]So, you’ve been learning English for a while now, maybe you are taking lessons, maybe you are trying to immerse yourself in a new country. Nowadays, technology makes learning things so much easier, because we have access to so many teachers and methods via the internet. Guitar lessons, driving lessons, cooking lessons, and of course you guessed it—ENGLISH LESSONS!
If you have spent any time on the internet, you know there is a plethora of information at your fingertips, but it’s not easy to know where to find the best information. Everyone is busy with work, school, family and social committments, so no one wants to waste their time clicking through dozens of pages and websites to find the one that meets their needs the best. That’s why we here at Speak English Center have done the work of sorting through all those channels for you!
Watching videos and listening to English being spoken is a really effective way to improve your English. Another great thing about online videos is that you have the luxury of being able to pause, rewind, and repeat the videos as often as you like, so if you don’t catch something the first time, you may try again and no one has to know!
If you are following group English lessons, individual lessons, or any kind of English training, watching some English learning videos on You Tube is a great way to complement your course. It’s also a good idea to hear from different teachers with different accents and methods—which is very easy to do now with the internet. In the past, you may have had access only to one teacher, one accent, and one method. My how times have changed!
So without further ado, here are (my) personal top 5 You Tube channels for learning English:
Christina is an American living in France, and her English learning channel is full of positive energy and enthusiasm for teaching! She covers a lot of topics dealing with pronunciation and understanding American accents, as well as grammar, vocabulary, and even some American culture questions. A lot of videos are made people who are working or looking for a job where they may have to speak English at the interview. If that is your situation, then this is the perfect channel for you!
Speak English with Misterduncan
Misterduncan is one of the most well-known and most popular English channels on You tube. Broadcasting from England and using that old British charm and wit, Misterduncan has hundreds of videos for you to watch, with subjects ranging from grammar and vocabulary, to British culture and typical expressions. With Misterduncan’s sense of humor, he is always fun to watch. This is proven by the fact that his channel has over 12 million views!
This is a great channel because it has two great ideas. The first is to show real-life conversations using real English. Because studying English grammar is one thing, but hearing real native speakers talk to each other is something else! This channel records several short but real conversations about a given topic and compiles them into a short video. This results in a very effective method of learning English: hearing the same expressions and vocabulary repeated many times in different context. Real English’s other brilliant idea is to make two versions of each video—one with, and one without, subtitles!
One of the world’s oldest and most reputable broadcasting companies has a special channel for English learners that does not disappoint. Each day of the week there is a different kind of program: the Grammar Gameshow will give you a fun grammar lesson, the News Review uses current events like the Grammy awards or a royal wedding to teach vocabulary and comprehension, and 6-Minute English teaches how to communicate about real-life topics like dating or giving up alcohol. They really have something for everyone and the videos are of very high quality. (But while the BBC’s English channel is extraordinary in so many ways, they don’t have as many views as Misterduncan!) This video is a sample of just one of their many programs, called 6-Minute English.
Ok, I will admit that Ted Talks is not a channel that has been specifically designed for English learners. But it is a channel in English that is fantastic for everyday listening exercises that are super interesting. Ted has fascinating, short talks and presentations in English from some amazing speakers and people who are top in their field, including science, well-being, psychology, economy, philosophy, technology and more. You Tube allows you to activate the subtitles for most of these talks, which is a fantastic way to give yourself a quick English lesson that will teach you more than just English!
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Have you used any English learning channels on You Tube to learn English or to complement your English courses?
Do you find it to be an effective way to improve or maintain your English? What are some of your favorites?
We love hearing from you in the comments below!