Your first step for how to learn English is to set a goal for yourself. Setting a goal serves two purposes. First, having a goal makes you more motivated because you have a concrete aim to work toward. It makes it easier to track your progress and decide how well your studying is going. Second, remembering your goal and the reason you started learning English in the first place will help keep you motivated when your English studying gets tough or boring.

Remember, there’s an important reason why you decided to study English! Some sample goals for learning English include: Reaching a certain score on the TOEFL, reaching a certain score on another exam that tests English language skills, being able to understand your favorite English show without subtitles, or being able to hold a conversation with an English speaking friend. There are many more goals you can pick, so choose one that’s important to you.

Once you’ve set a goal, you need to figure out when you’re going to work on reaching it. A study schedule is the best way to do this.

With a study schedule, you’ll set aside time so you know when you should be studying, and you can set regular goals. It’s often helpful to set aside the same time regularly to study. This makes it easier to remember when to study and helps you plan the rest of your schedule around your English learning. Below is a week-long sample study schedule.

The more detailed your study schedule is, the more it’ll help you. Try to plan out exactly what you’ll be doing for each study session, like in the example above. Also, make sure you’re setting aside time to practice each of the four main English skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

Your next step is to choose the tools you want to use to help you with how to study English. Below are six of the most common English-learning resources. For each one, we give an overview of what it is, as well as pros and cons. During your studying, you’ll likely use more than one tool, and you may end up using all six.

One-on-One Tutor

Language Classes

Online Programs

Textbooks

Podcasts

Flashcards

If you can, you should also try to find a study buddy who is also learning English. The best way to learn English is with someone else! First, a study partner can help motivate you and keep you accountable because they’ll also know if you’re sticking to your plan and making progress. Second, studying with other people makes it much easier to practice certain English skills like speaking and listening. You can certainly speak English to yourself, but you’ll learn how to speak English much faster if you have a conversation with someone else.

Third, even if their own English isn’t perfect, your study partner can still give you advice and feedback on how to improve your English and catch any mistakes you haven’t noticed. And, finally, studying with friends can make learning English more fun. Instead of sitting in your room with a textbook or in front of your computer, you can practice your English by getting a meal with your friends and speaking in English, watching an English movie and discussing it together, or many other activities. Learning English doesn’t have to be boring!

If you don’t know any other people who also want to learn how to speak English, there are lots of places to find someone online. Meetup.com is a site that allows people to create groups on topics that interest them. Many areas have a group for people looking to practice their English, and if there isn’t one by you, you can start your own. Italki and Verbalplanet are two other sites where you can connect with other language learners.

Once you have your study plan, goals, and the resources you’re going to use organized, it’s time to start learning English! Remember to keep referring back to your original goals, and don’t be afraid to make changes to your study schedule or the resources you’re using if you feel you aren’t making the progress you want to be. In the following steps, we give advice on how to keep your studying interesting and efficient.

One of the main things that holds English learners back from improving their language skills is the fear of making mistakes. When I first moved to France, when my language skills were still pretty weak, I was terrified to talk to people. I knew I’d make lots of mistakes and sound like an idiot. Many people learning a language have the same fears, but, if you want to make progress in English, it’s important to accept that you’ll make a lot of mistakes and also realize that making mistakes really isn’t a big deal.

You may find it less intimidating to practice with other English learners who are also probably making mistakes, or you can study with a native English speaker who is learning your language so you can both correct each other. Above all, it’s important to remember that making mistakes when learning a language is inevitable, and it’ll happen to everyone. Try to find the humor in it and laugh it off.

For example, I had a friend who was studying abroad in Central America while learning Spanish. One day, she tried to tell her host family that she was afraid of cockroaches (cucaracha), but she actually said she was afraid of spoons (cuchara). It took her weeks to realize why her host family always gave her cereal with a fork, but once she understood, she just laughed and made sure not to confuse those two words again.

Once you’ve gotten the hang of studying English, it’s important to start incorporating the language into your everyday life. You can do every lesson or practice session you put in your study schedule, but if that’s all you do, you won’t be making as much progress as you could be.

When learning any language, repetition and consistency are important. You want to be frequently thinking about and using English, even if it’s just for a few minutes or seconds at a time. Doing this regularly will ensure that the language stays in your head and makes using it feel more natural.

When I was learning French, I’d often try to practice the language during free time I had. If I was waiting for the bus, I’d read the signs nearby and see if I understood all the words. While waiting in line at the grocery store, I’d see how many foods I knew French names for. Little things like this don’t take a lot of effort, and they can really make a difference in how quickly you learn the language.

Here are other ways you can incorporate English into your daily life:

Many times, people think that learning English means spending hours stuck in your room with a grammar book or flipping through stacks and stacks of vocab cards. While not every second you spend studying English is going to be enjoyable, it can still be a fun experience overall!

The best way to study English is to make it fun and interesting for you. By making learning English fun, you’ll be more motivated to keep learning even when things get a bit boring or you’re frustrated at your lack of progress. The key to making English studying fun is to connect it to things you already like to do and interests you already have.

Love cars? Get some English-language car magazines and read through them. Into sports? See if you can find matches with English-speaking announcers and watch those on the television. Have a favorite book? Find an English translation of the book and use that as your reading practice. Talk about your favorite TV show in English with a friend, join an English-language online group for a hobby you love, learn the lyrics of your favorite English song, etc. There are lots of opportunities out there to make learning English something you’re excited to do.

As you continue learning English, you should pause periodically and think about how well your study plan is working. Are you making the progress you want? Does your study schedule fit the rest of your schedule? Do you still feel motivated to keep practicing?

Learning English is a long process, and you shouldn’t think that the study plan you came up with originally will work perfectly the entire process. About every month or so, stop and think about how well your study plan is working and where you can make improvements. Not making the progress you want with your speaking skills? Change the way you practice and maybe try some new resources. Keep missing your study sessions? Change the time you set aside for studying so it works better with your schedule. Losing motivation to keep learning? Try a new method or recruit a friend to help you keep studying.

By regularly updating your study plan, you’ll ensure you’re doing exactly what you need in order to reach your English goal.