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Hey there! Welcome to StopFail!
We’re already proud of you because you’ve just taken the first step towards finally speaking English. In this article, we will discuss the best dictionaries and techniques for learning English quickly. We will also talk about how to motivate yourself to stay committed during the first few months.
Laziness doesn’t exist. There’s fuzzy goal setting.
“Laziness doesn’t exist. There’s fuzzy goal setting.
Before we dive into learning, let’s talk about motivation. The first and most important thing to understand is that laziness doesn’t exist. There’s either not strong enough motivation or a goal that’s too vague. Our brain’s job is to conserve unnecessary energy (in simple terms: survive). Learning a language is a resource-intensive process. So, goals like ‘for myself,’ ‘might need it,’ ‘everyone’s learning it’ won’t work, and you’ll soon put everything on the back burner, whether it’s language learning or something else.
So how can we make the self-preservation mechanism work for us?
If you are strongly motivated for success, then we start acting according to the SMART system.
SMART — is an acronym, with each letter representing a criterion for goal effectiveness: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound.
Specific
Your goal should be specific, not vague. Clearly define for yourself:
✏️ What result you want to achieve and why.
✏️ Who or what you need to achieve the goal.
Measurable
The next step in goal setting is to determine a metric (a number) that will indicate whether the goal has been achieved or not. For example, this could be a deadline (a specific date or month) or an amount you want to earn, if we are talking about a salary increase.
Achievable
If a goal is not attainable and one that your brain is willing to believe in, it will be very demotivating from the start. Therefore, it’s important here to set milestones that will help you climb to the top of the staircase rather than trying to scale a sheer cliff.
Relevant
To determine the significance of a goal, it’s important to understand what result or benefit its achievement will bring.
Time bound
A goal should have a time constraint, meaning there should be a definite deadline, exceeding which indicates a goal is not achieved. Yes, deadlines are everywhere.
On the question of how much time it will take to reach a certain level, we provided a detailed answer with scientifically backed calculations in the article How Much Time Does It Take to Speak English Fluently, we also elaborated on the reasons why it’s challenging to speak English and techniques to achieve fluent conversational skills. Additionally, we suggest becoming friends with our buddy Erlich on Telegram👇, who will make learning English much more exciting.
The top online dictionaries to learn English independently
When I ask my clients which dictionary they use, 99% of the time I get the answer – Google Translate. It is indeed simple and convenient to use, providing translations not only for individual words but also for sentences and even text.
In the article How to write a business letter in English: can you rely on Google Translate? we have collected such examples.
So, here’s our selection of top online dictionaries:
👉 Multitran is a bilingual online dictionary that provides a wide range of words and meanings in various contexts, explaining nuances and subtleties. This is super useful if you need translations related to a specific field of expertise.
👉 Reverso Context is an optimal dictionary and translation tool based on artificial intelligence. Here, you can see and listen to examples of word and phrase usage in context. These examples are gathered from millions of already translated texts, including official documents, websites, magazines, and dialogues from movies.
👉 UrbanDictionary if you watch videos and read blogs in English, you can’t do without a dictionary of modern slang. Here, you will find explanations of meanings for slang, jargon, informal, and explicit phrases and expressions.
If your level is Intermediate or higher, we highly recommend you 👉 Cambridge Dictionary
Here, you will find:
✔️ Explanation of the word in English.
✔️ Pronunciation (both English and British).
✔️ Usage examples in context.
✔️ Collocations, phrasal verbs, and idioms.
✔️ A list of synonyms.
In the grammar section, , you can find explanations as well as examples of grammar usage in real-life situations.
👉 Collins 👉 Macmillan These two dictionaries are similar to the Cambridge Dictionary. You can refer to them if you’re not satisfied with the explanations in Cambridge or if you need more examples.
If you’re interested in technical vocabulary, you’ll find these useful:
👉 Multitran
👉 Сomputer language
👉 Techopedia
Working in High Tech? We’ve compiled a TOP Terms and basic IT dictionary for you.
How to memorize words?
So, we’ve figured out where to find translations, but how do you now remember it all?
There are many methods for learning words, and we suggest combining them:
Method #1: Spaced Repetition
When memorizing new words, only 44% of the information remains in your memory after an hour, and less than 25% after a week.
The optimal repetition schedule is as follows:
- First repetition: 15-20 minutes after learning.
- Second repetition: 6-8 hours later.
- Third repetition: 1 day later.
- Fourth repetition: 2 days later.
- Fifth repetition: 1 week later.
Method #2: Individual Flashcards
Create flashcards for yourself with the words you want to remember. One side should have the word in your native language, and the other side should have the word in English along with several examples of its usage in sentences (you can take these examples from your text or from dictionaries like Cambridge Dictionary or Wooordhunt.)
This can be a physical or virtual deck, for example, in Quizlet or Anki.
📍 Memorize words in context.
📍 Additionally, practice creating sentences with new words on your own.
Method #3: Associations
Create a funny/emotional verbal or visual association for the word. The visual association method is embodied in the free program Rosetta Stone (unfortunately, you can’t add your own words there).
Method #4: Watching Movies and TV Series in Their Original Language
🎬 This is another cool and enjoyable method for learning new vocabulary. We’ve compiled the highest-rated selections of movies and TV series by proficiency level, accent, and vocabulary in the article How to Understand Movies and TV Series in Their Original Language?
Method #5: Start Using New Words in Speech Right Away
Knowing words is not enough; you must use them in conversation, or sooner or later, everything you’ve learned will evaporate from your memory.
📌 To organize all the new vocabulary you are learning and keep it centralized, we recommend using Google Drive spreadsheets. We explain the details here:
📌 In the article How to start talking in English? we discuss the top 5 strategies for developing your conversational skills and provide advice on how to effectively learn words.
📌 If you already have a sufficient vocabulary but still find speaking fluently in English elusive, then the article How to Increase Your Speaking Speed? will provide answers to your questions.
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