Are you struggling to understand native English speakers despite years of study? Improving your listening skills is crucial to mastering the language, and it’s often the most challenging aspect for learners. In this blog, we’ll reveal the secret to advanced English listening skills, helping you enhance your comprehension and enjoy conversations with native speakers.

The 4-Step System To Practise Speaking English

1. Immerse Yourself in English

 

Immersion is one of the most effective ways to improve your listening skills. Surround yourself with the language as much as possible:

• Watch English Movies and TV Shows: Choose content that interests you. Start with subtitles and gradually move to watching without them.
• Listen to English Music: Pay attention to the lyrics. Try to understand the context and meaning behind the songs.
• Engage with Podcasts and Audiobooks: These are excellent resources for hearing different accents and speaking styles.

2. Practice Active Listening

 

Active listening involves fully concentrating, understanding, and responding to what is being said. Here are some tips to practice active listening:

• Focus on the Speaker: Pay full attention to the speaker, and avoid distractions.
• Take Notes: Jot down keywords and phrases to help you follow the conversation.
• Ask Questions: If you don’t understand something, don’t hesitate to ask for clarification.

3. Expand Your Vocabulary

 

A broad vocabulary helps you understand more words in different contexts. Here’s how you can expand your vocabulary:

• Read Regularly: Books, newspapers, and articles introduce you to new words and phrases.
• Use a Dictionary: Look up unfamiliar words and practice using them in sentences.
• Learn Synonyms and Antonyms: This will help you understand variations of words you already know.

4. Engage in Conversations

 

Engaging in conversations with native speakers is one of the best ways to improve your listening skills. Here’s how:

• Language Exchange Partners: Find a language exchange partner who wants to learn your native language. You can help each other.
• Join English Clubs: Participate in English-speaking clubs or groups where you can practice your listening and speaking skills.
• Attend Events: Attend seminars, workshops, or any social events conducted in English.

5. Use Technology and Apps

 Leverage technology to enhance your listening skills. There are many apps designed to help you improve:

• Duolingo: Offers listening exercises tailored to your level.
• Memrise: Uses video clips of native speakers to improve your comprehension.
• BBC Learning English: Provides a wide range of listening materials.

6. Practice Shadowing

 

Shadowing is a technique where you listen to a piece of audio and try to repeat it exactly as you hear it. This can help improve your pronunciation and listening comprehension. Here’s how to do it:

• Choose a Short Audio Clip: Select something you find interesting and manageable.
• Listen Carefully: Pay attention to the pronunciation, intonation, and rhythm.
• Repeat After the Speaker: Try to mimic the speaker as closely as possible.

7. Be Patient and Consistent

 

Improving your listening skills takes time and consistent effort. Here are some tips to stay motivated:

• Set Realistic Goals: Break your goals into smaller, manageable tasks.
• Track Your Progress: Keep a journal of your listening practice and note improvements.
• Celebrate Milestones: Reward yourself when you reach a milestone to stay motivated.

Here are more details about this topic :

In this lesson, I want to show you probably the most important secret that will help you improve your English listening skills.

Easy Way To Learn British Accent

The pronunciation of strong and weak forms

Good listening skills all depend on expectations.

First of all, the context helps us guess the words someone will say.

We also use expectations to guess what sounds you will hear.

So you expect someone leaving home in the morning with a bag to say something like.

I am going to work

But what sounds do you expect to hear?

You may expect to hear each word pronounced clearly, but in fact this is not correct.

For example, the word TO, can be pronounced in two different ways.

1. To /tuː/ = Strong form (when ‘to’ is stressed)
2. To /tə/ = Weak form (when ‘to’ is stressed)   

And 90% of the time, we pronounce ‘to’ as the weak form  /tə/.

Here’s the secret! There are around 40 words in English that have both weak and strong forms.

These include verbs, pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions and even articles.

The key thing is these are some of the most frequently used words in English.

So if you know the weak form (which is used for unstressed words) and you know the strong forms (for when it is stressed) and you practice listening more for them, then your listening skills will improve dramatically.

When I started teaching this to my students years ago when I first became a teacher, it was a game changer.

8 of the most common weak forms

Let’s look at 8 of the most common words that have strong and weak forms.

• You
• Are
• Do
• Can
• To
• For
• And
• A

1. You

You (strong) /juː/

You (weak) /jə/

Look at this phrase below. What sounds do you expect to hear?

You look great!

If we stress the adjective ‘great’, we would hear the following;

You look great! /jə lʊk ɡreɪt/

Here are some more similar examples;

You look great /jə lʊk ɡreɪt/

You look amazing /jə lʊk əˈmeɪzɪŋ/

You look bored /jə lʊk bɔːd/

To improve your listening skills, do not try to hear the unstressed word, but rather focus on the stressed word.

2. Are

Are (strong) /ɑː/

Are (weak) /ə/

Look at this phrase below. What sounds do you expect to hear?

Are they here?

If we stress the adverb ‘here’, we would hear the following;

Are they here? /ə ðeɪ hɪə/

Here are some more similar examples;

Are they here? /ə ðeɪ hɪə/

Are they ready? /ə ðeɪ rɛdi/

Are they late? /ə ðeɪ leɪt/

3. Do

Do (strong) /duː/

Do (weak) /də/

Look at this phrase below. What sounds do you expect to hear?

Do they know?

If we stress the verb ‘know’, we would hear the following;

Do they know? /də ðeɪ nəʊ/

Here are more examples;

Do you know? /də jə nəʊ/

Do you know his name? /də jə nəʊ ɪz neɪm/

Notice we can stress DO or YOU to emphasise them, but it changes the meaning.

Do you know? /də juː nəʊ/

This means ‘I don’t know, what about you?’

Do you know? /duː juː nəʊ/

This means ‘Really? I’m not sure if I believe you!’

4. Can

Can  (strong)  /kæn/

Can  (weak)  /kən/

In questions, we would use the weak form, for example,

Can you swim? /kən jə swɪm/

In general positive statements, we would also use the weak form, unless we were emphasising the verb ‘can’.

I can swim a bit /aɪ kən swɪm ə bɪt/

5. To

To (strong) /tuː/

To (weak) /tə/

What time is it in this clock?

It’s five to two

Here, you can hear both the weak form of the word ‘to’ /tə/ and the number two, which is pronounced /tuː/

Look at this phrase below. What sounds do you expect to hear?

Do you want to go?

Assuming we dress the verb ‘want’ you would hear;

Do you want to go? /də jə wɒn tə ɡəʊ/

Notice we can stress DO or YOU to emphasise them, but it changes the meaning.

Do you want to go? /də juː wɒn tə ɡəʊ/ = I don’t, what about you?

Do you want to go? /duː juː wɒn tə ɡəʊ/ = Really? I’m not sure I believe you!

6. For

For (strong) /fɔː/

For (weak) /fə/

Look at this phrase below. What sounds do you expect to hear?

This is for you

Normally, we would stress the pronoun ‘you’ and so you would hear,

This is for you    /ðɪs ɪz fə juː/

Some more examples are;

It’s for you /ɪts fə juː/

It’s for me /ɪts fə miː/

It’s for him /ɪts fə hɪm/

7. And

And (strong) /ænd/

And (weak) /ən/

One of the most famous dishes in the United Kingdom is ‘Fish and Chips,’ but how is that said?

Normally, we don’t stress the word ‘and’. We use the weak form, so it sounds like this,

Fish and chips /fɪʃ ən tʃɪps/

Here are some more examples;

You and me /juː ən miː/

She is tall and beautiful /ʃi ɪz tɔːl ən bjuːtɪfəl/

8. A

A (strong) /æ/

A (weak)  /ə/

In all of the following examples, ‘a’ is not stressed, so we use the weak form /ə/, sometimes called the ‘schwa’.

I am a teacher /aɪm ə ˈtiːtʃə/

She’s a doctor /ʃiːz ə ˈdɒktə/

He’s a banker /hiːz ə ˈbæŋkə/

Tips for Listening Practice

1. Focus on the gist

When listening to English, don’t try to understand everything, focus on the gist, the overall meaning.

To understand the gist, you need to focus on the stressed words, and of course, be aware that weak forms will be used a lot.

Also, remember, whatever your level, there will always be things you don’t understand. Accept that, and continue to listen.

2. Do meditation listening

This is where you listen and close your eyes. Your focus is on sounds rather than the meaning.

You become present and just focus on each sound as it appears.

It’s a very soothing and relaxing experience and a great way to improve your listening skills.

Remember the secret is to practice. I recommend you listen to one hour of English a day.

8 Essential Qualities of Successful Leaders

Improving your English listening skills is a journey that requires immersion, active practice, expanding your vocabulary, engaging in conversations, utilizing technology, and consistent effort. By following these strategies, you’ll unlock the secret to advanced English listening skills and enhance your overall proficiency. Stay patient, stay motivated, and enjoy the process of becoming a more confident English listener.