Did you know that there are some new techniques which people are using now, that let them learn English quickly and easily? In this article I’ll be explaining to you how to learn the English language. I’ll be teaching you two new techniques, so please read this article carefully. If you apply these techniques, it could change your life! (I used these same methods to master the Russian language a few years ago, and it definitely changed my life!)

The first language learning technique is called Contextual Learning. This is when we learn the meaning of a word by ourselves, by seeing it in a phrase with other words we know. Here’s how it works:

Can you guess what the Estonian language word “koer’” means from context?

“I couldn’t sleep last night. My neighbor’s koer was barking all night.”

Or this example:

“My favorite koer is a Poodle. What’s yours?”

I didn’t tell you the meaning of “koer”, did I? And yet you know it means “dog”.

The fact is, your brain is very, very good at figuring out (learning) meaning from context. Really, you are a master at this. The trick, though, is that the meaning has to be very clear from the context. If I had just written, “Look! A koer!” you would have no idea what it means.

You can learn new words from real, spoken English, too. (What we call “Fluent English”). For example: What does the Fluent English word “gotta” mean?

I gotta be at work today at 8 AM. We have an important meeting with a client.

Or this example: I gotta fly to Boston on Friday. My brother is getting married there.

So, gotta means, “need to” or “must”

This is a technique I used to quickly become fluent, and I always teach this to my students.

How else to learn the English language? Well, the second language learning technique is called Pattern Recognition. This is how our brains prefer to learn grammar rules.

Let’s work again with the Fluent English word “gotta.” Instead of me explaining to you the grammar rules of how to use it, (and when and how to use the auxiliary verb), let’s just look for the pattern:

“Uh-oh, it’s late!

…I gotta go.”
…We gotta go.”
…You gotta go.”
…They gotta go.”
…He’s gotta go.”
…She’s gotta go.”
…John’s gotta go.”

See if you can fill in these next ones, based on the pattern above:

The report is due in an hour. ___ gotta finish it.

What form do you need for the following words: I, You, We, They, He, She, and John
(Answers at the bottom.)

…I gotta finish it.
…We gotta finish it.
…You gotta finish it.
…They gotta finish it.
…He’s gotta finish it.
…She’s gotta finish it.
…John’s gotta finish it.

All grammar is, is the patterns for how words change, and work together. So, instead of memorizing rules, just pay attention to the patterns. This is how native speakers learn, and how adults should learn, too.

And that’s how to learn the English language: All meaning should come from context, and all grammar should come from patterns, not rules.