Learning English for Beginners

The elementary level of English is called A1 Elementary. It is at this level that beginners start. A confident knowledge of basic vocabulary and grammar is the key to free and confident English speech. Let's find out what Basic Basic English is all about.

What does Basic Basic English at A1 level include?

The most important thing in learning another language is not to get discouraged or doubt your own abilities. The lowest level of English is the unchanging and solid foundation for those who want to get up to B1, Advanced and beyond.

According to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), you can clearly define what you need to know for each level. The mark A means the elementary knowledge of the language studied. An additional division into sub-levels A1 stands for the basic level (Beginner) and A2 for the Pre-primary level (Elementary).

You have a basic level of English

You have a basic level if you can tell basic information in a few sentences:

• about yourself
• Your family
• Your favorite foods
• hobbies
• Your education or current job

A person is also able to understand the interlocutor if he or she speaks clearly, takes his or her time, and uses familiar vocabulary. In addition, the beginner level assumes that the student can understand the meaning of a social media message and respond to it in one or a few sentences. In some cases, the student captures the essence of a clip or cartoon, video or commercial, and can write a short letter or comment expressing his or her own opinion.

Also, even at the lowest level, it is possible to compose small (up to 10 phrases) essays orally or in writing and read adapted simplified books.

At this stage it is great to find American or English pen pals and get rid of the fear of real communication and using a foreign language.

We also advise such unconventional methods for practicing Basic skills:

• Karaoke with foreign songs
• board games in English
• educational activities for American toddlers
• Video tutorials for toddlers
• Starter/ Beginner Grammar
• The Beginner level covers the following grammatical areas
• Conjugation of the verb to be (affirmative, negative, and question forms)
• pronouns I, you, he, she, it, we, they
• possessive adjectives her, his, its, my, mine
• differences in the use of there is, there are
• singular and plural nouns
• possessive cases with the ending 's
• index words this, that, these, those
• the present simple tense Present Simple
• rules for writing questions with the verb to be and with do, does
• Words to describe appearance (blonde, dark, ginger hair, blue, brown, green eyes, big, small, neat ears etc.)
• frequency adverbs (always, usually, often, sometimes, rarely, never)
• Numerical nouns (two cats, four kids, one house)
• nonnumerative nouns (water, salt, meat)
• general rules for the use of articles a, an, the
• the question forms how much, how many
• the present continuous tense Present continuous
• frequently used prepositions (in, at, on, of, for)
• past tense forms of the verb to be
• simple past tense Past Simple
• modal verbs (can, need to, should, must)
• use I would like to
• future simple tense Future Simple
• imperative (Keep calm! Read! Stand up!)

Of course, the list may seem huge, but English is well structured, it is all interconnected, so with a good tutor or the right approach, you can learn these topics in six months or a year. Depending on the initial level, the pace of study, and diligence.

The most important thing is not to run the grammar. English is all about verbs. If you know what tense to use for a verb, and the nouns will pick up almost automatically. To do this, learn 10-15 new words every day and practice them in a context that is interesting to you. In this way, you will form the necessary basic minimum.