Listening is a vital language skill to develop when learning English or any other language, as by having strong listening skills, you will be able to understand everything that is happening around you.
Listening is a passive language skill, that is, it is used to understand another other person’s production of language (their speech). The other passive language skill is reading.
Some people find they can speak well but can’t understand when someone speaks back to them. Improving your English listening skills is something that will greatly enhance your experience with the English language, as you’ll be able to understand others, engage more fluently in conversations and enjoy English-speaking TV, films, radio, podcasts, and other forms of spoken communication.
Read on for tips and ideas on how to improve your English listening skills.
Problems when listening to a new language
Native English speakers can seem to talk very quickly to a non-native English person. The spaces between words are not visible like they are in written text, so the sounds jumble up together to form one long incoherent sentence.
It takes a while of patient listening practice before a non-native English speaker can discern between different sounds which make up individual words. This helps the non-native speaker to hear where one word ends and another begins.
The spaces between words are often not audible, so you need to know what to listen for in order to separate the sounds of speech. This comes with practice.
Native speakers also tend to speak quickly and use contractions like “gonna” for “going to” or “wanna” for “want to,” which can make it hard to distinguish individual words or phrases.
One of the most common challenges learners face is understanding different accents and pronunciations. English is spoken in various dialects, from American to British to Australian, each with its own unique accent and intonation patterns. There are also lots of accents within a country. For example, the English Cockney accent is very different from the Liverpool accent or the Newcastle (Geordie) accent – or any of the dozens of others!
All these differences can make it hard to catch the meaning of words, especially when native speakers speak quickly or use slang.
Another problem is that English speakers often use fillers (e.g., “um,” “like”) in casual speech, which can add extra noise and disrupt comprehension.
English pronunciation can be tricky because many words aren’t pronounced the way they’re spelled, so you might be expecting an entirely different sound.
Listening skills in action
In order to develop good listening skills it is important to help tune your ear into the sounds of the English language. This helps you to pick out individual words and sentences more easily.
Listening regularly to English radio and watching English TV can really help to get used to the sounds of English so that you are more able to focus and understand English speakers in your own life, whether its your university lecturer, your colleagues or a shop assistant.
Even if you don’t understand everything you hear on the radio or TV, the simple act of listening to the sounds of English helps to tune your ear into the rhythms of the language.
This will make producing the sounds yourself that much easier once you are able to create your own sentences. This is why listening and speaking skills are so strongly linked in language learning – one skill will necessarily help the other.
Ideas for improving your English listening skills
Here are some more ways to improve your listening skills when learning English:
1. Immerse Yourself in the Language
The best way to improve your listening skills is through regular exposure to the language. Immersing yourself in English will train your brain to recognise patterns, sounds and words, which will make listening easier over time.
Watch documentaries in English and pick content that interests you. You’ll encounter different accents, speaking speeds and vocabulary. Start with subtitles if necessary and as your skills improve, challenge yourself by turning them off.
Listen to podcasts and audiobooks. There are countless podcasts available on various topics. As a beginner, choose ones that are either specifically for English learners, or if you’re a more advanced learner, you could choose ones that align with your interests, such as politics, sport, art or comedy. Podcasts allow you to hear authentic conversations and develop a better understanding of informal speech and slang.
Use music to improve your listening skills. Songs are a fun and creative way to study language. Choose a song you like, look up the lyrics and sing along! This helps with pronunciation as well as comprehension, especially when the lyrics contain slang or colloquialisms.
2. Practice Active Listening
Active listening involves engaging with the material, not just hearing it passively. When you practice active listening, you focus entirely on what is being said and try to understand the meaning behind the words.
Listen without distractions. Find a quiet space where you can focus entirely on the audio, close your eyes and listen carefully. Try to picture what’s being described or discussed.
Take notes while listening, so you can jot down key points or new vocabulary. This will help reinforce your memory of what you’ve heard and improve your retention.
Summarise what you’ve heard straight away in your own words. This can be done either verbally or in writing. It will force you to pay attention to details and improve your understanding of the material.
3. Use Technology and Apps
Technology has revolutionised language learning, offering a wide range of tools that can enhance your listening practice. Many apps use artificial intelligence to personalise your experience, helping you to practise listening at the right level for you.
Language learning apps like Duolingo, Babbel and Rosetta Stone offer listening exercises designed to improve comprehension. These apps often allow you to practise with native speakers in interactive contexts.
Speech recognition software, such as Google Translate or Siri use speech recognition to convert spoken language into text. You can speak English into these apps and see how well they transcribe what you said. If there are discrepancies between your speech and the transcriptions, it can highlight areas where you need to improve your pronunciation or clarity.
Transcription services like Otter.ai or Rev.com allow you to transcribe spoken content into text. You can listen to podcasts, interviews or YouTube videos, and then try to transcribe them. This process will sharpen your attention to detail and improve your ability to understand spoken English.
4. Practise Listening with Different Accents and Dialects
One of the challenges of learning English is the variety of accents and dialects spoken around the world. To become proficient, you need to familiarise yourself with a wide range of English accents.
Watch and listen to content from different countries, such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Canada or Ireland. Different accents and colloquial expressions will expose you to new sounds and vocabulary. Try to differentiate between accents and understand regional variations in dialect and pronunciation.
Engage with other speakers through language exchange platforms like HelloTalk or Tandem to chat to people from various regions. Speaking with people from different English-speaking countries will expose you to diverse accents, helping you develop better listening skills.
5. Use Subtitles Strategically
Subtitles are often a helpful tool for improving listening comprehension, but it’s important to use them in a way that actively helps you learn.
Start with subtitles in your native language to understand the context and plot. This will help you follow along with what’s happening. This also helps you get your ear accustomed to the sounds of the language without worrying so much about meaning in the beginning.
Switch to English subtitles once you feel more comfortable. This will allow you to read the words and hear the words at the same time, strengthening your connection between written and spoken language.
As you progress, challenge yourself by watching content without any subtitles. Try to focus on the overall meaning, rather than understanding every single word. Try not to use a dictionary all the time, but allow yourself to let the language flow. This will train you to catch the main ideas and key information without relying on visual aids.
6. Incorporate Shadowing Techniques
Shadowing is an advanced listening technique where you mimic what you hear as you hear it. This practice helps improve both your listening and speaking skills.
Choose an audio clip or video and listen to a short segment (e.g. a conversation or a scene from a movie) and then immediately repeat what you heard, trying to mimic the speaker’s intonation, rhythm and pronunciation as closely as possible.
Record yourself after shadowing a segment, speaking the same lines. Play back the recording and compare it with the original. This will help you identify areas where you can improve your pronunciation and comprehension.
7. Join English Conversation Groups
The best way to improve your listening skills is by actively engaging in conversations. Joining a conversation group or taking an English class will provide you with opportunities to practise listening in real-life situations.
Participate in free language exchange programs, either online or in person. By speaking with native or fluent speakers, you can practice listening in a relaxed, real-world setting.
Attend group classes or workshops at language schools or community centers. These settings are ideal for engaging in conversations, listening to different accents and practising listening comprehension in a social context.
8. Challenge Yourself with Dictation Exercises
Dictation is an excellent way to practice listening skills. It forces you to focus on each word and its pronunciation.
Use online dictation exercises from websites like Dictation.io or EnglishClub, which provide free content. You can listen to a passage and write down what you hear. Afterwards, compare your notes with the correct text to identify areas for improvement.
If you have a favorite podcast or a YouTube video, you could pause the audio every 30 seconds or so, and try to write down exactly what you heard. Then, check your writing against the transcript or subtitles.
English listening skills: improving one step at a time
Improving your listening skills in English is an ongoing process that requires patience, practice and creativity. By immersing yourself in the language, using technology and incorporating techniques like active listening, shadowing and dictation, you should make excellent progress.
It’s always important to stay consistent, challenge yourself with different materials and never be afraid to make mistakes. Your listening comprehension will improve steadily and suddenly you will notice that you’re comfortable understanding English conversations.
Share your thoughts on listening skills
- What areas of listening practice do you find most challenging?
- Which sounds in the English language do you find most difficult to understand?
- What strategies have you found most helpful for understanding spoken English?
- How can you use technology (e.g. language apps, subtitles, slow playback) to enhance your listening practice?
- Do you take notes while listening, and how can this practice improve your comprehension and retention of new information?
- Have you tried listening to English audio without any visual aids (like subtitles or videos), and how might this help improve your listening skills?