At a glance
What will be easy
No gender, no cases, and adjectives never change: a big house, big houses. In the present only he, she and it take an ending: she works.
Internet, weekend, email, OK, smartphone: English words are in almost every language, so you never start from zero.
Films, series, songs and games give you free listening practice every day, in British, American and many other accents.
What will be hard
The same letters sound different (though, through, tough, cough), and one sound has many spellings (see, sea, key). Learn every word with its audio.
I work, I am working, I have worked, I have been working: English combines tense and aspect. The hardest pair is past simple versus present perfect: I lost my keys or I have lost my keys.
Get up, give up, look after: a verb plus a particle often means something you cannot guess from the parts. Learn them in context, a few at a time.
Your first 10 phrases
| Phrase | How to say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Hello! | heh-LOH | Greeting, any time of day |
| Nice to meet you. | nyce tuh MEET yoo | On meeting someone new |
| How are you? | how ar yoo | Greeting; reply “Fine, thanks” |
| Thank you very much. | THANK yoo VERR-ee much | A warm thank-you |
| Excuse me. | ik-SKYOOZ mee | To get attention or get past |
| How much is it? | how MUCH iz it | Asking the price |
| I don’t understand. | eye dohnt un-der-STAND | When you get lost |
| Could you say that again? | kuud yoo SAY that uh-GEN | Asking someone to repeat |
| Could you speak more slowly, please? | kuud yoo speek mor SLOH-lee, pleez | Asking someone to slow down |
| Can I have a coffee, please? | kan eye hav uh KOF-ee, pleez | Ordering in a café |
From A1 to B2: what to learn at each level
- A1
To be and to have, present simple, a and the, plurals, question words, numbers, around 1,000 basic words.
- A2
Past simple with irregular verbs, present continuous, going to and will, comparatives, countable and uncountable nouns.
- B1
Present perfect versus past simple, first and second conditionals, modal verbs, common phrasal verbs, around 3,000 words.
- B2
The passive, reported speech, the third conditional, relative clauses, collocations, 3,500 words and more.
How long it takes to learn English
Cambridge English guidelines: about 350–400 study hours to B1 and 500–600 hours to B2, roughly a year and a year and a half at one hour a day.
More on timing: How long does it take to learn a language to B1 and B2?.
Your first month, 15–20 minutes a day
Key sounds (th, long and short vowels) and the 100 most common words. Every day: 10 minutes of flashcards and 5 of listening.
To be, present simple and simple sentences about yourself. Start watching short videos with English subtitles.
Questions and negatives with do and does, the past of the 20 most common irregular verbs. Write three sentences a day.
Your first A1 stories and 300 words in review. Try a five-minute conversation in English, in person or in a chat.
Typical mistakes and how to avoid them
He, she and it need -s in the present simple: he goes, she likes, it works.
A singular countable noun needs an article: I am a student, I have a dog.
These nouns are uncountable in English: some information, a piece of advice.
For something that started in the past and goes on now, use the present perfect: I have lived here since 2020.
Did you know?
- Roughly three out of four English speakers learned it as a second or foreign language.
- Its grammar is Germanic, but more than half of its vocabulary comes from French and Latin.
- Spelling began to settle with printing in the 15th century, while pronunciation kept changing. That is why name, time and house are not read as written.
English exams
The main international certificates: IELTS, TOEFL, Cambridge English (B2 First, C1 Advanced). Many of them map their levels to the CEFR scale from A1 to C2.
→ How many words you need for IELTS 6.5 and 7.0
How NewLexi helps you learn English
- Words on your topics. English cards are generated on request or added from the translator, text, a photo or a file.
- Spaced repetition for every word and four mastery levels.
- Stories and dialogues in English at your level, written with your words; tap any word for a translation.
- English grammar from A1 to C2, a writing trainer with AI correction and a chat.
- Lock Screen cards and iPhone widgets to review words on the go.
→ The best app to learn English words in 2026
FAQ
Is English hard to learn?
It is one of the easiest to start: basic grammar is simple and English is everywhere. Pronunciation, tenses and phrasal verbs take longer to polish.
How long does it take to reach B1?
Cambridge English suggests about 350–400 guided learning hours, roughly a year at an hour a day.
Which English certificate should I take?
IELTS for study and migration, TOEFL for many US universities, Cambridge B2 First or C1 Advanced for a certificate that never expires. Check what your university or employer accepts.
British or American English?
Either: both are understood everywhere. They differ mostly in accent, some spelling (colour, color) and some words (flat, apartment). Pick one and stay consistent.
