Learning a foreign language is becoming increasingly important, especially if you have a job or other obligations that require you to communicate in it, especially English. English is an international language, and as an Indonesian, my teacher has told me since I was in elementary school that we should be fluent in English because it will help us in the future. That statement turns out to be true as I grow older. Learning English is very beneficial for communicating, working with colleagues, or simply doing other activities that necessitate the use of English.
We can try a variety of things to improve our English skills. Because English is not our native language, we must make extra efforts to learn it. If we have extra money, we could take courses or travel to another country (but we can’t right now because the pandemic is still going on). On the other hand, if we only have a mediocre amount of money, we should come up with creative ways to learn it. Don’t be worried; we can learn from anything. We can learn English by taking a free online course, chatting with strangers on mobile apps, reading an English book, watching a movie with English subtitles, or listening to English podcasts.
Listening to podcasts is one of the most practical ways to learn English in my opinion. Aside from being able to improve listening skills, it can also be done at any time and in any place, and of course, it can be done effortlessly. I usually listen to podcasts on my way to work, while cleaning my room, or while walking or running in the morning; even if it’s only for a few minutes, consistency and persistence are important. I’d like to recommend five podcasts that can help you improve your English skills.
For the first time, I came across Speaking English with Tiffany on YouTube. Tiffany’s teaching method has left an indelible impression on me. The pronunciation is very clear and easy to understand. The materials are well-organized and practical in everyday life. As a result, I searched for her podcast and discovered it! She divided different materials, such as vocabulary, idioms, expressions, and other topics, for each episode of her podcasts. She also expresses how to use the vocabulary/idioms/expressions and practice pronouncing them.
What I like about Tiffany Podcasts is that the materials are easy to understand even for beginners, her pronunciation is clear and helps us practice how to say it, she gives examples with different tempos ranging from slow, medium, and fast (native), and she encourages us to learn at least two new vocabulary/idioms/expressions and practice them that day so we remember the materials. Her teaching style appeals to me because she does not expect us to learn a large amount of material in a short period of time, but rather to learn a small portion consistently throughout the day.
If you want to learn English from a native speaker, this podcast is a great choice. This podcast, hosted by Lindsay and Michelle, allows us to learn American English conversation in a fun way. There are many topics covered in it, such as tips and tricks for fluent English, talking with native speakers, how to overcome panic when speaking English and a variety of other topics that can help you understand English. Is it terrible to listen to native podcasts? Certainly not. Lindsay and Michelle host the show in a fun and easy-to-understand way, so you’ll enjoy it and want to listen to it more and more. You don’t need to be concerned; it can be an exercise in becoming familiar to listening to daily conversations from native speakers.
What I like about these podcasts is that I can learn English from the perspective of a native speaker, which gave me a lot of new insights into learning English. We are usually embarrassed to practice English because we fear that people will judge us if something goes wrong. However, I’ve learned from these podcasts that native speakers don’t mind if we don’t use proper grammar. It’s fine as long as your partner understands what you’re saying. This is to be their podcast’s tagline, “Connection not Perfection,” and it gives me more confidence to learn English without fear of making mistakes.
