My English teacher always asked the students in the first lesson: “For what purpose do you need a foreign language? If you want to be a translator, get ready to enroll in the Faculty of Philology. And for basic communication It’s enough to learn 850 basic words and a few grammar rules.”
Basic English
Skeptics will be surprised, but this scheme works! And its advantage is that you can master a minimum vocabulary in just a month. Don't believe me? Today there is a unique opportunity to test the theory on your own experience. Editorial “So Simple!” I have prepared for you those same 850 words, which are quite enough to communicate with a resident of any English-speaking country.
To master basic vocabulary, don’t be lazy and study every day. Be sure to consolidate your knowledge in practice; any person who agrees to examine you is suitable for these purposes.
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For more convenience words are combined into groups: objects and phenomena (600 words, of which 400 are general, and 200 are designations of objects); actions and movements (100 words); expression of quality (150 words, of which 100 are general and 50 with the opposite meaning). Each group is shown in the picture. Save and learn now!
850 words for basic English
- Objects and phenomena (designations of objects)
If you studied English at school, most of these words are probably familiar to you. Don't try to learn everything at once, learn in alphabetical order. First, read the words with translation 2-3 times a day. Within a week it will turn out that you know 80% of them.
- Objects and phenomena (general)
To remember words better, be sure to say them out loud. In your free time, while walking or in transport, try to mentally name the objects around you in English. It would be great if someone tested your knowledge 1-2 times a week.
- Actions or movements
This list includes basic english words, not only verbs, but also pronouns, prepositions and polite phrases. You can study in any order, or draw diagrams with arrows indicating movement or movement.
- Expression of quality (general)
Adjectives enrich the language so that it does not become too formal. Helps improve memorization next exercise: Take any object or picture and describe it using adjectives. The more words you use, the better.
- Expression of quality (with opposite meaning)
To better memorize adjectives with opposite meanings, complete the previous exercise describing an object using antonyms. You can do it differently: write down the word, and after a hyphen - its opposite meaning.
With this basic dictionary you can safely go on a journey! And in order to better understand the English language and learn how to put the necessary words into sentences, which takes into account the coordination of tenses.
Experts say that. The most important thing is desire, patience and perseverance. Don’t quit classes after a week, study, be sure to practice speaking, read English texts, watch films without translation, and everything will work out. I wish you success in learning English!
Write to us in the comments how you or your friends managed to quickly learn. And don’t forget to show this useful article to your friends on social networks.
Alexandra Dyachenko is perhaps the most active editor of our team. She is an active mother of two children, a tireless housewife, and Sasha also has an interesting hobby: she loves making impressive decorations and decorating children's parties. The energy of this person cannot be put into words! Dreams of visiting the Brazilian carnival. Sasha's favorite book is “Wonderland Without Brakes” by Haruki Murakami.
About the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment or CEFR) and provided a table of correspondence between CEFR levels and scores of the main international English language exams (TOEFL, IELTS, Cambridge Exams). In this article we will dwell in detail on the initial level of English language proficiency, corresponding to levels A0-A2 according to the CEFR. If you think that you are at the initial stage of learning English, after reading the article, you will more accurately determine your level of language proficiency.
Level A0 (Starter) - English from scratch
Anyone who knows English at A0 level does not know English. The vocabulary is completely unfamiliar to him, he cannot read and write in English, he does not understand English by ear (in other words, he only knows “Bonjour” and “Ciao” in English).
A1 - survival level (survival level, breakthrough level, beginner)
As the name of the level suggests, this is the amount of knowledge that will allow you not to get confused if you end up in an English-speaking country: not to die of hunger and thirst, to navigate the area, get to know each other and even have a conversation in English. Vocabulary - less than 1500 words.
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You will recognize in speech familiar English words and the most basic phrases about you, your family and your immediate environment (people and objects), if the speaker pronounces the words slowly and clearly. |
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You will recognize familiar names, words and the simplest sentences, for example, the text of advertisements, posters, catalogues. |
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U R |
You can carry on a conversation in English if the person you are talking to is willing to repeat things at a slower pace and paraphrase complex phrases, and if he or she helps you formulate your thoughts by suggesting words. You can ask simple questions on the most common or very familiar topics (what is your name, where do you live, what is your profession, etc.) - and answer such questions. |
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Using simple phrases and sentences, you can describe who you are, where you live, and who your friends and acquaintances are. |
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Written speech |
Using simple phrases, you can sign a card (for example, a standard Happy Birthday). You are able to fill out a form or questionnaire, indicating personal data: full name, nationality, address. |
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Grammar |
You are familiar with the definite and indefinite articles, but you do not always use them correctly. You know that the English verb has three forms and you are familiar with the concept of irregular verbs. You know that in English there is a complex system of aspectual and tense forms (aspects) of the verb, and you are familiar with the verb tenses Present Indefinite (Simple), Past Indefinite (Simple), Future Indefinite (Simple). |
A2 - pre-threshold level (waystage level, elementary level)
Vocabulary: about 1500-2500 words.
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Listening (listening to speech) |
You will learn and understand the most common English words and phrases: the most basic information about a person and his family, purchases, work, location. You are able to understand the main idea of short, unambiguous statements that use simple words. |
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You can read a very short simple text, find typical, predictable information in simple texts on everyday topics: advertisements and brochures, menus, schedules. You are able to read and understand a short personal letter with simple vocabulary. |
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Speech interaction (dialogue) |
You are able to interact with people in simple life situations, if we are talking about the direct exchange of information in English on topics that are familiar to you. You can maintain very short dialogues, but you still don’t understand enough to conduct a conversation on your own (more often you simply answer questions than ask them). |
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Speech performance (monologue) |
You can introduce yourself, briefly tell about yourself and your family, describe your home, education received, hobbies, current and previous places of work. Do you know how to answer the question “What time is it?” and “What day is it today?” in English. |
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Written speech |
You can write short simple notes and messages. You are able to write a short, simple personal letter (such as a thank you note). |
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Grammar |
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How to say "Hello"
The conversation begins with a greeting, and we will begin our introduction to this basic course with it. Greetings (Greeting) is an important component of dialogue. By greeting friends and loved ones with a certain phrase and intonation, we show our mood, and when we meet new people, it is during the greeting that the first impression of us is formed.
As in Russian, English has many greeting options that must be chosen depending on the situation and time of day.
It’s worth immediately remembering the famous Hollywood smile, which must accompany all greeting phrases. Even if you don't feel like smiling at all, remember that in English-speaking countries, smiling is accepted and is an indicator of good manners.
So, the universal greeting phrases are “ Hello» – Hello, « Hi» – Hello– more relaxed, but less widespread, as well as “ Good morning / afternoon / evening» – good morning/afternoon/evening. When using times of day in greetings, it is worth considering some nuances: morning- before noon, afternoon– until 6 pm, evening- until midnight. It is also necessary to remember that " good night» – Good night And " good day» – Have a good day- relate more to words of farewell.
Most likely, the above universal phrases are well known to everyone and do not require a detailed description or lengthy study. In order to diversify your vocabulary in terms of greeting expressions, we will give examples of some more interesting forms of politeness and ways to say hello.
Hey, how are you doing? –Hi, how are you?
What's up? – What's new / How are you?
It is good to see you! – Glad to see you!
Such phrases are suitable for informal communication. Although the expression “Hello, how are you?” It sounds quite boring and primitive, but English-speaking interlocutors will like it, because it sounds less formal than “ Hello", and shows your interest.
- Hi! How are you doing?
– Fine, thanks. And you?
- Hello! How are you?
- Great, thank you. And you?
- Fine.
When communicating with unfamiliar people or in business circles, you can use the following phrases:
– Good to meet you or It is nice to meet you –Nice to meet you.
– Hello, isn’t it a lovely day? – Hello, great day, isn't it?
Concluding the topic of greetings, I would like to remember the good old form “ How do you do", which is often used by our compatriots as " Hello!" So, it has long been outdated and is rarely used in England and America and can even make the Anglo-Saxons perplexed.
In this topic, it is also necessary to raise another important question - how to contact people whose names we do not know? Along with the universal " Excuse me» – Sorry, ... there are other ways to contact a specific person. The most common forms are Mr.(Mister), Mrs. (Missis), Ms.(Miss– for a young girl or unmarried woman), the surname is added to them. If you do not know the last name of the person you are addressing, use Sir, Madam or Miss.
Since these forms of appeals are quite specific and assume that you know the gender, age and even marital status of the interlocutor, you can protect yourself from mistakes when contacting them by asking the question: What should I call you? – What should I call you? If you yourself hear such a question, you should answer Please call me […] – Please call me[Name].
Having learned to greet and address the interlocutor, we will analyze one of the most important and necessary verbs of the English language - the verb “ to be" This is where you need to start learning English grammar. Verbs in English do not change according to persons, but the verb to be- exception. In English, you can't just say: "I'm beautiful", "he's weird", "they're at home", "you're at work". Any foreigner will say: “I am handsome”, “she is strange”, “they are at home”, “you are at work”. This is the nature of language.
Let's look at the forms of the verb to be and the basic personal pronouns. In the present tense, the verb to be has three forms: A.M., IS, ARE.
I am – I am
He / She / It is – he, she, it is
We are –we are
You are – you, you are
They are – they are
At this stage it is important to understand that to be And A.M., IS, And ARE– these are not 4 different verbs, but forms of the same verb to be.
This verb can be either an independent semantic unit or an auxiliary linking verb. Let's look at two examples:
1) - The book is on the table. Book – book, table – table. The whole sentence will be translated like this: The book lies on the table. Here is the form of the verb to be – IS plays the role of an independent verb and is translated by the word “ lies" Literal translation – there is a book on the table.
2) - I am a doctor. Doctor – doctor. I am a doctor (I am a doctor). In this example the form of the verb is to be – ARE plays the role of a linking verb in the meaning “ There is" Unlike the Russian language, in English the linking verb is never omitted, since the English sentence has a strictly fixed word order: subject (subject) + predicate(verb) + addition (object). In such cases, the linking verb is not translated into Russian.
In writing you can often see shortened forms of the verb to be, where the first letter of the verb is abbreviated and written with an apostrophe. Abbreviations are also pronounced a little differently than full combinations:
I am = I'm
We are = we're
He is/ She is = he’s/she’s
At the end of the lesson, we will consider a short dialogue in which forms of greeting and verb are found to be.
- Hello! I am Boris.
– Hi Boris! I am Mary.
– How are you, Mary?
– I am fine, thank you. And you?
– I am OK, thanks.
– Are you American, Boris?
– No, I am Russian. And you?
– I am American.
- Hello, my name is Boris.
– Hello, Boris, my name is Mary.
– How are you doing, Mary?
- OK, thank you. What about you?
- I'm fine, thank you.
-Are you American, Boris?
- No, I'm Russian. What about you?
- I'm American.
Polyglot English Basic Course is a simulator for teaching English, created based on the TV show “Polyglot. Learn English in 16 hours”, shown on the Culture TV channel.
The course “Polyglot English” consists of 16 lessons. Exercises require no more than 10-15 minutes a day.
The main thing is not the amount of time, but the regularity. With regular classes, after the first week of training you will easily be able to communicate in simple phrases in English. Even if you started training from scratch.
In the program Polyglot English language special learning algorithms are laid down, which, through repeated repetition, literally imprint knowledge of the language into the consciousness.
Learning occurs in a playful way and quietly fuels the desire to learn further.
How does this work
The program offers you simple expressions in Russian with verbs in one of three tenses (present, past, future) and in one of three forms (affirmative, negative, interrogative).
From the words on the screen you need to create an English translation. If you answered correctly, the program will praise you. If you suddenly make a mistake, it will tell you the correct answer.
As you compose your answer, the selected words are spoken out. Then the correct answer is announced.
To move on to the next lesson you need to score 4.5 points in the previous lesson. Until points are earned, lessons remain locked.
List of lessons
The program contains 16 lessons and an exam.