Category Archives: English Lessons

The English lessons on this site are the lessons that I wish had been available while I was learning my foreign language, Portuguese. Enjoy!

All, English Lessons

English Lesson 12: Music Lyrics

Let’s learn the English:

Have you ever?

Have you ever been?

Have you yet?

Yes, I already did.

with music lyrics.

Step 1: Find good music.

Search YouTube for music and add the word “lyrics.”

For example, search, “have you ever lyrics” on YouTube. You find:

Step 2: Find the English text.

Google, DuckDuckGo, or search AZLyrics for the sing lyrics.

For example, you find:

https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/brandy/haveyouever.html

Step 3: What does it mean??

Now, copy-paste the text into Google Translate. Learn the whole meaning of the song in your own language!

Step 4: Repeat!

If you like the music, repeat, practice, and learn… in English only!

Some More English Music to Learn

have you ever been

https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/patsycline/haveyoueverbeenlonelyhaveyoueverbeenblue.html

haven’t met you yet

https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/michaelbuble/haventmetyouyet.html

already

https://youtu.be/MFG8OAHn65c

https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/kellyclarkson/alreadygone.html

https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/eagles/alreadygone.html

All, English Lessons

English Lesson 10: YouTube Subtitles


Hello and welcome to English Lesson 10. I’m going to start by answering some questions from last week.  I’m wearing a zipper-up hoodie. It has a zipper. The zipper can go up down up. So zipper-up, and it has a hood. So zipper-up hoodie.

Second question, how to use a shovel. This is a snow shovel. I can clear snow with a sh- snow shovel. I can clean snow with a snow shovel, and I can shovel snow with a snow shovel, and it all means the same thing. It all means to remove snow with a snow shovel.

I ran out of time this week. So I’m gonna recommend another video. It’s called Papa English and it’s 8 Spoken Contractions. The link to the video is below. And, I know everybody likes the subtitles and it might look like he does not have subtitles, but I’m going to show you a YouTube trick. Go to the bottom right corner of the video, click on CC and select subtitles, and you’ll get the subtitles on a lot of videos they’re available there, down there at the bottom.

Papa English: 8 Spoken Contractions

  • Cuz
  • Hafta
  • Dunno
  • Kinda
  • Wanna
  • Lemme
  • Gimme
  • Gotta = hafta
  • Outta
All, English Lessons

English Lesson 6: How to Learn English at Home

  • Pretend you already speak English.
  • Learning language is not about information. It is about lack of information. Your brain has to want to learn. You are training your brain. Your brain has to be hungry for the knowledge.
    • Watch television and movies you do not understand, and try to understand using only English. Use English subtitles, not your native language.
    • Find English music you like and watch the lyrics videos on YouTube.
    • Read books in English.
    • Use an English-only dictionary.
    • Your notebook should be English-only. No translation allowed. Find a way! Draw pictures, write words next to each other, or write entire English phrases to remember the definitions of words you are writing. It is easier to remember five words together than one by itself.
    • Speak with friends. Who do you know who also wants to learn English? Watch the same movies, listen to the same songs, read the same books, and talk about them in English.
    • We hear that babies learn languages rapidly. We assume it is easy for a baby to learn his language. It’s not easy even for a baby! The baby has to be hungry, he cries, he’s lonely for company, he’s embarrassed sometimes and frustrated… and therefore the baby’s brain finds a way to learn the language! Challenge your brain, and it will learn for you.

Great English Sources

Translating

  • You will have to translate some to get the meaning sometimes. This is how to do that.
  • Once you translate, repeat in English until you feel the meaning in English. Translating is necessary sometimes, but bad. Translating satisfies your brain too easily and you want a hungry brain.
All, English Lessons

English Lesson 4

Quadcopters and Sia, Advanced Difficulty

This is a fun video. Even better, you can turn on subtitles and see what he is saying. Even better, you can print the transcript and read along what he is saying!

 

TED Talks are a great source of English language.

This is a popular song with good lyrics! There is one error in the video. She says “Come on. Come on.” She does not say, “Come one. Come One.” “Come one” doesn’t make sense.