If you’re reading this article, you’re a lucky person! You live in a society that has developed a lot of new digital technologies that support most everyday social activities such as language education. This era has enabled you to come here to find out how to use your smartphone to learn English. Amazing, isn’t it?
Unfortunately, most people spend a lot of time doing meaningless things on the internet, especially when accessed via their smartphones. Very few have noticed how to use their handheld devices to learn a new language and get the most out of their time.
Fortunately, you are here. If you have never noticed this potential before, get ready to take your English skills to the next level anytime, anywhere!
How To Use Your Smartphone To Learn English
Check out our amazing list of things you can do through your smartphone to learn and practice different English language skills.
Language Apps
They are probably not new to you. They are usually the first thing you think of when you think about how to use your smartphone to learn English. Even though they are useful, you need to keep in mind that the language level these apps offer you is basic. They help you learn the language with repetitive activities based on translations. In this sense, you can use such apps if you want to learn and practice basic vocabulary. Don’t fool yourselves into believing that you’ll learn everything you need by using them (even though they tell you that!).
Such apps include Duolingo, Memrise, Mondly, LinguaLeo, Babbel, Busuu etc.
Translators
Translators are commonly used all over the world. Sometimes their users are not even interested in learning a new language but just to find a translation for a practical need. However, they can support language learning. If you don’t know how to say a word in the language you’re studying, for example, you can find it easily by typing it into the application you’re using. Be aware, however, that translators are not something that you should rely on uncritically. Again, they may serve you best at the basic level. But, be careful! Sometimes translators lead us into the wrong translation. They are machines, not humans. They aren’t sensitive to context. So you should always double-check the results you get! When you’re at the intermediate or advanced level, you should use a monolingual dictionary.
Such tools include Google Translate, Linguee, Bing Microsoft Translator, Translate, DeepL Translate, Reverso, etc.
Dictionaries
As stated before, if you’re an intermediate or advanced English student, you should let online translators behind and focus on monolingual dictionaries. Why? Because languages are different not only in the words and structures they use to convey an idea. They are also different in terms of what a specific word really expresses. Sometimes one word from your first language can be translated into a lot of different words in your target language (the one you’re learning) and vice-versa. The relation is not unequivocal (but sometimes online translators make you believe it is). Furthermore, by using monolingual dictionaries you’re not only learning the word you look up but may also learn other synonyms and also review words you already know.
Good online dictionaries are The Free Dictionary, Cambridge Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, etc.
Music Streaming Apps
Who doesn’t like listening to music? Music is part of our lives since we were little kids. You can still probably remember some nursery rhymes you used to sing or dance to in your childhood. The fact is: everybody likes listening to music. The only thing that varies is what music genres people love. Also, this is usually a leisure activity. It’s fun! So why don’t you get the most out of your time when you do that? Most music streaming apps today give you the option to read along with the lyrics of the song you’re listening to. This is a fun, effective way for you to develop not only your listening skills but also your pronunciation of the words. Use it!
Good music streaming apps are Deezer, Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music, etc.
Language Exchange Apps
This is one of my favorite categories of apps. If you’re an outgoing person, they are just right for you! Language exchange apps are perfect for intermediate and advanced language learners. Not only do they allow you to develop your language skills, but they also give you the opportunity to make friends all over the world! Awesome, isn’t it? Furthermore, besides learning and practicing your target language, you can also help others to learn your mother tongue. It’s a win-win situation!
Such wonderful apps are Tandem, Speaky, HelloTalk, etc.
Grammarly
Do you want to write texts in English but don’t have a teacher to correct them for you? Well, this is not a (big) problem anymore. You can freely write whatever you want in order to practice your writing skills and then check everything on Grammarly. Just copy your original text and paste it there. It’ll check your writing for grammar mistakes. You can also have tips on how to improve other aspects of your text but these are restricted to the premium version. For grammar, it’s totally free, though!
Check it out on Grammarly.
By the way, if you want to master every aspect of English grammar, take a look at our awesome article on the best books to learn English grammar.
YouTube
Everybody knows YouTube. It’s one of the greatest websites ever created. Who has never spent hours watching videos on it? Unfortunately, the majority of language learners don’t realize how YouTube can be beneficial for their English language studies. How so? YouTube has millions of video lessons for you to watch. Grammar? Vocabulary? Phrasal Verbs? You can find it there! A golden tip: according to your current level, type “basic English lesson”, “intermediate English lesson”, or ‘advanced English lesson” in the search bar and enjoy thousands of video lessons fit for you!
Do it now on YouTube.
Adobe Acrobat Reader DC
Do you want to transform your smartphone into an e-reader? With the Adobe Acrobat Reader DC app, you can do something similar to that. After downloading the app, find books you want to read on the internet in a PDF file and send it to the app. There, you can choose the “reading mode” and see how the PDF file will fit your screen. You can choose the size of the letters and read a lot! Remember that reading is of the best ways to improve your vocabulary. This tip is more suitable for intermediate and advanced English learners, though!
Get the Adobe Acrobat Reader DC here.
Social Media
Have you ever thought about how much time you spend on social media? Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, WeChat, Instagram, among others, take a lot of our daily time! Have you ever thought about using this amount of time to do something productive to leverage your English language study time? If you haven’t yet, now’s the time! Use these social media to create groups of friends who are also learning English. In these groups, you can share useful materials such as videos, websites, blog articles, news, etc. with each other. Most importantly, you can talk to each other only in your target language. Real communication with real people.
Anki
If you’re looking for a way of memorizing new words and quickly expand your vocabulary, Anki is the right app for you! It allows you to create personalized flashcards, or download public ones. As you review the flashcards you’ve created and decide how easy it was for you to remember the meaning of the words, it creates a system of spaced repetition so you can see more frequently the words that are more difficult for you to remember. The result is that you focus on what is really important, saving a lot of time and studying much more efficiently.
Get the Anki app here.
Grammar
Even though grammar is not what you should exclusively focus on, it’s still very important. There are a lot of apps that train you to use the English language correctly according to Standard English. After analyzing some of them, I suggest LearnEnglish Grammar, developed by the British Council. This app brings a lot of activities to test your understanding f the most important grammar rules. It doesn’t explain them, though. So, my tip would be getting the topic you’re gonna practice, say “to be”, go to YouTube and type “to be English lesson”, watch several video lessons until you feel you understand the topic, and then come back to the app to practice!
You can get LearnEnglish Grammar here.
Podcasts
Podcasts are a wonderful option for those who want to develop their listening skills. To be honest, they’ll consequently improve your language skills as a whole. You’ll learn new vocabulary and grammatical structures that will help you speak better, for example. Even though podcasts can also be beneficial for beginners when listening to podcasts specifically designed to teach the English language, they are much better for intermediate and advanced students. For those, a golden tip is to listen to authentic, real-life podcasts. Search for podcasts about themes you love. This will make you listen to each episode with curiosity. You’ll not only learn the language but also enjoy your time doing this.
Such apps include PodBean, Google Podcast for iOS, Google Podcast for Android, Deezer, Spotify, etc.
Video Streaming Platforms
Who doesn’t love watching tv shows, and movies? Even though you can watch it more comfortably on your TV, your smartphone has an important role here too! You’ve probably watched hours and hours of tv shows on its screen. Be it at home, on the bus, on the bed, waiting in a line, etc., you can always pick it up from your pocket and have a great time with your favorite characters. Nothing here is exactly new, right? What is new is the fact that most people don’t realize that they can use this time to improve their language skills while watching their favorite tv shows and movies. How can you NOT be of them? If you have an intermediate or advanced level of English, never use subtitles in your first language! This is a waste of precious time. Instead, try to watch everything in English. If you have any problems understanding what is going on, use the closed captions (the subtitles in English as well)! This way, you’ll have both audio and (more) visual information about what is happening. You can hear it, and you can read it. Much easier, right? So, from now on, the idea of using subtitles in your first language is part of your past as an English language learner!
Great video streaming platforms are Netflix, HBOMax, Prime Video, Disney+, etc.
Now You Know How To Use Your Smartphone To Learn English
Even though this list is not exhaustive, now you have a solid basis to start using your smartphone to learn English anywhere, at any time. Stop wasting your time aimlessly and get the most out of your handheld device to help you master the English language.
If you have any other suggestions, don’t hesitate to write them in the comments section below!
