2025-05-02 How can I improve my listening? – Ask BBC Learning English

Introduction

Fatosh has sent us a question. She wants to know how to improve her listening. 

Phil’s 4 tips!

1. Find something that you like. If you’re busy, you can do this on your phone. Podcasts, series and films that you like will improve your English and motivate you to keep listening or watching.

2. Think about how you use subtitles. Different ways of using them can help in different ways.

• Using subtitles in your language helps you understand things that are difficult.
• Using subtitles in English helps you to understand how English words sound, which sometimes isn’t how you expect.
• Turning off the subtitles helps you really practise listening on its own, as long as you understand some of it.

3. Before you listen to something, predict what you might hear. Checking your predictions helps you practise listening for specific details.

• Make a checklist of things that might be in the recording, then tick them off if you hear them.
• Write some questions that you think you will find the answers to. Write down any answers that you hear.

4. Choose a short recording and write down everything you hear.

• Choose something very short (10-20 seconds) that has English subtitles.
• Listen and try to write down everything that you hear.
• Rewind and listen again as many times as you need to.
• When you’re happy, check what you’ve written with the subtitles.

Don’t worry if what you have written down is different. Real English pronunciation can be surprising – some words are hard to hear, and some sound very different to what people expect.

The most important thing is to find something that you enjoy listening to and can understand most of. Also, practising English pronunciation can help you understand more when you are listening.

Thanks to Fatosh studying at the English school EC London for participating in this video.