How to Learn English with Phrases: Lessons from 20 Years in the U.S.

Efficient English Learning Methods Based on Real Experience

Hello, this is Suzuki from Eco Drive.

Today, I’d like to talk about effective English learning methods.

I moved to America in 2004 and have been living here for nearly 20 years now, and I can use English to a level where I don’t have trouble in daily life or business.

While I wouldn’t say I’m fluent in English, all the procedures for the companies I manage require English, and I can handle phone calls and interactions with local customers without any problems.

Since this story is based on my actual experience, I hope you’ll find it helpful as a reference.

Check out the video version here!

The videos embedded in this article are narrated in Japanese, but English subtitles are available.

Before Coming to America, English Was My Weak Subject

To tell the truth, I wasn’t good at English before coming to America.

I was a science major in university, and I chose the science track in high school, so I had very few English classes.

I only studied English for high school entrance exams, and I wasn’t particularly good at it – in fact, I’d say it was my weak subject.

However, I’ve now overcome that weakness and use English daily for both life and business.

After Coming to America as an Expatriate, I Began Seriously Tackling English

When I came to America as an expatriate employee, I tried to manage by recalling my middle school English, but I barely remembered anything and felt it was completely useless for work.

That’s when I started studying English seriously.

At first, I started with the commonly recommended approach of “memorizing vocabulary,” but I realized that just memorizing words was meaningless if I didn’t know how to use them.

So I switched to a method of “increasing my phrases.”

What Does “Increasing Phrases” Mean?

For example, by memorizing the phrase “I like pens,” I could replace “pens” with other words to create expressions that work in many situations.

Since just repeatedly saying the word “pen” alone wouldn’t communicate anything, I focused on increasing the number of practical phrases I could actually use.

I felt my ability to express myself in English gradually improve with this method.

Increasing Phrases Is More Important Than Memorizing Individual Words

Particularly, considering the structure of English sentences, since the general meaning can be conveyed with just the subject and verb, I adopted a method of focusing on memorizing the first 2-3 words of phrases.

Since English is structured in “subject-verb-object” order, if you just remember the first two or three words of a sentence, you can convey the basic meaning.

With this method, for example, if you firmly memorize the “I like” part of “I like apples,” you can then substitute whatever you like to create expressions.

In this way, by learning basic phrase structures and just adding words to them, it becomes possible to create diverse sentences, allowing me to efficiently increase practical English for actual conversations.

Using this learning method greatly helped me acquire a level of English proficiency that works in daily life and business.

English Conversation Question Books Were Helpful

When I started studying, I often used “English conversation question books” for travelers.

The English conversation question books available at 100-yen shops were particularly helpful.

These were small and portable, containing many commonly used phrases for daily life.

My learning method was to memorize these questions and their answers completely.

The example sentences in these question books don’t have many pages and are easy to memorize.

By focusing especially on memorizing the question parts, I became able to use them in actual conversations.

I Wrote Down Memorized Phrases in a Notebook to Check Anytime

I wrote down the phrases I memorized in a notebook and always carried it with me.

Since smartphones weren’t widespread at that time, I always carried the question book with me and wrote down phrases I might use in my notebook.

This allowed me to quickly recall phrases in any situation, and I also used it for conversation practice.

While this was 20 years ago when new technology wasn’t yet widespread, the basic approach to learning a language remains the same.

It’s Important to Actually Use the Phrases You’ve Learned

Furthermore, by actively using these phrases in actual conversations, I could get responses from others.

By repeatedly asking new questions in response to their reactions, my listening ability and conversational skills naturally improved.

This “learn by using” approach greatly contributed to improving my English proficiency.

Memorizing practical phrases and actively using them in daily life is the key to language acquisition.

If you’re interested, please try this method.

Since this method can be tried by anyone, if you’re struggling with learning English, please give it a try. Language naturally becomes part of you through actual use.

In the second half, I’ll share more methods I actually used, so I’d be grateful if you could check them out.

How I Learned to Speak English: Manga, Movies & Music