How can I improve my listening?

How can I improve my listening?


Ernest Hemingway once said, “When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.” It’s a simple truth, yet one of the hardest skills to master. Listening is more than just hearing words; it’s about understanding, connecting, and growing. For language learners, it’s the gateway to fluency, the bridge between knowing the rules and truly living the language. But don’t worry—mastering the art of listening in English doesn’t have to be daunting.

 

Tips to Improve it

Schedule regular practice sessions.

For instance, dedicate 15 minutes during lunch or 15 minutes before breakfast. Choose a realistic amount of time that you can consistently devote each day to listening to something in English.

Broaden your listening options.

While any practice is beneficial, you’re more likely to stay engaged if you listen to topics that genuinely interest you. If you enjoy watching films, that’s great, but keep in mind that in a test, you won’t see the speaker. To prepare, include non-visual listening exercises in your routine. Try podcasts, online radio stations, or international news websites, which often feature short audio segments. Choose stories that capture your interest to make the experience enjoyable and effective!

Practise in chunks.

Targeted, focused practice can really help to stretch your ability to understand main contexts, and can help you to learn new works and become familiar with grammar structures and accents. For example, listen to a 2 minute chunk of a podcast – then check understanding and continue listening to the next 2 minutes, and so on. Try this two or three times and then relax and listen to the rest of the text.

Repeated practice.

The more you listen, the more you will hear. Go back to a text you have listened to before and practise listening for more ideas. If you are using a book to study then these can be a great source for listening texts. Keep a record of new words and phrases you pick out – this will help your reading, listening, speaking and writing.


Note: Use local subtitles for TV programs and films in English. Try to avoid dubbed shows and switch to the original soundtrack.

Check out other tip through the video "How to improve your listening skills"

References:

Cambridge English (n.d) How can I improve my listening? https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/images/562911-tips-for-listening.pdf

British Council Learn English (2017) How to improve your listening skills. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-gpFgtXCF4