Self-study materials and ideas
There are many ways to learn a language other than by attending a formal course. Here are a few ideas for ways to improve your knowledge of English. The most important thing is not to get bored, so the more variety you have in the ways that you learn, the more you will learn. Try some of these ideas:
Improve your grammar knowledge using a self-study book
There are many good self-study grammar books on the market. Perhaps the best-known intermediate level book is "English Grammar in Use" by Raymond Murphy, published by Cambridge University Press (Klett Verlag in Germany). Each of the 136 units covers a different grammar topic, with a page of explanation and a page of exercises for you to do. Make sure you buy the edition with "with answers" on the cover - it has the answers in the back of the book.
There are more details about this book and others in the same series on our Bookshop page.
Watching television
This can be a relaxing and enjoyable way to improve your vocabulary and to get a feel for English sentence construction. If you have a stereo television you can look in your TV guide for programmes that are available in two languages - often films or documentaries. Use the button labelled " I - II " on your remote control to switch to the alternative language.
If you have cable TV then you probably have several channels that are sometimes, or always, in English (did your flat mate really tune in all the available channels ?). BBC World has news every hour, plus interviews and other BBC programmes. The business news, presented by two slightly off-the-wall (funny) characters is well worth watching, as is "Top Gear" the BBC's motoring programme. CNN gives you a mixture of British and American English. It is broadcast from London but being an American company has lots of reports from across the pond. It is in English in the mornings but goes over to German later in the day. NBC, on the other hand, has mostly American content, news as well as popular American talk shows. With some systems it is possible to get the English commentary on Eurosport using the "I-II" button as described above (stereo TV required). Many other cable stations also have occasional programmes in two languages - check your TV guide.
A satellite dish will give you the biggest choice of English language programmes, including most of the above plus the English version of MTV, Sky, Sky News and others.
(direct links to the home pages of some stations coming here later)
Video
If you don't have cable, satellite or stereo then video is another option. Some video shops in larger towns specialise in "Original Language" films. If you are reading this in Göttingen try the video shop in the old Post Office near Wilhelmsplatz. They have hundreds of films in English.
Radio
Of course almost every radio station in the world plays music in English and this is a surprisingly good way to learn the language. If you want to have the talk between the music in English as well you could try searching for one of the British or American forces (army) radio stations that are available in many areas of Germany. If you have a short-wave radio you can pick up the BBC World Service.
Internet
You don't need us to tell you how much of the internet is written in English. Try our links page for some English language sites you may not have discovered yet.
Go to Links page
Comics and cartoons
These are a good way to learn English because the pictures help you to understand the words and so you do not need to look in your dictionary so often. They are also fun, and use everyday English rather than formal English. Common favourites include "Hägar the Horrible" and "Calvin and Hobbs" (both from America), but there are many others.
Learn as you drive
People often ask about English learning tapes that can they can listen to whilst driving. There are surprisingly few tapes designed for this - tapes which give you the chance to do spoken exercises without the need to refer to a book at the same time.
(not complete - add details of Penguin tapes)
English newspapers and magazines
There are many of these available internationally. Here are a few examples:
The Financial Times - This British based paper is mainly of interest to business people and business English students. There is an English edition published in Frankfurt, which is available in most large railway stations and newsagents. The Saturday issue is the biggest and sometimes contains a free magazine called "How to Spend it" (your money!).
The Wall Street Journal - similar content to the above, but from America.
The Economist – A weekly magazine full of business and economics related articles.
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