THE BEST TOOLS AND RESOURCES FOR ENGLISH LEARNERS
We’ve sought out all of the best resources and tools to learn English and put them all in one place just for you. Click the title or picture of the resource you’re interested in to start using it to learn English. But first, find out what our English teacher Abbe’s favorites are in the video below. Click the CC icon for subtitles (available in 6 languages) and the gear icon to adjust the video speed if you need to. Happy learning!
Memorizing Vocabulary
Techniques and apps for learning words and phrases
MosaLingua Premium (Web & Mobile)
Online dictionaries
WordReference
One of the best multilingual dictionaries on the web. Translate to and from English and over 15 other languages. Helpful examples and contextual information ensure that you understand the meaning of each word, and how to use it. Especially recommended for beginners. The English collocation and conjugation features are great for advanced users.
Cambridge English Dictionary
Our favorite monolingual dictionary. Different versions cater to different needs: Standard, Learner’s Dictionary, Essential British English and Essential American English. The perfect reference tool for intermediate and advanced learners since it doesn’t provide translations.
Reverso Context
In addition to a basic translation, Reverso Context provides dozens of example sentences from translations published online, so that you can understand the nuances of each possible use, plus related words and expressions. The contextual dictionary is available for 14 languages.
Listening Comprehension
Techniques for improving listening skills
MosaSeries: An Original Audio Series, Learn English and Improve Your Listening Skills
MosaSeries: The Man With No Name is an original English audio series designed specifically to help you practice your listening comprehension, expand your vocabulary, and improve your understanding of grammar. It’s divided into episodes, and powerful cliffhangers make our series even more addictive than the best Netflix shows! You’ll improve your English significantly without even realizing it.
Podcasts
List of the Best Podcasts for English Learners
We’ve come up with a selection of the best English podcasts for learners. Listening to podcasts to learn English is not only beneficial for your listening skills, but also for your vocabulary and pronunciation. Take a look at our list in in French, Spanish, German, Italian, or Portuguese (click a language to head straight there).
Movies and TV
Learn British English with These Great Films
A list of our favorite British films for practicing listening comprehension of the Queen’s English.
The Best Movies for Learning American English
A list of a few great movies out of Hollywood for practicing your American English listening skills.
The Best American TV Series with Subtitles
How to Learn English with Netflix
YouTube channels
Learn English with the MosaLingua YouTube Channel
National Geographic
Speak English with Christina
engVid: Learn English
Speaking
Techniques for improving pronunciation and fluency
MosaSpeak: Speak English with Confidence MasterClass
A 10-unit course designed to help you improve your English pronunciation step by step and speak more fluently and confidently (and actually enjoy doing it).
Language exchanges and tutoring
How and Where to Find a Conversation Partner
Chatting with a language partner is one of the best and most entertaining ways to improve your language skills, from speaking and pronunciation, to vocab and listening, and even culture and confidence. We tested the most popular language exchange websites and created a guide to help you decide which one is best for you.
Tandem
Find lots of English speakers who are interested in forming language tandems—partner up and chat with someone who wants to learn your native language in exchange for teaching you English.
iTalki
Book affordable paid lessons with a tutor. Over 15,000 teachers are registered on the app and website, and you can even book a trial session to make sure you click with the tutor before you commit to a full lesson.
Guides and tools for conversation and pronunciation
Free English Travel Guide and Conversation Phrasebook
Download our free English conversation phrasebook in French, Spanish, German, Italian, or Portuguese (click a language to get started). Inside, you’ll find the most useful words and phrases so that you can start communicating in English right away. It’s definitely something you’ll want to have handy on your next trip to an English-speaking country!
Forvo
A pronunciation “dictionary” can be very useful, especially for languages like English, when spelling isn’t a big help for guessing how new words are pronounced. Forvo is populated through crowdsourcing. That means users like you can submit recordings, and as a result there are often several accents to choose from.
Free English Pronunciation Guide by MosaLingua
Tips, tricks, exercises, and the best resources for improving your American or British English pronunciation and accent.
Reading and Writing
Newspapers and other media
Newspaper Map
Read the news from any country in the world. Choose the language you want to learn, then pick any city on the map for a link to their local news site. It’s an especially useful tool when you want to focus on a specific dialect (Australian English, for example) or read news from a certain country or region.
The New York Times
Online edition of this major American media outlet.
The Guardian
British newspaper whose digital edition includes videos and special reports.
The Financial Times
Very useful for keeping up with economic news and learning field-specific vocabulary. If you’re interested in a more US-focused business and financial newspaper instead, check out the Wall Street Journal.
BBC Learning English
A complete and well-rounded website for English learners by the BBC. Keep up with the latest news and work your way through short lessons and activities.
Reading guides
The Best Books for Learning English Vocabulary, Grammar and More
How should you go about reading a book to learn English? And what reading materials should you start with? We answer these questions and more in our article about books as tools to learn English.
Grammar tools
Complete English Grammar Guide
Our grammar guide focuses on the essentials of English grammar and doesn’t weigh you down with long-winded explanations or minor details. Our lessons are appropriate for beginners, but intermediate learners will also get a lot out of them. They’re easy to understand and act on, and most importantly, they won’t make you want to tear your hair out! The guide is available to read in French, Spanish, German, Italian, and Portuguese (click a language to read it).
Other Useful Guides and Resources
Test Your Level of English
A guide to walk you through how to determine your English level, since it’s not always easy to self-assess. It also explains why it’s good to know where you stand and describes different methods of evaluation.
EdX English Courses
EdX offers tons of free online classes (including lots of language courses!) from top universities around the world. Among the English classes they offer are “English for Journalists,” “Using Email to Network in English,” and “English Grammar and Style.” There are also some reasonably priced professional certification programs you can pursue through the site.
Learn English with the British Council
This website created by the British Council, a governmental organization that promotes culture and education in the UK, is an excellent resource. It groups together lessons, exercises for reading and listening comprehension, speaking, and writing, plus special tips for business English.
TED Talks
TED hosts conferences on “ideas worth spreading.” Their website features short, highly interesting videos in English. What’s more, most videos have subtitles available in a handful of other languages.
Get Your Groove on While You Learn a Language
Some of the best websites for learning a language with music, tested and approved by the MosaLingua team: Lyrics Training, Lyrics Gaps, Lyrics.com, and MyLingo. We also have an article on the best genres for English learners.
We hope these resources to learn English will be of a big help to you. We’re constantly searching for the best resources to help you improve your English skills and updating this page, so be sure to come back from time to time. And finally, if there are any great tools or resources we didn’t mention but that deserve to be on the list, click here to let us know about them.