Hello there, and welcome to my website. My name is Martin. I come from Austria, a little country in the center of Europe. So you see, my native language isn’t English; it happens to be German.
And while some see it as a disadvantage when their English teacher is not a native, I think it’s a good thing because I know exactly about your problems when it comes to learning English.
By the way, as I mainly teach you English based on materials produced by native speakers – like funny TV series, books, and motivational talks – you get the best of both worlds anyway.
- You learn how English is used in daily life by listening to and reading from native speakers of English.
- And you simultaneously learn from a non-native speaker who knows exactly about your language struggles.
The result of all that – so I hope – are learning materials that are fun, engaging, and relevant while avoiding the common pitfalls of learning English.
Vocabulary:
native language = the first language that someone learns
anyway = You use anyway to support a previous point. (previous = happening before something else)
simultaneous = happening or being done at the same time
struggle = a very difficult task that you can do only by making a great effort
pitfall = a likely mistake or problem in a situation
Take this language box as an example. I insert it into all of my blog posts on this website. The reason is I want to make it as easy for you as possible to learn English. Therefore, I give the more advanced words in bold and present you with an explanation in easier English. So you don’t have to look the words up all the time by yourself.
And by the way, resist the urge to look up the translation of the words you don’t know, as this is the number one pitfall of all English learners around the world: They constantly try to translate everything from their native language into English and vice versa. But that’s not how you effectively learn a language.
As you have passed the beginner stage of learning English (which comprises approximately the most common 1.000 words used in daily life), you should stop translating words you don’t know into your native language. Instead, you better look up the English definition of words, i.e., the meaning of the word paraphrased in easier English (as I have done for you here).
Good sources of reference are, for example, the Cambridge, Collins, Merriam-Webster, and Oxford Dictionaries. (I also use these sources to give the definitions of the words in bold. I mainly use the Cambridge Dictionary and only use the others if I don’t find a satisfactory answer there. Though, I think all four options are equally as good. It’s just a preference of mine.)
Vocabulary:
in bold = printed in thick dark letters
urge = a strong wish, especially one that is difficult to control
vice versa = used to say that what you have just said is also true in the opposite order
to comprise of = to consist of
approximately = close to a particular number although not exactly that number
i.e. = used to introduce a word or sentence which makes what you have just said clearer or gives details
to paraphrase = to repeat something using different words, often in a simpler form that makes the meaning clearer
sources of reference = a physical or digital document that you would refer to for more information about a topic
satisfactory = good or good enough for a particular need or purpose
though = but
Where should you start?
If I were in your shoes, I would start learning by reading my blog posts. The materials there are free and funny; sometimes, you can even learn something useful for your daily life (besides learning English). And they often include video material.
If you are really serious about your learning, consider buying my new book (coming soon) or registering for one of my courses (also coming soon). In that case, you take a really deep dive into the English language and learn all its intricacies.
In either case, I hope you enjoy my learning materials. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me. You can either post a comment under my blog posts or course pages. Or you may even want to contact me directly.
I’m looking forward to it both. 🙂
Vocabulary:
to be in someone’s shoes = to be in a situation that another person is in
besides = in addition to
to take a deep dive = to make a thorough analysis of a subject or issue
intricacies = complicated details
in either case = in both cases