Learn English with YouTube: My 7 Favorite Channels
YouTube is highly accessible. You can sit anywhere with your smart device watch, stop and re-watch any time, and do this as often as you want. It especially can be utilized during this Coronavirus pandemic.
I worked at a foreign company for over 10 years, and spent a lot of time and effort learning English as it was a key factor my company evaluated for competence at work. After my resignation, I have been struggling to maintain my English capability and find a way to continue to develop at the same time. I found that YouTube is the perfect tool for that.
There is countless educational English content on YouTube. You can find a lot of valuable tips in these well-produced and informative videos. I subscribe to various English channels and during my free time I select 2 or 3 videos to try to learn a few new things every day. As each channel has at least one benefit.
Continuing these days, Korean English education was almost always test-based, especially for the Korean university entrance exam. The purpose for learning English was not for spoken English. This has resulted in many Korean people finding it hard to have meaningful conversations. From personal experience, I know this is the case even for people who scored well on their English exams. Luckily on YouTube, you can find content not only for exam preparation but also for spoken English in everyday life.
Here are some of my favorite English learning channels. The channels have been organized by English level so you have many options to choose from. Also, I have included a fun YouTuber who is trying to improve his language skill by mutual communication with subscribers. It is not your typical lecture style but still helpful for better motivation. This should be fascinating for English learners who have the same goal.
Beginner
Easy English
Real-life conversations in animation
Slow speed of speaking
Best channel for beginners
You can find definitions and explanations
You can learn the how native speakers speak in certain situations
You can hear different voices and pronunciation from many people of various cultures
Intermediate
Engvid.com
You can choose a teacher, level, and lesson
There are numerous quality lectures
Teachers are professional and teach methods of how to study English
You can learn of frequently used vocabulary, phrasal verbs, slang and lectures for tests like TOEIC, IELTS etc.
My favorite teachers are Adam and Rebecca
Live Academy – Red Cap teacher
Best Korean English teacher in my opinion
Red Cap is fluent in both Korean and English
You can learn specific nuances of English so it is useful for people who are already fluent and want to move on to a higher level
Good explanation and high quality editing makes for comfortable viewing
English in Korea – Michael Elliott
Best foreign English teacher who speaks Korean
Teaches American English nuance as well
Speaks Korean very well and understands what difficult parts of English are to Koreans
Lecture is a great help to advanced learners who want to understand subtle difference of English words
You can learn definitions that many Koreans find confusing
Also, can learn the proper usage of specific words
In a recent lecture, Michael explained about the difference of “Pass on” and “Pass down” it helped me to understand the subtle differences of prepositions.
“Pass on” and “Pass down” can mean the same thing but “Pass on” most likely will mean to share or pass something along with friends, random people or the people surrounding you.
When you say, “Pass down”, it generally means to pass something along within a family.
Advanced
Rachel’s English
Focused on American English pronunciation, listening comprehension and accent reduction
Used to an opera singer, so she knows well how to generate sound
You can learn natural English with correct pronunciation, accent, intonation/stress with this channel
English language and American culture videos are available every Tuesday with 600 videos already created
Until I watched Rachel’s video, I was always had a difficult time pronouncing “Excuse me”.
In the video she teaches that there is a sound reduction and you can pronounce it, “Skju:s me” when spoken quickly.
Still there is an argument whether the pronunciation is important when non-native speakers speak English but after exercising with this channel, I found correct pronunciation including the same intonation, stress, and sound reductions with Americans is essential for me to achieve my language goals.
Sean Pablo English
Teacher Sean is an American who lives in Korea and is very interested in Korean culture
Content is a foreigner’s conversation on comparing Korean and other countries’ cultures
You can hear how native English speakers interact
Talking about issues that are common to Korean life which is an absorbing story
The conversation lasts almost an hour and provides a lengthy English listening exercise
My favorite part of the channel was the listening test. Sean and his friend talk in a range from LV1 to LV6. At the end of each level he inputs some questions so that the listener can predict their level correctly. I was able to understand from LV1 to LV5. From LV6, I could hardly understand. It is good way to check your current English level.
Special Channel for motivation
Yangking English
Yanking is not a teacher but an English learner who is trying many ways to improve his English
Makes video of himself studying and trying many ways especially using “shadowing “
Occasionally invites new people to apply the same way of studying and sees whether it works or not. Subscribers can discover their improvement or failure which is enjoyable to watch.
One of his subscribers was a rapper who couldn’t say a word in English, but now he can have a conversation with a native English speaker without hesitation. He achieved this in two months and is still studying under Yanking’s support to continue to develop.
The latest participant is a Korean dad who he sent his family members to America. He has two young kids studying in the USA and asked for support from Yangking to improve his English ability. His purpose for studying is to have a conversation with his children. He studies late at night after working, and every night has phone calls with his family and tries to use English.
Yangking is passionate to find a better and faster way to be fluent in English and allows subscribers to participate. He leads an impressive community of learners and consistently gives them support. It was impressive to me and I wanted to share this special channel.
Learning a language with YouTube is a nontraditional education method and has its flaws. However, there are so many delightful videos available, and making use of a variety of materials can promote learning. I encourage you to watch at least 1 or 2 videos a day. That is how I improved my English.