English level A1 Beginner (beginner)

All great victories start with the first step. The elementary level of English is called A1 Elementary. It is from this stage that the study of this language, which is necessary in our time, starts. Confident knowledge of basic vocabulary and grammar is the key to fluent and confident English speech. Let's see what elementary Basic English.

What does English at level A1 include?

The most important thing in learning another language is not to despair and not to doubt your own abilities. All the great English poets and writers once also started with articles, parts of speech and simple tenses. The lowest level of English is an unchanging and solid foundation for those who want to rise to B1, Advanced and beyond. In this article, we will tell you how to start your fascinating journey through the language, which is recognized as a means of international communication.

According to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages ( CEFR ), it is possible to clearly define what a student needs to know for a particular level. Mark A means - elementary knowledge of the language being studied. Additional division into sublevels A1 and A2 means the basic level of survival ( Beginner ) and pre-threshold level ( Elementary ) respectively.

Knowledge of English at a basic level

You have a basic level if you can tell basic information in a few sentences:

• About myself.
• About my family.
• About your favorite food.
• About a hobby.
• About your education or current job.

A person is also able to understand the interlocutor if he speaks clearly, slowly and uses familiar vocabulary. In addition, the elementary level assumes that the student can understand the meaning of a message on social networks and respond to it in one word or in a few phrases. In some cases, the student captures the essence of a clip or cartoon, video or advertisement, can write a short letter or comment expressing his own opinion.

Also, even at the lowest level, one can compose short (up to 10 phrases) compositions orally or in writing and read adapted simplified books.

At this stage, it is very cool to find American or English pen pals and get rid of the fear of real communication and using a foreign one.

We also recommend such extraordinary methods for training Basic:

• karaoke with foreign songs,
• board games in English (Crocodile, Hat, Cow),
• educational exercises for american kids,
• educational video lessons for toddlers.

Grammar level Starter / Beginner

The Beginner level includes the following grammatical areas:

• conjugation of the verb to be (affirmative, negative and interrogative forms)
• pronouns I, you, he, she, it, we, they,
• possessive adjectives her, his, its, my, mine,
• differences in the use of there is, there are,
• singular and plural nouns
• possessive case with ending 's,
• demonstratives this, that, these, those,
• Present Simple Present Simple,
• rules for writing a question with the verb to be, as well as with do, does,
• words to describe appearance ( blonde, dark, ginger hair, blue, brown, green eyes, big, small, neat ears etc. ),
• adverbs of frequency ( always, usually, often, sometimes, rarely, never ),
• countable nouns ( two cats, four kids, one house ),
• uncountable nouns ( water, salt, meat ),
• the main rules for the use of articles a, an, the,
• questions of the form how much, how many,
• present continuous present continuous,
• frequently used prepositions ( in, at, on, of, for ),
• forms of the verb to be in the past tense,
• simple past tense
• modal verbs ( can, need to, should, must ),
• I would like to use
• future simple Future Simple,
• imperative ( Keep calm! Read! Stand up! ).

Of course, the list may seem huge, but English is well structured, all topics are interconnected in it, so with a good tutor or the right approach, you can learn these topics in six months - a year. Depending on the initial level, the pace of classes and perseverance.

Basic Tutorials for Beginners

If you want to control the process and plan to study without a teacher, our selection of suitable books will come in handy:

• “English for Everyone Course Book: Level 1 Beginner” is a textbook by the famous British publishing house DK, the tasks in which are formulated so that even without knowing the language, you can complete them. Aimed at the assimilation of the necessary minimum. All aspects are covered: reading, listening, speaking and writing.
• “Cutting Edge: Elementary” is a comprehensive course that you can compose to your liking. There are: main book ( student book ), exercises ( active book ), manual ( teacher's book ), notebook with keys ( workbook with a key ), online audio. The topic is devoted to global issues and the development of conversational skills.
• “Practice Makes Perfect: Basic English” is a storehouse of exercises, 53 lessons, including all possible rules and topics. The lessons are designed so that you can really find time - no more than 20 minutes a day, and you can also download the application to train anywhere.
• “English Made Easy: Volume One” is a tutorial for strong visuals. Illustrations for texts, catchy images, eye contact. The book captivates from the first pages. 20 lessons with active vocabulary, recommendations and control.
• Real Life from Pearson English is a modern textbook that will be really fun to go through. Real life topics, an English-language culture of communication and a clear interface are the main advantages of this textbook. Comes with a workbook, test book, test papers, etc. You can choose as you wish.

Vocabulary for entry level

At level A1, a person knows about 600 words. On A2 (Elementary) about 1500.

With a basic level of English you:

• You can visit zoos and list animals and birds.
• Talk about the appearance of your friends and family.
• List professions by pictures.
• Name the countries nationalities living there.
• Compose mini-stories about the main holidays and gifts.
• Talk about your hobbies and pastimes.
• Describe daily routine activities.
• Think about one of the sports.
• Describe your feelings and emotions.
• Tell me about your family and relationships.
• Put together dozens of sentences about your city and main attractions.
• Talk about everyday life, shopping in the store, your menu for today.
• List problems and some life situations that have already passed.
• Plan simple plans for the future.
• Think about the pros and cons of a particular mode of transport.
• Share your thoughts on travel.
• own tickets.
• Place an order for food in a cafe, restaurant, in the application.
• Maintain correspondence about shopping, concert, event.
• Make a visit to the doctor and briefly describe your problem.
• Tell technical support your problems with the Internet or other device.
• Contact your veterinarian about your pet.

The elementary level will include more detailed discussions within these topics, as well as in the following directions:

• Favorite music and artists, as well as channels, bloggers, threads, podcasts.
• Favorite literature and description of the main characters.
• Opinion about contemporary problems and social trends.

The most important thing is not to run the grammar. English is built on verbs. If you know what time to use for a particular verb, then nouns will be selected almost automatically. To do this, learn 10-15 new words every day and practice them in a context that is interesting to you. Thus, you will form the necessary basic minimum.

Topics for the Elementary level

If you decide to start with the basics, then you should pay attention to the following topics:

• Numbers associated with dates, times, and numbers.
• Character, habits and appearance of people.
• Family and family values.
• Seasons, weather changes, holidays.
• Countries, nationalities, traditions.
• House, furniture, furnishings.
• Work, job responsibilities, career plans.
• Sports and sports events.
• Leisure, hobbies, hobbies.
• Clothes, shoes, wardrobe.
• Shopping.
• Order food, recipes, dishes, drinks.
• Routine actions for beauty and health.
• Routes, trips, sights.
• Purchases at the checkout and online, money, credit card.
• Description of past personal and world events.
• Planning for the near future and in general.
• Check-in at the hotel, walks around the new city.
• Loss of documents, luggage, communication with the police.
• Medical examination, voicing symptoms, vaccinations.
• Animals, birds, pets.
• Social networks, technologies, Internet.
• Favorite movies, books, series, computer games.

TOP-110 words of level A1-A2

A list of words that a person with minimal English needs to survive in an English-speaking country. They can be called "basic minimum".

Having dealt with this vocabulary, your knowledge will correspond to "survival" in an English-speaking country and you will be able to find a way out of most situations. Or, in extreme cases, you can contact someone who will definitely help you.

As a conclusion

If you still do not know English, then this is definitely an omission. As soon as you learn to understand and express your simple thoughts on it, all horizons will open for you. From funny memes to immersion in the culture of an interesting and extraordinary nation. Even if the school is far behind, we advise you not to be embarrassed by the title of Starter and immerse yourself in the cool world of a new language, with which new achievements and victories await you.