This path is for people starting English from zero, or close to it. It moves from the sounds of the language to the first words worth learning, then to the patterns behind the simplest sentences. By the end you will be able to greet people at the right level of formality, handle numbers and prices, say what exists around you, and describe what other people regularly do.
First sounds
How English sounds really work, starting with the gap between spelling and speech.
- ReferenceFive written vowels, roughly twenty spoken ones: why spelling misleads
Before anything else, see why written letters and spoken sounds do not match, so spelling never sets your expectations again.
- LessonThe consonant at the end of a word carries the grammar
Train your ear on word endings now, because those final sounds will carry most of the grammar you meet at this level.
- PracticeThe word changes if you drop the last sound: complete each sentence
Test whether you can catch those endings in real sentences before the grammar stages start relying on them.
First words
Greetings, numbers and a first word for prices: the vocabulary of a first exchange.
- ReferenceOpenings and farewells, from the most formal to the most relaxed
Your first exchanges are greetings, so learn from the start which openings suit strangers and which suit friends.
- ReferenceWriting the numbers from 1 to 100 in words, with the usual spelling traps
Numbers turn up immediately in prices, times and addresses, so fix their written forms early.
- PracticeNumbers in words: get the ending and the hyphen right
Check you can spell the numbers you have just met, including the endings and hyphens that trip beginners.
- WordCosting little money
Add a first everyday word for talking about prices while numbers are still fresh in your mind.
- DialogueBuying a few things in a small shop: greeting, asking and paying
Hear the greetings, numbers and polite requests of this stage doing their work in one real shop exchange.
First sentences
The core verb, the words placed before nouns, and the patterns that build simple statements.
- ReferenceThe three present forms of the most important verb
The most frequent verb in the language comes first: its three present forms will anchor nearly every sentence you build here.
- LessonThe sound that decides which form goes in front
Learn how the opening sound of a word, not its spelling, decides the little word placed in front of it.
- LessonSaying that something exists
Now put nouns to work: this pattern lets you say that something exists or is present somewhere.
- PracticeOne thing or many: which opener fits
Practise switching between one thing and many until choosing the right opener becomes automatic.
- LessonThe small letter that changes the verb when someone else acts
Learn the small ending that appears when you describe someone else's habits, the first true verb change you meet.
- PracticeChoosing the right present ending
Apply that ending across different verbs so it stops being a rule you know and becomes one you use.
A first taste of precision
One small contrast in time expressions that shows how exact everyday English can be.
- LessonPunctual, or early enough? Two expressions that are not interchangeable
Finish with a finer point: two time expressions that look alike but answer different questions, your first step into precision.
One word you will use every day
Finish with the adjective that politely explains why you cannot come.
- WordHaving a lot to do and no free time
The everyday word for a full day or a crowded place, and the polite way to refuse an invitation without explaining.
With sounds, first words and simple sentences in place, you are ready for the past tense, everyday expressions and much more. Continue with the A2 path.
Continue to the A2 path