Last Updated on December 28, 2022
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15 Online English Speaking Courses to Become a Confident English Speaker
Speaking fluently in English is every learner’s top goal.
But talking in a foreign language can be very nerve-wracking!
It makes sense. Talking is one of the best ways to show off your language fluency, but also requires you to use nearly all of your English knowledge right at the moment.
But with practice, effort and the right resources, you can boost both your skills and confidence to have full English conversations without breaking a sweat.
And in this post, I’ll show you exactly how you can do that with the help of some online English courses that you can take right from home.
You don’t need the help of a private tutor or an expensive immersion experience. All you need is dedication and a willingness to learn.
Are you excited? Read on!
5 Tips to Speak Better English from Your Own Home
Before I discuss each of these online courses in detail, here are some tips and tricks that will improve your speaking skills in no time.
- Practice speaking English in front of a mirror (or with a friend). Speaking fluently isn’t just about saying the right words. It’s also about body language, tone and confidence. So practice speaking in front of a mirror, paying close attention to your gestures, expressions or posture. You can even have a friend or family member give you feedback.
- Use a pronunciation app and a voice recorder. The English language has some weird rules and sometimes the best way to know the right pronunciation of a word is to check the dictionary. There are also apps that use voice-recognition software and tell you if you’re pronouncing it the right way or not. You can also record your own voice and play it back to check your progress.
- Use apps to find native speakers. Services like HelloTalk and Tandem help you find native speakers with whom you can practice your English and get authentic feedback.
- Watch English media content. Watching English movies or TV shows, especially on Netflix or YouTube, is a good way to immerse yourself in English culture and learn about the aspects of the language that grammar books often miss out on.
- Sign up for a course like the ones listed below. Speaking fluently requires a lot of skills, so specific courses or learning programs will be of great help to you. I discuss some of the best ones below.
15 Online English Speaking Courses to Become a Confident English Speaker
I’ve curated a list of 15 resources, all of which are devoted to improving one’s speaking skills. Each has its specific advantages, and you can pick the ones that best fit your learning needs and budget.
FluentU
FluentU is easily one of the best English learning programs out there, and if you don’t believe me, I dare you to sign up for their free trial and experience it yourself.
FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.
You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Click here to check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.Try FluentU for FREE!
Unlike traditional ways of learning that focus on grammar rules, FluentU uses an “immersive” learning approach, where you’re exposed to real-world English content, all featuring native speakers.
The idea is that as you watch, you’ll learn English quicker than you ever thought possible.
FluentU’s features make this possible: each video comes with interactive subtitles in English. If you see an unfamiliar word, you can click on it for a definition, pronunciation guide and example sentences. Each video also comes equipped with a transcript, a vocabulary list and a “learn mode” for convenient practice and review.
It’s especially great for working on your speaking skills, since you’ll be listening to native speakers and following along with subtitles. You’ll learn how the English language works, how to pronounce certain words, which syllables to stress and what to say in different situations.
And best of all, the app is for everyone, whether you’re an advanced learner or a beginner.
Coursera: Improve Your English Communication Skills Specialization
Some of you may already know about MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), which are often provided by top universities.
They’re usually free and come with certification.
MOOCs bring world-class education right to your fingertips and are excellent for those who are already working part-time or lack access to other learning resources.
Cousera is one of the most popular platforms for MOOCS. They have lots of opportunities for learning English.
For example, this specialization course on Coursera is exclusively focused on English communication skills. Provided by Georgia Tech, it’s four months long and best suited for beginners.
It includes four courses, and you can sign up for just one or for all four. In this course, you’ll learn to speak professionally, be it in person, on the phone or even online. You’ll also learn to write professional emails and build an ePortfolio.
It’s an excellent course for career advancement, or just for building your speaking confidence.
For even more targeted practice, you can check out this special course on English speeches and presentations, also on Coursera.
Oxford Online English
If you’re looking for customized English lessons that will help you be a better speaker, then give Oxford Online English a try. They have a number of English courses, including one that’s only devoted to speaking skills.
All you need to do is book a class, and you’ll be paired with a native teacher and have video lessons over Skype, WhatsApp or whatever is convenient for you.
In fact, with each lesson, you’ll get personalized feedback on how to improve. You’ll also have access to free lessons that will help you in your overall language learning.
They have flexible pricing and you can check out some of their free videos to decide if it’s worth the investment.
Spoken English Course
Update: This resource is no longer available.
Spoken English Course has a wealth of resources devoted to improving your English skills, at your own pace.
It’s excellent self-study material, and it’s all free.
It covers everything from grammar, everyday conversations, IELTS preparation, useful expressions and so on. Each link opens to a short video that you can watch.
Though the material is useful to all, it’s most suitable for beginner and intermediate self-learners. I’d advise you to use this along with another app or course, like FluentU. That will speed up the learning process.
London School Online
For those looking for personalized English lessons, another option you can look into is London School Online.
They provide Skype English lessons that cover speaking and presentation skills for general use or for the workplace environment.
You can also use London School Online to study for exams like the IELTS.
The lessons are pretty flexible: you’ll discuss your learning goals with your trainer, assess your English level and then begin learning.
In addition to their Skype lessons, they also have a few courses that you can check out. For instance, their “English For Hospitality” course is an excellent option for developing soft skills and effectively communicating with clients.
Alison: Speaking And Writing English Effectively
If you’re looking for a course that will help you improve both your speaking and writing skills, then give this course on Alison a shot. It’s best suited for students and those looking to work in academics or journalism.
The course will cover some points on how to use language effectively, tips for exams and how to best approach a text.
You’ll learn vital communication skills, including tips on the right tone and voice to use, that will help you during presentations or when facing a large audience.
It’s a short introductory course of two to three hours. It’s completely free and even comes with a certificate that you can add to your CV.
For a more general course, also from Alison, check out this Introduction to Conversational English course. It promises to improve your English speaking confidence in just one to two hours of coursework.
FutureLearn: Understanding IELTS: Speaking
Some of you might be looking to improve your speaking skills for an exam. IELTS is one the most popular exams that’s used to measure English proficiency, so getting a good score is a top priority for a lot of people.
British Council’s FutureLearn platform has a specific section devoted to the IELTS exam, where you’ll be presented with tips on how best to ace the speaking section, as well as improve your overall communication skills.
Plus, you’ll only have to commit three hours a week for three weeks.
Although the course isn’t running right now, you can sign up for it using your email address and you’ll be informed when it begins again.
Coursera: Learn English: Advanced Academic Speaking and Listening Specialization
The University of California, Irvine offers a special Coursera class that focuses on the English used in academic settings.
If you’re aiming to learn in an English-language university, then you’ll have to learn how to speak confidently with both your classmates and teacher!
This class will teach you both listening and speaking skills. You’ll learn how to listen to lectures and improve your presentation and discussion skills. In the end, you’ll become a better student who can keep up with the rest of your class.
The course takes about five months to complete. Since this is advanced English, it’s recommended that you have an intermediate level.
EF English Live
Want more personal help?
EF English Live lets you practice your English speaking (and reading, writing and listening) with real teachers!
First, you answer a few questions and give a few details on your current English level.
Then, a special course that fits your level is provided to you, and you review what you learn with interactive exercises. A voice recognition system also lets you test your speaking skills.
Your teacher will provide feedback for every exercise you complete. The course itself doesn’t focus on a specific kind of English, but the live private or group classes you can attend are great opportunities to practice your conversation and pronunciation!
The pricing and plans are also quite reasonable for what you get. You can try out a free seven-day trial as well.
Perfectly Spoken
Perfectly Spoken has a ton of English speaking resources of varying levels—best of all, you can access hundreds of them for free!
The courses are taught with video lessons that cover different topics and speaking skills. For each course, Perfectly Spoken details what kind of learner it’s best suited for.
Besides general beginner, intermediate and advanced courses, you can also find courses that cover more situation-based English. Examples include English used in hospitality settings, business English, English used in films and so forth.
There are also other free resources, including live practice sessions on Facebook, English-language podcasts, clips on Instagram and blog posts. You should definitely check all of them out, since you don’t have to pay for any of them!
But if you want a bit more, there are also priced plans that give you extra items. These include practice tests, specialized courses, unlimited lesson access and certificates of course completion.
YouTube: Learn English with Let’s Talk
Even though this is a YouTube channel, Let’s Talk offers so many lessons, all organized into different themes, that it may as well be an English course!
Besides typical ESL lessons, there are also videos that cover a range of topics related to spoken English. You can watch clips that discuss accent improvement, idioms and slang, common speaking mistakes and much more.
You’ll have plenty of fun scrolling through the different playlists.
Let’s Talk is suited for beginner learners, but because the channel has such a wide variety of content, any learner of any level can pick up useful tips and tricks to speaking English like a native!
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USA Learns
As a government-sponsored resource, all of the courses on USA Learns are available for free!
The English speaking course is separated into different units.
Your first focus is to improve your listening comprehension with short video stories that include dialogues.
You then review key vocabulary and sentences by saying them aloud into your microphone and comparing your pronunciation to a native speaker’s.
There are other activities that aim to improve your ability to answer questions and use grammar properly. These will be guided by a teacher named Ms. Marquez.
USA Learns is best recommended for beginner to intermediate learners. Advanced learners can use the website for review. But you should definitely check out the other courses that USA Learns offers—there’s even one that’s focused on English pronunciation!
Udemy: English Language Pro | Spoken English Language and Culture
Want to learn the essentials of natural English conversation?
This course, hosted on Udemy (a class-hosting website similar to Coursera), will teach you what you want and need to know for everyday English dialogue.
Plus, you get to learn a bit about American culture!
Your friendly teacher is Kallan. He’ll teach you the vocabulary, phrases and idioms used for many situations, such as when you’re describing yourself, when you’re out traveling or when you’re in a business setting.
Assignments, which can be done by writing, video or audio, are given at the end of each unit.
The course description states that those who aren’t absolute beginners can benefit the most from the lessons. Kallan is also responsive to questions and feedback.
British Council
The British Council has a lot of English-learning resources for anyone interested in the language. One or some of these resources can work great for your wants and needs.
The self-study online course, available for £5.99 (about $8.30) per month, comes with many lessons that aim to improve your English communication skills for both social and workplace situations.
At your own pace, you work on your skills with teacher-led videos, audio clips and more. New content is released monthly to keep your learning fresh.
There are also live lessons, where you can ask questions and put your skills to the test with other classmates or a teacher. If you’d prefer, you can also book private tutor sessions that focus on conversation skills.
You can take your lessons whenever you want, and there’s no level restriction for the British Council’s resources.
ABA English
Calling itself a “digital English language school,” ABA English has a special self-study course that promises to turn you into a confident English speaker. You can download it on any smart device so you can learn on the go!
There are 144 units categorized into six levels, from beginner English (A1) to business level (C1). For that reason, anyone of any level can take the course and practice their skills.
ABA English uses its own teaching method based on video lessons and short, dialogue-filled films. You work to improve your listening comprehension skills before tackling your speaking and writing skills.
Live classes and conversation lessons are also offered if you want more specialized practice with a teacher.
You won’t become a fluent English speaker in a day. It’s a long process, which will require a lot of hard work and dedication on your part.
But if you keep practicing and push yourself to go beyond your limits, you’ll soon get there.
These courses are a great place to start!
fluent english speaking course online free
By AROMIEKIM, YULIYA GEIKHMAN and FRANCISCO J. VARE
The 20 Best Sites for Taking Free English Courses Online
Wake up! Turn on your computer.
Now you’re ready to take a college-level English course, completely online.
You don’t need to change out of your pajamas. You don’t even need to get out of bed.
Better yet, it may not cost you anything.
All you need is an internet connection, a little time and the desire to learn.
Contents
- Types of Online English Courses
- Asynchronous online courses
- Synchronous online courses
- MOOCs
- Website-hosted courses
- The 20 Best Sites for Taking Free English Courses Online
- Alison
- MOOEC
- FutureLearn
- edX
- Udemy
- Open Learning
- My MOOC
- American English
- ESOL Courses
- Canvas Network
- Learn English Online
- Coursera
- Udacity
- Saylor
- USA Learns
- Perfectly Spoken
- Oxford Online English
- ABA Eng
lish - BBC’s Learning English
- USAHello’s Learnship English Courses
Types of Online English Courses
When you’re learning in a classroom, you usually learn in a very specific way. You sit, listen to a teacher at the front and take notes or ask questions.
However, your online English learning can be carried out quite differently.
Let’s go over some of the most common styles of online courses.
Asynchronous online courses
“Asynchronous” is a fancy word that means “not happening at the same time.” So, an asynchronous course is one that is available to you whenever. You don’t have to get lessons at a certain time or date.
The English learning material is made available either all at once or on set dates. You can view the content whenever you want and complete any given assignments. They may or may not be reviewed by whoever is providing the material.
Asynchronous courses are popular because it works with the one of the greatest advantages of online education: the ability to get your learning done on your own time. These courses often use pre-recorded videos or prepared lecture notes for their lessons.
While you’re allowed to study at your own time, you personally have to remember deadlines for any assignments. That’s why it’s important to be organized when taking asynchronous courses.
Synchronous online courses
Synchronous online English courses are the opposite of asynchronous ones. You can think of them as the classic classroom experience—just virtual.
Synchronous online English courses require real-time interaction with your instructor and sometimes, fellow classmates. The English lessons would be taught live, so you have to be around at a specific time or date for them.
Most synchronous courses would be held with video conferences or live streams. If you enjoy having a schedule for your online English lessons and you like live interaction, then synchronous online courses might be for you!
Keep in mind also that some online courses can combine synchronous and asynchronous qualities. An English course like this may have scheduled live lessons, but also let you study the material whenever you want.
MOOCs
MOOC stands for Massive Open Online Course. What that means is that it’s a course given on the internet, usually at the college level, that’s open for anyone to enroll (become a student). Many times, these courses are taught by real university professors, and they’re usually free.
MOOCs are a great choice to help you improve your English language skills. These courses are a fantastic way to take a real class taught by a real teacher but without having to actually go to a university.
Millions of people are using MOOCs now because it offers a lot of advantages.
Here are some of the benefits of taking an open online course!
- It’s free!
- It’s online, so you can learn from anywhere.
- Many times, you can earn a certificate that shows you completed a course.
- The course is often taught by real professors from actual universities. You can even take a course from a Harvard professor for free!
- You can drop out anytime. Unlike with an actual university, it doesn’t matter if you suddenly don’t have enough time to finish your class. You can start and stop anytime and you won’t lose anything.
- Did we mention it’s free?
MOOCs are a pretty new idea, but already there are a lot of places you can find them online. Some websites have paid courses as well, and some even give college credit.
Website-hosted courses
Many English courses online can also take the form of their own websites. You can search for and access them instantly.
Most of the time, English learning material is published for free on websites and can be viewed anytime, making them like asynchronous courses. They may be organized into units and lessons, forming a sort of simple curriculum for learners.
You should honestly find and use as many English-teaching websites as you can. Because the content is almost always free and available, you have nothing to lose when learning with websites!
Websites can also have their own learner forums, where learners can talk and ask questions with each other. You may even find native speakers who are willing to help you out!
As you can see, online English courses can take many forms.
You should explore and find the right kind of online English course for you. That way, you can learn comfortably and confidently.
Another online option for English learning is FluentU. This app and website is designed to get you comfortable with everyday English. It does so by combining authentic native-level video content with enhanced subtitles and flashcards that adapt to focus on the words you’re struggling with.
Now let’s talk online courses!
Below is a list of some of the best websites to find free online English courses you can start taking today.
The 20 Best Sites for Taking Free English Courses Online
Alison
Opened in 2007, Alison is considered by most to be the first MOOC.
And it’s still a great place to learn! The website has over 1,000 courses. Its focus is on improving work skills to help you get a new job or to get a promotion in your current job. Because of this, Alison has an entire section of English language courses with lots of great lessons for all different levels.
Courses you should be taking:
- Social English Language Skills: This course helps you improve your conversational English.
- Introduction to English Grammar: Here, you can learn grammar tenses and how to form a good sentence.
MOOEC
This website is just for English learners. As you may have guessed, MOOEC stands for Massive Open Online English Course. This site has classes for learners at all levels, from beginner to advanced.
The courses offered here are shorter than most MOOCs. Instead of taking weeks to complete, MOOEC gives its courses as single lessons. If you’re not sure if online study is right for you, MOOEC is a good place to start, since it will take less of your time.
MOOEC was created in Australia, and some of the lessons make that very clear. There are some classes about places in Australia. Some of the spelling might be different from American English, so keep that in mind.
Courses you should be taking:
- Elementary English Course: Here’s a perfect course if you’re just starting out.
- Common Mistakes: This course covers some of the most common English mistakes people make.
- Coffee Culture: For anyone interested in Australian English and culture, this class teaches everyday listening and speaking skills.
FutureLearn
Many online courses can be done on your own, but FutureLearn encourages students to be social and talk with other people taking the same courses. With over a million enrolled in the classes here, there will be lots of people to talk to!
The courses offered come from 40 places all across the world, including some top British institutions like the British Council and British Museum. FutureLearn has no partners in the U.S., so if you’re looking for American English, you might want to try a different website.
FutureLearn works like many MOOCs—lessons are given every week for a certain number of weeks. You can learn along with the class, which is highly encouraged (so you can talk to other students). But if the class doesn’t fit into your schedule, you can take it at your own pace.
Courses you should be taking:
- A Beginner’s Guide to Writing in English for University Study: This one is designed for people interested in studying in an English-speaking country, but can be useful for any English learner.
- Understanding IELTS: Techniques for English Language Tests: This course is excellent if you’re planning to take any English test, but especially the IELTS.
- Exploring English: Language and Culture: With this course, you can learn about British culture as you improve your English.
edX
EdX is one of the biggest MOOC websites out there. It was created by Harvard and MIT, two very famous and expensive universities in America. You can find a lot of college-level courses here, created and taught by actual professors from top universities.
You can actually earn college credits on edX, through Arizona State University. It’s not free, but it’s cheaper than being in an actual college. Some of the courses have certificates you can get for completing them. Most of these cost some money, so make sure you check the details before you sign up!
Like most other MOOCs, classes here are similar to college courses and some take a few weeks to complete. A certain number of hours is needed each week to learn all the material. You can learn along with the class, or read through a course after it’s complete (though you won’t get to talk to others about it if you choose to do that!).
Courses you should be taking:
- English Grammar and Style: This course for intermediate to advanced learners will help you become a better writer.
- Conversational English Skills: If you’re looking for something easier, this course helps you learn the basics of how to speak with others in English.
Udemy
Udemy wants to teach everything! There are tens of thousands of courses, and even though not all of them are from well-known universities, they have some great ones to choose from.
Not all the courses on Udemy are free, but there’s a good number of free ones. Even the courses that aren’t free can be pretty affordable.
Udemy uses video lectures, written materials and quizzes to help you learn. You can watch a video or read a lesson, then test yourself to make sure you understood. You can go as fast or as slow as you want!
Courses you should be taking:
- English as a Foreign Language: This course teaches grammar through real conversation examples.
- English Grammar for Beginners: With this course, you can learn the basics of grammar and beginner-level English.
Open Learning
You’ll find a very friendly environment at Open Learning. Here, anyone can take or create a course. You might not find as many college professors, but you’ll find experts who want to share their skills.
Open Learning does work with a number of universities, so you can find a good mix of both professional and more casual courses here. Not all the courses on Open Learning are free, but there are some that are free and open to anyone.
Courses you should be taking:
- Using Sentence Connectors: Here, you can learn English writing and grammar at a pre-college level of English.
My MOOC
My MOOC is the perfect solution for learners of English who don’t have a lot of free time and want to improve their resume/CV fast. The courses here take from six to 21 hours, so they’re short and to the point.
My MOOC focuses on speaking and writing, but everyone can find a course that adapts to their needs. The best part? Most of the courses include subtitles!
Courses you should be taking:
- Unlock your English: Learn the basics of business English, from small talk to business meetings, in just 15 hours! A great MOOC if you like being in contact with other students.
- English pronunciation in a global world: In this course, you’ll learn everything about English pronunciation and the differences between the different English accents. You’ll also improve your own pronunciation thanks to the exercises.
American English
American English is managed by the Bureau Of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States, and it was created for teachers and students of American English as a second language around the world.
They only offer a few MOOCs at the moment, but they’re very well done and include a lot of materials, modules and even quizzes.
If you’re an intermediate or advanced English learner and you want to learn a lot of vocabulary and facts about the United States, join American English now.
Courses you should be taking:
- English for journalism: This course includes everything you need to know about journalism in English, from its history to its vocabulary in newspapers or the news on TV.
- English for career development: Learn how to write amazing resumes, impressive cover letters and professional emails. The boost your career needs is in this course.
- English for STEM fields: If you need to improve your English in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, this is the perfect course for you.
ESOL Courses
ESOL means English for Speakers of Other Languages, so this site is perfect for you.
ESOL Courses offer a lot of free online English courses for learners at any level (beginner, elementary, pre-intermediate, intermediate and advanced).
You can choose from a lot of resources to practice the skill you want, from listening to English for work to reading and writing.
I love the sections called “Life in the UK” and “Life in the USA.” They offer information about culture, travel, living, history and food in the UK and the USA, among other cool stuff. As a bonus, all this information is presented through hundreds of exercises where you can practice your English.
Courses you should be taking:
- Beginners course: If you’re just starting your adventure with the English language, this course will teach you all the basics in just 16 lessons.
- Elementary course: When you finish the course for beginners, continue with this course for elementary students and keep on learning in a fun way.
- Easy readers: Read these easy and short texts and improve your vocabulary. They include pictures and videos, and they tell you which words you need to remember.
Canvas Network
The Canvas Network is a website for “lifelong learners,” or people who want to continue learning even when they’re finished with school. They have courses from a lot of universities, and many of the classes are very professional.
This website encourages students to learn along with the class and have conversations about the lessons. If you prefer to learn on your own, you can do that, too. All the material is available for you to see once a course is over.
Courses you should be taking:
- College Readiness: Reading, Writing, and Math: This class lets you choose what you want to study, and has some good information on grammar and understanding what you read.
Learn English Online
Learn English Online is the perfect place to find everything about the English language, including grammar, vocabulary, forums, learning tips and even a wheel that will tell you what you can practice if you don’t have any idea!
The site offers 11 units divided into 54 lessons, and each lesson covers one grammar topic. The lessons include explanations, examples, tests and songs or videos related to the topic of the lesson.
If you don’t want to follow the order of the lessons, or you want to practice a specific skill, you can click on the “Improve” tab and choose the skill you want to practice. You also have a lot of great information related to learning English in the “Learning Skills” tab, but you need to be at least an intermediate learner to understand everything there.
Courses you should be taking:
- Improve your spoken English: This isn’t really a course, but it includes a lot of information and tips on how to improve your speaking skills.
- Improve your writing: Learn how to improve your English writing skills with all the tips included in this section. Read the guides to spelling (the correct way to write a word), capitalization (when to write in uppercase letters) and punctuation (the use of symbols to separate words and sentences) to become a master of English writing.
Coursera
Recommended for advanced learners, Coursera is another MOOC that lets you learn at your own pace (as fast or slow as you want). You can complete courses as they take place, or just look over the material when they’re over.
Each course has instructional videos, followed by quizzes and exercises you can take to make sure you understood the materials. There are a few peer-rated (graded by your fellow students) assignments, so it’s a good place to exchange information with other students who are learning just like you.
Coursera has a huge number of partners, institutions and universities offering courses. More are constantly being added, so it’s worth checking back regularly to see if anything interesting has popped up.
Courses you should be taking:
- Essentials for English Speeches and Presentations: A course specifically aimed at Chinese learners of English, this class will teach you English public speaking.
- English Composition I: Taught by Duke University, this class teaches college-level writing.
Udacity
If you’re an upper-intermediate or advanced learner of English and want to practice the language while learning something else in English, you’re going to love Udacity.
Feel like a real native speaker of English while you take courses on business, computer science or personal development completely in English and for free!
Udacity offers 286 courses in English. I’m sure there’s at least one you’ll be interested in.
Courses you should be taking:
- Refresh Your Resume: Now you can have the best English resume in town thanks to this Grow with Google course.
- Introduction to Artificial Intelligence: Artificial Intelligence is around us everywhere we go. From machine learning to robotics, after you finish this course you’ll be one step closer to calling yourself The King/Queen of AI.
- College Algebra: Are you a math person? If you love numbers, equations and logarithms, this course will boost your Math English vocabulary to the ultimate level.
Saylor
Our final advanced-level option, Saylor offers many courses for free. This website is a non-profit, meaning it doesn’t make any money from teaching online courses.
There are no start dates here—all courses can be taken at any time. Some courses even offer college credit if you can pass a final exam for a small fee!
Courses you should be taking:
- Pre-college English: This course prepares you for college-level writing.
USA Learns
USA Learns is a website that hosts free English lessons, all of which you can access after you register an account.
There are three main courses and their difficulties range from beginner to intermediate levels. Lessons are taught with videos and activities that improve different English skills, from vocabulary to speaking.
USA Learns also has content that teaches you what daily life is like in the United States! This adds a nice flavor to the English you learn.
Courses you should be taking:
- 1st English Course: A 20-unit course that teaches you the basics of the language, using a variety of lesson topics and all kinds of fun activities.
- Practice English and Reading: An intermediate-level course that focuses on improving written English skills with stories
Perfectly Spoken
Perfectly Spoken features over 500 video lessons, all taught by experienced English teachers. Each course is separated by learner level, and you can find out which course is best for you with a free English test. But even if you start one course, you can switch to another one whenever you’d like!
There are three learner plans: Free, Student and Pro. You need to pay for the Student and Pro plans, but even the Free Plan gives you access to 300 video lessons and lets you watch 10 hours of content every month.
As a bonus for learners, Perfectly Spoken also provides extra learning materials and practice tests. Once you complete a course, you can even get a fancy certificate of completion!
Oxford Online English
Oxford Online English has many free lessons that teach different English skills. They cover many different topics and are surprisingly quite detailed. There are even lessons that focus on Business English and IELTS preparation.
Free lessons are uploaded weekly, so you can keep looking forward to new content!
Besides free lessons, Oxford Online English also lets you get personal paid lessons with teachers over programs like Skype, Google Hangouts or others. Besides teaching you, your teacher can also give you feedback and tell you what you can improve on.
Courses you should be taking:
- Spoken English: It’s very important to practice your English speaking skills whenever you can. Oxford Online English’s many video lessons on spoken English will help you build your confidence.
ABA English
ABA English has its own special method of teaching the language. The method is based on the belief that a learner learns best when he or she is interested and motivated by the content.
The online course is made up of 144 units organized into six levels (from beginner to advanced). Each unit starts with a short film that shows native speakers using the language in different everyday situations.
You then move on to the unit material, which you learn with videos featuring ABA’s teachers. Subtitles can be provided in your native language to make sure you understand the content. For practice, ABA offers tons of little exercises and review quizzes to test your skills.
ABA does have paid versions for its course, but its free version gives you access to the whole six-level course!
BBC’s Learning English
The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) has its own online resources for English learners. They include detailed courses that teach different levels of English, plus specific topics about the language.
The lessons teach English concepts while discussing certain topics (such as money or the news). Lessons can include videos, audio clips and text descriptions. This makes your studies all the more fun and interesting, since you’ll have different contexts to learn from.
There are plenty of activities and quizzes to test your understanding. Each lesson also has its own vocabulary and grammar reference sheets that you can view anytime.
Courses you should be taking:
- English My Way: This is a basic course that shows the kind of English used in different everyday situations. This will be a good starting point if you’re learning with BBC’s Learning English.
- English You Need: This goes over more specific cases when using the English language. It even includes a “Learners’ Questions” unit that answers questions asked by English learners from around the world!
USAHello’s Learnship English Courses
Every year, Learnship offers free English classes for 1000 students on the USAHello platform.
You can focus on either business English or general English. Learnship has classes for every level, and you can find out your own with a graded test. Each lesson, taught by real teachers, includes videos, tests and practice activities.
To get signed up, all you have to do is send an email and you’ll get a one-year membership for your course. There’s no time limit to when you can apply, but it’s better to do it sooner than later.
So what are you waiting for?
Get comfortable, pick a course on this list that interests you and start learning!
