Nobody needs to spend a fortune in order to learn English online. Visit YouTube and you’ll find hundreds of hours of classes available completely free of charge.
Obviously, not all of this material is going to be fantastic, but we think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the quality of the videos which are being uploaded by teachers, students, educators and a varied assortment of video-bloggers.
In this article – part of our ongoing series for English teachers – we take a look at the best English courses on YouTube as well as picking a selection of travel/leisure channels which will help learners painlessly improve their English. This article is aimed at Spanish-speakers who are learning English and the educators who teach them. However, many of the YouTube channels are English-only, and, therefore, suitable for any student regardless of their mother tongue.
Inglés 123
Level: All levels
Language of instruction: Spanish
The energetic presenter, Max Lobos, has been uploading his entertaining English classes to YouTube since 2008. That’s an absolute age in internet terms. In fact, it’s such a long time that you can see how Max has grown older over the years. At the time of writing, Max’s videos have been viewed more than 56 million times, while the whole Inglés 123 course now stretches to well over 100 videos. That’s a job to be proud of Max!
In this video: Max explains (in Spanish) everything you wanted to know about the verb GET
Amigos Ingleses
Level: Intermediate
Language of instruction: English & Spanish
An easy-going couple (The guy’s English, the girl is from Spain) explain a whole host of English language themes, from pronunciation to grammar and vocabulary. Originally very basic, the videos have become more sophisticated and professional over the last year or so. Each bilingual video tends to cover a very specific language point, something which makes the channel a great reference source for students trying to resolve grammar issues. Perhaps the weak point of Amigos Ingleses is that the presenters tend to take an age to get to the point. They could easily reduce the duration of the videos by 50% just by cutting out the waffle.
In this vídeo: Our Bilingual presenters explain how to avoid some of the most common pronunciation issues amongst Spanish and Latin American students.
Eng Vid
Level: Intermediate
Language of instruction: English
Rather than just a single channel, Eng Vid is actually an educational network. Each English teacher has their own unique Youtube channel under the umbrella Eng Vid brand. The content itself is all fairly old-school, with teachers filmed talking directly to camera and using a bog standard whiteboard (no fancy animations here!), but the format seems to work. The classes are, however, given entirely in English, even those which are aimed at beginner-level students. This strikes us as being a fairly pointless exercise, as most beginners won’t have the foggiest idea what’s going on. That grumble aside, Eng Vid does have some pretty charismatic teachers, who explain grammar and language-usage topics clearly and precisely. A very useful resource for intermediate-level students and higher.
In this video: James, one of Eng Vid’s star teachers explains English prepositions.
English Class 101
Level: False Beginner
Language of instruction: English
A channel run by the Innovative Language company, which offers various channels for learning other languages, all with videos in the same format. Although English Class 101 offers many free classes, every video sets out to promote material on the website, which must be paid for via a subscription service. It’s a bit tedious and a real shame! The teachers always speak in English; however, the video format means they’re suitable even for beginners. This is a short course for learning the basics.
In this video: How to ask, “Where are you from?”
En Simples Palabras
Level: Beginner
Language of instruction: Spanish
It’s not going to win any awards for innovation thanks to its old school aesthetic, but Carlos has made a real effort in creating over 500 videos in English on his channel En Simples Palabras. And something seems to be working, because his videos have over 82 million views. Pretty impressive!
In this video: The comparative in English
Web Inglés
Level: Beginner
Language of instruction: Spanish
Another Youtube channel offering English classes. Web English is a bit like En Simples Palabras, but in our opinion, the videos are more professional. Although the teacher has a slightly strange accent when speaking in Spanish, it’s a solid course with over 100 videos. It’s also a fantastic resource for beginner students or those with a higher level who skipped their grammar classes at school. The explanations are slow but clear.
In this video: How to talk about possession in English.
MMM English
Level: Upper Intermediate
Language of instruction: English
A smiling Australian woman is the founder of the MMM English channel. Half of her videos are English classes, while the other half focus on interesting tips for students. We like the series on cooking, as it provides a variety of basic and advanced verbs used in the kitchen, as well as lots of other useful vocabulary.
In this video: English verbs used for cooking.
MovieClips Trailers
Level: Upper Intermediate
There are other ways to learn English on YouTube apart from courses and classes. Did you know there are channels only showing trailers? One of the most popular is MovieClips Trailers with over 10 million subscribers. As the language used in trailers is normally limited in vocabulary and features clear pronunciation, they’re a great option for improving your listening skills and adding to your vocabulary.
In the video: A trailer for the latest Star Wars movie. Have you ever noticed that the baddies in American films always have a British accent? Talk about unfair!
MovieClips
Level: Upper Intermediate
To watch iconic scenes from films such as Top Gun or Terminator, we recommend the MovieClips channel. If your students have ever wondered how to say “teléfono, mi casa” in English, this is where to find out. Many of the videos on the MovieClips channels also feature subtitles.
In this video: The President of the United States gives a speech after saving the world (business as usual, then).
Lonely Planet
Level: Upper Intermediate
Renowned guide book publisher Lonely Planet also has a YouTube channel. Who doesn’t like a good travel video?
In this video: We discover the number 1 destination for 2017. What do you think of the choice?
And one final tip
There are a seemingly infinite number of videos available on YouTube on anything you can imagine, from music to extreme sports, travel, education, the natural world, politics, comedy and video games. Subscribe to a channel that interests you to get notified as and when new videos are uploaded. Whatever your interests or passions, there’s something for you on YouTube. Sometimes it can be hard to find videos suitable for students with lower levels of English however, so we’ll be back soon with more tips on channels in English which are apt for students of all levels.
Apps for learning English
Don’t miss our exhaustive guide to the best (and worst) mobile phone apps for learning English. While there are many decent applications out there, one app in particular really stands out.
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