Although Class Central lists online courses in 87 languages, courses made in English outnumber all of the others by more than six to one. English is therefore a useful language to know, even though some courses have subtitles in a range of languages.

Earlier this year, we updated our list of courses to help improve your writing skills. These courses all assume some fluency in the language.

But what if you do not know any English, or your English is very poor?

If you do not have convenient access to a teacher, the internet is a useful place to learn. Like many other skills, learning a language requires some memory techniques, plenty of practice, and learning from your mistakes.

It also helps if a friend or family member learns and practices with you. On the other hand, with available apps and online tools, you no longer need to have a learning companion.

If you are not a native English speaker, read on to find various online learning resources. Also, 250 free and paid online courses to help you improve your English are listed below, arranged into Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced categories.

Some of these courses are also listed in the Improve Your Writing Skills article mentioned above. If you start a free course and find it is either too hard or too easy for you, it is easy to drop it and try another.

Index

Click to jump to the corresponding section and resources.

• Why Learn English?
• English Tests
• Various Free Language Sites
• Some Paid Options
• YouTube
• Websites and Mobile Apps for Chinese Students
• Practice, Practice, Practice
• Start Learning Today
• Beginner English as a Second Language (ESL) Courses
• Intermediate ESL Courses
• Advanced ESL Courses
• General ESL Courses

More Courses

If you don’t find what you need in the lists below, Class Central’s got you covered. Browse our catalog of 250K courses or visit these collections:

• 11 Best English Grammar Courses
• 140 IELTS Exam Preparation Resources
• TOEFL Test Preparation with 80+ Online Resources
• 330+ Free University Courses to Learn a New Language
• 180 Free Online Writing Courses to Improve Your Skills
• Massive List of Thousands of Free Certificates and Badges

Why Learn English?

Here are just a few of the many reasons for learning English:

• English is becoming the most common communication language worldwide (a world language or Lingua franca). According to Ethnologue (2024 edition), 1.515 billion people speak English. Estimated numbers of English speakers vary from site to site on the internet
• If it is not your native language, learning English can help you communicate with others who have also learnt the language, for example, a Spanish speaker talking with a Chinese speaker in English
• You will have a more enjoyable traveling experience if you can communicate with the local people as you travel. Many tourist destinations have English-speaking guides and hospitality staff
• Enhanced opportunities to study in different countries
• Enhanced employment prospects worldwide
• More social opportunities
• More online resources become available to you
• Understand English-speaking countries’ cultures better and acquire a deeper understanding of your own culture
• Research shows that using the brain to recall and practice with different words and sentence structures can boost your brain health and may even delay the onset of dementia
• Improve your communication skills: listening, reading, writing and speaking.

English Tests

People wanting to work or study in an English-speaking country often need to prove their English proficiency by taking a test. According to Voice of America’s Learning English, there are three common tests for English proficiency. They are the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) and the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

• The TOEFL tests English used in the classroom. Prepare for the TOEFL exam with 80 TOEFL Exam Preparation Resources.
• The IELTS uses a nine-band scale to identify levels of English proficiency, from non-user (band 1) through to expert (band 9). Sometimes you will see a recommended IELTS proficiency level for a course. One example is A Beginner’s Guide to Writing in English for University Study which recommends students have an IELTS score of 4.5 or higher. Prepare for the IELTS exam with 140 IELTS Exam Preparation Resources.
• The TOEIC tests English proficiency particularly in the workplace. Organizations may use TOEIC results to place learners in the correct language study level.

Various Free Language Sites

Duolingo: Duolingo claims to be the world’s most popular language learning site with more than 500 million users. Learn a language in a game format. Enjoy free access, including mobile apps, or you can pay a subscription to remove ads and access other features.

Forvo: Forvo is a pronunciation dictionary, with millions of words recorded and shared to the site by thousands of native language speakers of more than 370 languages. Free access, donations welcome. You can join for free and add your own pronunciations of words in your native language to help others learn. Forvo has more than 430,000 English speakers who have pronounced over 330,000 words.

The Mimic Method: Idahosa Ness uses listening and mimicking to learn new languages. He explains that different languages use different sounds. Some sounds are common to various languages, others are unique to specific languages. A big part of learning how to communicate is to listen to those sounds so you can discern them and learn to pronounce them yourself, progressing to reading and writing the language later.

The Learn English Network is based in the UK. Free with ads, with donations accepted to this non-profit organization. Offers grammar and vocabulary sections, plus magazine, diary, games, and tests.

Some Paid Options

Free content may be fine for your needs, but to really get your teeth into a language, you may need to pay for lessons. Thanks to the internet, there are plenty of options.

Babbel: Founded in 2007, Babbel is a pioneer in online language learning, with more than 100,000 hours of content in 14 languages, including lessons, games, podcasts, and live classes. You can try the first lesson, then it’s subscription-based.

Rosetta Stone: With millions of users worldwide, Rosetta Stone’s app uses a speech recognition tool to give instant feedback on your pronunciation via your own device. It uses native speakers, downloadable audio lessons, and phrasebooks of common phrases. Payment is subscription-based, ranging from three months to lifetime access.

Yabla: The language immersion style videos have optional dual-language interactive subtitles. Learn on the go with the mobile app. Free trial available. Yabla can also be used in schools and universities.

FluentU: Taught by real-world videos with interactive subtitles. Try free for 14 days before your first subscription payment. FluentU also offers unlimited quizzes, flash cards, and spaced repetition reviews. Take a look at 30 Games to Learn English.

Italki: Join 5 million learners in 150+ languages. Test your proficiency level and choose from more than 7000 English teachers, select a lesson date and time, then connect for your personal lesson using Skype or other video chat software. Students purchase italki Credits which are stored in their Student Wallet. Credits are deducted from the Student Wallet when a lesson is requested. The italki Credits are transferred to the teacher’s Teacher Wallet after the lesson is completed. Or use italki’s learning tools to learn without a teacher.

Oxford Online English: A range of options and prices, from free pre-recorded lessons to 1-to-1 learning in a range of topics from speaking, writing, IELTS exam preparation, business English, and more.

Preply: Use the filters and read profiles to choose your personal tutor at a time and price suitable for you. Book a free trial lesson on Preply’s video platform, then you can buy a set of tutoring hours. Get a discount for buying more hours at once. Or join a small group class in a range of topics.

British Council: As well as offering online courses via FutureLearn, the British Council offers self-study courses, online classes and private tutoring.

YouTube

Type “learn English” into YouTube’s search box and you will have access to a seemingly never-ending list of videos. Some teach general language learning skills relevant to learning a range of languages, not just English.

Websites and Mobile Apps for Chinese Students

Kaomanfen: An English education website from TAL group. It covers test preparation materials for TOEFL, IELTS, GRE and GMAT, mainly for Chinese students. Free or paid online courses and free test simulations for each test such as 50+ official TOEFL Practice Online are also provided by the platform. 7 mobile apps have been launched: KMF TOEFL, KMF GRE, KMF IELTS, KMF GMAT, KMF Vocabulary, GRE Vocabulary, KMF Courses.

Open Language: An English learning mobile application launched by the host of a popular podcast. It provides multiple English learning services including online courses, vocabulary learning, Open Language FM, online chatting, etc. The company was acquired by Bytedance in March 2018.

Yidian English: A mobile application that helps users practice English speaking with short videos cut out from TV series, movies, speeches, music videos, etc. You can learn new words, practice listening and speaking along with the app.

HelloTalk: A community of language learning through online chatting with people from different countries. You can find partners and exchange languages with them through the mobile app. You can also practice vocabulary, listening, speaking inside the app.

Baicizhan: A mobile application for English vocabulary learning by matching a word with the right picture. It covers different levels of English vocabulary resources from elementary school to college. You can also practice vocabulary by playing a series of mobile games like joining an online word match competition.

MOMO Vocabulary: A mobile application for English vocabulary learning with different kinds of learning statistics. Multiple English vocabulary resources from primary school to workplace are available.

Liulishuo: A mobile application for practicing English speaking by shadowing English conversations. You can get immediate feedback from the system after repeating each sentence by marking your weakness in word pronunciation. It also offers free and paid learning services like online courses, one-on-one real-person training and dubbing for videos.

Qupeiyin: A mobile application for learning English speaking through movie dubbing. You can receive timely feedback and guidance from the system about your speaking.

Shanbei: A series of mobile applications in English learning including Shanbei Vocabulary, Shanbei Listening, Shanbei Reading, and Shanbei Speaking.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Listen to podcasts, radio, movies and television shows in English, particularly any you are already familiar with. If subtitles are available, turn them on in English, not your own language. Reading the English as you hear it will help you learn more quickly.

Keep a daily journal in English. Even 5 or 10 minutes will help. Don’t be overly concerned with accuracy as you write. Write about your activities, feelings, hopes for the future, your memories, or any other topic.

Try to think in English rather than constantly translating from your own language.

Start Learning Today

Thanks to the internet, it is now more convenient than ever before to learn a foreign language. Frequent practice helps you improve more quickly.

Beginner English as a Second Language (ESL) Courses (120)

• Exploring English: Shakespeare from British Council ★★★★★(506)
• Comunicación y Pronunciación en Inglés from Universidad Anáhuac ★★★★★(25)
• Tricky American English Pronunciation from University of California, Irvine ★★★★☆(14)
• Basic English 1: Elementary from King’s College London ★★★★☆(8)
• English for Business and Entrepreneurship from University of Pennsylvania ★★★★★(7)
• Everyday English 1 from The Open University ★★★★★(4)
• Conversational English Skills from Tsinghua University ★★★★★(1)
• Just Reading and Writing in English | 生活英语读写 from Tsinghua University ★★★★★(1)
• Everyday English 2 from The Open University ★★★★★(1)
• EmSAT English Preparation – Level 1 from United Arab Emirates University ★★★★★(1)
• Improve Your English Communication Skills from Georgia Institute of Technology ★★★★★(1)
• Training and Practicing in English Public Speaking from Shanghai Jiao Tong University
• English: skills for learning from The Open University
• The Pronunciation of American English Project from University of California, Irvine
• Vowels of American English Pronunciation from University of California, Irvine
• Consonants of American English Pronunciation from University of California, Irvine
• Speaking Skills for University Success from University of California, Irvine
• The Music of American English Pronunciation from University of California, Irvine
• English for Doing Business in Asia – Writing from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
• Word Forms and Simple Present Tense from University of California, Irvine
• English@Work: CVs from Hong Kong Polytechnic University
• Inglés para todos: nivel básico más from Universidad del Rosario
• English@Work: Basic Interview Skills from Hong Kong Polytechnic University
• Simple Past Tense from University of California, Irvine
• The Pronunciation of American English from University of California, Irvine
• Questions, Present Progressive and Future Tenses from University of California, Irvine
• Mastering Classroom Management in English Language Teaching from Language Fuel
• English in the world today from The Open University
• Learn English from Tsinghua University
• English Launch: Learn English for Free – Upgrade all areas
• Common English Grammar Mistakes and How to Fix Them–Sampler
• Learn English: Beginning Grammar from University of California, Irvine
• English Foundation Course: Grammar and Speaking Upgrade
• English Speaking Course for Beginners
• Complete English Course: Learn English Language | Beginners
• Listen Conversations & Learn to Speak Fluent English
• Master The English Verb Tenses To Boost English Speaking
• English language basics for beginners level 1
• Absolutely Essential Words – Best English Vocabulary Course
• Full English Course: Master A1, A2, B1, B2 Levels
• Exploring English: Language and Culture from British Council
• How to Plan and Teach Great English Lessons from British Council
• American English Pronunciation
• Support English Language Learners from Google
• Learn English Fast – Part 2
• Inglés para todos: nivel básico from Universidad del Rosario
• Teach English Online: find students and start teaching now
• Methods of Teaching English
• Intensive English Mastery Course: Animated Beginner’s Course
• English Language Pro | Spoken English Conversation + Culture
• Essential English for University Success from University of California, Irvine
• How To Learn English and + On Your Own Using The Internet
• How to Self-Study English Online
• Full English Course: Beginners Level
• Perfect English Pronunciation: British English
• American English Expressions Every Native Speaker Knows
• Start Teaching and Travelling with our Mini TEFL Course
• Master English Language: Intensive English Speaking Course
• English for Beginners: Learn English with a Native Speaker
• English Speaking Complete: English Language Mastery
• Curso gratuito de Inglés para Principiantes
• English Speaking Patterns Mastery: Upgrade your English
• English Speaking Course. Speak English Slang & Idioms. ESL.
• 300+ Phrasal Verbs | English Language Vocabulary
• How to Make More Money Teaching English
• TESOL and TPRS Course (For Language Teachers)
• English Speaking Fluency: The Ultimate English Course
• The Complete English Language Course Improve Spoken English
• TEFL: How to Teach English Fluency
• Learn to Speak English Fluently – Master English Speaking
• Elementary English Level I: Complete Course
• One Day Business Skills for Kids & Beginners
• 500+ American Slang | English Language Vocabulary
• Teaching English as a Foreign Language TEFL
• Complete English Pronunciation Course 2022 (Speaking Skills)
• Basic English Grammar And Structures
• Elementary English Level II: Complete Course
• LEARN THE MOST COMMON ENGLISH PHRASAL VERBS .1: IELTS English preparation
• Basic English Grammar & Structures | A1-A2 Elementary Level
• English at work: Inglés en el trabajo
• English Speaking Upgrade: Speak English Now for Beginners
• Learn to Read English: American English Adult Phonics
• English Speaking Course: English at pre-intermediate level
• English Conversation Course – Improve Your English Speaking Skills
• Learn English for STEM from Macquarie University
• Hindi to English-Spoken English Tenses Grammar Master Class
• Speak English Like a Native: Troubleshooting Course for ESL
• Business English Vocabulary: Learn 600 Essential Words
• American English Slang | Expressions for Daily Life
• Learn the English Language: Basic Writing and Grammar Skills Course
• How to teach English to your kids (2022)
• Writing Academic English for Beginner
• American English Pronunciation for Beginners
• Let’s Master British English Pronunciation
• Building Your English Brain
• Beginner English: Practical Foundational English Training
• F1: Beginners Guide to Speaking Better English
• English Course – Essential Travel Phrases: Part 2
• Learn English Language: English Pronunciation Masterclass
• American English Pronunciation
• Master Polite English
• Word Stress of American English
• SPEAK FLUENT ENGLISH: Learn to speak English fluently by changing your mindset
• Learn English Vocabulary and How to Use Them In Sentences
• Elementary English Level I: Short Course
• Improve Your English With Conversations And Quizzes
• English Course – Learn English with Animations and Dialogues
• Poor to PRO Pronunciation – American Accent Basics and Tools (Course Intro)
• English Writing Skills
• Learn English to Study STEM Subjects from Macquarie University
• Best ESL English: English for Success (Fast!), Beginning
• English Tenses Structures : Upgrade your Understanding
• Teach English Online with PalFish – How to Get Started
• The Easy Way to Speak English for Beginners
• Introduction to Teaching English Learners from Rice University
• Help! I’m A Native Speaker But No One Understands My English
• Standard American Accent – With Robyn Scott
• Mastering English Idioms: Essential for ESL Communication
• English Language and Grammar – Prepositions
• LEARN TO SPEAK SIMPLE ENGLISH

Intermediate ESL Courses (80)

• Exploring English: Language and Culture from British Council ★★★★★(850)
• Upper-Intermediate English: Business and Industry from Universitat Politècnica de València ★★★★★(60)
• Upper-Intermediate English: Business and Modern Life from Universitat Politècnica de València ★★★★☆(43)
• Upper-Intermediate English: Business and Technology from Universitat Politècnica de València ★★★★★(38)
• Upper-Intermediate English: Business and Globalization from Universitat Politècnica de València ★★★★☆(30)
• Basic English 2: Pre-Intermediate from King’s College London ★★★★☆(8)
• Teach English Now! Teaching Language Online from Arizona State University ★★★★☆(2)
• Business English: Meetings from University of Washington ★★★★★(1)
• Lesson | Business English Skills: How to Navigate Tone, Formality, and Directness in Emails from University of Washington ★★★★★(1)
• Parts of Speech | The Foundation of English Grammar | ESL ★★★★★(1)
• English Pronunciation in a Global World from University of Amsterdam
• Business English: Management and Leadership from Arizona State University
• Business English: Marketing and Sales from Arizona State University
• English Lower Intermediate B1.1 from University of Naples Federico II
• Business English: Finance and Economics from Arizona State University
• English and Academic Preparation – Grad Track from Rice University
• General Academic English from Tsinghua University
• Lesson | Business English Skills: How to Write Effective Openings and Closings to Emails from University of Washington
• Academic Writing in English for ESL Learners from University College London
• English in the Workplace: Soft skills from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
• Lesson | Business English Skills: Introducing Yourself in Business Settings from University of Washington
• Business English: Final Project from Arizona State University
• Learn English: Advanced Academic Speaking and Listening from University of California, Irvine
• English Language Course – Advanced Dictations
• Business English: Capstone Project from University of Washington
• EmSAT English Preparation – Level 2 from United Arab Emirates University
• 14-day English language fluency course
• Learn English: Writing Effectively with Complex Sentences from University of California, Irvine
• ESL for Massage Therapy
• Vitamin English: Vocabulary to Impress and Succeed
• 30 Days to Learn English Pronunciation
• 50 English Phrases, Idioms, and Expressions for ESL Students
• Complete English Course: Learn English | Intermediate Level
• Speak English With Confidence: English Speaking Course
• Learn English Through TV Drama Series from Chasing Time English
• English Fluency: How to Sound Like a Native Speaker
• American Life: Practical English Skills
• Intensive Intermediate-to-Advanced Animated English Course
• Learn English – The Psychology of Memorizing English Vocabulary
• English Language Skills A2-B1 CEFR: Low-Intermediate from Voxy
• English Idioms for the Modern Learner
• Building Your English Brain
• Master English: Improving your Speaking, Listening, and Writing Skills
• Build a Powerful English Vocabulary
• Vitamin English: Conversation through Current Events
• Master English: Improve Your Speaking, Listening, & Writing
• Business English Course: Essentials in Business World
• Full English Course: Intermediate Level
• Essential English for Business Professionals from University of California, Irvine
• Continuing Education: Teach English for Academic Purposes
• How to have fluent listening skills in English
• Intermediate English Course – Get Fluent in English
• How to Teach English Pronunciation from Language Fuel
• Career Planning for English Language Learners
• Polite English in Forty Minutes
• Business English Course for ESL Students
• Effective Business English for Logistics
• The Ultimate 31-Day Speaking Plan for Daily English Practice
• Essential Business English
• More ESL English: Popular Listening Practice, Intermediate
• Phrasal Verbs and Idioms for Intermediate Level English
• English – The Psychology of Memorizing English Vocabulary
• Everyday English for ESL
• English Made Simple: Learn Polite English
• English for STEM: Understanding Technology Vocabulary from Macquarie University
• Vitamin English: American Slang
• English Grammar tenses & structures
• TOEFL iBT Complete Speaking (26+) Course
• English for STEM: Understanding Science Vocabulary from Macquarie University
• English for STEM: Understanding Engineering Vocabulary from Macquarie University
• Corso English Intermediate (B2)+ LISTENINGS & READINGS tests
• Business Skills: Easy English Presentations (Presenting)
• Effective Business English for Service Staff
• Business English Listening Training – English for companies
• English language basics and fundamentals for beginners
• English Vocabulary: 504 Essential Words through 7 stages
• English for IT Professionals
• American English Consonants for Chinese Professionals
• Learn Arabic through TV News| Arabic through Aljazeera News
• American English Vowels for Chinese Professionals

Advanced ESL Courses (5)

• Full English Course: Upper-Intermediate Level (B2)
• Learn English Conversation with Movies (Study a Real Movie) Part 1
• American English: Important Sounds for Perfect Pronunciation
• Business Skills: Easy English Meetings (Meetings in English)
• [New] (How to Get) Your Best English Fast!

General ESL Courses (45)

• American Accent Training | British Accent Training ★★★★★(15)
• Speak English Professionally: In Person, Online & On the Phone from Georgia Institute of Technology ★★★★★(5)
• Write Professional Emails in English from Georgia Institute of Technology ★★★★☆(5)
• Australian English ★★★★☆(5)
• English for Common Interactions in the Workplace: Basic Level from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile ★★★★☆(3)
• British English Pronunciation ★★★★☆(3)
• English at University from BBC ★★★★★(3)
• English Grammar for Employability from AICTE ★★★★★(2)
• Vocabulary, Phrases, Idioms, Grammar ★★★★★(2)
• Tim’s Pronunciation Workshop from BBC ★★★★★(2)
• Smart English Basics For Professionals | Spoken English | Communication Skills | Great Learning from Great Learning ★★★★☆(2)
• Lesson Planning with the ELL in Mind from Arizona State University ★★★★★(1)
• English for Effective Business Speaking from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology ★★★★★(1)
• English Communication for Tech Professionals from Arizona State University ★★★★★(1)
• Sr.Secondary : English (302) from NIOS ★★★★★(1)
• The English We Speak – Improve your spoken English vocabulary from BBC ★★★★★(1)
• English at Work from BBC ★★★★★(1)
• The sounds of English from BBC ★★★★☆(1)
• American English Pronunciation and Accent Training ★★☆☆☆(1)
• Better Spoken English from NPTEL ★★★★★(1)
• ภาษาอังกฤษเพื่อการสื่อสาร | English for Communication from Chiang Mai University ★★★★★(1)
• English Grammar in Gujarati ★★★★★(1)
• Learn English in Punjabi ★★★★★(1)
• Introduction to Functional English from IGNOU
• Take Your English Communication Skills to the Next Level from Georgia Institute of Technology
• Business English for Cross-cultural Communication from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
• English for Effective Business Communications from University of California, Irvine
• English for Running a Successful Business from University of California, Irvine
• English for Developing a Business from University of California, Irvine
• Teach English Now! Capstone Project 1 from Arizona State University
• California Leadership for English Learner Success from Stanford University
• Low Intermediate English: Personal Growth & Well-Being from Voxy
• Low Intermediate English: Meet & Greet from Voxy
• Low Intermediate English: Calls & Messaging from Voxy
• Low Intermediate English: Technology from Voxy
• ESL003: Upper-Intermediate English as a Second Language
• Engaging ELLs and Their Families in the School and Community from Arizona State University
• Low Intermediate English: Help & Information from Voxy
• Low Intermediate English: Planning & Organization from Voxy
• Basic English terminology for building and civil engineering construction from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
• Secondary : English (202) from NIOS
• Assessing Achievement with the ELL in Mind from Arizona State University
• ELL Success in the Content Classroom: Capstone Project from Arizona State University
• Communicative English from CEC
• Business Case Analysis from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology