Quick answer: To teach English to beginners, grade your language carefully, use pictures, realia and mime instead of translation, and introduce only seven or eight new words at a time. Build confidence with what learners already know, then get them doing functional English fast – shopping, introductions, daily routines – so they leave the first lessons able to say something real. Below are proven ideas, a suggested first-ten-lessons order and answers to the questions new teachers ask most.
This guide gives you some fresh lesson ideas and approaches for teaching English to beginners.
Personally, I have always found teaching beginners a tough prospect. Why? Well, you need to plan how you will instruct and what you will say so much more carefully, grading practically every word you speak so learners don’t get overwhelmed – no more jokey asides or a quick chat about the weekend before you get stuck in. But there is no doubt that beginners offer the biggest scope for rapid improvement, and that is where the rewards are. Keep classes tight and focused and they could go from zero to pre-intermediate in no time at all.
How do you teach English to someone with zero English?
The golden rule is that meaning must be clear without translation, so you rely on pictures, objects, mime and demonstration rather than explanation. Here are three principles to get you started:
1. Build confidence. Most beginners are not complete beginners at all. Use what they know to build confidence and break through inhibitions. One beginner coursebook I have used starts with a “chapter zero” street scene – I remember the smiles of relief all round as students happily identified words such as hotel, cafe, bike, street, sun, car when asked “What is it?” from the picture. It’s an easy, participatory introduction to English that is great for confidence.
2. Bring in ‘realia’ (real objects). Use pictures so you don’t need words to explain concrete nouns, and use mime and intonation. When you want a student to self-correct, just repeat their error with a questioning, rising intonation.
3. Don’t introduce too many new words. About seven or eight new words is enough if you want them actively remembered. Then find new ways to reinforce and repeat that vocabulary through different activities – choral repetition, matching exercises, gap-fills, miming, picture dictations (one person says, the other draws) and writing dialogues. Vary the activities so the repetition doesn’t get boring.
Beginner lesson ideas that need no translation
Now for some ideas for early lessons with beginners – each one gets learners producing real, functional English.
1. Get them doing something functional. I like to set up a simple shop context, because by the end students can ask for things – superb for developing real-life English, and the sense of achievement is amazing.
A) Bring in shop items like bread, milk (maybe five or six in total). Hold each one up and have students repeat the name. Pass each item around the class, saying the name as they hand it over. Test by holding each item in the air while the class repeats the name.
B) Bring a student to the front and put all the items on a table. Say: “I’d like some water.” Wait until the student gives it to you. Say: “Thank you.” Repeat for the other items, then reverse roles. Introduce one or two extra phrases, such as “Here you are.” Get the whole class to repeat:
- I’d like
- Thank you
- Here you are
C) Students practise in pairs, repeating stage B while you monitor.
2. Introductions. Being able to introduce yourself is useful and a neat introduction to the verb ‘to be’. Introduce professions and words like ‘married’ and ‘single’ so learners can introduce themselves. Give them new, famous identities and have them introduce their new selves in a sentence or two – or use famous people to introduce the third person: “Madonna is female and she is a singer.”
3. Routines. Everyday routines are great because you use the present simple – and students can string sentences together very quickly. Introduce phrases such as get up, get dressed, have breakfast, go to work, have dinner, watch TV, go to bed with images. Then mime the routine of a whole day while the class narrate your actions. Refine by adding and then and after that.
How much L1 (the student’s first language) should you use?
As little as possible – but “as little as possible” is not the same as “never”. The aim is maximum meaningful exposure to English, so establish meaning through pictures, objects and mime first. A quick word of L1 (or a fast check on a translation app) to confirm an abstract concept or reassure a panicking learner is sensible and humane; leaning on it as your default teaching tool is not, because it robs students of the listening practice they came for. If you don’t share the students’ language at all, don’t worry – monolingual, English-only teaching is completely normal and these techniques are exactly how it’s done. Free graded resources such as BBC Learning English and the American English resources from the US State Department give you level-appropriate material to lean on instead of translation.
What order should you teach things in?
Beginners need a sense of progress, so sequence the early lessons around things they can immediately use. This is a typical first-ten-lessons order – adapt it to your class, but keep the principle of functional, buildable language:
| Lesson | Focus | Key language |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greetings & names | Hello, I’m…, What’s your name? |
| 2 | The verb ‘to be’ | I am, you are, he/she is |
| 3 | Countries & jobs | Where are you from? What do you do? |
| 4 | Numbers & age | How old are you? phone numbers |
| 5 | Classroom & everyday objects | This is a…, It’s a…, plurals |
| 6 | Shopping (functional) | I’d like…, How much…?, Here you are |
| 7 | Daily routines | Present simple: get up, go to work |
| 8 | Likes & dislikes | I like / I don’t like + noun |
| 9 | Family | Possessives: my, your, his, her |
| 10 | Time & the week | days, What time…?, at/on/in |
Frequently asked questions
How do I teach a complete beginner online?
The same principles apply, but lean on your screen. Share images and simple slides instead of physical realia, use the chat box for spelling and models, and hold objects up to the camera. Keep new language to seven or eight items, drill orally, and get the learner speaking early through pair-style tasks with you. Our video explainer on teaching beginners online walks through a full lesson.
Should I use the student’s first language?
Use it sparingly. Establish meaning through pictures, objects and mime first, and reserve a quick word of L1 for confirming an abstract concept or reassuring an anxious learner. Relying on translation as your main tool removes the English listening practice students need. Many excellent teachers share none of their students’ language at all.
What vocabulary should beginners learn first?
Start with high-frequency, immediately useful language: greetings and names, numbers, everyday objects, jobs and countries, and the functional phrases for shopping and introductions. Teach words in meaningful groups around a context or task, not as long isolated lists, and cap new items at around seven or eight per lesson so they stick.
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* Teaching English to beginners online? Here are more ideas and a video explainer.
* Get our Teach English to Beginners guide for a complete, structured approach.
* Save prep time with 20 ready-made beginner online English lessons.
* We cover teaching English and lesson planning in depth on our accredited online TESOL training courses, or practise live in our short, tutor-led Zoom courses.
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