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English LANGUAGE LEARNING GUIDE

if you’re planning on moving to Canada or want to relocate to a province outside of Quebec, learning how to speak English confidently is one of the smartest things you can do this year. According to the 2016 census, 75.4% of Canadians speak English, and in provinces like Alberta, Ontario and British Columbia, the proportion of anglophones reaches more than 90%. This means that if you want to get a job, socialize or immerse yourself in the local culture in most parts of the country, you need to learn how to communicate proficiently in English, and the fastest way to do this is by booking a language course. Once you do, you’ll be able to truly enjoy all that Canada has to offer, which includes an excellent education system, free healthcare for citizens and residents, and equal opportunities for people of all races, religions and genders. On top of that, if you’re an immigrant, you’ll be pleased to know that Canada has one of the most multicultural societies in the world, so regardless of where in the country you want to live, you’ll find that most people are really tolerant and celebrate diversity.

In short, once you can speak and write English with ease, you’ll be able to feel at home in Canada and find the life you want there, so what are you waiting for? Get started today.

Latest Articles for English

1. Top Reasons Why You Should Learn English

Reading about the amazing advantages of speaking English in Canada will help you get the motivation you need to take the first step on your journey to fluency, so let’s take a look at some of the most important reasons why you should start learning the language today.

To Get Better Job Offers

Are you new to Canada? If so, you’re probably aware that there aren’t many well-paid job positions available for immigrants who don’t speak English very well. Because of that, if you want to become eligible for better jobs, you need to master the language. Once you do, you’ll get access to countless offers in some of the country’s top companies that hire foreigners, like Google Canada, P&H Farming, and Elastic Path, and on top of that, you’ll be able to apply for bilingual positions (for English and your native language) in these and other important companies and enjoy a more competitive salary. On the other hand, if you’re Canadian but your first language is French, learning English is a great idea, since it will allow you to live and work outside Quebec, and even access the bilingual bonus paid to eligible employees who occupy bilingual positions.

Want to keep improving your English for study, work, and professional communication? Take a look at these practical guides from our blog:

To Expand Your Social Life

If you’re finding it hard to make friends in Canada, chances are it’s because you can’t communicate in English very well. Once you become fluent, you’ll be able to befriend diverse groups of people who come from different parts of the world, as well as get to know some of the locals more deeply. On top of that, mastering English will allow you to be part of the various social gatherings in whichever town or city you decide to live in and join all sorts of groups or associations in your free time. As you can see, speaking English confidently is key to properly assimilating into Canadian society and truly feeling like you belong here, so the importance of becoming a proficient speaker can’t be overstated.

To Access Higher Education

Do you want to study in Canada? If so, you’ll need to learn English to pass the entrance exams for most universities in the country, understand your classes, and write the many essays required to pass most courses. Fortunately, if you want to apply to a university, you don’t have to do this on your own, as we offer amazing Exam Preparation courses that will get you to the proficiency level you need to study at university as soon as possible.

2. Tips to Learn English More Effectively

As you now know, there are many amazing reasons why you should start learning English this year. However, before you do, take a look at some of our recommendations that will help you learn in a more effective way.

Find a Language Trainer

If you’re truly determined to become a fluent English speaker this year, the first thing you should do is find a language professional who can help you achieve your goals. Although you might be tempted to study on your own, having a teacher to guide you through your learning process can be an invaluable thing. To begin with, you won’t have to waste any of your precious time looking for useful resources online or creating your own learning program, as you’ll have an expert do it for you. On top of that, you’ll get a lot of feedback from day one, which will really impact the speed at which you learn, as it will decrease your chances of making mistakes and help you stay motivated. If this wasn’t enough, having an English trainer will ensure you learn about Canadian culture, which means you’ll be able to understand most cultural references and know what to expect when moving there.

Want to find a qualified trainer? Just send us a quick inquiry and we’ll get one for you in no time!

Take a Language Test

Many people struggle to determine just how good their language skills really are. If this is you, there’s a solution to this problem: taking a language test. Although there are plenty of tests online, if you are looking for one that will give you an accurate score, check out our FREE English Level Test on our website. Taking our test will only take you a few minutes, and after you do, you’ll be able to tell if you have a beginner, intermediate, or advanced level. Once you know this, you’ll know exactly which resources you should get, what proficiency level you should write on your CV, and what English course you should enrol in. In addition to this, you can also use this test to measure your progress over time and see how much your skills have improved after you start taking lessons, so don’t forget to take advantage of this invaluable free tool.

Immerse Yourself in Canadian Culture

If you truly want to sound like a Canadian, you should immerse yourself in Canadian culture as often as possible. There are many ways you can do this, and here are some ideas.

Use Language Apps

Many people underestimate language apps, but the truth is that they can be very useful for acquiring new vocabulary and understand how English grammar works. On top of that, they are a great option to put your free time to good use, as they are both entertaining and educational, which makes them an excellent replacement for mobile games. Although there are plenty of apps you can try, here are some of our top picks:

  • Duolingo, a fun app where, in addition to improving your English skills, you can compete with other users, unlock new levels and win virtual coins.
  • Quizlet, which was designed by Cambridge Assessment English and is perfect for those who want to sit for the IELTS examination or create their own flashcards.
  • Memrise, an app that is ideal for those who need to memorize new English words and expand their vocabulary.

3. How to Improve Your English Pronunciation

If native speakers have a hard time understanding what you say, you probably need to improve your pronunciation. Fortunately, there are many things you can do, so don’t feel discouraged if you still don’t sound as good as you’d like. You can change this by following these tips.

Shadowing

This is one of the simplest and most effective things you can do to improve your pronunciation, and it basically consists of repeating whatever phrase or word you hear in movies, podcasts, music or YouTube videos. When you do this, pay attention to the intonation native speakers use, as well as the word stress, and always make sure to imitate people who have the accent you’d like to have.

Record Yourself

Sometimes it can be hard to know exactly how good or bad you sound unless you record yourself, so make sure you do this often while you do shadowing or while you read your coursebook. Then, you can listen to yourself and compare the way you say a word or a phrase to the manner in which a native speaker says it, and check if you’re making the right sounds.

Become Familiar with the Phonemic Chart

The International Phonetic Alphabet, or IPA, is a visual representation of different English sounds. If you take the time to learn it, it can really help you learn how to pronounce words and avoid making the most common mistakes. As you probably already know, English is not a phonetic language, so sometimes it’s challenging to know how certain words are pronounced. However, once you become familiar with the IPA, you’ll be able to master each separate sound of the English language and improve your accent significantly, so don’t forget to ask your English teacher to teach it to you. You could start by learning how to write your name in the phonemic alphabet. This will be a fun task and a great way to get started.

Talk to Natives as Much as Possible

Finally, there’s nothing like talking to natives frequently to improve your accent. That’s why it’s so important that you find a suitable teacher you can talk with every week, and they’ll help you get all the practice you need. However, there are other ways you can do this, such as attending social events like language exchanges where you can meet native English speakers from all over the world who will help you boost your skills in exchange for helping them practise your native language.

4. Tips to Master the Canadian Accent

As you have probably realised if you have ever heard Canadians speak, they sound different from British or American speakers, so if you’re planning on living in Canada and want people to mistake you for a local, take a look at some of the things you should work on.

Pay Special Attention to Diphthongs

One of the biggest differences between Canadian English and other variants is the way Canadians pronounce diphthongs, which are combinations of two vowel sounds. Instead of transitioning from one vowel sound to another, they usually stress a single-syllable vowel sound. So, for example, if you have a word that has the vowels “ue” in one syllable, you would pronounce it like ‘oo’, so words like influential, Tuesday and canoe should be pronounced like “infloontial”, “toozday” and ”canoo”.

Change the Way You Pronounce the ‘Ors’

If you want to sound more Canadian, change the way you pronounce the words that contain the letters “or” to “ore”. So, for example, instead of saying sorry like an American or a British person, you should pronounce it like “sore-ry” and instead of saying tomorrow, you should say “tomore-row”. You might also listen to some natives who change the ‘or’ sound to an ‘er’ sound and say things like “fer example” instead of for example.

Master the Canadian “O’s”

Canadians elongate certain “O” sounds until they sound like “aw”, and say things like “hawt” instead of hot, so try to round your mouth more and make your “O’s” more similar to the vowel sounds in words like raw and claw.

Flatten Your ‘I’s’

Many Canadians don’t really open their mouths when saying the “i” sound, and instead, they compress their lips, so for example the word like ends up sounding like “lai-ke”, which sounds similar to the word lake but with a subtle “i” sound in the middle.

Practise Your ‘T’s’

“In Canadian English, speakers sometimes replace ‘t’ sounds with other sounds like “d” or “ch”, and sometimes they simply omit this sound altogether. Although there are many exceptions, here are some examples you should look at.

  • In every word that features a “t” in the middle, you should change it to a “d”, so words like better, water, and city sound like “bedder”, “wader”, and “cidy”.
  • Whenever you have a word that has the letter “t” followed by an “r”, you should pronounce it like “ch”, so, for instance, words like trip, travel, trousers, trampoline and trap should sound like “chrip”, “chravel”, “chrousers”, “chrampoline” and “chrap”.
  • Sometimes, Canadians don’t say the “t” sound at all, and although there’s no clear consensus on whether you should omit your “t’s”, here are some of the most common words where you shouldn’t pronounce them.
    • The word most, which is often pronounced as “mos”
    • The word interesting, which is often pronounced as “ineresting”
    • The word internet, which is often pronounced as “inernet”
    • The word integrate, which is often pronounced as “inegrate”
    • The word might, which is often pronounced as “migh”
    • The word centre, which is often pronounced as “cenner”
    • The word twenty, which is often pronounced as “twenny”
    • The word Atlantic, which is often pronounced as “Atlanic”

5. Canadian Slang Words You Need to Know

Ready to have your first conversation with a Canadian? If so, in addition to working on your English skills, you need to learn some of the most commonly used slang words.

A Loonie and a Toonie

When chatting with Canadians, chances are you’ll hear them say words like loonie and toonie when talking about money. A loonie specifically refers to the Canadian one-dollar coin, because it has a picture of a loon on it, a national bird. On the other hand, a toonie is a two-dollar coin and as you can imagine, its nickname comes from a combination of the words two and loonie.

A Klick

Unless you’re American, you’re probably used to measuring distances in kilometres. In Canada, many people call kilometres klicks, so it’s not unusual to hear things like “Toronto is 40 klicks away.”

Pop

Do you like drinking sodas? If so, once you arrive in Canada, you should start calling them pops. For example, if you want to get a soda with a Canadian friend, you should tell them “Let’s have a pop”.

Kerfuffle

This funny word is used to refer to a commotion or fuss, usually caused by a disagreement or a difference in opinion. It’s pretty common to use this word during or after sports games to say things like “There was a kerfuffle between fans of Montreal and the Leafs”.

Canuck

This is a very special slang word because it’s used to refer to fellow Canadians, so if you want to talk like a true Canuck, start using it!

Now that you’ve read all our tips and recommendations to become a proficient English speaker, what are you waiting for? Take the leap and start learning Here at Language Trainers, you’ll find qualified native tutors who can help you achieve your language goals fast, so no matter what kind of Canadian English course you’re looking for, contact us today and we’ll have one of our trainers create a course that fits all of your requirements.