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A LITTLE ENGLISH, EVERY DAY

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Every day.

Free English lessons for real life. Build your vocabulary, understand grammar and practise everyday conversations—with examples and quick quizzes.

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WORD OF THE DAY

Today’s pick ·

alienate

VerbIPA /ˈeɪliəneɪt/

MEANING

To make someone feel less friendly or supportive towards you.

IN A SENTENCEHis constant complaints began to alienate his friends.
Usage & word origin

Usage note: Alienate someone means make them feel distant from you; it does not mean physically move them elsewhere.

Origin: From Latin alienare, meaning to estrange, related to alienus, belonging to another.

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START WITH YOUR GOAL

What would you like to practise?

Pick one useful skill. Start a lesson now, or follow a learning path at your own pace.

I want to speak more

Speak in everyday situations

Start by ordering a coffee. Listen, repeat and make a polite request.

What you’ll practise
  • Practise everyday conversations
  • Ask a polite question
  • Adapt a dialogue to your own day
Try the coffee-shop lesson Browse all conversations

I want clearer sentences

Make grammar make sense

Start with a, an and the. Read the examples, then check your understanding.

What you’ll practise
  • Choose articles correctly
  • Explore sentence patterns
  • Try writing your own examples
Learn a, an and the Follow the intermediate path

HAVE AN EXAM GOAL?

Prepare for IELTS, one skill at a time.

Explore free listening, reading, writing and speaking lessons with practice tasks.

Explore IELTS practice

A SMALL WIN FOR YOUR ENGLISH

Try a quick English check.

Three everyday questions. Understand the answer, then use it yourself.

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GRAMMAR

Talk about a daily habit.

She studies a little English every day.

Which sentence describes her routine?

Choose one answer, then select “Check answer”.

See answer & explanation

She practises English every day.

With he, she or it, add -s to most verbs in the present simple. Practises is British spelling; practices is the American spelling.

Make it yours: say one thing you do every day. Start with “I …”.

Explore the present simple

VOCABULARY

Find a practical solution.

The bus is late, so you choose another route to arrive on time.

What does a pragmatic choice mean here?

Choose one answer, then select “Check answer”.

See answer & explanation

A practical choice that works.

Pragmatic describes an approach focused on what is useful and workable in a real situation.

Make it yours: describe a practical solution to a small problem you had.

Learn the word pragmatic

CONVERSATION

Order a coffee politely.

You are at a café. You want to ask the barista for a coffee.

Which sentence makes a polite request?

Choose one answer, then select “Check answer”.

See answer & explanation

Could I have a coffee, please?

Could I have …, please? is a useful polite request when ordering food or a drink.

Make it yours: replace coffee with a drink you would like, then say the request aloud.

Try the coffee-shop conversation

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BUILD YOUR WORD BANK

Build your vocabulary.

Explore the word library ↗

PAUSE. RECALL. TRY IT.

Can you explain today’s word?

Without looking back, explain alienate in your own words. Then think of a sentence about your day.

A short recall check helps you practise using what you have just read.

YOUR SELF-CHECK

Does your explanation keep the meaning?

Reveal the meaning and example

To make someone feel less friendly or supportive towards you.

His constant complaints began to alienate his friends.
Try the word’s app practice →

PLAY WITH YOUR ENGLISH

Find your next word game.

Explore all games ↗

Build words, solve meaning clues or put a sentence together. Choose a skill and start playing.

6 games to explore

Looking for a guided activity? Open daily practice →

UNDERSTAND THE PATTERN

Grammar for every level.

All grammar lessons ↗

See a pattern, understand how it works, then try using it. New to grammar? Start with the beginner lesson.

Beginner
a bookan applethe sun

Articles: a, an & the

Choose an article to introduce something or make it specific.

Try the pattern

Say “a book” and “an apple”. A or an depends on the next sound. Use the when your listener can identify which thing you mean.

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Intermediate
teaorcoffee

Connect your ideas

Use conjunctions to join words, phrases and clauses.

Try the pattern

“Would you like tea or coffee?” Here, or connects two alternatives. Try a question offering two choices of your own.

Explore lesson
Advanced
When it rains,we stay in.

Build with clauses

Explore how clauses work together in a sentence.

Try the pattern

“When it rains” is a dependent clause; “we stay in” can stand alone. Complete your own sentence: “When it rains, I …”.

Explore lesson

PHRASAL VERBS

Small words. More meaning.

Learn useful combinations such as give up, find out and pick up. See what they mean and how to use them in everyday English.

Everyday meanings · Illustrated lessons · Short practice quizzes

Explore phrasal verbs

TRY ONE NOW

Give up = stop trying

“The puzzle was difficult, but I didn’t give up.”

Try it in a sentence

Complete this sentence with an activity: “I won’t give up learning …”. Say it aloud, then make another sentence of your own.

Find a phrasal verb for your day

BEYOND THE LITERAL MEANING

Everyday idioms.

All idiom lessons ↗

ENGLISH OUT IN THE WORLD

Practise real conversations.

All conversations ↗

Choose a situation. Try an opening line aloud, then explore the dialogue and make it your own.

Read. Say it. Make it yours.

At a coffee shop

Practise choosing a drink and making a polite request.

Try an opening line
Could I have a coffee to take away, please?

Change the drink to one you would like.

Practise dialogue
Read. Say it. Make it yours.

At a restaurant

Practise asking about the menu and ordering a meal.

Try an opening line
Could I see the menu, please?

Now ask for a dish you would like to order.

Practise dialogue
Read. Say it. Make it yours.

Booking a room

Practise asking about rooms and explaining what you need.

Try an opening line
I’d like to book a room for two nights.

Change the number of nights to suit your trip.

Practise dialogue

A LITTLE HELP WHILE YOU PRACTISE

Try a useful English tool.

All English tools ↗

Check your writing, listen to a phrase or work on a clearer draft. Choose what you want to practise.

WRITING

Count your words

See word and character counts update as you write.

TRY THIS

Describe your morning in 30 words.

Open word counter

SPEAKING

Listen, then repeat

Play a word or phrase with your device’s English voice.

TRY THIS

Listen to “Could you say that again?” and repeat it aloud.

Open pronunciation

WRITING

Make your writing clearer

Write a new version yourself, then compare your two drafts.

TRY THIS

Keep the meaning. Try saying it in fewer words.

Open rewrite practice

Start with a short sample. Copy any writing you want to keep before leaving a tool.

KEEP EXPLORING

Read & watch.

Read a word story or explore a video lesson. Use the examples, then check what you’ve learned.

YOUR DAILY ENGLISH PRACTICE

Build a habit,
one lesson at a time.

Explore a word, an idiom and a grammar lesson in the app. Read the explanation, try the practice and use what you’ve learned.

Free in your browser. No sign-in needed.

Complete the checks in the app to save lesson progress on this device and browser.

WHAT YOU’LL PRACTISE

Small steps. Useful English.

  • A useful word

    Understand its meaning and see it in a sentence.

  • An everyday idiom

    Learn the expression and when to use it.

  • A grammar pattern

    Read the rule, then check your understanding.

  1. 1 Read
  2. 2 Try
  3. 3 Use

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Learning, in their own words.

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A LITTLE GUIDANCE

Questions before you start?

Open a question for a quick answer. You can explore at your own pace.

I’m a beginner. Where should I start?

Start with the beginner roadmap for letters, sounds and everyday words. You can choose another path whenever you’re ready.

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Yes. The lessons, games, tools and learning app currently available here are free to use.

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No account or download is needed to begin. Read lessons here or open the learning app in your browser.

Where is my lesson progress saved?

Complete the checks in the app to save lesson completion in this browser on this device. Reading a website lesson or trying the homepage activity does not mark it complete in the app.

Open Progress in the app to review completed lessons and download a backup.

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