How I Broke Through 'I Can't Understand English' via Self-Study: The Real Reason Your Listening Skills Aren't Improving and a 30-Day Practical Training Plan

Even though I study English, I can't understand English spoken by native speakers at all.

I tried watching movies and dramas without subtitles, but I couldn't understand what they were saying at all. Even though I continue studying English every day, I don't feel like my listening skills are improving at all.

This is a common struggle shared by many Japanese people aiming to learn English conversation through self-study.

I was exactly the same. I memorized words every day, studied grammar, and worked hard on shadowing, yet I could barely understand native conversations. There was a time when I seriously thought, 'Maybe I just don't have a knack for listening.'

However, through five years of self-study, I realized something. The reason my listening wasn't improving wasn't a matter of talent; it was just that the 'direction' of my practice was wrong.

In this article, I will reveal all the listening improvement methods that I actually practiced and found effective, including my failures. If you read to the end, you will understand the essence of 'why you can't understand' and it should become clear what you need to do starting today.

Why can't you understand English? The real reason many people misunderstand

First, as a major premise, you need to accurately understand the reason why you cannot understand listening. This is because most people continue to practice while holding onto wrong assumptions.

Common Misconception 1: 'I can't understand because I have a small vocabulary'

This is the assumption that 'I can't understand because I don't know many words.' While vocabulary is certainly important, the root cause of why listening doesn't improve is almost never a lack of vocabulary. In fact, over 80% of the words used in daily conversation are basic junior high school level vocabulary. 'I was gonna say...', 'It's kind of like...', 'You know what I mean?' These are all made of junior high school English words, but many people cannot understand them.

Common Misconception 2: 'I don't have enough listening time'

This is the assumption that 'I must listen to more English.' However, this is an approach called 'English shower,' and its effectiveness is very limited. No matter how many hours you listen to sounds you don't understand, you will end up still not understanding them.

Common Misconception 3: 'I can't understand because I don't know the pronunciation'

The real reason is that you don't know about 'sound changes.' English sounds change significantly when spoken continuously. If you don't know the rules of these 'sound changes,' you won't be able to understand actual conversation, even if you know every single word.

What are English 'sound changes'?

Sound changes are changes in sound that occur when speaking English quickly and naturally. I will introduce the five main ones.

Linking

A phenomenon where the sound at the end of a preceding word connects with the sound at the beginning of the following word. Example: 'an apple' -> 'anapple'. Example: 'pick it up' -> 'pikitup'. Because the words stick together, it becomes impossible to tell where the words are separated.

Reduction

A phenomenon where consonants are omitted and become inaudible. Example: 'good boy' -> 'gooboy' (the 'd' disappears). Example: 'last time' -> 'lastime' (the 't' disappears). When two consonants are consecutive, the first consonant becomes inaudible.

Assimilation

A phenomenon where adjacent sounds influence each other and change. Example: 'did you' becomes 'didju'. Example: 'don't you' becomes 'donchu'. When I first learned about this phenomenon, I was shocked, thinking, 'So this was the cause!'

Weak Forms

A phenomenon where function words (a, the, and, of, to, for, can, etc.) are pronounced weakly and briefly within a sentence. Example: 'I can do it' becomes 'I (c)n do it' (the 'can' is barely audible). Even grammatically important auxiliary verbs can sometimes be almost inaudible in actual conversation.

Flapping (American English)

A phenomenon where 't' changes to a sound close to 'r'. Example: 'better' becomes 'bedder'. Example: 'water' becomes 'wadder'. Example: 'I got it' becomes 'I goddit'. If you listen to English without knowing these sound changes, you will continue to experience the state of 'not being able to hear words I should know'.

The Full Procedure of the '4-Stage Listening Training' I Practiced

Stage 1: 'Material Selection' Determines 90% of Success

As a criterion for recommended material selection, I try to choose things that I can understand 70-80% of. Material you can understand completely is boring and doesn't lead to growth. Material you can't understand at all leads to frustration. Material you understand 70-80% of is just right. For beginners (TOEIC 500 or below), TED-Ed and BBC Learning English are recommended. For intermediate learners (TOEIC 500-700), TED Talks and NPR News are good. For advanced learners (TOEIC 700 or above), regular dramas, movies, and podcasts are suitable.

Stage 2: Build Listening Skills from the Ground Up with 'Intensive Listening'

STEP 1: Listen once without looking at anything (3-5 minutes). STEP 2: Listen while looking at the script (5-10 minutes). STEP 3: Thoroughly analyze the parts you couldn't hear (10-15 minutes). STEP 4: Read aloud and mimic the sounds (5-10 minutes). There is a principle that 'you cannot hear sounds you cannot produce with your own mouth.' STEP 5: Listen again without the script (3-5 minutes). This experience of 'I could hear it!' becomes the motivation to continue.

Stage 3: Solidify Input with 'Shadowing'

Once you have input the 'sounds' through intensive listening, solidify them with shadowing. Shadowing is an 'active verification task.' Parts you cannot shadow well are parts you still 'cannot hear.' Please also refer to this article for detailed methods on how to shadow.

Stage 4: Accustom Your Auditory Nerves to English with 'Extensive Listening'

Once you have built a foundation with intensive listening and shadowing, the final step is to increase opportunities for output through extensive listening. For extensive listening, 'qualitative awareness' is more important than 'quantity'.

How to 'Use Up' Listening Material: Digging Deep into One Piece

The secret to improving listening is to 'thoroughly use up one piece of material.' 1st-2nd time: Listen without looking at anything (grasp the current situation). 3rd-4th time: Listen while looking at the script. 5th-6th time: Listen while analyzing sound changes. 7th-8th time: Shadow. 9th-10th time: Listen without the script (pure listening check). After listening to the same material 10 times, you should be able to understand over 90% of the whole thing.

Actual Failure Examples and How to Deal with Them

Failure Example 1: The illusion that 'if I just keep listening, I'll understand eventually'

The result of playing English radio or podcasts as background music: I didn't improve at all. This is because 'if you keep listening to sounds you don't understand, the brain starts to process those sounds as noise.' How to deal with it: Stop using English as background music and create time for intensive listening. By switching to '20-30 minutes of intensive listening, 3-4 days a week,' I felt a clear change after half a year.

Failure Case 2: 'Practicing without knowing about sound changes'

I was stunned when I read a book explaining sound changes. There were countless rules I didn't know, such as 'did you' becoming 'did-ju' and 'can' becoming almost inaudible. By consciously learning sound changes, my comprehension rate improved significantly in three months. Solution: I recommend systematically learning sound changes on the YouTube channel 'Rachel's English'.

Failure Case 3: 'Stopping shadowing because I was too worried about my own pronunciation'

The goal of shadowing is not to 'be able to pronounce perfectly,' but to 'train your body to remember English sound patterns.' Solution: Record yourself and keep a 'record of change.' By comparing how you sound after one week and one month, you can get a real sense that you are definitely improving.

Failure Case 4: 'Continuing to challenge myself with materials that were too difficult'

As a result of continuing to practice with materials far above my level, I felt a sense of failure every time. Solution: Stick to 'materials you can understand 70-80% of.' Letting go of your pride and starting with materials that match your level is the fastest shortcut.

Failure Case 5: 'Reading the script first'

Solution: Always follow the order of 'Sound -> Confirmation.' Listen to the audio only first, check where you couldn't understand, and then look at the script. By following this order, you train your brain to 'try to understand the meaning through sound alone.'

A Concrete 30-Day Practice Menu

Week 1 (Days 1-7): The Week to Learn Sound Changes

Daily Routine (30 minutes): Watch a 10-minute video explaining sound changes (search for 'Rachel's English' on YouTube, etc., and learn one type of sound change per day). Spend 20 minutes doing intensive listening with short materials that contain that sound change. Week 1 Goal: To be able to explain five main types of sound changes.

Week 2 (Days 8-14): The Week to Make Intensive Listening a Habit

Daily Routine (40 minutes): Review shadowing of yesterday's material (10 minutes) -> Intensive listening with new material (30 minutes). Week 2 Goal: To grasp the feeling that the amount you can understand increases little by little each time you listen to the same material three times.

Week 3 (Days 15-21): The Week to Add Shadowing

Daily Routine (45 minutes): Intensive listening (20 minutes) -> Shadowing (15 minutes) -> Record and check (10 minutes). Week 3 Goal: To be able to shadow the material you listened to intensively without a script.

Week 4 (Days 22-30): The Week to Combine Extensive Listening

Daily Routine (45 minutes): Order of intensive listening (20 minutes) -> Shadowing (15 minutes) -> Extensive listening (10 minutes). After 30 days, try listening to the material you used on Day 1 again. Even though it is the same material, you should be able to understand it much better than at the beginning.

The Option of Using AI for Listening Practice

When talking with AI, you can adjust the speed and accent of the other person's speech, so you can practice at your own level. You can easily do things that are hard to ask a human conversation partner, such as asking them to 'say it slowly again' when you didn't understand, or asking them to 'show me the text of the current conversation.'

The English learning app 'Lexion' (https://lexion.onrender.com/) that I am developing also implements features for AI-based listening and speaking practice. It is still in beta, but if you are interested, please give it a try.

Frequently Asked Questions (Q&A)

Q. I've only been studying English for half a year. Is it too early for listening practice?

It is never too early. In fact, making 'listening' a habit from the start will make things easier later on. Beginners should start with short, slower materials like TED-Ed.

Q. I practice listening every day, but I haven't felt any improvement for over half a year. What is the problem?

The most common cause is that you are not doing 'intensive listening.' Try intensive listening with the materials you are currently using, analyzing sentence by sentence why you cannot understand what is being said.

Q. Is it effective to learn English through movies?

Movies are excellent as study materials, but they are often too difficult for the initial stages of self-study. I recommend building a foundation with BBC Learning English or TED-Ed before challenging yourself with movies.

Q. How long does it take until I can understand what I hear?

If you continue practicing in the right direction, many people feel a clear change in 3 to 6 months. In one month, you will understand the rules of sound changes and be able to listen analytically; in three months, you will be able to understand 70-80% of TED-Ed level English; and in six months, you will be able to understand everyday English conversation as it flows.

Mindset for Continuing Self-Taught English Conversation

I strongly recommend keeping a record of 'what you couldn't understand' during your listening practice. Record the specific cause, such as 'I couldn't understand this because of linking.' As your records accumulate, your own 'weak point patterns' will become visible.

I personally made sure to write down 'notes on sound changes I couldn't understand today' in my English diary. I have written in detail about the effects of English diaries in another article, so please be sure to read it.

It is also important to let go of the curse of 'trying to understand everything perfectly.' By having the standard that 'if you can understand 70-80%, the conversation will work,' you will be freed from unnecessary pressure. Improvement in listening skills is not linear, but step-like. The key is how calmly you can continue practicing during periods of stagnation.

Summary: 'Not being able to understand' can definitely be solved

The real reason you cannot understand English is, in most cases, that you do not know about 'sound changes.' Before increasing your vocabulary, it is a priority to learn the 'rules of sound' in English.

Effective listening training has four stages: choose materials that match your level -> intensive listening -> solidify with shadowing -> get used to it with extensive listening. It is important to follow this order.

If you feel like you don't know how to continue with self-study, try just the first week of the 30-day plan introduced today. Just by learning the five types of sound changes, the way English sounds to you should change. The path of self-study is long, but if you are walking on the right path, you will definitely reach your

destination. Let's do our best together.

Related article: Please also check out the shadowing practice method.