7 YouTubers Who Can Help You Improve Your English

YouTube has long been more than just a collection of funny cat videos, with loads of helpful channels which can help you brush up on anything from your fitness to your cooking. One interesting trend in particular is the growing number of videos aimed at helping people learn a new language.

Exposing yourself to a native speaker is a fantastic way to improve your English proficiency, as anyone who has watched English TV shows and films to help them learn can tell you. By watching these videos, it’s possible to get a sense for how speakers’ mouths move and how conversations are structured, things which you can’t learn from just a textbook. Given this, it’s no surprise that YouTube is proving to be particularly handy for language learners, as you can rewind to go over something you didn’t quite understand.

If English isn’t your first language and you’d like to perfect your skills in grammar, pronunciation and your accent, perhaps in preparation for studying abroad in an English-speaking country, here are some excellent YouTubers you should be watching.

English with Lucy

English With Lucy is run by Lucy Earl, who works as a professional English language teacher as well as a vlogger. Lucy has more than 880,000 subscribers at the time of writing, with an audience stretching as far as South America, Indonesia and India, and she says she aims to teach beautiful British English.

Helpful videos from Lucy include advice on how to stop translating in your head, common words people pronounce incorrectly, and the meaning behind some of the weird and wonderful idioms and expressions you’ll hear on a regular basis in the UK. Lucy also takes the time to write out subtitles for many of her videos, making learning English through her channel even more of a breeze.  

Being British: Joel & Lia

Ever wondered how you’re actually meant to pronounce Tube station names like Marylebone or Leicester Square? Or what the various regional accents you’ll encounter throughout the UK sound like? Friends Joel and Lia make chatty, informal videos on British culture and British language, with recent videos on how tipping compares in the UK compared to the US, and what the British healthcare system is like.

Their channel is ideal if you’re heading to the UK to study and want to get an idea of what you should expect.

Eat Sleep Dream English

Another great YouTuber to watch to improve your English is Tom from Eat Sleep Dream English. As well as producing his own videos, he’s also collaborated with Joel and Lia for videos on what British people really mean when they say certain things, and what London slang you can expect to hear in the city.

Tom’s videos can help you with pronunciation as well as spelling, including a video explaining text speak such as ICYMI, TMI, and TBH.  Tom’s also made popular videos on how to learn English with Ed Sheeran (sadly, not the man himself) by listening to hit songs like ‘Shape of You’.

Learn English with Papa Teach Me

If you want to have a go at sounding posh or try your hand at the accents from Game of Thrones, Aly from Learn English with Papa Teach Me can help. He’s also collaborated with Joel and Lia for videos on scams to watch out for in London and things that annoy Londoners.

English Like a Native

Anna from English Like a Native produces another great channel for advancing your British English language skills. One of Anna’s recent videos (featured above) compares British, American and Australian English, which is especially helpful if you’re thinking of studying abroad in any of these countries. Anna’s also made videos on how to speak professionally on the phone, tongue twisters, Cockney rhyming slang and words with silent letters.

American English YouTubers

The English Coach

It’s also worth mentioning a couple of American YouTubers to watch to improve your English, starting with Stefanie from The English Coach. Her aim is to help people become more confident in their English skills, and her videos include one on what culture shock you might experience when you visit the US for the first time, and how to speak more like a native speaker.

Speak English With Vanessa

Another great channel for improving your American English skills if you’re studying in the US, Vanessa has been teaching English for over six years and has many videos on vocabulary, pronunciation and how to use certain idioms. She’s also recommended books and tv shows you could check out to improve your expertise. 

Want more content like this? Register for free site membership to get regular updates and your own personal content feed.