How to Learn English Slowly: My 13-Year Journey from A0 to C1

This is the full story of English in my life: how I started learning it, why I enjoyed it while so many of my peers hated it, and the pivotal moments, resources, and people that accelerated my progress.

At the time of writing this article, English has already been a crucial part of my life for 19 years. My journey from complete zero to a C1 Cambridge certificate took 13 years—and I actually enjoyed about 80% of the process (nothing is perfect, right? 😉). I’m not a native speaker, but despite living in a non-English-speaking country, English now dominates my everyday life.

The First Steps

The journey began with little me starting first grade in 2006. The school was actually quite good: not a fancy private institution, but a solid public gymnasium. We were lucky enough to have English as a foreign language from the very first grade. I know that for many of my peers I met later, English started a bit later in their schooling, and that made things harder for them.

Of course, as in any class, some children found it easier than others. For me, it was a bit easier than for most, but it definitely wasn’t a piece of cake. My mother arranged extra lessons with a tutor who happened to be her friend, and I took them once or twice a week. That helped me stay among the top students in English class at primary school.

Where I come from, having extra lessons with private tutors for almost any subject is extremely common. In particular, when it comes to English, the bar in most public schools is quite low. Teachers are underpaid, and for many students it’s not easy to be one of 30 children in a class and still manage to understand everything.

That was the case for me as well. I wasn’t smart or attentive enough (or both 😉) to fully grasp the material at school, so I needed a lot of extra lessons in key subjects.

A Lasting Impression of my first English teacher

My first English teacher in primary school had a huge impact on how I perceived the language and why I grew to love it. He was a man, which was unusual at the time for that region and profession. He had a beard and wore modest clothing; what I remember most are his dark sweaters. For some reason, he gave me the vibe of an Englishman, even though he wasn’t one. I can’t explain exactly why; it’s been almost twenty years, and the details are fuzzy, but that impression stuck with me.

He was a little strict, but not too much. That balance made his praise feel meaningful—doing well in his lessons actually felt like an achievement.

If I try to recall now, I don’t think he stayed with us until the end of primary school. He probably left after a year or two. What’s telling is that I don’t remember anything about the English teachers who came after him in public school—not their names, not their faces, nothing—at least not until eighth grade. And even the ones I do remember from high school didn’t leave any real impact on me. That fact speaks for itself.

The first conclusion I can draw is this: you can’t overestimate how much a first teacher shapes a child’s perception of a language. And it’s not just about being “nice.” It’s the unique mix of knowledge, presence, kindness, strictness, and the classroom atmosphere that makes the difference.

Investing in Quality Education: The Best ROI of My Life

Somewhere around fifth grade, I started learning English in a private language school that specialized in preparation for the Cambridge English exams. I attended classes there three times a week, in addition to what I had at school.

And that was the pivotal moment. The gap in teaching quality between this language school and my regular school was indescribable.

On one hand, in public school, we had:

• underpaid teachers who weren’t really incentivized to spark a love for the language
• old, outdated, crappy books
• overcrowded classrooms
• zero interest from peers, with maybe 90% of students still at A2 level by 10th grade (okay, I made that number up, but you get the point)

On the other hand, in the language school we had:

• highly qualified teachers with international English certifications at C1, C2 levels, CELTA, DELTA, and all that jargon, which gave me full confidence in what I was learning
• small groups of 4–12 students, where most people knew why they were there and were motivated to learn
• modern, high-quality learning materials
• occasional theme lessons and interactive exercises
• rare but memorable movie-watching sessions
• a cozy interior designed to resemble Great Britain
• cultural immersion through small celebrations of UK/US holidays like Halloween, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day
• structured preparation for Cambridge exams

I studied at that school for about eight years, moving level by level and passing the A2 Key (KET), B2 First (FCE), and C1 Advanced (CAE) Cambridge exams. Over that time, teachers only changed three times—the first two in the early years—and all of them were excellent. I finished my journey with the school in 2019, when I passed the C1 exam during my first year at university.

A small remark, so you don’t get the wrong impression: I wasn’t the perfect student who always studied hard. I was sometimes lazy and unmotivated, but deep down I knew why I was learning the language and how important it was.

Some people might think: “Well, of course it worked out for you—you went to some expensive private school for rich kids.” But that wasn’t the case. True, it wasn’t cheap for the average family in my country, and it wasn’t easy for mine either, but it was definitely affordable for middle-class families if they had the right priorities. For people in Western countries, it would seem dirt cheap. And it was absolutely worth it—one of the best investments in my education, with the highest return on investment. It paid off extremely well. I’m deeply grateful to my parents for providing me with that opportunity and giving me a nudge when I needed it.

To sum up this part: invest in high-quality education. A high price doesn’t always mean high quality, but when you find a great teacher or school, stick with them.

Watching movies in English made all the difference

Another thing that made a huge difference for me was the desire to watch content in English. You might be surprised, but a lot of people go to tutors, study English, and never actually use it in real life—unless they live in an English-speaking country. I understand why they struggle with motivation: how can you enjoy learning if you never see how to apply it or benefit from it right away? Studying only to pass final exams is what I call “motivation away-from”, and it’s hard to enjoy the process when that’s your primary driver.

So where am I going with this? Well, we all watch movies, YouTube videos, read books, listen to podcasts, and so on. Wouldn’t it be amazing to absorb all that in the original language? No dubbing, no intermediaries. For me, it was a huge milestone when I could watch movies and series in English—at first with subtitles, and eventually without them.

If you’re looking for an easy starting point, here’s what helped me: a series called Extra English. It’s an old-school language-learning TV program produced from 2002 to 2004. Sure, it feels outdated now, but in my opinion, it’s an amazing series to get you going. It’s a Friends-style sitcom specifically designed for beginner learners. Some of you might even enjoy the quirky 2000s UK vibe.

That said, I didn’t like Extra right away—or watching anything in English, to be honest. No sugarcoating: it’s not easy unless you already have a higher level. You have to sit through it, fight the urge to be lazy, and look up words and phrases you don’t know. And yes, sometimes you just want to enjoy the movie without pausing every 10 seconds to translate. Just keep watching as long as you understand the general plot. When you have the energy, sure thing, go and look up that phrase that you don't know.

Consuming content in English was a game-changer for me. It improved my listening skills, gave me a real way to apply my knowledge, and opened up a whole new world of entertainment and information.

Something as weird and quirky as _Extra English_ can be a starting point and an inspiration. That was the case for me. For you, it might be something else—but the key is to keep trying until it clicks. And trust me, it will.

How English Opened Up a World of Opportunity

Finally, knowing why you are learning a language—how much you need it—has a huge influence on your results and on how much you enjoy the process. I’m a software engineer, and English has always been at the core of everything I do: learning programming, writing code, communicating at work, doing job interviews, reading articles, and watching content about the latest advancements in tech. Everything.

People often ask online: “Which programming language should I learn first?”. The answer is extremely simple: English. Unless you already live in an English-speaking country, your first “language to learn” should be English. Being good at it means you don’t have to wait for documentation, articles, or news to be translated. And honestly, I don’t care how good Gemini or ChatGPT are at other languages—I always use them in English. (Fun fact: roughly 90% of the data these models are trained on is in English 🤔).

In the tech world, the dominance of English is obvious. But I’m convinced that almost any professional, in almost any industry, can benefit from getting some information about their craft in English.

Let’s say I want to become a carpenter and look for some YouTube channels to learn from real people and get a sense of community. Here are the results I get in English.

I quickly found overview videos and even a channel where a carpenter Dave documents his life and woodwork lessons.

In German, I mostly saw general overview videos, with less of that personal touch.

In Spanish, I spotted a couple of closer matches, which makes sense given the larger number of speakers. But the difference is still clear: the richest variety of content was in English.

I’m not saying you should learn English and forget other languages—that’s not the point at all. However, this little test shows that it’s not just IT or tech people who benefit from English. Even in something as niche as carpentry, you might struggle to find good content in your native language, but find plenty in English.

The more languages you know, the more doors open to you.

Key Takeaways from My English Journey

These were the key lessons from my lifelong journey of learning English and the huge value it has brought to my life.

Here are the takeaways:

• The first teacher has an enormous influence on how a child perceives the language.
• Falling in love with English is not just about the right materials or a knowledgeable teacher. The whole package matters: the classroom atmosphere, interactivity, and even small things like watching a movie or exploring the culture behind the language.
• Find a qualified teacher or school you can trust—one that creates meaningful lessons, nurtures your love for the language, and provides all of the above 👆. Once you find that, hold on to it. It’s rare. Of course, this doesn’t mean all responsibility lies with the teacher. It takes two to tango.
• Look for ways the language can already make a difference in your life and start using it as a tool. An easy way to do this is by consuming content in that language. You get double the benefit: the joy and value from what you’re watching or reading, and steady improvement in your language skills at the same time.

In the end, English has been more than just a subject for me—it has been a gateway. A gateway to knowledge, to community, to opportunities. And that’s exactly what it can be for anyone who’s willing to stick with it.