From A0 to A1 – Starting Your English Journey

August 06, 2025•6 min read

Hey English learner 👋

Are you brand new to learning English? Maybe you only know a few words, or none at all. Don’t worry—you’re in the right place.

This post is your complete guide to going from A0 (true beginner) to A1 (elementary), including:

✅ What A1 learners can actually do
✅ Complete grammar and vocabulary checklist
✅ Study tips to help you learn faster
✅ How long it takes to reach A1
✅ A printable checklist to track your progress - Download Now!

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🎯 What Can You Do at A1?

At the A1 level, you’re building the foundation of your English. You can:

Introduce yourself and others (name, age, nationality)
Ask and answer simple questions about familiar topics
Use common expressions for greetings, thanks, and apologies
Describe people, places, and objects using simple language
Talk about daily routines and habits
Understand and give basic directions or instructions
Read short, simple texts (signs, emails, menus)
Write simple notes, messages, and personal info
Understand slow, clear speech on familiar topics
Participate in short conversations with support

🗣️ Example:
“I like music.” → Explaining why might still feel difficult, but that’s okay—you’re building up!

⏱️ How Long Does It Take to Reach A1?

📈 Estimated study time: 80–100 hours

This can be faster if you:

Practice every day (even 15 minutes helps!)
Use a mix of reading, listening, speaking, and writing
Work with a tutor, join a group, or take a beginner course

✨ Need help creating your beginner routine? Book a FREE consultation with me here!

🔤 How Many Words Should You Know at A1?

At A1, you’re working with a vocabulary of about 500 high-frequency words.

These are your “survival” words—enough to navigate basic situations like:

Talking about your family and home
Going shopping or to a restaurant
Asking and answering simple questions
Describing your routines, feelings, or likes/dislikes

🎯 Keep it simple. Fluency starts with the words you use every day!

🧠 What A1 Means for Your English Skills

Here’s what A1 looks like in real life, across each skill:

🎧 Listening:
You can understand slow, clear speech with familiar words. You might catch individual words or short expressions when people speak carefully.

📖 Reading:
You can read signs, menus, short notes, or basic emails that use common vocabulary.

🗣️ Speaking:
You can say basic sentences, ask questions, and answer with support. Most of your speech will be short and memorized—but that’s normal!

✍️ Writing:
You can write your name, basic sentences about yourself, and fill out simple forms or notes.

📚 A1 Grammar Topics

Here’s your full grammar foundation at the A1 level:

📅 Tenses & Verb Forms:

Verb to be (am, is, are)
Present Simple (I like, You work)
Present Continuous (I’m studying)
Past Simple of be (was/were)
Past Simple (walked, went)
Future: going to (I’m going to study), will (I’ll call you)
Have got (I’ve got a book)
Imperatives (Sit down!)

❓ Questions:

Wh- questions (who, what, where, when, why, how)
Yes/No questions with be, do, can, have got
Basic question word order

🧠 Modals & Auxiliary Verbs:

Can / Can’t (ability, permission, possibility)
Could (past ability, polite requests)
Would like / I’d like
Must / Mustn’t

🧱 Nouns, Pronouns & Determiners:

Subject & object pronouns (I/me, he/him)
Possessive adjectives & pronouns (my, your, hers)
Demonstratives (this, that, these, those)
Countable vs. uncountable nouns
Articles: a, an, the
Quantifiers: some, any, much, many, a few, a lot of
Possessive ’s (John’s car)

📍 Prepositions:

Place: in, on, under, behind, next to
Time: at, on, in
Movement: into, out of, across, onto, through

✨ Adjectives & Adverbs:

Basic adjectives (happy, cold, tall)
Comparatives and superlatives (older, the oldest)
Adverbs of frequency (always, often, never)
Adjective vs. adverb (quick vs. quickly)

🔗 Sentence Structure & Connectors:

Conjunctions: and, but, because, so, or
Zero conditional: If you’re cold, wear a jacket.
Gerunds & infinitives: like swimming, want to go
Basic sentence word order (SVOMPT)

🔤 A1 Vocabulary Topics

At A1, focus on everyday language like:

👤 Personal & Everyday Life:

Personal info (name, nationality, age)
Family, friends, and routines
Home and furniture
Jobs and work

🗺️ Places & Movement:

Countries and cities
Directions and transportation
Public places (store, school, café)

⏰ Time & Schedules:

Days, months, and seasons
Telling the time (o’clock, half past…)
Frequency words (every day, sometimes)

🛒 Shopping & Lifestyle:

Food and drink
Clothing
Prices and money
Ordering in restaurants

🧍 Health & Body:

Body parts
Sports & Exercise

🌤️ Describing the World:

Colors
Weather
Nature and surroundings

📚 Language Tools:

Everyday verbs (be, do, go, like, want)
Classroom phrases
Personal possessions and common objects

🧠 Study Tips to Reach A1 Faster

As a fluency coach, here’s what I always tell my beginner students:

✅ Start speaking from day one.
Don’t wait to be perfect—fluency comes from using the language, not just studying it.

✅ Build all 4 skills—every week.
Balance listening, reading, writing, and speaking. Each one supports the others and helps you progress faster.

✅ Use apps and flashcards to grow vocabulary.
Duolingo and Anki are great tools to help you review and remember essential words and phrases.

✅ Train your ears with short, real English.
Listen to music, beginner podcasts, or 1–2 minute videos. Repeat what you hear and try to shadow the speaker.

✅ Read short, simple texts online.
Websites like Engoo Daily News or graded readers are perfect for early learners.

✅ Get an English Notebook
Buy a notebook and note down new vocabulary and write short paragraphs about your life, like your routine or plans.

✅ Find a language partner.
Apps like Tandem or HelloTalk let you connect with native speakers and learners from around the world.

✅ Join beginner-friendly lessons or conversation groups.
This gives you structured speaking time, feedback, and support, which makes a huge difference.

🌟 Need help reaching A1?
You can join my self-study community, private classes, or conversation club. I’ll guide you step-by-step through personalized lessons, clear goals, and accountability.

➡️ Book a Free Consultation with Me