A1 English Vocabulary Course

The course does one thing. It is not a grammar course and it does not teach conversation. It gives you the words, with enough context to use them correctly, so that the grammar you learn elsewhere has something to work with.

A1 vocabulary by topic

The words are split into 37 units. Each unit is built around a topic rather than a letter of the alphabet, so the words in each unit are ones you would naturally use together:

• Family and friends, describing people, and feelings
• Home and daily life — the house, everyday objects, daily routine, colours and clothes
• Food and drink — fruit and vegetables, cooking and eating
• The body and health
• In town, travel and holidays
• School, work and money
• Time and the weather — days of the week, months and seasons
• Free time — hobbies, sport, art and media
• Animals and the natural world
• Common verbs and adjectives — action words, opposites, and words for thinking, speaking and writing

Because the units are grouped by topic, you do not have to work through them in order. If you need the words for a trip next week, start with travel and come back to the rest later.

How the words were chosen

The word list is based on an analysis of spoken and written English, so the course concentrates on the words that come up most often. It is aligned with the Oxford 3000™, the core word list published by Oxford University Press, and was put together with input from English teachers on what learners need at this level.

EnglishLeo is not affiliated with Oxford University Press.

Word lists with definitions, audio and quizzes

Every entry gives the word, its part of speech, a short definition in plain English, and example sentences showing how the word is used in context.

Each word has audio, so you can hear how it is pronounced. Hearing a word before you say it matters more at A1 than at any later level, because English spelling tells you very little about how a word sounds.

Each unit ends with a Test Yourself quiz on that unit’s words. Answers are shown straight away, so you can see what you missed while it is still fresh.

A flashcard module with spaced repetition is being added. It will bring back each word at increasing intervals, just before you are likely to forget it, which is one of the most reliable ways to remember new words in the long term. Like the rest of the course, it will work without an account.

Who this A1 course is for

• Beginners starting English, or coming back to it after a long break
• Learners working towards A1, or building up to A2
• Teachers who need ready-made elementary word lists for class
• Parents and tutors helping a child with their first English vocabulary
• Self-study learners who want a clear structure to follow

It is not the right starting point if you can already hold a simple conversation comfortably. In that case, begin at A2.

What you need

• About fifteen to twenty minutes per unit. At one unit a day the course takes around five weeks, though there is no schedule to keep to.
• Nothing to buy, install or sign up for.

After A1: moving on to A2

When you finish, the A2 vocabulary course continues with the next set of words. It uses the same format and is also free. The series runs through to C1, and there is a separate course for IELTS, TOEFL and PTE vocabulary if you are preparing for an exam.