How to read books in English as a non-native speaker
How to choose your first English novel, how often to stop for unknown words, when to keep going, and how to read on your phone with help that does not break the story.
The short answer: pick a book you want to read that is not too far above your level, read for the story rather than for every word, and look up only what stops you following it. Read a little every day. Use a reader that explains a word in place, so you do not leave the page. Your first book will be slow. Your third will not.
Choosing the first book
- A book you know. Reading an English edition of a book you have read in your own language lets you follow along even when words are missing.
- Modern and full of dialogue. Conversation uses everyday words and short sentences. Literary description is much harder.
- Shorter is better. Finishing a book is a big boost. A 200-page novel beats a 600-page one the first time.
- Careful with old classics. Books like Peter Pan or Sherlock Holmes are famous and short, but they use words and grammar from over a hundred years ago. They are rewarding, just not easy.
A quick test: read a page. If you need to look up more than five or six words to follow what happens, try something easier for now.
How to read it
- Read for the story. If you know who is doing what, keep going even with gaps.
- Look up what blocks you. A word that stops the meaning, or one you have seen three times. Skip adjectives you can guess.
- Check the meaning that fits. English words have many meanings. Bank, run, fair, settle: the first dictionary meaning is often the wrong one.
- Read a little every day. Ten pages a day finishes a novel in a month.
- Do not go back too often. Rereading every paragraph makes reading feel like work. Move on.
Phrasal verbs and idioms
The hardest part of English books is not long words but short ones in combination: put up with, run into, give in, make out. A dictionary lookup of run will not tell you what ran into an old friend means. Look up the whole phrase, or use a tool that explains the word in its sentence.
Reading on your phone
ContextCat’s Store has English classics to start with, and you can import any book you have as a PDF. Tap a word and the note under the sentence explains what it means there, in your own language: ran in “the meeting ran over” is explained as running long, not as running. Listen reads the book aloud with each sentence highlighted, if you like to hear it as you go. The words you look up come back later as cards.
If you only want to read and not study, reading mode keeps it simple.
Questions
What is a good first book to read in English?
- A book you already know in your own language, a modern novel with lots of dialogue, or a young adult book. Children's classics like Peter Pan are short but use old-fashioned words, so they can be harder than they look.
Is it OK not to understand every word?
- Yes. If you follow the story, keep reading. Look up words that block the meaning or that keep coming back.