English for Real Life
Gain practical confidence in English for conversations, travel, and daily interactions. Learn how everyday sentences are built, how to sound natural and polite, and how to decode native speech in real situations.
Like Duolingo, but for English for Real Life. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
25 levels across 4 sections, about 50 minutes end to end, roughly 10 days at five minutes a day. It moves through Building Everyday Sentences, Talking About Time and Action, Navigating Real-World Social Situations, and Sounding Natural and Connecting Thoughts. It starts from scratch.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in English for Real Life
- English relies on Subject-Verb-Object word order to tell who performs an action and who receives it
- Putting the subject first and the object last is what establishes meaning; swapping them reverses who did what
- Every complete English sentence demands an explicit verb, even when merely describing a state or condition
- Forms of 'to be' (like 'am', 'is', 'are') cannot be omitted in English the way linking verbs often are in other languages
- In English, descriptive adjectives sit immediately before the noun they describe
- Placing the adjective directly after the noun is ungrammatical in standard English descriptive phrasing
- 'The' signals a specific item that both the speaker and listener can already see or identify
- 'A' or 'an' refers to any generic member of a group rather than a specific known item
- To negate a standard action verb in English, you must add an auxiliary verb like 'do not' or 'does not'
- English does not allow basic action negation by simply putting 'no' or 'not' directly before the main verb
- In English, yes-or-no questions with general verbs require a helper verb like 'do' or 'does' placed before the subject
- The subject directly follows the helper verb, followed by the base action verb
- Unlike some languages, simply saying a statement with normal word order is not the standard grammatical way to form a formal question
- English question words go at the very start of the sentence to show what type of information is needed right away
- 'Where' asks for location, 'when' asks for time, 'why' asks for reasons, and 'who' asks for a person
- 'Can I have...' is the go-to English phrase for politely ordering or requesting items in shops and restaurants
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives English for Real Life the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
How does "The dog chased the cat" change if you say "The cat chased the dog"?
Get it right to open this lesson and 24 more in the app.
How to learn English for Real Life, step by step
Go in order. 25 short levels across 4 sections, about 50 minutes in all, five minutes a day.
- 1
Building Everyday Sentences
- The Core English Sentence Engine
- Asking Questions That Get Answers
- 2
Talking About Time and Action
- Habits versus the Present Moment
- Talking About Yesterday and Tomorrow
- 3
Navigating Real-World Social Situations
- Softening Tone and Making Polite Requests
- Everyday Phrasal Verbs
- 4
Sounding Natural and Connecting Thoughts
- Linking Sentences to Tell Stories
- Decoding Spoken English and Sound Rhythms
4 sections · 8 units · 25 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
Questions about English for Real Life
How do I learn English for Real Life?
Go in order: start with Building Everyday Sentences, then Talking About Time and Action, then Navigating Real-World Social Situations, then Sounding Natural and Connecting Thoughts. On Tomo that's 25 short levels, about 50 minutes in all, played five minutes a day. Start free and play the first level in under a minute.
Is there a Duolingo-style app for English for Real Life?
Yes. Tomo works like Duolingo: short daily lessons, streaks and quick quizzes. English for Real Life is one of its free courses, and you can type any other topic to get a course of your own.
Is the English for Real Life course free?
Yes. English for Real Life is playable on Tomo's free plan, which doesn't expire. No credit card, no waitlist. Download the app and start your first lesson.
How long does it take to learn English for Real Life?
25 levels across 4 sections, about 50 minutes of play in total. It's built for five minutes a day, so you finish it a little at a time instead of all at once.
Do I need any background to start English for Real Life?
No. It's pitched at a beginner level, so it starts where you are and builds up. If you can tap a phone, you can start.
Tomo is in ChatGPT
Tomo is also a ChatGPT plugin: the same playable courses, built and played inside your chat.
Add Tomo to ChatGPT- What to ask
- “Make me a Tomo course on black holes.” “Turn this chat into a Tomo course.”
- What you get
- Quick questions with instant feedback, hearts and stars, ready to play in about a minute.
- Where it goes
- No sign-up to start. Connect your Tomo account and your streak carries on in the app.
You pick the voice
English for Real Life is taught in the Bestie style: your friend who just gets it. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
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Start English for Real Life today.
Download Tomo, search English for Real Life, and play your first lesson in under a minute.