Learn / Study English Using the Basic English Bible!
The Bible in Basic English (BBE) contains 1000 words and as such it is an ideal tool for starting to learn the English language. Furthermore, for those familiar with the Bible in another language, the basic English Bible is an easy to read Bible version unlike the more literary King James Version. Note that even withthe Basic English Bible vocabulary, one cannot claim fluency in English. As a comparison, the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), such as C1 or C2, claims that you are essentially fluent at the C1/C2 level where one should be able to
· Understand with ease virtually everything heard or read
· Summarize information from different spoken and written sources
· Reconstruct arguments and accounts
· Express themselves spontaneously
Someone holding C2 level would have an active vocabulary of 10,000 and a passive vocabulary of around 20,000. That’s in line with what information shows is the average for a native speaker to know. This is in the range of the vocabulary employed in the KJV version of the bible, however the vocabulary in that Bible as well as the grammatical constructions are more literay. For people who speak English as a second language, the older style of English in the popular King James Version Bible doesn’t look like the English you learn in the classroom. This unusual style of writing makes it hard for anyone except highly advanced students to read and understand the KJV Bible. The Basic English Bible English text accompanied with the audio podcast is an excellent complement to studying English in Lausanne or Switzerland. The Bible in 1 year reading plan amounts to just 15 minutes a day.
Study English passively by listening to the Podcast , just 15 minutes a day!
It is well known that another method that language learners use to achieve fluency faster is to focus only on high-frequency words. In other words, they quickly learn the words that people use the most, and thus gain the ability to communicate well with most native speakers in that target language. The Bible in Basic English natually contains a large list of high frequency words making it easy to read, and the audio version combined with the online text version are ideal for studying English while reading the most read book in the world. The Bible is the most read book in the world. In the past 50 years, the Bible has sold over 3.9 billion copies. It is the most recognizable and famous book that has ever been published. The Bible is a collective book with many different preachings based on God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Beginners: Get Started with Learning English from the Bible: Key Links
Basic English Bible (1000 word vocabulary) : Old Testament (Genesis-Malachi) / New Testament (Matthew – Revelation)
or the Basic English 1 year reading plan . The reading is done by a native English speaker, the texts and audio are made freely available without any ads.
The Basic English bible can be listened to online on many platforms by clicking on one of the subscribe buttons below:
For those people who are extremely pressed for time, try the Psalm for the day Podcast which is only 5 minutes per day and available in Basic English Bible form!
Intermediate / Advanced English Learners : King James Version
For those wishing to take their english to the next level using biblical Christian literature, the King James Version (KJV) is available on our site in text form (20000 words vocabulary, literary style) : Old Testament (Genesis-Malachi) / New Testament (Matthew – Revelation)
or in audio / podcast form using one of the links below to subscribe:
Other Christian tools which can be used to help learn English
Jesus Film Project
Parallel Bible : This tool can be used to examine 2 versions of the Bible (typically French Segond 21 Bible and English KJV Bible) side by side. Several French, English and German versions are available which can be compared to the English KJV text.
Suitable for Students of All Skill Levels
The Jesus Film Project website includes a full-length feature film on the life of Jesus. The movie is ideal for students who want to practice their English listening skills while learning more about the story and teachings of Jesus Christ. The movie is available in numerous languages and comes with English subtitles which makes it ideal for learning English.
Along with the movie, the Jesus Film Project website also has an active blog where you can read more about Jesus and stories from the Bible.
Other Bible Versions : There are many other translations of the Bible available that can help you study English. Some popular formal translations include The Lexham English Bible (free with the Logos Bible study app), New American Standard Bible (NASB), King James Version (KJV), New King James Version (NKJV), English Standard Version (ESV), Revised Standard Version (RSV) etc. Other less literal translations include “the Message” and the “Amplified Bible” which tend to be more descriptive.
AND for those who are very pressed for time…Psalm of the day (2-3 minutes)!
If listening to the bible in a year at a pace of 15 minnutes per day sounds overwhelming, try starting your day with an inspiring psalm. Episodes are on average 2-3 minutes.
AB Renens-Lausanne Church Podcasts
Our church association (Action Biblique, literally biblical action) in Lausanne/Renens is regularly visited by foreign and local students from the EPFL and University of Lausanne. These students often have a strong desire to learn English as a second language or in many cases, particularly at the Graduate level to perfect their use of English as it is often the language of the Master’s or PhD thesis. The Action Biblique Church in Lausanne/Renens is happy to provide this Podcast which is a precious Bible Study resource and doubles as a helpful additional English language studying tool. Listening to the audio while viewing texts even passively can be extremely helpful for developing fluency. Since the start of 2020, our church association Action Biblique Switzerland noticed that for the French language in particular, there were few resources available in the Podcast form, particularly for the newer Bible versions (Segond 21). As such audio Bible 1 year and 6 month reading plans have been published as podcasts on the leading platforms Spotify, Apple, Amazon and Google for the Segond 21 Bible. The freely available offer has now been extended to include some English Bibles (Basic English Bible and KJV in particular). As well as a Bible Study tool, KJV Podcasts can also be used to increase fluency for those who already have an intermediate English level.