I read a lot to improve my English and, look, I've never had problems with misunderstandings or prnounciations. I guess it depends on how much you know about the "pronounciation tricks" of each language.

Hi,Peachey, I agree with you, I am learning English now, so I read English books, listen English songs, watch films which speak English.........in order to improvemy English vocabulary.I can remember I asked a question " what does a white day mean" , and many native speaker told me it didn't make a sentence, so I was confused,I read it from an English story! Also sometimes, I know every words' meaning in a phrase, but I don't know the phrase' s meaning!And sometimes, when I take an English listening test, I always mix up the words which have the same pronunciation! I really hope my English can be improved in a short time!

Hi Peachy I don't agree at all...because if we learn vocabulary without using them ...it will be a waste of time ...when we read we realize that words have different meaning and different use...reading is the most useful way to learn a language even your native ...to enrich your vocabulary so if we get confused we consult a dictionary ... I wonder how can anyone learn a language without reading!!!!!!!!!! ...I can''t see how... in my experience in learning French ..books where my first guide to the world of vocabulary ..it helped me to remember my new words ...I always carry a dictionary when I read ...I underline every difficult word and I write its difinition when I finish reading the book I come back to those words and read them again to memorize some .. I think that learning words has to be in a context..

I completly agree. English tends to get a reputation that it is easy to learn, yet its vocabulay is ever growing and trying to learn while reading can be very frustrating when trying to use in everyday conversations.

yes,I agreed and this question had bothered me a long period.