English for developers: from A1 to C1 step by step
The English a developer needs to read docs, write PRs, speak in meetings and pass interviews, with a level-by-level plan from A1 to C1.
Documentation, error messages, libraries and many remote job offers are in English. You don't need to speak perfectly to start, but you do need a plan: technical English is learned through frequency, not marathons.
1. The English a developer uses
- Reading: documentation, errors, issues and Stack Overflow. It's the first thing you need.
- Writing: commits, Pull Requests, issues, READMEs and Slack messages.
- Speaking: standups, demos, code review on calls and interviews.
- Negotiating (advanced): deadlines with clients, estimates and salary.
2. The level-by-level plan
| Level | What you achieve |
|---|---|
| A1 | Pronounce tech words (cache, queue, width), greet people and introduce yourself |
| A2 | Describe your routine and your standup: yesterday, today and blockers, in present, past and future |
| B1 | Read docs and errors, and write clear commits, issues and PRs |
| B2 | Take part in meetings, give code review, run demos and talk to clients |
| C1 | Pass behavioral and technical interviews, explain a design and negotiate salary |
3. Phrases you'll use every week
- Standup: Yesterday I fixed the login bug. Today I'm picking up the payments ticket. I'm blocked by the API keys.
- Commit:
fix: handle empty cart on checkout - Review: Nit: could we rename this variable to make it clearer?
- Meeting: Sorry, could you say that again? Just to confirm, …
Notice three details: commits use the imperative (Add, Fix), a or an depends on the sound (an API, a user) and a kind tone matters in code review (Would you mind…?, Have you considered…?).
4. Interviews in English
Behavioral questions ("Tell me about a time you…") are answered with the STAR method: Situation, Task, Action, Result. Prepare 5 or 6 real stories and record yourself telling them. For the technical part, practice explaining your code out loud while you write it: it's a separate skill.
5. What to build to prove it
- Your GitHub and LinkedIn profiles in English, plus a short video introducing yourself.
- An open source project with a README, issues and PRs well written in English.
- An interview-kit repo with your STAR stories, your "Tell me about yourself" and mock interview recordings.
6. Common mistakes
- Studying grammar without practicing. Write and speak a little every day.
- Translating word by word. Learn whole phrases from real work.
- Waiting until you're "ready". Start reading documentation in English today, with a dictionary at hand.
English helps a lot when getting your first junior developer job and when working in teams with Git and GitHub.
Next step
Codea's free English for developers route goes from A1 to C1 in 12 weeks: pronunciation, docs, technical writing, meetings, code review, clients and interviews, with challenges and teacher review. Explanations are in Spanish.
Videos, hands-on challenges, quizzes and teacher reviews (route content is in Spanish).