Articles


How many words do you need to speak a language fluently?

written by Benny Lewis

Sometimes on this blog, I like to ask really stupid questions (or make stupid statements) in the post title, and then explain how idiotic I think the question is in the first place within the actual post, and explain an alternative way of looking at it. This is one of those times! I’ve been getting […]


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Reading time: 10 minutes

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6 short videos to help you configure your very own reality distortion field

written by Benny Lewis

The late and great Steve Jobs was famous for many things, and was arguably one of the most influential contributors to how advanced personal use technology developed over the last few decades. But another thing that he was quite well known for, which definitely contributed a huge amount to how much he achieved, was his […]


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Reading time: 8 minutes

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Benny’s first video attempt in Mandarin: 2 weeks after starting

written by Benny Lewis

From the blog’s origin era (2009–2014) — kept as lived proof of the method. See all the missions. [Captions in English, Traditional Chinese (native written) & Simplified Chinese (automatic conversion). If you live in China and Youtube is blocked, then check out this video on Youku] As I’ve explained in great detail before, uploading a […]

My First Week Speaking, Reading and Writing Chinese

My First Week Speaking, Reading and Writing Chinese

written by Benny Lewis

It’s the end of week 1 of what has definitely been the mission that has stirred up the most interest and discussion since I started the blog! From the blog’s origin era (2009–2014) — kept as lived proof of the method. See all the missions. I can confirm that after this initial exposure to the […]

My study material

Language Mission: Mandarin in 3 months!

written by Benny Lewis

From the blog’s origin era (2009–2014) — kept as lived proof of the method. See all the missions. Note: This mission has ended – I reached a lower intermediate level of Mandarin after 3 months and used it to successfully travel China and interview people! This video shows the level I had just before leaving […]

Quechua: Quick overview and Benny speaking it with natives

written by Benny Lewis

So here it is! Ending the year on a positive note of another successful language mission completed! 😀 I had only aimed to learn the basics of Quechua in the few weeks I was here, and I think this video shows that I did indeed get something out of my experience with it! Like with […]


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Reading time: 2 minutes

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What does Quechua sound like? Traditional fabric/dyeing presentation in “runasimi”!

written by Benny Lewis

My mission to learn a little Quechua (a.k.a. “Runasimi”, the language of the Incas) has been so fascinating!! From the blog’s origin era (2009–2014) — kept as lived proof of the method. See all the missions. I’ve recorded lots of video footage about my experience here in the Andes, including my four day adventure hike […]


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Reading time: 2 minutes

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The “flow” of fluency: How to freestyle rap in a foreign language

written by Guest Author

While many guest posts here are from people I’ve met in my travels or been in touch with online a lot, occasionally I’ll be sent a topic so damn interesting that even if I don’t know the person yet, it’s definitely worth sharing. Today’s is an excellent example of such a topic, which takes a […]


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Reading time: 13 minutes

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