For ages I’ve recognised, at least in theory, that learning even just a small handful sentences in a new language can take you a long way on a holiday, and give you a unique experience of cultural immersion. I really enjoyed reading about Fluent in 3 Months founder Benny Lewis’s experience getting by with limited […]
MORELearning a Third Language: An In-Depth Guide
I know lots of people who speak their second language at a very good level, and yet hesitate to jump into learning a third language. Why is this? Well, some people are perfectly happy stopping at one foreign language. That was their goal, and they reached it. That’s all good. On the other hand, too […]
MORESentence Stretchers: An Easy Way to Sound More Fluent in Your Target Language
Most beginner language learners I know are keen to pick up new vocabulary, so they’re ready for real conversations in their new language. And it’s true that learning a wide variety of vocabulary is essential to having conversations about a lot of different subjects. But there’s a group of words and phrases that never seem […]
MOREInternational Greetings: How to Say “Hello” in 29 Languages
What’s the first word you learn in any language? “Hello”, of course! “Hello” is the way you’ll meet new people, make new friends, and start conversations. Even if you’re not aiming for fluency in a language, just learning this one little word will endear you to any native speakers you meet at home or abroad. […]
MORECEFR Levels: What They Are, Why They Matter, and How to Test Yourself
CEFR levels: what are they? And do they matter? In the language-learning community, we often hear other learners throw around certain terms when they’re talking about their level in a language. “I speak German at a B1 level” or “I’m an A2 in Russian.” But what do B1 and A2 mean? These descriptors are skill […]
MORENew Mission: One Month Without English!
Have you ever reached a plateau in your language learning that you just couldn’t break through? I did. It didn’t matter how many German lessons I took. How many Skype calls I made. Or, how many grammar books I read. I just couldn’t get to the next stage. I kept making the same mistakes and […]
MORE12 Fun Grammar Games to Help You Learn a Language
Grammar. To many people, the word is almost synonymous with “boredom”. Does that make “grammar games” a contradiction? I’m going to say not. More on that in a moment. True, the average grammar book is more useful as a cure for insomnia than it is as a tool for language learning. And in school you […]
MOREGerman Noun Genders: Hacks to Learn them Faster
Learning German? You’re going to notice one major difference between English and German grammar right away: German noun genders. All German nouns are one of three genders: masculine, feminine or neutral. For someone who is just starting out with German, this can be really confusing – especially as the genders don’t necessarily seem logical. Take […]
MORELearning a Language Through Music: Here’s How It’s Done
Can you learn a language through music? Of course you can! From slow, crooning love songs to the latest boy band hits, music is a really useful tool for language learning. Pop music isn’t the whole story, though. Any style of music, by any artist, as long as it has lyrics, can be useful in […]
MOREHow I Learned Portuguese in 3 Months (Mission Complete!)
I made it! I reached the end of my three-month mission to learn Portuguese. Be sure to catch up on earlier updates if you haven’t already: Portuguese Mission: Day 0 Portuguese Mission: 1 Month Update Portuguese Mission: 2 Month Update The question is: Did I reach the B1 (lower-intermediate) level of Portuguese that I wanted to? Here’s […]
MOREHow to Use Systems (Instead of Goals) to Get Results in Language Learning
What’s your language learning goal? Perhaps you’re aiming to reach A2 level in French in the next 3 months. Maybe you’re looking to gain basic knowledge of Italian before your trip to Rome in a couple of weeks. Or perhaps you’re aiming for German mastery. Whatever your goal, setting a goal is the natural thing […]
MORETutorial: How to Hack Facebook Live Video to Learn a Language
Did you know Facebook can help you to improve your listening skills in just about any language? I didn’t! At least not until a few weeks ago when I stumbled across a feature that had been hiding behind a little tab on my Facebook home screen. Recently, I was surprised to find out just how […]
MOREHow to Speak French: The Faster Way to Learn French
So you want to learn how to speak French? Très bien !! Millions of language learners around the world are already learning French, so you’re in great company. And you can learn to speak French fluently faster than you think. Yes, some aspects of French can be difficult, just like with any language. But for […]
MOREHow to use Social Media for Instant French Immersion
Can you get French immersion through French social media? Of course you can! In fact, using social media such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter is a fantastic way to immerse yourself in French. Think about it this way: Cost of a round-trip ticket between New York and Paris by plane? $500-$2000. Cost to open your […]
MOREHow to Speak English Like the English
Two of my favourite articles on Fluent in 3 Months are Benny’s classics How to Speak English Like the Irish and its sequel Advanced Hiberno English. So, being from England, I’d like to share some thoughts on how to speak English like the English. Let’s start with a story you might hear from a mate down the pub […]
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