Can you volunteer and learn Spanish? I did, and here’s my story, plus the lessons I learned along the way. Most of these lessons can be applied to learning any language while volunteering overseas. How I Decided to Volunteer Overseas and Learn Spanish Shortly after graduating from university, I decided to take some time out […]
MOREHow Children Learn Languages – and What You Can Learn from Them
It’s often said that children learn languages more easily than adults, but is that really the case? Do children have a special advantage, or can adults learn languages just as well as children? Some academics say that childhood is the critical period for language learning. Is there any truth in this idea, or is it […]
MORELearn a Language By Reading: 5 Easy-to-Follow Steps
Are you tired of learning a new language’s vocabulary from boring lists and sentence structure from dry grammar books? Do you want to get that excitement and interest you had when you first wanted to learn that foreign language back? The answer is simple… Read Interesting Content By reading interesting content in the language you […]
MOREI Messed Up Learning Spanish… and Now I Speak Chinese
“I’ll never learn Chinese. Spanish was hard enough for me and that’s an easy language. Learning Chinese would be impossible.” I felt defeated by my attempts to learn Spanish. I had just come home to Michigan after three years of living in Latin America. I was preparing to move to China when my brother asked […]
MOREReading, Writing, Speaking and Listening: The 4 Basic Language Skills, and How to Practise Them
Reading, writing, speaking and listening – the four foundational skills of language learning. You can’t build a house without a strong foundation (well, that’s if you want the house to stay upright in all weather!). Similarly, you won’t become a well-rounded speaker of a language without building upon the four foundations of language learning. It […]
MOREConversational French: 25 Ways to Start a French Conversation
When you’re learning French, what are some good ways to start a French conversation? Whether you’ve just been introduced to someone new, find yourself sitting next to a French-speaker on the bus, or end up walking beside a French tourist while visiting an attraction, I’ve got a French conversation starter for you. Before we dig […]
MOREHow to Use Visual Memory Techniques to Build a Conversational Vocabulary
Here’s something that used to frustrate me: When I travel through a country where the native language isn’t English, I miss a lot of the culture because I can’t have a conversation with the locals. All I can do is read about their customs and experience them through activities, food, and drink. Research tells us […]
MORELearning Two Languages at Once: Can You Learn Multiple Languages at the Same Time?
Is it possible to learn two languages at once? Yes! Learning two languages at once is certainly possible. That said, it’s not a mission I’d recommend taking on lightly. I’ve been learning languages for over 10 years. In that time, I studied over seventeen languages and became fluent in 10. And I’ve never tried to […]
MOREHow to Learn Swedish: 37 Lessons from My 6 Months Living in Sweden
When I realized I was going to have the chance to spend six months working in Sweden, I naturally got interested in the Swedish language. More so, when I started getting work emails I needed Google Translate to read. Even more so when I landed and couldn’t read the signs around me or understand anything […]
MOREFrench Idioms Crash Course: How to Sound Like a Native French Speaker
So you want to speak French like a local. Perhaps not exactly like a native speaker, but like someone who lives there. You can sound like a French speaker even though you’re a complete beginner in the language. It’s possible. I’ve done it in Portuguese. My knowledge of Portuguese is extremely limited. I only know […]
MOREHow I Learnt Spanish, Italian and Portuguese for the Price of a Beer
I sat in the sunshine in a cafe in my new adopted city of Seville, chatting to a Spanish friend about life in Andalusia. We talked about southern Spanish traditions, the prospects for young people and of course, the fiestas of the month that we would attend. And I did this all in Spanish. A […]
MOREDead Languages: How (and Why) to Learn a Dead Language
What is your “why” for learning a new language? Maybe it’s because you want to feel a greater connection with people around the world. To have improved travel experiences or immerse yourself in a different culture different from your own. But what if you find yourself looking for a greater connection to history? To a […]
MORE10 Must-Try Russian Podcasts and YouTube Channels (and more!) for Russian Learners
When it comes to practicing listening in a foreign language, one of the first questions most of us have is ‘What should I be listening to?’ It’s pretty easy to find good listening resources for popular languages like Spanish, French or German. But what if you’re learning Russian? Good Russian listening materials might be harder […]
MORESentence Structure: How to Build Sentences and Use the Correct Word Order in Your New Language
“What’s the best way to learn difficult sentence structure and word order?” This is a question me and my team get asked a lot here at Fluent in 3 Months. No matter which language you’re learning, sentence structure is a common stumbling block. Thankfully, there are some general principles that can help you learn sentence […]
MOREThe Language Learning Curve: What’s the Best Way for You to Improve Your Language Skills?
Becoming fluent in a new language is a journey… and in my research with language learners I’ve discovered a “language learning curve” that most people follow. Before I share that, here’s how the language learning journey went for me. After 5 years of learning Spanish at school, I was only able to remember the bizarre […]
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