Guidance counselors, college admissions experts, and teachers continuously urge you to learn a foreign language. They say that knowing more than one language will make you “well-rounded” and is “the polite thing to do.” That advice is solid, but such platitudes aren’t as valuable and motivating as hard facts. Here are five compelling reasons why […]
MOREHow to Say “I Don’t Know” in Spanish — 33 Spanish Phrases for When You’re Unsure
Ever felt lost or unsure in a Spanish conversation? Everyone feels this way sometimes, but especially when learning a new language. There will be times when you don’t understand someone, you can’t keep up, or you just don’t know how to answer. It’s best to know how to express your lack of understanding by learning […]
MOREI Overcame My Stutter — Here’s What I Can Teach You About Language Learning
Those who don’t speak another language assume that those of us who do have some type of exclusive language “gene”. This is perhaps the biggest cop-out of all the language learning myths. It’s easy to brush off our own shortcomings by accepting that we simply don’t have the gift, that elusive language gene. Hey, it’s […]
MORE5 Reasons I Wish I Had Done the Add1Challenge 2 Years Ago (Language Learning in 90 Days)
A while back, I was chatting with one of my language exchange partners. My first Fluent In 3 Months article was published that week and I was feeling vulnerable… “Am I a French Speaker or French Learner?” Me: They wrote under my name that I speak French. Do you think that’s a valid statement? If […]
MOREDo Multilingual People Earn More Money?
If you’re looking for a better job, a better salary, and international opportunities, learning a new language would be your first step towards success. Do Multilingual People Earn More Money? Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, speaks English and Chinese. Michael Bloomberg, billionaire businessman and philanthropist, speaks English and Spanish. Leo Apotheker, of SAP and Hewlett […]
MOREHow I SHOCKED My Boss in Budapest [I Learned Hungarian in 60 Days!]
The pressure was on. I had about two months. A short eight weeks before I’d be in Budapest, Hungary at a work meeting. My mission? To learn Hungarian. But here was the catch, I hadn’t studied Hungarian before at all. Not a word. I was starting from absolute zero. And while Fluent in 3 Month’s […]
MOREFi3M Stories: How Heather Learned Italian in 90 Days
As the Head Coach for the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge, I have the opportunity to watch thousands of language learners do incredible things as they push themselves to learn a new language in just 90 days.. Every time I lead a challenge, it gives me a thrill of excitement to see our students achieve […]
MOREChinese Characters: They’re Not as Hard as You Think
Working for a Chinese language school for foreigners, I hear it over and over again: “I’m not going to learn the characters. I’ll just learn spoken Chinese. That’s enough for me.” To put it squarely, trying to learn Chinese without learning the characters is generally not a good idea. The good news is, you have […]
MORELanguage Mentors #3: TED Speaker Lýdia Machavoá Shares How She Learned 9 Languages
“People expect to reach a point in their learning when they’ll be comfortable speaking. They put off their speaking until that moment arrives. It never does.” – Lýdia Machová What a thrill to have interviewed Lýdia Machová for our Language Mentors series! Without ever living abroad or in a multilingual environment, Lýdia has learned nine […]
MORELearn Any Language Faster: 6 Easy Steps to Falling in Love with Your Mistakes
A big challenge for people learning a new language is failure. Who wants to be wrong? I know that I hate feeling I’ve messed up. Yet you can’t learn a language if you can’t accept failure. Falling in love with your mistakes is the key to confident conversations in a new language. Follow these easy […]
MOREStop Wasting Your Life Saying “I’ll Speak a New Language When…”
It’s so easy to give yourself reasons to “not” speak a language. Maybe you tell yourself: “I’ll start talking to others in my target language when… “My accent is perfect” “I understand the grammar” “I’ve got the money to travel the world” “I’m feeling more confident” “I’ve reached the intermediate level” “My acne has cleared […]
MOREHow Bilingual Kids Get Ahead: 7 Benefits of Learning a Second Language
You’re wondering if you have the time and motivation to help your child learn a second language. And you’re not 100% convinced the effort will be worth it. What benefits can a kid get from learning a second language? With the internet and other technology making the globe seem smaller with each passing year, knowing […]
MOREHow I (Finally) Learned French after 10 Language Fails
How to fail at languages? Let me count the ways. At one of our summer parties this year, I said three sentences in French and the crowd broke out into a unison song of “Ohhhhh. Ahhhhh!” My monolingual friends are often amazed when they hear me speak a foreign language. It’s a reaction that I […]
MORE“I Learned This Language Just for You”: How to Save the World One Language at a Time
To learn a new language, you need a fire inside you. My identity as a language learner was forged by a spark that left me in tears. I made a little girl cry. Now, I actually started “learning” languages when I took French my sophomore year of high school. I thought it would be fun […]
MOREThe Rule of 80%: How to Curb Your Expectations and Reach Sustainable Success
My language learning philosophy is “always give 80%”. Wait. What? Let me explain. Yoga class helps keep me sane. Mostly, I think it’s because of my yoga teacher, Marie. She’s a very hip thirtysomething small business owner, mom, yoga teacher and part-time voice of the universe all rolled into one. I’d like to share one […]
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