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 […]
MOREHow Rodylyn had a 15-Minute Conversation in Japanese — After Just 90 Days of Study
One of the inspiring things about working at Fluent in 3 Months is all the success stories we see in the Add1Challenge. You may already know that in the Add1Challenge, language learners aim to have a 15-minute conversation with a native speaker after just 90 days. It sounds like a big goal, but we know […]
MOREMy Add1 Story: Caitlin’s Intensive 90-Days of Japanese
I thought I had good study habits. I’ve studied Japanese for some time. I took it in college, then continued to study it after I graduated. I studied most days and even met with Japanese language exchange partners. But… I had stopped growing in my Japanese ability. I wasn’t sure why. I kept doing the […]
MOREHow I Got a $7,000 Raise by Learning Spanish
Within six months of starting your first real job, you get a $7,000 raise. How cool would that be? I can tell you first hand that it’s an awesome feeling and it only happened because I learned conversational Spanish in one month. In this post, I’ll share exactly how I did it (and how you […]
MOREHow Learning a Language Helped Me Overcome Postpartum Depression
People told me how to prepare for pregnancy and childbirth—what supplements to take, what foods to avoid, what exercises to do, how to breathe during delivery, and so forth. But nobody talked to me about what can come after having a baby: postpartum depression. Now, I am no expert in postpartum depression, and I encourage […]
MOREMosaLingua Review: A Faster Way to Learn a New Language?
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MosaLingua is a mobile app that uses spaced repetition (SRS) to help language learners efficiently learn words and phrases in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Russian and Portuguese. It’s suitable for absolute beginners and more advanced language students. For this MosaLingua review, I decided to use MosaLingua to study a language I had virtually no […]
MOREHow to Ace a Job Interview in a Non-Native Language
I remember one of my most exciting job interviews in a non-native language. It was with a company that I had followed for several years, and I really admired its growth and development. When I was informed that they had an interesting position available, I immediately realized that this was fate. I prepared intensively for […]
MOREConversation Exchange: How an Online Language Buddy Took Me from Fear of Speaking to Confident Conversations
This is my story of how I found an online language buddy for a conversation exchange, which took me from feeling terrified of speaking a new language to having real conversations in that language. My heart was pounding when I received the call. Would they be offering me a job in the Middle East? Yes! […]
MOREThe Amazing Moment Speaking German Finally Clicked [Mission Complete!]
I never thought I’d make it. Yet here I am, one month later, at the end of my One Month Without English language mission. It’s a day that felt so far away but at the same time came around so quickly. I know the question you’re dying to ask me: Did I really make it […]
MORECultural Immersion: How Learning 20 Basic Phrases Transformed My Travel Experience
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 […]
MORENerves, Tears and a Breakthrough: 2 Weeks Without Speaking English [Mission Update]
What’s it really like giving up your mother tongue? If you’ve read my last update you’ll know that I gave up speaking English for 30 days to focus on only speaking German. My goal was to reach the B2 level by the time the Cologne Carnival came around. As I write this, I’m in the […]
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 […]
MOREMayan Languages: How I Learned to Speak Tz’utujil in Guatemala
Have you ever wondered what ancient Mayan languages sound like? I did. My curiosity, in fact, led me to the indigenous town of San Juan La Laguna in Sololá, Guatemala where I volunteered my time at a health clinic and studied the language of Tz’utujil in my spare time. Six months have passed and I […]
MOREHow to Improve Your Basic Writing Skills: Hacks for Language Learners
Basic writing skills matter – there’s no denying that. However, there’s a good reason writing skills aren’t central to the Speak From Day One method for language learning: Languages are made to be spoken. Real conversations with real people is what it’s all about. Connecting with people is what makes a language come to life. […]
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