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Tips on Achieving Fluency in a Foreign Language

lashley101

New member
Hello! I am really interested in learning from those who may be fluent in a language or trying to become fluent in a language some of your best tips/advice that you have personally benefited from in your pursuit of mastering the art of a foreign language.

To share some of my own advice, I think that the 3 most important traits a language learner must have to reach fluency are: (1) discipline in learning the language, (2) sustainable interest in learning the language, and (3) a passion for a culture that speaks the target language.

Looking forward to hearing what the rest of you may think or would like to share. Thanks!
 

LaVagabonde

New member
Hi! Your advice is spot-on. It's hard to really become fluent if you don't have a strong interest in the language and culture and if you aren't committed to put in the work. I would add that learning a language is a lifetime pursuit – you really need to "use it or lose it." I'm fluent in French, but my spoken French has been slipping lately because I'm not using it as much as I used to. But as soon as I set foot in France, it only takes a day or two for me to start speaking smoothly again.

Once you have a basic grasp of vocabulary and grammar, expose yourself to the natural language as much as possible to improve your comprehension. I find videos hold my interest more than audio or podcasts. FluentU and Yabla offer interesting videos in multiple languages with subtitles. They are organized by learning level and offer handy clickable vocabulary lists and comprehension quizzes.

https://www.fluentu.com

https://www.fluentu.com

Finally, practice speaking! Find a Meetup group in your language or take a real, live, in-person class. You can also talk to yourself in the language – or to your dog, cat, or goldfish. I used to recap my day to my dog in French or describe what I'm seeing as I take a walk.
 

JonQuinnHubble

New member
Hello! I have a fair amount of experience in learning new languages. I have been studying Chinese and Japanese for several years, and recently made a move to Taiwan to continue my language development!

Apart from the basic, yet required, techniques that are used when learning a language, I believe there is one thing that is often overlooked. You need to turn your desire to learn a language into a lifestyle. If you think about it, when children are being raised and taught how to speak, they are being exposed to the language all the time. With many traditional subjects, like programming for example, you can become proficient by simply studying or practicing during designated times. By this I mean you don't need to constantly be exposed to the subject to learn it. However, a language is different. At their core, languages are tools to communicate. Essentially, it is not always about what to say, but about how to say it.

While this is not so much advice as it is a perspective, I think it's important to realize this earlier than later when you begin studying a language.

Best of luck!
 

OlgaC

Member
Thank you for the good tips!
I believe practicing the language is the best way to learn it when you already got some basics.
What helped me with learning Italian besides speaking it with native speakers, is listening to Italian music, trying to figure out words, or looking up the lyrics and then translating the songs. I've learnt many useful frases this way. :)
 

patrick.suchon

New member
For me the best way to skyrocket my Arabic was to immerse myself inside the Middle East region. I traveled to several countries since I started learning and I am doing it now - as I moved to United Arab Emirates to do an internship in the Polish embassy. If it’s possible for you to go for such a trip or to work in an institution that helps you find accommodation in a foreign country then go for it!
 
Establishing vocabulary so you can form coherent thoughts is obviously necessary. I used to label everything in the house and car and work in the target language. Then I’d use the words in English sentences. For example, I would remind myself that the word for “table” in Spanish is “Mesa.” So I would say, “ Can you put that on la mesa for me?” Or... “Wipe down la mesa before you head off to do your homework.”

Then I choose one or two verbs to work with. Maybe- clean. “I will limpiar la mesa.”

Just keep adding.... then...a must... is face to face conversation. It’s not only sounds. Language is gesture and intonation and facial expressions. Buena suerte!
 

Captain Obvious

New member
Establishing vocabulary so you can form coherent thoughts is obviously necessary. I used to label everything in the house and car and work in the target language. Then I’d use the words in English sentences. For example, I would remind myself that the word for “table” in Spanish is “Mesa.” So I would say, “ Can you put that on la mesa for me?” Or... “Wipe down la mesa before you head off to do your homework.”

Then I choose one or two verbs to work with. Maybe- clean. “I will limpiar la mesa.”

Just keep adding.... then...a must... is face to face conversation. It’s not only sounds. Language is gesture and intonation and facial expressions. Buena suerte!
Muy interesante. He estado aprendiendo español por 4 meses. Estoy empezando a formar oraciones razonablemente bien, pero tengo problemas cuando la otra persona habla demasiado rápido.

For others: Very interesting. I have been learning Spanish for 4 months. I am starting to form sentences reasonably well but I have problems when the other person speaks too fast.
 
Fantástico! Yo no tenía clases en español. Mis estudiantes comparten pistas conmigo. Una cosa y entonces una cosa mas- yo aprendí lentamente. Ahora, yo puedo pensar y hablar, pero cuando otra gente están hablando, yo necesito a prestar atención más cuidado.

Fantastic, I didn’t have Spanish classes. My students shared tips with me. One thing and then another- I learned slowly. Now, I can think and speak, but when other people talk, I have to pay close attention.

I’m proud of you! Keep going!!!!
 

Edzky_18

Member
Establishing vocabulary so you can form coherent thoughts is obviously necessary. I used to label everything in the house and car and work in the target language. Then I’d use the words in English sentences. For example, I would remind myself that the word for “table” in Spanish is “Mesa.” So I would say, “ Can you put that on la mesa for me?” Or... “Wipe down la mesa before you head off to do your homework.”

Then I choose one or two verbs to work with. Maybe- clean. “I will limpiar la mesa.”

Just keep adding.... then...a must... is face to face conversation. It’s not only sounds. Language is gesture and intonation and facial expressions. Buena suerte!
Excelente!

Yo soy ademas obra el mismo. Enriquecimiento primero mi palabra Espanol. Eso ayuda mi mucho. 😊

Excellent!

I am also doing the same. Enriching my Spanish vocabulary first. It helps me a lot. 😊
 

CBNerd12

New member
I think these are all great pieces of advice! As someone who has been studying Japanese for 7 years or so now, I think everyone really hit the nail on the head with their suggestions. I do really want to build a little bit on what JonQuinnHubble mentioned about making it a lifestyle. The number one tip that I can offer for learning languages is immersion in the language, my favorite method of which being baptism by fire. It can be both difficult to come by (usually a study abroad or a long trip of some kind) and can be really intimidating. But in situations like those, you have to learn how to communicate to survive and you very quickly get over the fear of making mistakes that hinders a lot of people used to learning languages in a classroom or at home (myself very much included!). But once you get over that fear of making mistakes, communication really comes quickly, I think. You start to have fun building your language ability into functional elements and you gain the confidence that is essential to gaining any kind of fluency. You'll know you're on the right track when you start dreaming in your language of study!
 
This is the tip a lot of students have been happy to learn. When pronouncing any latin based language, you can pronounce most any word by breaking the syllables on the nearest vowel.
Conversely, any germanic language will try to break on the nearest consonant.
Now many Germanic languages import Latin and Greek based words and these will not work as well but by and large your pronunciation will improve by following this simple rule.
e.g. pret ty , sup er cal li frag il ist ic ex pi al id o cious =English
Spanish= bo ni to, an da lu ci a, co jo nes

Even if the word is not formally syllable-ized that way, it will still work pronunciation-wise.
 

alex

New member
I completely agree with the traits you listed! My interest in the language I'm learning is what's been my motivation over the years. I'd also say it's important to have the dedication/time to studying a little bit a day, if only to review so as to retain previously learned information.
 

neoninfinity

New member
Establishing vocabulary so you can form coherent thoughts is obviously necessary. I used to label everything in the house and car and work in the target language. Then I’d use the words in English sentences. For example, I would remind myself that the word for “table” in Spanish is “Mesa.” So I would say, “ Can you put that on la mesa for me?” Or... “Wipe down la mesa before you head off to do your homework.”

Then I choose one or two verbs to work with. Maybe- clean. “I will limpiar la mesa.”

Just keep adding.... then...a must... is face to face conversation. It’s not only sounds. Language is gesture and intonation and facial expressions. Buena suerte!
Thank you very much for this suggestion! My son has been struggling in Spanish. I think I will just start with the "word of the day", and try to insert in conversation as much as possible, and then build from there. Thanx again for the idea.
 

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