^ This is exactly what I googled back in 2013 when I was desperately trying to learn German as a exchange student.
I was extremely disappointed that my ten years of German classes hadn’t prepared me for actually speaking.
And with this frustrated google search, I found a blog called Fluent in 3 Months that changed my life forever.
It emphasizes extreme commitment, immersion, and above all else, extensive conversations with native speakers.
Making tons of mistakes, learning to laugh at yourself, and truly enjoying the learning process.
I really took this advice to heart and treated it as gospel, using tons of music and conversation to learn.
I chatted with as many people as I could, going to any events I was invited to.
And my language learning accelerated extremely rapidly.
Within a couple months, I was conversationally fluent in daily life.
And by the end of my five months in Germany, I felt confidently fluent in any situation I encountered.
For the past ten years, I’ve been refining my methods, and I’ve developed a system that works really well.
This is what’s helped me to learn five languages to conversational fluency with a great accent in the last ten years:
Follow these Steps to Speak a Language Fluently – And Have Fun!
- Find friends who speak a different language
For me, the best consistent, long-term motivation to learn a language is a critical mass of friends who speak it. Yes, I enjoy consuming cultural content, but people are my main motivator by far.
- Combine other passions with language learning
I’ve only been successful in my learning incorporating music, because it makes the process enjoyable (in addition to the many scientific reasons why this works).
This step is of course dependent on your personal interests. However, I will always emphasize music in your target language as essential and highly effective
- Schedule future speaking opportunities
Another essential step for me is to always aim towards a time to speak with natives. Maybe you’ll talk to your friends/love interest and their family, take a trip, or attend a language learning meetup. Whatever it is, schedule a concrete opportunity to practice for – deadlines can be a great motivator.
- Focus on the sounds first and foremost
The title of this blog is actually a list of instructions 😉 First, you have to train your ears to hear all of these new, foreign sounds. Then, you’re ready to listen to the language and pick it up. Finally, you start speaking clearly and confidently, wowing native speakers with your accent. Reading comes second.
- Ask tons of questions
It’s crucial to find patient people to talk to who are happy to answer your questions. You might actually want to wait to talk to your friends at first, until you get to a higher level. So find some language exchange partners who are in the exact same boat as you! Their answers will be far more valuable than any AI.
- Make tons of mistakes
This is an important, sometimes painful, but extremely necessary step. You’ll actually learn best from making mistakes and people correcting you. And if your mistakes are funny to them, even better!
- Remember that it’s all about connection
The purpose of language is to communicate with other people, so however you manage to do that is good. Don’t be afraid to use gestures, sounds, and “imperfect” words to get your point across. If you have to call gloves “hand-socks”, great! You’ve successfully communicated, and said something memorable.
- Enjoy the process, as long and challenging as it may be
This is never going to be a quick or easy process, but it is without a doubt the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. Your learning journey will be like a rollercoaster, with many up and downs. But if you put in the time, effort, and tears, I know you’ll enjoy endless rewards.