Hard work and practice are some of the ways to be fluent in English or another language. Learn more below
Learning a new language can be extremely fun and challenging at the same time. This gets even more intense when it comes to achieving proficiency in a language.
There is no magic formula, there is no way you can be fluent in English or other languages right away or in a short time.
In fact, it takes hard work, resilience to face learning challenges and, of course, a lot of fun throughout the process.
With that in mind, we have listed everything you need to know to be fluent in a second language.
What does it mean to be fluent in a language?
First of all, you have to keep in mind that understanding, writing and speaking a little – or even reasonably well – does not make you fluent in a language.
Acquiring fluency requires a lot of study, practice, conversation and several other requirements.
Therefore, to be fluent in English or any other language, you have to master some important aspects, such as knowing how to engage in a conversation without any possibility of ambiguity or doubt, for example.
Being able to talk naturally is also important, making normal breaks when communicating with people.
Not to mention you have to be familiar with different ways of expressing the same idea.
Therefore, hard work is crucial when learning a second language and being as proficient as you are in your native language.
How to be fluent in English or another language?
One way to learn a new language is by taking traditional language courses.
However, if you can afford it, you can also study abroad through a student exchange program.
In this kind of program, students have direct contact with the language through courses and assignments, in addition to living and interacting with natives speakers.
Regardless of how you will become fluent in one language, be sure of one thing: you have to study a new language consistently and continuously in order to learn it.
Many people, before they even start to study a second language, ask how long it will take for them to be fluent in English or another language.
The time it takes for a person to learn to speak a foreign language is not the same for everyone. The learning period changes depending on whether the person already knows something about the language.
Thus, the more a person knows about a language, the quickest he/she will become fluent.
Tips on how to learn a second language and improve your study skills
Those who believe that studying an hour a week and doing some exercises will be enough to understand, speak and write a language perfectly are completely wrong.
Students need to work hard. Theoretical classes alone are not enough to guarantee fluency in English, Spanish, German or any other language.
You have to go beyond the basics, so we have listed some valuable tips so that you can boost your study skills. Check it out:
1 – Study regularly
Maintaining a daily study routine can be an incredibly positive attitude for those who want to learn a second language fluently.
Therefore, dedicate some time to study the language you want to learn – even if only for a short period, such as 30 minutes.
If you think it is useful, create a study schedule with topics and the amount of time you will spend studying each one of them. Being an organized person can be crucial at this point, so plan your activities as soon as possible.
2 – Always practice what you’ve learned
There is little point in just reading and not practicing what you have studied. Language practice is really important to help you become experienced and familiar with it.
Right after your daily lesson, write, speak, work hard to practice what you have been learning.
You can even do this during leisure hours. Want to know how? Read a book in the language you are studying – if it is a bilingual edition, even better –, watch movies and TV series in their original language, listen to music and podcasts, for example.
You should have as much contact as possible with the language you are learning.
3 – Write down unfamiliar words and their meanings
A nice way to boost your vocabulary is to write down all the new words you come across while studying, and their respective meanings.
Besides making notes in your course material – if that’s your case, of course – you can also use a notebook or notepad to make your own dictionary.
Thus, in addition to using your course material, you can also create your own content, according to your learning pace. Great suggestion, isn’t it?
It may seem silly, but changing the language of your phone or computer apps can be a useful way to be in contact with the language, you know?
When studying other areas of interest – such as cooking, for example – study them in the language you are trying to learn.
If the material is originally in your native language, no problem. See if you can enable subtitles in another language.
Sometimes small daily interactions with the language are more helpful than we can imagine, so try them out.
5 – Don’t get embarrassed and don’t be scared to speak a second language
Did you know you can only learn something by doing it? It’s exactly that.
To assimilate a language, you have to practice it and, therefore, you shouldn’t feel embarrassed or scared to talk to other people.
Investing time and resources to learn a new language and become fluent is a great choice in your life.
In addition to being able to talk with people from different places, you can also work using your second language, and you can even pursue a career as a professional translator or language teacher. Anyway, you have a lot of – think about it.