If you're reading this article, you've probably wondered how much study time it takes to become fluent in a foreign language. It would be too simple if this answer were given with an exact number.
To answer this question, which is quite common, we have to remember that mastering a language is a continuous process and a lot of study. Establishing an equal minimum time for all students would be quite naive, since we need to consider several variables, such as skills and personal needs, exposure to the language, study time, regularity, quality of classes and materials, among other factors.
As students, what we can do is dedicate ourselves and practice a lot to achieve the desired fluency in the language.
Read on and discover 5 steps to becoming fluent in another language
1- Set monthly goals
Making a list of New Year's resolutions might sound interesting, but committing to something that lasts all year is an arduous task. So break your macro goal down into small goals that will allow you to get to fluency as well as quantify that process. Here are some tips on how to set these small goals in the learning process:
Note the new words incorporated into your vocabulary;
Understand the types of errors eliminated in your speech, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation;
Make essays or texts written with the new words seen in class;
Listening to podcasts for a certain amount of time;
Watch some videos (eg movies, news, interviews);
Read books.
2- Have fun while studying
Goals should be specific and limited by time, but studying a foreign language can and should be light and fun, with content relevant to your reality. Know how to choose the institution and course style that are most suitable for you.
3- Stay immersed in the language
Staying immersed in the language is essential for anyone who wants to facilitate the learning process. When we are children, we become familiar with our native language by talking and being encouraged to learn to speak. In another language, the process should be similar. Therefore, try to surround yourself with activities that refer to the language, in order to stay as immersed in the language as possible.
To do this, try to include the language as much as possible in your daily life. Adapt your mobile phone and social media settings to the language you are learning. In this way, you will have an automatic contact with the language and you will become familiar with new words and expressions.
4- Think in the foreign language
Thinking in the foreign language is key to achieving fluency. But how to do it? Talk to yourself, practice the language every day, surround yourself with content produced in the language you are studying (films, series, documentaries, music, podcasts, books, newspapers), take notes about your daily life, associate words to images, repeat everything you hear and say, etc. All this to fix the language more and more in your brain. Immersion makes you think more about the foreign language.
5- Don't worry about your accent
It is natural to be ashamed of our accent, being foreigners learning a new language. But you don't have to worry about your accent. You just need to worry about pronouncing words well enough to avoid misunderstandings. Just worry about getting the message across clearly and communicating with your best pronunciation.
It is necessary to clarify that fluency can exist at all stages of learning, that is, it is perfectly possible for a student to be at a basic level and be fluent within the expected performance for the basic level. However, when we speak informally of “becoming fluent”, we are referring, of course, to the resourcefulness in oral production in a foreign language.
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