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Improve your listening skillsImprove your speakingImprove your readingImprove your Writing

Edited by Ladyblair103, Elyne, Maluniu, Hayley and 4 others

Fluency in a foreign language is a major accomplishment. It's also a great way to increase your opportunities for employment and travel. Fluency is made up of several different factors, so it's important to work on each aspect: speaking, listening, reading, cultural literacy, and writing.

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EditMethod 1 of 4: Improve your listening skills

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    1
    Listen to native speakers in natural contexts as much as possible. If you can't find live native speakers to eavesdrop on, watch movies in that language, or listen to books on tape or music in that language.
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  2. Become Fluent in a Language Step 2.jpg
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    Focus on the unique sounds of the language, including the inflection patterns.

EditMethod 2 of 4: Improve your speaking

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    Practice speaking every day. Try to learn new words and phrases every day. If possible, practice with native speakers, and encourage them to correct you.
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    Practice the sounds in the language which are most difficult for non-native speakers (for example "ra" and "tsu" in Japanese).
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    Record yourself speaking, then play it back and compare your inflection and pronunciation to that of native speakers.
  4. 4
    Think in the language as much as possible, instead of thinking in your native language and then translating.
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    Speak as native speakers usually are doing, using idioms and linguistic shortcuts, instead of imitating a textbook, which is often excessively formal.
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    Study the grammar. Grammar books try to explain the rules of the language. The sentence 'This that same is' consists of English words, but it isn't grammatically correct.
    • When you haven't got most of the grammar right everything you say is incomprehensible or extremely vague. You can't begin to 'think' in the other language either.
    • People who speak only one language often assume that the rules of their own language apply to all languages, or that these rules are almost the same everywhere. This is not the case at all. Learning a language is much more than just learning a lot of foreign words.
    • Crash courses often try to play down the importance of studying the grammar.

EditMethod 3 of 4: Improve your reading

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    1
    Read books, magazine articles, and other "real life" material whenever possible.
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    Read some material in the language every day.
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    Make a list of new words as you come across them. Guess the meaning before looking them up in a dictionary.

EditMethod 4 of 4: Improve your Writing

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    1
    Write something in the language every day.
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    Imitate the words of what you've read.
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    Study the literary conventions of the language thoroughly. Sometimes the written version of the language is radically different than the spoken version.
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EditTips

  • Don't be afraid to make mistakes. It's good to make mistakes because you can learn from them.
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EditWarnings

  • Make sure you know the full cultural meaning of slang phrases, etc, before attempting to use them.
  • Make sure you have a good knowledge of the culture-- you don't want to offend the people you're practicing with.

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Article Info

Categories: World Languages

Recent edits by: Elsa117, Kreidler2, Alatos

In other languages:

Español: Cómo hablar con fluidez un idioma

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