7 Things NOT to Do When Speaking English

by J OSH on APRIL 23, 2012

Ive spent the last few years traveling and living abroad, and during that time Ive talked to a lot of people who spoke English as a foreign language. After talking to thousands of foreigners in English Ive noticed several things that they do that hurt their progress as a language learner. Here are the top 7: 1. Dont Be too Ashamed to Speak There is only one way to learn how to speak English, and that is to open your mouth and speak English! The only way you will ever get better at speaking is by speaking, and speaking a lot! Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear not absence of fear. Mark Twain You can make excuses for why you dont want to speak, like saying that youre too embarrassed to speak, but these wont get you any closer to your goal of achieving English fluency. It doesnt matter if you have no vocabulary, or if your pronunciation isnt perfect, you need to open your mouth and speak if you want to improve. What ever you do, dont say that you cant speak English because this will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. By believing that you cant speak English you close your mind to trying, and never give yourself the opportunity to improve. The only way to improve your English is to practice it, no matter how bad you may or may not be at it.

2. Dont Be Afraid of Making Mistakes Another thing you shouldnt do when speaking English is to be afraid of making mistakes. Part of being human is making mistakes and sooner or later youre going to have to accept the fact that youre not perfect and that you will always make mistakes. The only way you can avoid making mistakes is by not trying at all. If you follow this approach youll avoid making mistakes, but youll never improve either. Ive missed more than 9000 shots in my career. Ive lost almost 300 games. 26 times, Ive been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. Ive failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. Michael Jordan This may seem counter-intuitive, but you should try making as many mistakes as possible. If you are making mistakes that means you are actually speaking English and improving. If you arent making mistakes every day then you arent speaking enough. Of course, you shouldnt intentionally make mistakes, and you should try to be aware of your mistakes so you can learn from them and improve your skills. Grammar is the last thing you should be worried about when speaking English. You dont need to have perfect grammar in order to communicate with someone in English. Native speakers arent going to judge you for having bad grammar, they are going to be more focused on understanding your meaning and continuing the conversation. As long as you speak clearly and confidently, it doesnt matter if you use the wrong article, adjective ending or sentence order. Many language programs put too much emphasis on grammar and not enough emphasis on speaking. They spread the idea

that you have to know all the grammar rules before you can start speaking, which can have the effect of reducing your confidence when you finally start speaking. This is backwards. You should learn to speak first to build your confidence, and then work on correcting your grammar after youve reached a basic level of fluency. Everybody makes mistakes, even native speakers of English. Nobody is born speaking perfect English; fluency is something that takes time and hard work to achieve. There are many Americans who go through 13 years of schooling and still dont learn how to speak English properly.

If you call someone a moron, make sure you spell it properly. So dont be discouraged by your mistakes. Learn to embrace them and value them for the role they play in your learning. 3. Dont Apologize For Your Level

Something that really annoys me when Im talking to someone in English is when they apologize for how much English they speak. Ive never been offended by someones level of English, and I dont get upset when someone makes mistakes. If you talk to someone and they do get offended or upset because of your level of English they are an evil person who probably tortures kittens in their spare time. Most of the people who apologize for their level of English feel like they should speak better than they do. Its fine to think this, but dont get upset at yourself for not knowing more than you do. Achieving fluency in any language is a process that takes time, and you cant expect to become fluent overnight. Whether youve been studying English for years or only for a few months, youve put in a lot of work to get where you are, so dont underestimate yourself. 4. Dont get frustrated with yourself Learning English will come with a certain amount of frustration. At some point you will come to a stage where you wont be able to fully express yourself like you would be able to in Portuguese, and there will be times when you wont be able to find the right word to say. Nearly everyone who learns English goes through this phase; its just a natural part of the language learning process. This stage may last only a few weeks if you are completely immersed in English, but it could last years if you only use English twice a week at your language school. The only way to overcome this frustration is by practice, practice, practice. Keep in mind that this frustration isnt because youre not smart enough, or because the language is too difficult, it is something that many people have to go through. By

embracing this frustration and feeling it more intensely through increased exposure you can pass through this stage more rapidly. 5. Dont take it personally when people dont understand you At some point in your English speaking career you are going to speak to someone who, no matter how hard you try just cant seem to understand you. Due to the large number of English speakers in the world, there are a wide range of accents, some of which are hard to understand. I for one have a hard time understanding some Australian accents and most Irish accents. Youll have this problem a lot when talking with people who arent used to dealing with foreigners. If they dont have this experience they will be used to hearing English spoken in a very specific way, and they wont have any frame of reference when talking to you. Realize that this isnt a reflection of your language skills, but rather a reflection of this persons lack of exposure to different people.

The same person who gets offended when you speak English also tortures kittens like these.

This can also happen when talking to English learners who have a lower level of English than you. They wont be able to understand everything you say because of your more advanced vocabulary. Try to remember that you were once at their level and not everyone is at the same place on their language journey. 6. Dont compare yourself to other English Speakers No matter what level your English is at, you had to work hard to bring yourself to that level. Be proud of what youve accomplished and dont be too concerned with what other people think about it. They dont know how many hours youve had to work to get to where you are, they dont know all the struggles youve been through to get there. This also means you shouldnt go around comparing yourself to other people. Everybody is different; some people learn languages more easily than others and some people have spent more time working to improve their English. Just because your friend who lived in London for 3 years can speak really well doesnt mean that youre not on the right path. Some people like to see others fail, and by paying any attention to these people you are just feeding their negativity. Any time you spend worrying about what they think of you is time wasted that could be better spent by working to improve your English. 7. If you are fluent, or just think you are, DONT GET COCKY (ARROGANT) Life (English) is a Journey Not a Destination. This part was written by Justin.

English is not a chip in your brain. Its a learning process. Maybe this is gonna seem harsh, and definitely a bit paradoxical, but for the rare English Jedi breed, they realize that theres never really perfect fluency, only the impassioned and ever-approaching journey toward it. This means that when you finally become fluent, (whatever that really means to you or to the world), you shouldnt adapt the attitude of somebody who thinks I already learned English because there are some fundamental problems and limitations that come from this assumption. Here are just a few:

Youre living a lie because you never stop learning a language. It is like calling yourself a fully-realized human being. Theres always the next level up, and the current level always needs practice. The learner tends to get lazy, and its a universal fact about any learning process, that if you arent growing, you are probably getting worse. The inflated ego prevents you from recognizing the final 5 or 10% that separates you from the master jedi breed of English speakers. There is a tendency to treat other English learners (or people who are learning their language) in a condescending, totally idiotic way, forgetting what it is like to learn because they themselves are no longer connected to their own learning process. Cultural Understanding: You can know everything about grammar, but that doesnt mean you are fluent. You need to be constantly connected to the source of the language (culture) so that it flows from who you really are.

So there you have it, 7 things not to do when speaking English. Now that you know what not to do, go out there and speak English!
8 Myths About English Fluency: Part I
by J U STI N on AUGUST 31, 2012

After six years of living and traveling in Latin America, teaching English and learning Spanish and Portuguese, I havent stopped asking the million dollar question that drives the billion dollar EFL/English Industry: What is fluency and whats the best way to teach and learn it? After only a month backpacking in Mexico trying to learn Spanish, I quickly realized that the majority of my attitudes and beliefs about fluency and language learning were based on popular misconceptions generated by people who knew very little about reaching fluency. Join the Real Life English International Learning Community | Read the translation of this text in Portuguese Not only were they completely wrong, but these ideas were counterproductive to my own language learning, leaving me frustrated, confused and stagnant. I realized that my success as both a language learner and teacher would depend on me opening my mind and developing a new perspective.

The first thing I had to learn as a language learner and English teacher was separate fact from fiction, which meant abandoning my own false ideas that no longer served me or my students. 8 Myths of English fluency is the fruit of my own process as a language learner and teacher. (This is first part of a two part series).

MYTH 01- FLUENT SPEAKERS DONT MAKE MISTAKES ADVICE: RELAX AND MAKE LOTS OF MISTAKES: COMMUNICATION > GRAMMAR Theres a popular idea that fluency is a magical land of perfect grammar, native-like pronunciation, and unobstructed communication. The truth is that fluency is none of these. The truth is that few people, if any (including native speakers) speak with perfect grammar, and nearly 99.9% of people who learn English as a second language will always have some sort of accent from their native language. Learn to accept this and be okay with it. You can work to smooth it out, but your accent is your cultural identity, and this isnt a bad thing. Good language learners learn to communicate first (or at the same time as they learn grammar), and they work through their grammar and pronunciation problems on a parallel basis or after. Mistakes will surely happen when you open your

mouth, but this is the path to fluency. The baby doesnt learn to walk by crawling. She falls and falls A LOT. MYTH 02- FLUENCY COMES WHEN YOU LEARN ALL THE GRAMMAR ADVICE: YOU SHOULD CULTIVATE PIECES OF FLUENCY FROM THE START Another popular misconception, which goes hand in hand with Myth 1, is the idea that fluency is a distant reality that will come one day when youve learned enough English grammar. Its okay to expect fluency in the future and big advances in your grammar a, and this is sure to happen with diligence and hard work, but you can start finding the courage to attempt small everyday pieces of fluency right now. Theory and practice should go hand in hand throughout the entire process. If you are not learning to use the grammar you learn now, you will probably forget it later. Successful learners are able to cultivate fluency from the very beginning in specific situations. If you know only know how to introduce yourself, learn how to do this with confidence by doing it a lot, whenever, wherever, and with whoever you can. Learn basic survival English, how to say hello and goodbye, and start thinking about every grammar lesson you learn as something you will apply the next day. This will be a big shift in your attitude that will help with everything else, bits of fluency that will not go away. Its almost as if you are writing a script for a play that you will act in over and over again.

Every situation has an opportunity for fluency, and the first thing you should focus on are everyday situations. Fluency is not just an abstract long-term plan, but a daily opportunity that you can cultivate. The more real life situations that you find, such as the Real Life International Community and making English a part of your daily life with Lifestyle English, the easier and more interesting your experience will be.

MYTH 03- YOU MUST STUDY ABROAD/ BE IMMERSED IN IT TO GET FLUENT ADVICE: MAKE YOUR LIFESTYLE A CONSTANT ENGLISH IMMERSION A study abroad/ English exchange program can be an amazing learning experience, a big help for fluency, as well as a great pleasure for your life, but its not a magic pill for your failures at home nor a must for reaching fluency. As we discussed in the Real Life English Exchange Blog, there are a lot of people who believe such an experience to be the solution to all their English problems. They often buy into the myth, spend a lot of time and money going, only to come back disappointed by not having learned much English. If you have the time and resources and are a self-directed learner, I would also recommend trying to plan backpacking trip and finding schools or programs independently as you go along. Nothing is better than meaningful cultural adventure that will grant you social and linguistic opportunities. If you

want to speak English the entire type, it might be a good idea to travel alone or without other people from your country. Een if you dont leave your home country, fluency can be closer than you think if you adapt the proper lifestyle to support an enjoyable, consistent process that enables you to live your life through English. In this way, you dont even need to study because you its part of your life and you experience it with enthusiasm. MYTH 04-YOU NEED A CERTIFICATE/EXTERNAL APPROVAL TO BE FLUENT ADVICE: USE CERTIFICATE EXAMS TO COMPLIMENT FLUENCY, NOT DEFINE IT Fluency is not an external piece of paper, nor the approval of your friends or workmates. You are the only one who can decide if youre fluent. If you need these external validations for your own personal sense of fluency, you probably havent developed the confidence, clarity and courage to really be okay with your level. Receiving a piece of paper that shows you learned how to take a standardized test wont fix that. Only real life use of the language and contact with the culture can give you a sense of personal ownership (i.e. fluency) over the language you are using.

While these tests are great and useful for giving a certain integrity and balance to your process and measuring

your progress in some of the more technical areas, dont confuse the guidance tools for the essence of your own personal sense of where you are and what you need to do. There are plenty of people armed with a test score that gives them a sense of false confidence about their English level, while not knowing how to communicate spontaneously in a real life cultural situation that calls for them to respond in the most human and personal of ways. CALL TO ACTION Your call to action today is to consider and reflect upon your beliefs and attitudes toward English fluency. Do you have a good idea of what fluency is? Do you know what it feels like? Are you entirely committed? And what about myths and preconceptions that might be damaging your language learning process? Have you abandoned the garbage that holds you back? Challenge yourself to become a better language learner and not except mediocrity. Read Part II of 8 Myths About English Fluency We would also love to see your feedback on this article. What myths and misconceptions have you encountered on your path to fluency in English? What did you do to overcome them? What advice would you give to our readers? Take care! We really appreciate you spreading the word about Real Life English. This helps us grow and add more value to our community. Take care! 8 Myths About English Fluency: Part II
by J U STI N on SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

The most useful piece of learning for the uses of life is tounlearn what is untrue. Antisthenes This is true for life and its true for language learning. You will never get fluent in any language unless you unlearn some of the myths youve been taught. Read the Portuguese translation of this text | Join the Real Life English International Community In over 6 years of teaching English, Ive come to realize that the biggest obstacles that people have against learning English arent caused by what they dont know. They are, however, caused by the things they think they know that arent really true. There comes a time when the only way to move forward is to empty your mind of the myths you hold. Unlearning something youve already learned is difficult, but as you gain momentum on the path to fluency, certain things dont make sense anymore. This is part two of a three part series on 8 Myths About English Fluency. Before jumping into the myths 5 and 6, heres a quick review of last weeks article, which covered the first 4 myths:

PART I (LAST WEEK): The First 4 myths About English Fluency: Myth 01-Fluent Speakers Do Not Make Mistakes Myth 02- Fluency Comes When You Learn All the Grammar Myth 03- You Must Go to an English Speaking Country to Get Fluent Myth 04- You Need a Certificate/ Test Score to Prove Your Fluency MYTH 05- YOU NEED TO THINK IN ENGLISH TO GET FLUENT People often say that the key to fluency is to think in English. While this is true for advanced students, it is almost always a myth for ower levels. What this means is that people are confusing the bi-product of fluency (thinking in English) with the process itself (building the necessary structure to be able to think in English).

You have to learn how to walk before you

can run. You have to learn, acquire and/or absorb the foundation that enables you to think in English before you can consider this as a real option. This myth is propagated by: 1. Fluent speakers who dont have a good understanding of their process and forget what its like to be a beginner. Because they need to think in English to speak well, they assume that beginners have the same capacity. 2. People who hear this frustration from fluent speakers, but knowing little about language learning process, they assume that this is a universal truth and because it was said by a fluent speaker, it must be true for beginners too. While advanced speakers do indeed need to think in English to access and flow in their English knowledge, beginners dont have the structure to do this yet. With that said, there is, however, one possible dynamic exception to this myth for beginner and intermediate learners, which may play a very small role in the propagation of this myth. However, as it is little known and very very rarely employed (only by gifted language learners), it can very rarely used to discard the think in English myth. Without going in depth right now, this dynamic strategy has more to do with learning in chunks, imitation and repetition. This is a very interesting topic well discuss in a future article.

MYTH 06- YOU UNDERSTAND EVERYBODY WHEN YOURE FLUENT Again, fluency is not this magical land of perfect communication and comprehension. Dont expect to understand everything, dont take it personally when you dont understand, and dont believe people who tell you they understand everything. Even native speakers dont understand each other sometimes. Advanced learners of English often feel bad when they are in a group situation and dont understand whats being said, and they often feel bad when they dont understand the lyrics to a song. Recognize that this happens to EVERYBODY! As far as intermediate learners, they often feel that fluency is so far away because they dont understand anything at all. If youre intermediate, understand that youre not as far away as you think, if you create the lifestyle that facilitates daily contact. If you have the grammatical structure and vocabulary, its just a question of conditioning your hearing to the new sounds. While its true that the more fluent you are, the better you will handle every kind of situation (this will gradually get better with consistent exposure to native sources of the language), many of these situations ARE NOT YOUR FAULT.

Some situations you will probably not understand no matter what your level because its a new accent, a new social or professional context (with specific vocabulary), a new city, or some other situation that you have to build context for before you understand. Apart from this, sometimes people mumble, speak too quickly, and are often unintelligible in their own language (think about people like this in your own language). Relax and know that you will always encounter situations when you dont understand what is being said. Dont panic. Its a natural part of the process, and the more you build fluency and have contact with a wide variety of native sources, the easier it will get. You will always be learning, so just relax and start building daily contact with the language through lifestyle English(online radio, podcasts, TV shows). Youll be surprised how quickly your listening comprehension (and speaking, to a different extent) will improve with just an hour a day of native speaking exposure.

CALL TO ACTION Consider your own process toward English fluency. Where are you at and where are you going? What have you learned?

What myths have you accepted but no longer seem true to your process? What can you unlearn in order to clear the way for new perspectives on language learning? Remember people everywhere have ideas about English fluency, and most of these ideas come from people who have never learned a language. Think critically about these and recognize what is true to your process. Read Part 1 of 8 Myths About English Fluency If you liked this article, we encourage you to like, share, comment to your friends, and spread the word about theReal Life English Movement, already with over 3,000 members from more than 50 countries. If you havent already, we encourage you to join the Real Life English International Learning Community where topics like this are constantly discussed. Grab a free copy of our popular new e-book, 101 English Words You Wont Learn in School. Wed love to hear from you in the comments below. Next week well cover Myths 7 and 8 in the final article of this series on 8 Myths About English Fluency. Heres a quick review of the first 6, and a preview next weeks article. Take care! Read Part I (Myths 1-4)| Read III (Myths 7-8) 8 Myths About English Fluency 1. Fluent Speakers Do Not Make Mistakes 2. Fluency Comes When You Learn All the Grammar 3. You Must Go to an English Speaking Country to Get Fluent 4. You Need a Certificate/ Test Score to Prove Your Fluency. 5. You Need to Think in English to Get Fluent 6. You Understand Everybody When Youre Fluent

7. You are Either Fluent or You Arent (No Grey Area) 8. Fluency is Fixed and Permanent (Like a Computer Chip) 8 Myths About Fluency: Part III
by J U STI N on SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

After the popular success of the first 2 articles in this series, today we will cover the final two myths about English fluency: Youre Either Fluent or Youre Not Fluent Fluency is Permanent/ a Chip in Your Brain With English, exactly like any other discipline, if you have incorrect beliefs (i.e. myths), the road to mastery will inevitably be long, arduous, boring, and will probably result in failure. For truly motivated learners, the hardest thing about success is not hard work (as most people assume), but rather the question of skillful methods, self-awareness, and as we will discuss today, UNLEARNING THE MYTHS weve been taught our whole lives.

Leia a traduo desse texto em ingls | Join the RLE International Community The truth is that such a small percentage of people learning English really reach high levels of English fluency, even fewer understand their process, but people everywhere think they know what they are talking about. Popular misconceptions have no limit. If you havent had a chance to read the first two articles of the 8 Myths About English Fluency, we highly recommend that you check out Part 1 (Myths 1-4) and part 2 (Myths 5-6). Heres a quick review of them. Read Part 1: Myths 1-4

Mistakes 2.Fluency Comes When You Learn All The Grammar 3.You Must Study Abroad/ Be Immersed in English to Get Fluent 4.You Need a Certificate/ External Approval to Be Fluent Part 2: Myths 5-6 5.You Need to Think in English to Get Fluent 6.You Understand Everybody When Youre Fluent The majority of these myths about fluency are exaggerations, gross simplifications, and misconceptions of what true and effective language learning is.

1.Fluent Speakers Dont Make

Good language learners know that if you really are going to advance into fluency, you have forget many things youve been taught, ignore popular belief, and start to forge a different perspective on language learning.

MYTH 7- YOURE EITHER FLUENT OR YOURE NOT FLUENT A lot of people think and talk about fluency in a very black & white, over-simplified way that doesnt honor the dynamic and ambiguous experience of fluency as a range of communication levels. As a native English speaker that has spoken with thousands of learners of all levels, Im continuously amazed at the huge difference between my perception of fluency (i.e. meaningful and natural communication), and the perception of the people learning. Fluency Emerges Continuously The truth is that from the point where fluency starts to emerge, to the point where proficiency is very advanced, there is a huge grey area that most people (including a lot of successful language learners) dont even know exists. This is really not easy to explain to people who arent in this position, and confusing even for people that are in this position because youre subject to a million different myths

from people who dont know and are just repeating what they are told. Your Experience of Fluency is Unique and Personal Your experience is a unique combination of your language learning talents, abilities and experiences, and you need to have the courage to understand it on your own terms. Heres a healthy perspective on fluency that honors the dynamic process of a language learner:

Fluency is a Fluctuating Range of Abilities (Not Concrete) When pass the intermediate level, you start having experiences of fluency, good days, moments where you communicate (with difficulty), only to fall back into your previous level. With diligence, patience, and consistent contact, good moments happen more and more, and they feel more natural. What was difficult and stressful before has now become (most of the time) natural and almost unconscious, but you know that you still have problems that need to be fixed. This, in my opinion, deserves to be called fluency. Fluency is Like a Baby Growing Up (But Faster)

Your fluency will emerge slowly, almost like a faster version of a baby growing up. Theres no distinct, measurable transition point in growth from baby to child to adolescent to adult. Likewise, fluency is gradual, and should be taken as a whole. One important difference, however, is that language learning, while gradual in a big way, communication proficiency tends to consolidate itself and manifest improvements in quick breakthroughs that are a result of accumulated effort. This demands patience because sometimes you dont see yourself improving, but it also demands self-awareness to make sure you dont get stagnant.

MYTH 8- FLUENCY IS PERMANENT/ A CHIP IN YOUR BRAIN This is often a myth propagated by people who have reached some level fluency via only conventional, academic methods, but have yet to see how living their life with no English contact will inevitably lead to atrophy. These people dont realize that the structures of their fluency are only supported only by the precarious framework of theory, lacking the deep roots of a truly personal connection with the culture that gives life (and durability) to the language.

People spend A LOT of time, money, and energy studying English, doing English exchange programs, trying to import the language into their brains as if from the outside in, without really creating the context in their life to support lifelong learning. The point is that fluency is not something that you can import, but must be born in you through authentic desire to live your life THROUGH it. Lifelong Fluency Demands Lifelong Habits I often compare this to studying medicine for years and years to be a doctor, learning all the theory, but graduating only to never apply what was learned. What happens? Either quickly or gradually, depending on the depth of the roots that have been planted, s/he will forget. Unless you have a particular talent for language learning, you will need to create the structure that supports the continued learning of it.

Learn to Enjoy the Process Learn to enjoy the process, the journey toward fluency, because you need to install not just the chip in your brain, but also the program in your life. If you dont use it, you will lose it.

This is why learning the social/ colloquial side of the language is so important and often ignored by a lot of programs. People with a strictly professional idea of the English fluency see this is an impurity of the language. Real Life English sees this as the real fun of fluency, because this is where you connect with the life and culture of English. This is where you express your human qualities. Were not denying that professional English is important, but if all you focus on is professional English, youre perspective is really quite partial. Lifestyle English embraces all aspects of the English language, and most importantly, the ones that captivate your imagination. CALL TO ACTION

Now that weve covered all 8 Myths About English Fluency (if you havent read all of them, I encourage you to read part 1 and part 2), this is your chance to reflect upon the belief system that guides your learning process. Can it be improved in any way? What myths have you accepted in your own learning of English, or even other disciplines? What myths do you see in other peoples view of English fluency? What most helped you evolve your understanding of English fluency?

If you enjoyed this article, we would really appreciate the likes, shares, comments and feedback (positive and negative). Were here to help you on your path to English fluency, and your participation makes it all worthwhile. If you havent already, we encourage you to join the Real Life English International Learning Community, with over 3,100 members from 50+ countries. If you join now, you get a free copy of our popular e-book 101 English Words Youll Never Learn in School. Take care RLE community! 9 Reasons Why People Fail to Get Fluent in English
by J U STI N on JUNE 11, 2012

Have you studied and had difficulty reaching fluency in English? Do you feel like something important is holding you back, but youre not sure what it is? Today youre going to learn about the most common excuses, attitudes and obstacles that prevent you from learning English. Whether youre a beginner, intermediate, or advanced student, this is a good chance to check yourself and understand how you can be a better learner. leia este artigo em portugus

Excuses & Attitudes (to Avoid) 1. Im Not Good With Languages

Its true that some people are better at learning languages than others, but you have to accept that some people, with or without a gift, just want it more. In this sense, the greatest gift you can have for learning is TO REALLY WANT IT. Unless you have some real serious learning deficiencies, you are fully able to learn English. It might take more dedication and patience, better strategies, study habits and awareness of your learning style, but to say that what is holding you back is because you arent good at languages is not a good excuse. The grand majority of people who have learned English as a second language dont have a gift. Theyve learned through persistent hard work, avoiding excuses, and overcoming obstacles that everybody faces.

2. Im Too Embarrassed to Speak

If you dont use it, you lose it. All the embarressment or laziness that prevents you from speaking will result in the forgetting of everything youve already learned up until that point in the process. This is the big problem with a lot of English schools. They dont create enough opportunities to speak in authentic situations. If you dont use the basic stuff you learn, no amount of advanced grammar is going to help you remember what you superficially learned and forgot because you didnt apply it. Furthermore, not speaking contributes to the psychological blockage of your whole process. So whats the best advice? Open your mouth. Whether its in the classroom, alone in the shower, with friends who speak a little or a lot, or even

foreigners in real life or on Skype, just stop being embarrassed and OPEN YOUR MOUTH.

3. Adults Dont Learn Languages Very Well

While an adult is not going to have the same ability as a child to learn a foreign language, I think many of us just dont give ourselves enough credit. There are plenty of advantages to being an adult language learner, including more selfawareness about our learning processes, the fact that we know what we want, and we can plan out our process. Its true that the vast majority of adult language learners will never totally lose their accent, but you can smooth it out with intelligent methods, and if you are communicating fine, what the heck is wrong with having an accent? Its who we are, where we come from, and an important part of our identity. And it often makes you appear sexy and exotic. The world is full of successful adult language learners who do a beautiful job communicating and theres no reason why you cant be one of them.

4. I Dont Have the Time

You dont need to sign up for an English school and pay a lot of money, nor do you need several hours of free time every day. Signing up for and attending the right program can help you a lot and give you some added structure, but if you dont have the time, use your imagination and learn with the technology at your convenience.

Lifestyle English is an excellent place to start, and there are plenty of free podcasts you can download to learn in your car, in addition to blogs, youtube videos, and a ton of other free resources. If you look hard enough, you will find a ton of resources that will help you learn English without paying anything.

5.I Need to Go to an English Speaking Country

You simply do not need to travel across the ocean to another country to have contact with the language. There are English speakers everywhere if you actually take the time to look, and when you get to the stage in your learning where immersion is something that would give you a big push, there are other options. You can find foreigners in your city. In Belo Horizonte, there are 3 international communities that Im aware of: Real Life English, Minas International, and Couch Surfing. In addition to this, you can create a lifestyle with a constant flow of native speaking English sources such as podcasts, online radio, TV shows, movies, music. The most important part is adding English into your daily life. Find ways to make it fun.

Obstacles (to Overcome) 6. Lack of Purpose

A lot of people dont have a strong WHY to learn the language. Even if I have to Learn English for my career is the truth, if its the first thing you think about when you think about English, its gonna be a long, slow and painful process. This leads to a lack of love for what youre doing and a mechanical approach.

People who think learn English in terms of external motivation dont usually dont enjoy learning English. They get bored and tired easily, and are often not very dedicated. So whats the solution? Look for a deeper purpose and cultivate it. Really look hard at why you are learning and use that as the source of your inspiration. Heres an inspiring story of purpose and perseverance applied to language learning.

7. Lack of Responsibility

A lot of people want to pay somebody to learn English for them or to acquire the language as if it were a chip in the brain. They dont understand that to learn a language, you need to take responsibility for your process, and stop placing it upon the shoulders of the teacher or school or life circumstances. Of course, the school and teacher have their own responsibility they must follow through on, but the teacher is more of a facilitator and is only needed to show the student the door. YOU must be the one to walk through the door by your own will power. Learning English is not a chip in your brain, but an intimate process that you must participate in every day. Yes, EVERY DAY. Excellence (i.e. fluency) is not easily, quickly or even likely to be achieved with a haphazard twice a week effort.

8. Lack of a Good Plan/Method

If youre going to learn English, you need to decide, and then clarify your motives, investigate well the path to success, and then set your life up and execute. People often dont organize their lives in a way that will lead to success with their English

learning process because they dont have a very good plan, they dont make the time to learn every day (outside of class), and they dont investigate what makes a good school and/or method. People look for quick, easy fixes to problems that they have to face. If youre not successful in learning English, first stop and ask yourself, Why am I not learning? and take responsibility for your own process. ONLY THEN should you start looking for people that can help you. Think about the things I mentioned here and then talk with your friends that have been successful in learning. Ask advice from them, research on the internet, visit several schools, watch a class or two, and learn to tell the difference between clever marketing and real quality. Read blogs like this one, and others such as English Experts, Ingls na Ponta da Lngua, and Tecla SAP. Here are a few articles about this. How to Choose a School (English Experts) About Online English Programs (Ingls na Ponta da Lingua)

9. Lack of Imagination

Life and English are not two separate things when youre using your imagination to learn. The problem is that most people treat English like a school subject, which is the worst way to learn a language. English fluency is not to be attained through memorization or grammar or book exercisesnot to say that these strategies (to a limited degree) cant help. Fluency is a dance, an art, a practice and a passion, and the learner must identify his life experience with the language in order to flow with her own imagination and learning style, to give meaning to the process. This goes along the lines of

having a strong purpose (#6), because imagination often flows out of purpose. Here are a few signs that youre not using your imagination: Youre not having fun, youre not excited to learn, you make excuses, and youre not utilizing your natural abilities. So how do you spark your imagination? Clarify your purpose for wanting to learn and connect it to what you already do and enjoy, including your natural abilities, your interests, and your life. That is imagination.

A challenge to you: Take 20 minutes to think about whats holding you back. Do a brainstorm. Just throw down a million ideas on paper and dont filter. Why do you want to learn English? What are you good at and how can you apply it to English? How can you cultivate a pleasure for learning English? Dont let the excuses in. Take responsibility and accept the responses. Think about something that you absolutely love to do and imagine how it would be to have the same passion for English. Remember, Lifes a journey, not a destination, exactly like your English learning. The million dollar question: How could you enjoy each step and at the same time be sure that youre on the road to fluency? This answer can only come from you.

Call to Action

If you liked this article, feel free to like, comment and/or share with your friends. Subscribe to our mailing list to receive our free monthly Real Life English newsletter, with language exclusive learning tips, updates as to events, and access to our vast database of articles. And finally, we would really appreciate it if you spread the word about the project and tell your friends about it. Thanks a lot! How to Get Fluent in 3 Months
by J OSH on JULY 25, 2012

What if it is possible to gain fluency in a language in only

three months? What if it is possible to do this without spending any money? What if it is possible to do this without leaving your home country?

What if I told you that not only is it possible, but there are people out there who are achieving the seemingly impossible goal of becoming fluent in a foreign language in three months? There is a whole movement of people out there who are learning languages in three months, and today we are going to reveal their secrets for how they learn languages so quickly without spending thousands of dollars in courses. Leia este texto em Portuguese

Living Proof That Its Possible

Benny Lewis is a man from Ireland who grew up only speaking English. He studied German in school but by the time he graduated he was still unable to hold a conversation in German. As is common with many language learning programs he spent a lot of time studying grammar and neglected the spoken part of the language. Despite knowing all of the correct situations to use die, der and das he was unable to actually use them in conversation, and eventually he gave up on learning German. Excited about the opportunity to immerse himself in a new culture and learn a new language, Benny took an internship opportunity in Spain after graduating. After 6 months of living in Spain, he was hardly better at Spanish than he was before he left. All of Bennys coworkers and friends spoke English, and it was all too easy for Benny to stay inside an English speaking bubble. He had tried learning Spanish in a variety of ways group classes, online programs and by attempting to read the Lord of the Rings in Spanish but all of this studying didnt bring him any closer to Spanish fluency.

One day Benny had an epiphany. He realized that if he was ever going to learn how to speak Spanish, he needed to stop studying Spanish and start speaking it. You see, despite living in Spain for 6 months he was still afraid to actually speak it with Spaniards. Saying even basic things like hola and gracias was a challenge him, and he rarely attempted to speak anything more complex than that. After months of making excuses as to why Spanish was difficult, that he wasnt good at languages, and that it wasnt his destiny to learn Spanish, Benny made an important decision. November 1, 2003 is forever marked in Bennys mind as the day that he stopped speaking English and the day he started speaking Spanish. Everything changed after that day. From then on he spoke Spanish every opportunity that he had. He didnt let bad grammar, poor pronunciation and a lack of vocabulary prevent him from speaking; he continued on until eventually he became fluent in Spanish. Since learning Spanish, Benny has taken on many other language missions usually with the goal of achieving fluency in three months. He is fluent in English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Esperanto, Irish, he is currently studying American Sign Language, Dutch and Mandarin Chinese. He has also studied Thai, Czech, Quechua, Klingon, Tagalog, Hungarian and Turkish. Benny blogs about his language learning missions on his website, Fluentin3months.com. (by the way, Benny has stated that Brazil is his favorite country and wrote a great article documenting his love for Brazil.)

What is Fluency?

Before we go any further, its important that we define what fluency is. If you ask 10 different people this question, you are likely to get 10 different answers, so its important that we are

all are working with the same definition in order to understand Bennys work. Bennys Definition of fluency: My own definition of fluency is something along the lines of not hesitating when speaking, getting your point across with very few mistakes and understanding when spoken to, without slowing down the conversation when with a group of otherwise native speakers. I consider fluency to be about 9095% perfect. Whats important about Bennys definition is that fluency doesnt mean perfection, it doesnt mean having a native-like accent, and it doesnt mean being able to have intense philosophical debates in that language. Fluency simply means the ability to understand and to be understood by the people that you are talking to.

How to Get Fluent in Three Months

A language is not this kind of thing that you test for, that you can either be right or wrong, its not a black or white thing. Its how human beings talk to one another. Benny believes and demonstrates that to get fluent quickly, you need to focus on speaking from day one and get as much exposure to the language as possible. Talking with native speakers is important because it allows you to get real time feedback and to gain confidence that you can really speak the language. The only way to progress in a language is by speaking and speaking a lot. When Benny goes to a new country, the first thing that he does when he goes to that country is he starts to use that language. Even with no prior exposure to the language before

arriving, he goes out and starts to communicate. He uses a phrase book to learn basic phrases and pronunciation, and he uses them immediately. The most important thing you can do when learning a new language is to stop speaking your native language as much as possible. Once Benny made the decision to stop speaking English his Spanish abilities improved tremendously. Nowadays a self imposed English ban is an essential part of every language mission he undertakes. By continuing to speak in your native language, especially when you could be speaking your target language, you are only hurting yourself and delaying your progress. Another aspect of Bennys philosophy is to create missions that require you to go out and use a specific part of the language. Come up with specific goals that you want to achieve, learn the vocabulary needed to complete the mission and go out and accomplish it. Some mission examples might be getting a haircut, buying and activating a SIM card, teaching your friend how to make cookies from scratch or asking a girl on a date.

Becoming Fluent in Your Home Country

You dont actually need to leave your home country in order to become fluent in a language and native sounding accent. One thing that we stress here at Real Life English is the importance of making a lifestyle out of English or any other language that youre learning. You need to find ways to incorporate the language into your life as much as possible, through music, podcasts, TV shows and real life encounters with other speakers of the language. Benny has written extensively on tips and tricks that you can do in your home country to find native speakers to practice

with. Benny is a strong believer in Couchsurfing, which is a social network that connects travelers with locals who are willing to host them. Benny uses Couchsurfing to host guests from all over the world in order to maintain his various language abilities. Another free online language learning tool is Livemocha. Livemocha is a language learning community providing instructional materials in 38 languages and a platform for speakers to interact with and help each other learn new languages with. It boasts over 12 million registered users from 196 countries, with 400,000 active daily users. With resources like Livemocha and Couchsurfing it is possible to gain fluency in several languages without ever leaving home.

My Fluent in 3 Months Story

When I came to Brazil for the first time last year I didnt speak a word of Portuguese, I did however speak Spanish, having studied it in school and spent the last few months traveling around Latin America. When I looked at written Portuguese before coming to Brazil, I thought that the two languages were close enough to be able to speak Spanish and be understood. Very quickly, however, I realized that the pronunciation of the two languages is very different, and that I was going to have to learn Portuguese. After two months of following Bennys advice I went from speaking Portunhol, to Portuguese, and considered myself fluent by the above definition. The pronunciation of my Rs still needed work, I wasnt sure how to use the subjunctive verb tense and my vocabulary was pretty weak, but none of that stopped me from being able to proficiently communicate with Brazilians.

Ive met several foreigners who are fluent in Spanish but havent been able to transfer their knowledge over to Portuguese. Many make the mistake of assuming that since the languages are so closely related that they dont need to bother improving because Brazilians are going to understand them anyway. While it is acceptable to speak Spanish while you are a beginner, it is culturally insensitive to continue speaking Spanish, or even a thick Portunhol, to Brazilians months after you first move to the country. The reason I was able to progress so quickly in Portuguese is because I almost never spoke English during those first two months. This wasnt an easy feat to accomplish: there were many stressful moments where I was unable to express myself clearly or when I couldnt understand what someone said to me. I couldve made my life easier by seeking out English speaking friends, which is what a lot of foreigners do, but I was committed in my mission to learn Portuguese. One thing that made my life a lot easier is knowing that Benny is out there doing the same thing and that it is possible to achieve fluency in three months.

The Language Hacking Guide

Youre probably wondering how it is that Benny is able to travel around the world devoting himself to language learning

full time. Was Benny the recipient of a large inheritance? Do his parents pay for everything? Did he win the lottery? Benny is very good at helping people learn languages FAST. Benny is a digital nomad who is able to support a lifestyle of permanent travel from the language learning resources that he sells on his website. Benny has written a book compiling all of his best tips and strategies from his experience learning over a dozen languages. The Language Hacking Guide is translated in to more than 50 languages and gives you tools and tricks that will help you learn any language. This book was a big help to me when I was learning Portuguese, and I highly recommend you check it out. You can get the first two chapters for free when you sign up to Bennys mailing list. Bennys website also has an active forum where members share language learning tips, share resources, arrange language meetups, and talk about the challenges of learning specific languages.

Do you think its possible to become fluent in three months? Leave a comment below.
by J U STI N on SEPTEMBER 28, 2012

How to Know if Youre Fluent in English (Part I): Emerging Fluency

Do you ever wonder if youre fluent in English or not? Do you even know what fluency is, or how it should feel? Whether youre fluent or not, this is your chance to discover, check and define English fluency in your life, as a current reality, or as a vision of what to expect and work for. This article will contemplate the very idea of fluency, explore an understanding of it, and fortify your path to higher and higher levels of English proficiency. After all, if you have some idea of where youre going and what to expect along the way, its a heck of a lot easier to get there. Join the Real Life English Community | Leia este texto em ingls This article will be divided in two parts: This Article (PART I) will cover: 1. What is Fluency? 2. Low-Level Fluency (Emerging Fluency) Next Week (PART II) will cover: 3. *Mid-Level Fluency (Stable & Functional) 4. *Advanced Fluency (Approaching Mastery)

AUTHORS NOTE: This article maps out the experience of the various levels of fluency, intentionally avoiding the complicated and often abstract descriptions of the many standardized certificates that exist, all valid on their own terms, but nevertheless limited to theory. This is my perception as a native English speaker talking with countless non-natives from all over the world, in addition to several years of teaching and language learning. Before defining fluency, let me say that there are way too many misconceptions about fluency in the world. To compliment this article, we recommend a recently published RLE article: 8 Myths About Fluency. WHAT IS FLUENCY? There are countless definitions, and Im a firm believer that you should start evolving your personal definition. Heres the OXFORD DICTIONARY DEFINITION OF FLUENCY: 1 speaking or writing in an articulate and natural manner. 2 (of a language) used easily and accurately. The above definition is sufficient, but my personal definition of fluency is a bit more flexible and inclusive. For me, at least with respect to basic/emerging fluency, you dont have to

sound great or necessarily articulate yourself in the most beautiful way, but you do have to communicate well enough to have meaningful interactions and perform functions that are important in your life. Before describing these levels, I would like to briefly mention three important aspects of fluency that dont get nearly enough attention. Give the following articles a read when you get a chance.

You Arent Fluent Until You Understand the CULTURE Why CONFIDENCE is the Key to Fluency LIFESTYLE ENGLISH: 5 Ways to Make English Part of Your Daily Life

LOW-LEVEL/ EMERGING FLUENCY There comes a point in your process, usually after struggling for an indefinite amount of time (depending on your situation), when you start to finally taste what fluency is like. This is an extremely beautiful, but precarious stage of your process. I consider this to be low-level fluency, or emerging fluency, and depending on the person and the situation, it usually happens in the intermediate part of most programs.

These may come randomly in a moment of need, or after a beer or two at a bar. They can happen in an English exchange experience or in your home country. If you are fortunate to study at a school that creates opportunities for you to use your English, this may also happen in a class. EXCITING TIMES DISCOVERING ENGLISH On the one hand, its an exciting time because you start to have authentic glimpses of fluency in its real life application, experiencing natural and meaningful communication, even if its not perfect, comfortable, or permanent (yet). You realize that the hard work is paying off.

This is a HUGE step for your learning process because you can, if you are courageous, start exploring the English speaking world and building your skills in authentic situations. The abstractness of the English language dissolves as you discover what it feels like to speak and communicate, even if for just short periods of time. THE STRUGGLES OF EMERGING FLUENCY On the other hand, for a lot of people this stage can be very frustrating because these moments of effective communication are often followed by moments of struggle and doubt, and depending on how strong you are psychologically, you might be your own worst enemy. You communicate well one day, but then the next day (or even the

next moment) you cant, and you think there is something wrong with you or your process. Remember that progress comes in ups and downs, you are not at a fixed level, but at a range of abilities at any given moment. Lets imagine that low level fluency requires your English to be at 60% (arbitrary number), but your current English level is between 50% and 60% (you are just starting to taste 60% only on your best days). This means that unless you are having a good day, you probably wont speak that well. It isnt until the lower part of your range reaches 60% (and your English is between 60% and 70%) that you are permanently okay speaking (at which point your upper limit would be much stronger too). Another difficulty that learners at this stage often have is that their listening ability is a lot worse than their speaking. For this I recommend making English a part of your daily life through native speaking media channels, and a competent use of survival phrases: Sorry?/ Can you repeat (slower) please?/ What does that mean?/ How do you say?

CONFIDENCE AND EMERGING FLUENCY

The delicate and up and down nature of fluency is why confidence extremely important at this stage. Celebrate the positive moments, and accept the frustrating moments as part of your process. Remember that your process has taken you this far, and the best thing you can do is relax and open your mouth and make lots of mistakes. The struggles are natural, and the good moments will become the norm, but you need to be gentle with yourself. With practice youll have more and more days where you feel fluent until you are permanently on this level. Confidence gives you the positive attitude that is favorable for learning in authentic situations. Confidence gives you the patience with yourself to make mistakes, and it gives you the courage to risk putting yourself into these situations. Without confidence, you have an unrealistic expectation of what speaking should be like, and your emerging fluency doesnt get the patience and support it needs. People who interpret their experiences like this have difficulty moving past this stage because they expect to be perfect (these are awesome excellent students at school, but horrible learners in real life). When you are comfortable and consistent with low-level fluency, you gradually or quickly move from emerging fluency to the point where your practice and knowledge consolidate once again for another breakthrough or improvement to what I call mid-level fluency. CALL TO ACTION

A good part of our readers and the Real Life English Community are obviously well beyond this level of emerging fluency, and for you we will discuss mid-level and advanced fluency next time. But for those who are just starting to emerge into fluency, remember that you have come far, that youre in a very favorable place, and that the best thing you can do is embrace your situation and practice as much as you can, make as many mistakes as you can, and not take yourself so seriously. 7 Things Not to Do When Speaking English is an excellent read for people at this level. Read Part II of This Article No matter what your level, remember that fluency is a personal experience, and nobody else can give you the confidence and cultural understanding to speak in a natural, relaxed way, or tell you how well or poorly you speak. This is something you have to earn through your own experience, which is often painful, but IT IS rewarding. Get support from people who have been through this. We hope this article was helpful, and if you enjoyed it, we would really appreciate it if you could like, share, and we would love to know what you think in the comments below. Your feedback, experiences, and thoughts on the subject are

really important not just for us, but also the rest of our readers. If you havent joined the Real Life English newsletter, we highly recommend it, as you get a free copy the popular Real Life English e-book 101 Words Youll Never Learn in School. If you havent joined the Real Life English International Learning Community, we encourage you to join over How to Know If Youre Fluent in English (Part II): Making Fluency Stable
by J U STI N on OCTOBER 13, 2012

In part I of How to Know if Youre Fluent in English, we discussed the different stages of English fluency, defining general fluency as natural and effective communication that serves a function in the speakers life. Leia este texto em portugus | Join the RLE International Community The first part of this article concentrated on Emerging Fluency and the precarious beginnings of English fluency. Today were going to describe this process as it evolves from emerging to the next level of fluency, which Im calling Stable Fluency. This is not to reject the many definitions of fluency that exist (all valid on their own terms), nor the many tests and systems that have been designed to measure and guide fluency (which give integrity and congruency to these definitions).

Real Life Englishs goal is to COMPLIMENT AND BALANCE the systematic and abstract side of learning English by offering a perspective that is dynamic, integrated, and open the many kinds of methodologies and experiences that teachers and learners have available to them.

EMERGING FLUENCY: EXCITEMENT & STRUGGLE In Part I of this article, we discussed how Emerging is an exciting, but precarious time in your learning process.Not only does this stage bring the momentous discovery of the real life aspect of the language, which opens you up to the authentic experience of the language, but this new perspective can revolutionize every other part of your process because you start to enjoy participating in it. At this level, you start to experience states of basic fluency in certain moments or situations, but these often do not last very long. But the important thing is that you now know what its like to communicate fluently, even if its not permanent. My perception of a speaker on this level is that they are learning and that it takes a lot of courage to go through this

level, but their intention and personality can compensate to create a meaningful connection for me. The problem is that a lot of these learners dont have an accurate self-perception, as they think they sound worse than they do (mistaking form for essential communication), and they tend to get embarrassed by their grammar mistakes. A lot of people get STUCK at this stage because they constantly say, Im so embarrassed to speak English. My English is so bad, which becomes their mantra and then their reality. They expect their English to be perfect and dont understand that they must accept and relax into their imperfection before perfection is possible. If youre stuck here, here are some tips: TIPS TO STABILIZE YOUR FLUENCY Relax and cultivate confidence. Trust the process that has brought you to this point. Recognize that there will be lots of ups and downs. Increase dedication to your process. With practice, you will soon be at a new level. Although its one of the most difficult and psychologically challenging phases of learning, with the right approach, it can be used as a quick and natural springboard into higher and more stable levels of proficiency. Read more about this in Part I of How to Know When Youre Fluent

STABLE FLUENCY: RELIEF & COMPETENCE While Emerging Fluency is marked by the excitement and frustration of your new communication ability, and the struggle to make it permanent, stable fluency is generally a big relief because the psychological war is over and you finally accept that YOU CAN SPEAK ENGLISH. The previous Emerging Fluency level is like a child learning how to walk, walking a few steps, falling, getting up again, falling again, trying to adapt a new skill, but the learner who has reached Stable Fluency almost never has trouble walking (although it may not always be easy) and only falls on rare occasions (and he knows how to pick him/herself up). Communication, in the grand majority of situations, is FINALLY normal and relatively natural for you, even if its not perfect. But you know that perfection is a process and you start to see how extremely proficient speakers make mistakes all the time. When you do have problems or make mistakes (as this tends to happen regularly) you know how go with the flow, learn from them, and you know that perfection is not required to express yourself in a natural and effective way. To be at the stage of Stable Fluency, you have to be comfortable speaking, comfortable making mistakes, and comfortable learning from them. You may say I dont speak English well not as something you deeply believe, but as a

formality, because you know you can communicate in an effective and natural way.

A native English speaker feels comfortable speaking with you at a normal, or near-normal velocity, and you feel comfortable asking them to repeat, speak slower, or clarify a certain point. You realize that most native speakers will understand that you arent a native speaker, and reasonable people dont expect you to be. The beauty of this stage is that you feel stable and secure in your communication ability, you feel engaged in the language and the culture, and you have built the platform for more advanced and refined levels of English proficiency, which for the purpose of this article, were going to group into MASTERY (which well cover next week). The challenges of this stage are to fix all major grammar problems, to develop an awareness of all holes in your development (even if they dont greatly impede communication), and cultivate a lifestyle that promotes consistent contact with native speaking media channels.

PREVIEW OF ADVANCED FLUENCY & CALL TO ACTION

While Emerging Fluency is not technically solid fluency, its a beautiful but very challenging place to be. Stable Fluency, while not the magical land of perfection that most people expect, is an excellent springboard into higher levels of fluency and mastery, which we will cover in Part III of this article. Advanced Fluency/ Mastery are levels that very few learners have the privilege of reaching. There are a lot of reasons for this, but IN A NUTSHELL, it demands a special type of person with a special type of process. Learners who reach mastery have at least a few of the following characteristics: CHARACTERISTICS OF LEARNERS WHO REACH ADVANCED FLUENCY A strong DESIRE to reach higher and higher levels of fluency (i.e. perseverance). A true ENJOYMENT of the language learning process. Constant ACCESS to English speaking culture. A clear AWARENESS of their language learning processes. Superior EDUCATION or instruction that has helped them learn. An exceptional TALENT for language learning/ special ability in this type of intelligence Stay tuned for the subsequent publication of the 3rd installation of this article, which will deal with ADVANCED FLUENCY/ MASTERY. No matter what your level, remember that fluency is a personal experience, and nobody else can give you the confidence and cultural understanding to speak in a natural, relaxed way, or tell you how well or poorly you speak. This is something you have to earn through your own experience, which is often painful, but IT IS rewarding. Get support from people who have been through this. We hope

this article was helpful, and if you enjoyed it, we would really appreciate it if you could like, share, and we would love to know what you think in the comments below. Your feedback, experiences, and thoughts on the subject are really important not just for us, but also the rest of our readers. How to Learn English: Finding the Right Way for YOU
by ETHAN on MARCH 7, 2013

At some point in your English learning journey, youve struggled. Youve probably thought that its too difficult. Other people in your English class have gotten better grades than you, so you think that youre just a bad language learner. Youre good at other subjects, but learning English isnt your talent, right? Wrong. Youre not a bad language learner, youve just been learning in a way that isnt right for you. Join the Real Life English International Community

What is the Right Way to Learn English?

So what is the right way? Well its different for each person. We all learn differently. You need to experiment with your language learning process to find the perfect regimen for you.

Everyone learns differentlysome learn well from textbooks, some are really good at memorization; others needhands on learning (learning from experiences). Any good English learning routine is going to include a combination of all of these. At Real Life English, we believe that people focus too much on traditional language learning (that is, from textbooks with focus on memorization of rules and new words). Although knowing some basic grammar structure can help you speak English more correctly, it doesnt necessarily mean that you can speak it better. The fact is, most native speakers dont even know the grammar rules. We learn to speak through interaction (the same way you learned your first language).

Create a Better Daily Language Learning Routine

If you learn best with structure, then learn the grammar rules. If you find that grammar rules just make English too confusing to even speak, then throw your textbook out the window (as long as it doesnt hit anyone in the head!).

As I said above, you need to find the right combination of language learning techniques to create a perfect routine that allows you to practice and effectively learn English daily. Here are some suggestions of different ways to learn English, all of which are easy to do a few minutes each day. With the right mix of these you will find yourself learning English faster and more successfully:

An English teacher, With media, or With online English learning programs

1. An English TeacherCan you push yourself to learn and practice English everyday? If you dont have the will power to do this, then you may want to seek out an English teacher (if you dont have one already). No matter what level youre at, a teacher can help answer your questions and clarify confusions. You can find a private teacher or go to an English school. There are also dozens of places where you can get classes via Skype, like Verbling (more about Verbling here). I recommend that you find a teacher who focuses on conversation and listening, rather than on memorizing grammar rules, but find what works best for you! If you decide to save some money or you prefer to learn alone, then you can of course have all of your questions answered in the Real Life English Community or you can tweet us @RealLifeEng.

2. Learn with Media

Media is by far one of the most important resources in your English learning regimen. Watching TV, movies, and listening to music and podcasts can all help you improve your listening skills, learn new vocabulary and expressions, and become skilled at speaking like a native, while learning about culture at the same time. Media can help you to really become engaged in English learning. We have dozens of articles to help you find the right media for your English learning routine, check them out:

Lifestyle English Learn English with Music Vocabulary

3. Online English learning programs

There are dozens of free programs online for English learning. These are a great option if you cant afford a teacher, or if you want something to compliment your classroom lessons. Some examples are Duolingo, Busuu, andLiveMocha.

In Conclusion:
Its important to learn English doing things you already like to do. No matter what methods you choose to add to your English learning regime, you need to make sure you practice it every day. The more you can make English part of your life, the better youre going to be at it. We are here to help you on your path to learn English! If you havent already, join the RLE Community. Its a great way to incorporate English into something you already do and to

meet and communicate with over 5,000 people from over 50 countries. Feel free to ask questions and meet peoplewe can all improve our English together! Speak English Like a Native: Real Life English Fluency Guide
by CHAD on AUGUST 29, 2012

Do you ever feel that you lack that natural flow of the English language? Have you studied English a lot, but feel unnatural when you speak as if youre just translating from your native language word for word?. With just a few modifications to your spoken English, you can sound a lot more natural and fluent in no time. Join the Real Life English International Community Throughout my time living abroad teaching English, I have noticed that a lot of people, especially those who havent had the opportunity to travel abroad, speak alike, and tend to make the same errors. This is very common, probably due to the fact that the English learning culture here is very traditional and rarely diversified. In this guide, you will learn the most efficient ways to improve your English and sound a lot more like a native speaker. Im

going to give you some great tips for many situations, and with just a few minor adjustments you will see how much your English improves. PRONUNCIATION TIPS Being able to speak English like a native doesnt necessarily mean you have to speak with an English or an American accent. You can have perfect pronunciation, whilst still speaking with your native accent. One of the most common mistakes made by non-native speakers is the ED used with regular verbs. All regular verbs that end in CH/SH/K/S/P/F have a /T/ sound when we add the /ED/ for example: Watched-WatchT, Walked-WalkT, Laughed-LaughT

With verbs that end with a /T/ or /D/ sound, we fully pronounce the /ED/ sound for example: Want- WantED, Fade- FadED All the rest of the verbs have just a single /D/ sound, for example: Played/ PlayD Robbed/ RobD For more tips on Pronunciation tips, take a look at a few popular articles on pronunciation. 7 Tips to Drastically Improve Your Pronunciation How to Reduce Your Accent in English Top English Mispronunciations mad by Brazilians 2 Rhythm and flow

Another great way to improve pronunciation and make your English sound more natural is through what we call theMimic Method, created by fellow blogger and language teacher, Idahosa Ness. This method is based on learning English through memorizing and repeating songs in order to familiarize yourself with all the different sounds that make up the language. As we have explained in a previous article, How to Learn English with Rhythm and flow, you can learn a lot about the phonetic structure of a language just by singing along and repeating the lyrics of your favorite band or artist. Another really awesome example of this is Fluency MC, who teaches English using rap music. Check out his work on his website and his facebook community. Read about and discover some other methods of learning through music with previous articles.

Learn English with rap group Jurassic 5 Learn English with Australian band Men at Work

ENGLISH FOR BRAZILIANS Vocabulary is another area we all have problems with when learning a new language. How many times have you been sure that you were using the right word and later realized you were wrong all along. From a teachers perspective, I have targeted three very commonly mistaken areas in vocabulary which Brazilian have a tendency to have problems with. 1. False cognates- These are the words which look identical or very similar in both languages but have a different meaning. Learn more about false cognates here

2. Listen and hear- Brazilians tend to confuse these two words a lot. Never make that mistake again and learn how to use listen and hear here 3. Say Tell Talk Speak- Even as an English teacher these words are often confusing. Learn how to use Say Tell Talk and Speak here. 4 Discourse Markers

Imagine trying to speak Portuguese without using words like tipo, sabe, entende, ou seja and quer dizer. These little words are called discourse markers, and if youre like most Brazilians you frequently use them while you speak in order to accentuate what you are saying, give yourself more time to think about what you will say next and to add a more natural flow to the conversation. You use discourse markers unconsciously when you speak Portuguese, but do you use them when you speak English? Example of some common discourse markers used in written and spoken English: On the other hand Whereas However Nonetheless Furthermore Nevertheless Therefore There are also a lot more discourse markers that are commonly used just in spoken English. Familiarize yourself with them in other Real Life English articles, how to use: Now / Like / Mean / Actually 5 Get

I know what youre thinking, get is a bitch! Now it is time to make it your BITCH. Youre probably saying, in English get is used for everything, well, youre right. Get has many uses, which we have explained the article how to use get, but in this article youre going to memorize and never again forget the 2 most important ways to use get. 1. GET for ARRIVE Chegar

What time did he get to work? I got there in 20 minutes. He didnt get to the toilet in time. 2. GET before adjectives Ficar antes de adjetivo I got tired at the show. I get angry when I have to wait in line. She got really excited when he her ex-boyfriend got arrested. There is also a large amount expressions and phrasal verbs that we use with the word get, take a look and memorize them all here. CALL TO ACTION Now is the time to take your English to the next level. By making these quick and not so difficult adjustments, you can give your English a much smoother and more natural feel. Start doing this now and Im sure you will see the benefits in no time. Why the Biggest Failures Are the Most Fluent

by J OSH on MAY 9, 2012

Leia Este Artigo Em Portugus If youre struggling to become fluent in English there is something you can do right now to speed up your progress: start failing more. Look, the only way that youre going to increase your fluency in English is to practice, and if youre not making any mistakes this means that youre not practicing enough. Every successful language learner out there has made thousands of mistakes to get where they are today, and if you want to join them then you will have to make mistakes just like them. The most common situations that you will use English are: in the classroom, while traveling and with English speakers in your home country. There is absolutely no reason for you to be afraid of making mistakes in the classroom, since by being there you are acknowledging that you are not perfect and need to learn. Your teacher should be sympathetic to your level and not demand perfection from you. If they get mad at you for making mistakes, you should consider getting a new teacher.

When you travel abroad and speak with native English speakers, there is no need for you to be afraid of making mistakes while talking to them. Most people dont enter into conversations looking to find mistakes in the way the other person speaks, we enter conversations to communicate and exchange meaning. People you talk to abroad will be more concerned with trying to help you out than judging you for your English. And what about while you are in your home country speaking English? Who can really expect you to speak perfect English while you are living in a country where that language isnt spoken as a first language? Most of the people you talk with in English will probably be in the same situation as you, and they are probably more concerned with how their English sounds than how your English sounds. You should definitely not be concerned with how your English sounds to foreigners. Youre just not that important to them for them to spend much time thinking about how bad your English is. They will probably forget about you a few minutes after talking with you. Most people are too concerned with their own problems and insecurities to spend time thinking about other peoples problems. Grammar is the last thing you should be worried about when learning to speak English. You dont need to have perfect grammar in order to communicate with someone in English. Native speakers arent going to judge you for having bad grammar, they are going to be more focused on understanding your meaning and continuing the conversation. As long as you speak clearly and confidently, it doesnt matter if you use the wrong article, adjective ending or sentence order.

By the way, the only way you can avoid making mistakes is to not speak at all. By following this approach, you will save yourself from the temporary embarrassment of saying something incorrectly, but you will never learn anything this way. We are afraid of making mistakes because in our ancestral past, making mistakes often meant death. Luckily in our modern society the mistakes we make in our day-to-day lives wont cost us our lives, and we certainly arent at risk of death when making mistakes in English. This may seem counter-intuitive, but you should try making as many mistakes as possible. If you are making mistakes that means you are actually speaking English and improving. If you arent making mistakes every day then you arent speaking enough. Of course, you shouldnt intentionally make mistakes, and you should try to be aware of your mistakes so you can learn from them and improve your skills. Everybody makes mistakes, even native speakers of English. Nobody is born speaking perfect English; fluency is something that takes time and hard work to achieve. Show me any human being and Ill show you someone who has made hundreds, if not thousands of language mistakes in their lifetime. So dont be discouraged by your mistakes. Learn to embrace them and value them for the important role they play in your learning process.