How to become FLUENT IN ENGLISH / How long does it take

Hey everyone, welcome to the English Fluency Journey podcast. These episodes were created based on our videos on YouTube for those who'd rather listen than watch. So happy listening, hope you enjoy our content. How to become fluent in a language and how long does it take? This video is for those people who've been asking themselves and their teachers these questions and have become frustrated because they see all the time these videos on YouTube with titles like Fluent in 3 Months, Fluent with 1 Trick. And then when they watch those videos, it turns out that it's not that simple and it's not that fast. And they end up being so disappointed. First off, what I want you to realize and remember, you are not alone in this. Everyone who has studied languages successfully or not has had the same thoughts, the same questions and the same disappointments. And went through the same process. And yes, everybody talks about that and you already know that there is no easy way and there is no magic trick to learning a language. In fact, there are no tricks whatsoever. It just really depends on a lot of things. First, it depends on the amount of time you can dedicate to your study. An hour a day, an hour in three days, an hour a week. Consistency and discipline are very important. On the method you choose, on your ultimate goals with language fluency, on your personal circumstances, on your natural ability to learn languages, and on your exposure to the language and other factors. So for different people, it differs. It may take six months, it may take a year, it may take two years. We all are different and what works perfectly for me may not work that good for you. And you are the ones who have to find a perfect way that works for you the best. And that means that you have to put in some work and effort. If you don't see any progress, that means that you have to change something. Not to give up, but just change your strategy. And on the methods and strategies for learning language, we'll talk in the next video, so make sure to watch that one as well. Of course, it's best to be immersed in the language completely, to be able to use it every single day, to hear it every single day, and to communicate with native speakers every single day in a natural environment. It's also helpful to have someone to answer your questions regarding the language grammar. And it's called a natural method and it's perfect. And depending on a language with this method, you can become completely fluent in six months, in nine months, in a year. But let's be realistic. Most of us don't have such circumstances and opportunities. That's why it so depends. Moreover, I know from my own experience that at the beginning of this path, of this fluency journey, it can be very hard and overwhelming and stressful. However, believe me when I say that it gets easier and easier over time. At this point, I've never been to any English-speaking country. And this is exactly my situation. So that's why I know that it's doable. If you are in the same situation where you don't live in an English-speaking country and you're basically working on your English on your own, with consistency, strategy, and stubbornness, I think it should take you give or take a year to be able to communicate freely. To be honest, I don't think that I'm completely fluent and perfect. I learn something new literally every single day. I'm always ready to learn and I never stop learning. But I don't want you to get frustrated at having to work hard or thinking that it's too hard and that you're not going to make it. Or it's not even worth trying, like there's no point. Because there is a point. There are a lot of benefits of learning languages, not just English. And guys, give yourself credit for learning a foreign language, because it's not a piece of cake. Hi. Because it's not a piece of cake, be proud of yourself. Or maybe you're thinking, if I were a native speaker, that would make things so much easier. Well, on the one hand, yes. But on the other hand, being a native speaker doesn't mean that your speaking skills are automatically perfect. That you could just give talks or perfect presentations, and that you would know all the vocabulary and that your grammar would be perfect. Well, nope. Perfect grammar is a totally different topic to discuss. And I'm not saying that we shouldn't follow grammar rules or learn grammar. We definitely should. But we shouldn't be so concentrated on that when we're speaking, or so picky when other people speak, and God forbid, judgmental when someone makes mistakes. It is scientifically proven that people don't use perfect grammar when they speak. But anyway, about communication skills. Native speakers have to work on their speaking skills just as hard as non-native. If they want to be good conversationalists, speakers, or they need them for their jobs. They all do speaking exercises. They work with professionals in this field. And they do tongue twisters to work in specific sounds or to warm up before work. Like news hosts. It's just a ritual for them to do tongue twisters. But I don't want my words to be unsubstantiated. I gather some proofs. I want you to listen to literally a professional in his field, Larry King, who is an American television and radio host, whose work has been recognized with many different awards. Now let's listen to one little piece from Larry King's book, How to Talk to Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere. And the audio book is read by Larry King himself. This is a remarkable book. If you're looking for something to read, read this one. Things like playing golf, driving a car, or owning a store. The more you do it, the better you get at it, the more fun you have doing it. But first you have to understand the fundamentals. It's true that talking has come naturally to me, but even those who have a natural ability for something have to work to develop it. That's what turns a talent into a skill. Ted Williams, the best baseball hitter I ever saw, and a man blessed with more natural ability than anyone in my lifetime, took batting practice every day like everybody else. Luciano Pavarotti was born with a wonderful voice. But he still took singing lessons. I have a natural ability and inclination to talk, but I've had plenty of moments when talk didn't come easy. Getting better at talking is the same as getting better at anything else. The more you do it, the better you get at it. So I grabbed every opportunity I could to do as much talking on the air as possible. In addition to consulting books and now videos on how to talk, there's a lot you can do yourself. You can talk out loud to yourself around your house or apartment. I do, not often, but sometimes. You can do the same thing, even if you don't live alone. Go into a room by yourself or into a basement. Just wait until the others have gone to the store or out for the night, and then practice talking better. And he gives so much more good advice in his book. And as you heard, he had to work hard on his speaking skills, although that was his natural ability. Kathy Heller, an American, and I would call her a motivational speaker, has her own podcast show, Don't Keep Your Day Job. This is a very inspiring podcast show you should definitely listen to if you're seeking motivation and you need some push for action towards accomplishing your goals and making your dreams come true. Let us listen to one little piece from her podcast. And I was thinking just yesterday about how uncanny it is that I host a podcast, that this is the thing that I am doing, and I love it so much. When I was in grade school, I was in speech therapy, you guys. I remember being in first grade and being asked to read aloud, and the teacher said I sounded like I had marbles in my mouth, and she couldn't understand me. In fact, they tested my hearing because they didn't quite understand why I wasn't able to speak well. And I wound up going to speech therapy, which in many ways was fun because they pulled me out of regular classes, and I got to spend time playing these games and getting prizes down the hall with the speech therapist. And here I am today, hosting a podcast, speaking to hundreds of thousands of people every month, and then being asked to speak publicly all the time. So do you see what I mean? Even native speakers have to work on their speaking abilities. And now I want you to listen to what Oprah has to say. I don't think that she needs an introduction, right? What's the biggest frustration for you with young women in the world today? My biggest frustration is not just with young women. My biggest frustration is also with young men, young people who think that, and I have a lot of this with my girls in college. They think that success is supposed to happen like that. They think that there isn't a process to it. They think that they're supposed to come out of college and have their brand. You did not get to be editor of Vogue magazine by not working and working and working and working and working to get here. I love the theory of that there's 10,000 hours behind anybody who ever gets to be successful. This is so true. No matter what you do, you have to put in some effort. And this rule of the first 10,000 hours is absolutely applicable to language learning and especially acquiring an accent. It's kind of the key to success in any field, and it's simply a matter of practicing a specific task. It doesn't mean that you can become fluid in a language just after those 10,000 hours. To me, it's more figuratively. It means that you have to understand that there is a process, a certain amount of time that you have to dedicate to the thing that you do to be and to be considered literally a professional. So, the bottom line is it doesn't matter whether you want to get rid of your accent or to be a good conversationalist in English or in general, to get a promotion or to make a new step in your career, and that's why you need English. You've got to do the work. You're going to have to challenge yourself to change something to get a real result. And I'm telling you this from my own experience as well. So, if you want to be fluent in a language, to speak fluently and freely, what do you have to do? That's right. Grab every single opportunity to use a language and practice. A little bit about grammar because that's a big concern of people who learn a language. The truth is that to become fluent in a language, you don't need to know all the grammar. You don't need to be able to explain all the grammar rules. You just have to be able to use them naturally. The only way to do this is to use a language as much as possible. If you want to understand and use grammar naturally, again, use a language as much as possible. That way, you'll automatically have questions like, how do I ask this? Or how do I say this? And why do they say that like that? And then you go and do your research online, for example. We have all the information and valuables. And that's how you start to understand it naturally. Now, where to find these opportunities to use English? For example, Free For Talk website. I have a specific video about it. And this is not my website. So please, if you have any questions, contact their tech support, WhatsApp app. I don't use WhatsApp, but I know that there are a lot of groups where people practice English. Conversation Exchange website. You'll find all the links in the description. Also, you can do a little research and find speaking clubs in your hometown or online. They're going to help you so much to improve your speaking skills. They can be paid or free. Alternatively, you can create one yourself. Why not? Those were free options, now paid. You can use a lot of different sites like italki, Cambly, Lingoda. You can hire a private teacher. You can join some courses. Here you've got to be careful because there are so many courses and some of them aren't that good. If you guys use some other courses, websites or something else, please share with us in the comments. But honestly, grab every opportunity you get to use English, to practice English, even if it's uncomfortable. Because at the beginning, it's always awkward and uncomfortable. And especially if you are in the beginning stage or you've stuck. You have to move. You have to change something. You have to do something. I know that sometimes it seems, and especially at the beginning, that you'll never achieve that level that you want. That you'll never going to be able to speak freely, fluently and to understand English without any effort. Overwhelming? Yes, sometimes it is really overwhelming and stressful. I get it. I've been there. And all that I can tell you, don't beat yourself up over this. Just move forward. Don't give up. Little by little, every day, and you'll see the result. If you know why you need to study English, if you have an ultimate goal, you'll have the motivation and strength to keep going. Okay, guys, that's it for now. Thank you for choosing our podcast. Until the next one!