The No-Nonsense Guide to Language Learning Read online

  Enough of this easing yourself in gently nonsense. That’s precisely why it’s taking you so much time.

  I’ve been to hell and back several times by now and know the path intimately.

  Totally worth it every time.

  Want more? Try my free Speak in a Week course

  Thanks for reading!

  If you enjoyed this book and want to try out my approach to language learning, then please check out my free Speak in a Week course.

  Speak in a Week gives you everything you need to step outside your comfort zone and start speaking a new language in just 7 days.

  You can sign up to Speak in a Week here: fi3m.com/speak-in-a-week. It’s free!

  Benny Lewis

  Founder, Fluent in 3 Months

  Resources for Language Learners

  I publish new articles and videos every week about language hacking. For more language hacking tips and inspiration, you can:

  Subscribe to my YouTube channel

  Like Fluent in 3 Months on Facebook, and join our thriving community

  Follow me on Twitter

  Check out the Fluent in 3 Months blog

  Whatever language you’re learning, I’d recommend you check out the following resources:

  Speak in a Week is my free 7-day course for language learners. It gives you everything you need to step outside your comfort zone and start speaking a new language in just 7 days. After you’ve finished the course, you’ll receive my weekly language hacker’s newsletter, with all the latest news and tips on language learning. You can sign up to Speak in a Week here: fi3m.com/speak-in-a-week

  italki is a marketplace for online language tutors and teachers, and is my go-to place for finding a language tutor. It’s also ideal for connecting with native speakers and finding conversation partners. You’ll find tutors for all major languages, and dozens of lesser-spoken languages, on italki. You can read my review of italki here: fi3m.com/italki-review.

  The Add1Challenge is a community of language learners on a mission to learn a new language. The central premise of the Add1Challenge is this: hold a 15 minute conversation in a new language after just 90 days of learning. Check out the Fluent in 3 Months review of the Add1Challenge here: fi3m.com/add1challenge.

  Innovative Language Podcasts are available for 30+ languages. They’re produced to a very high standard and are structured to help you learn as much as possible, as quickly as possible. You can read my thoughts on their podcasts here: fi3m.com/language-learning-podcasts.

  HelloTalk is a cool language-learning app that connects you directly with native speakers, and provides an interface to text and speak with them from your smartphone. Here’s my review of HelloTalk: fi3m.com/hellotalk-review.

  Couchsurfing is a way of finding free accommodation by crashing on someone’s couch while you’re travelling. You can also offer your own couch to other couchsurfers, or simply meet up with fellow members at events in your area. It’s a good way to meet native speakers of other languages. I share my experience of couchsurfing here: fi3m.com/couchsurfing.

  Meetup.com is a tool that helps people who share a common interest (such as languages!) find other people with similar interests in their city. It’s useful for connecting with other language learners.

  Skype is a free app that allows you to make voice and video calls over the Internet. It’s the main tool I use for chatting with language tutors.

  Anki (available for iOS, Android and desktop computers) uses Spaced Repetition Systems (SRS) to help you memorize vocabulary. It does this by prompting you to remember words when you’re just on the verge of forgetting them. It’s scientifically proven to be very effective. You can read about how I use Anki here: fi3m.com/spaced-repetition. Other language-learning apps that use SRS include Memrise and Duolingo.

  MosaLingua (available for iOS, Android and desktop computers) is a flashcard app that contains pre-made flashcards for you to study, complete with native speaker recordings.It also lets you create your own personalised flashcards. It’s available for six languages so far (English, French, Spanish, Italian, German and Portuguese).

  Reviews of products mentioned in this book:

  Pimsleur review

  Rosetta Stone review

  Duolingo review

  Table of Contents

  Introduction: Is It Possible to Become Fluent in a Language in 3 Months?

  Chapter 1: Why My Destiny Was to Never Speak Spanish (and How I Did it Anyway)

  Chapter 2: The Smartest Decision I Ever Made

  Chapter 3: How to Learn a New Language Fluently

  Chapter 4: How Beginners Can Outsmart “Expert” Language Learners

  Chapter 5: The CIA is Wrong: It Doesn’t Take 1,000+ Hours to Learn a Language

  Chapter 6: The 7 Most Common Mistakes Language Learners Make (and How to Fix Them)

  Chapter 7: How to Practise a Foreign Language Without Travelling Overseas

  Chapter 8: Why Learning Languages Online can be Better than in Person

  Chapter 9: How to Use Skype to Learn a Language

  Chapter 10: The Only Way to Get Far Quickly is to Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

  Want more? Try my free Speak in a Week course

  Resources for Language Learners