Fluent in 3 Months: How Anyone at Any Age Can Learn to Speak Any Language from Anywhere in the World Paperback – March 11, 2014

While a great deal of this book's contents seems like common sense, so much of it is ignored by language teachers in high school and beyond. I've taken German, Arabic, Mandarin, and French. French was in high school mostly and continued into college, but the other three were college courses I took. Even though I took a semester of German, I still hardly understood even basic grammar and I got so frustrated trying to figure out how to conjugate things that I was totally turned off from the language. Arabic was worse. I couldn't even form a simple sentence, and my vocabulary was limited to "girl", "book", and "student." Mandarin was the same tune, but even worse with the tones. Like Benny, I stayed abroad for three months this summer and came back marginally-conversational in my target language, but nowhere near being able to maintain an average conversation with a native speaker. Despite this setback, I am currently speaking this language with my boyfriend at a comfortable and conversational level after only one week of using Benny's techniques.Part of what makes learning a language difficult is how we're taught to learn. We're taught that you drill in the information by doing exercises and by writing long vocabulary lists on a variety of subjects, even if you will probably not use these topics anytime soon. The biggest takeaway from this book for me was to make my vocabulary my own, to learn words that I am interested in using and that I use often in my native tongue, such as "video games", "alternative music", and "concert" for my interests, as an example. I have memorized countless vocabulary words in French that I've never even used once, such as "faire du ski" and "le croyant", but it wasn't until recently that I learned "en colère" and "depuis", words that are much more common and that I use more often. This seems so obvious, but is that how most people study language? No.If you want some tips to guide your self-study, this book is perfect for you. If you want to quickly be able to converse with native speakers in your target language, this book is for you.

In Fluent in 3 Months, Benny Lewis offers a refreshing approach to language learning, encouraging readers to embrace communication over perfection. Lewis emphasizes that learning a language is about living it—immersing oneself in conversation with native speakers, listening to media in the target language, and using the language from day one. He debunks common myths, such as the belief that adults are worse language learners, and stresses that fluency is achievable by committing daily minutes, not months or years.One of the book’s core messages is the importance of consistent practice. Lewis recommends setting short-term goals and embracing mistakes as a learning tool. He highlights methods like spaced repetition and using apps such as Anki to boost vocabulary retention. Moreover, Lewis challenges readers to define their own standards of fluency, using the CEFRL scale as a benchmark.Overall, Fluent in 3 Months inspires readers to dive into language learning with confidence, making practical use of every opportunity to speak and engage with their target language.

Benny Lewis wrote this down-to-earth book for people who are interested in learning languages. It's his condensed wisdom from having learnt over 12 languages and blogging about it for many years. It's a great read because it empowers the readers with confidence to go and do it themselves.The title is the only thing I have a slight problem with - Although you can probably get fluent in some languages in 3 months, you need to put in an unrealistic amount of effort to do so. Besides, Benny has done it many times and built up a system and experience that allows him to get his fast. For unpractised people it is healthier and better to not focus so much on "X weeks and Y months" but simply start forming good language learning habits, learning something every day and appreciating the new world that opens up when you learn a language.PROS:- Lays out all you need to learn a language fast and efficiently- Full of tips and tricks Benny acquired by travelling the world- Well organised and motivating to get read- Access to exclusive extra content such as interviews and additional resourcesCONS:- The title. For most people unless you put in full-time-job-like hours, it is unrealistic to reach fluency in 3 months.- Benny writes on a very personal level, so sometimes the sentences drag out a little.So what are you waiting for, if you have been thinking about learning a foreign language then this book is DEFINITELY your #1 stop on the journey. Think of it as the training wheels you had on your bike, when you first were taught how to ride it. This is what Fluent in 3 Months is.

After reading through Fluent in 3 Months, I can easily say that I am far more encouraged to tackle learning a second language than I have been in a very long time. After trying and giving up on 5 different languages in the past (and only getting marginally tourist ready), there were many new tips included in this book that I am excited about giving a try.I believe it is worth noting with this book that it covers the entire spectrum of language learning from the tricks to pick up new vocabulary all the way to information from famous polyglots on what it takes to become masters of several languages. Upon my first go around with the book I found myself trailing off around 2/3 of the way through because I am nowhere near the level of mastery in any language to think about those stages just yet. But you can bet if I ever get that far I'll be referencing this book over and over again.If you are having troubles learning a new language, or do not know where to begin, this one is for you. If you are actively picking up a second language and not running into any road blocks, I do not think you may get as much out of it as I did.