How to speak fluently?

by Elblogdeidiomas.es · Published 07/05/2021 · Updated 03/05/2021

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How to speak fluently?

Logically speaking with clarity and fluency is usually the goal to be reached by the vast majority of people who are learning languages. And the question comes to our mind, what does “fluency” mean? And the most important thing is, how can you get it when you study languages? In this article, we are going to provide you with some details so that you can achieve good fluency in the language you are learning.

How to speak fluently

To get off to a good start, we will try to answer the question posed in the head of this article, what does it mean to speak fluently?

According to the Cambridge Dictionary , fluency is explained as “the ability to speak or write in a language easily, correctly and quickly”.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary , raises another very interesting definition: fluency is “the quality or state of being fluid.” And someone fluent (fluently) is “anyone who is capable of using a language with ease and precision.”

But let’s go to the root of the word so as not to get twisted along the way:

“Fluidity” comes from the Latin word “fluo”, which means “to flow.” Therefore, when you are “fluent” in a particular language, the conversation with another person flows perfectly.

To understand each other well, you are fluent in a language when you have reached, for example, the level of B2 on the CEFR scale . Naturally, you don’t know all the words yet, and therefore you can’t master the language like a native speaker. But you can already use it in many situations, to understand what they say to you and answer with a certain self-confidence, without hesitating too much.

How to achieve this desired fluency?

It is evident that in order to achieve the level of fluency (B2) in the language you are learning you need to be fluent in a solid vocabulary. We must say that this is the first step you must take to obtain a good command of the language.

As we said, you do not have to know all the words that a native uses. But you should understand more words than you normally use actively, so it is wise to say others, so you should acquire more passive vocabulary.

The important thing is that you focus on the right words , because it can happen that you know thousands of specialized words and still not be fluent. So you should choose carefully what you want to learn.

The essential words

The most effective way to be able to speak a language quickly is to learn between the 800 to 1,000 words that appear most frequently in a language.
If you learn only 800 of the most used words in English , you will be able to understand 75% of the language as it is spoken in normal life.
That number of words is far more valuable than others, simply because they are used so much more often.

800 words will help us to speak a new language in an everyday environment , but to understand actors in film or television we will need to know at least the 3,000 most common words.

And if we want to become familiar with the written language, we must learn from 8,000 to 9,000.

How to learn vocabulary?

The great secret to learning a large vocabulary in English is quite simple: study regularly without effort, no matter how small, nothing is achieved. So you just have to start learning the words that best suit your goals when studying a new language.

To be able to memorize English vocabulary well, there are many methods. In the following lines we offer you a series of tips, drawn from a very rich experience:

Make vocabulary cards according to word category.
Use memo techniques like mind maps.
Try to think in English so that you can formulate sentences in English faster.
Use certified bilingual dictionaries.
Put notes on all the furniture and everyday objects in your home in the language you are learning.
Play the radio or music in this foreign language regularly. Even if you are not listening continuously, you will unconsciously learn new vocabulary.
Watch TV , even if you don’t understand it. If you do it daily, you will be surprised how you improve in understanding every month.
Create your own flashcards , with new words that you have learned on one side and with a drawing or photo that represents them on the other. Try to remember the words just by looking at the pictures.
Use children’s songs to learn new words. The melody will help you memorize them much more easily.
Read a lot, looking for original material at your level. If you are a beginner, try reading comics, children’s books, or special books for beginner-level students. The most important thing is to find material that you find really interesting.
Use board games like Scrabble to consolidate your vocabulary.
Do crosswords and word searches.
Use some of the many online games and applications to learn vocabulary.