Beginner → Intermediate → Advanced
Biggest roadblocks between levels
Introduction
I’d like to continue my Guiding You to Fluency series today. Here are the previous posts, in order, in case you haven’t read them all:
Why don’t people reach their fluency goal(s)?
At this point in time in the Guiding You to Fluency series, you should have a clear idea of how to reach your fluency goals. If you don’t, this one instalment is the one to read. As you’ll see, the steps are so remarkably simple that it begs the question why most people don’t succeed.
We’ll explore this question today by discussing the primary obstacles language learners encounter at every stage of the fluency journey, from beginner to very advanced. Let’s begin!
Zero → Beginner
If you have not started learning a language yet, it could very well be because you just haven’t chosen an approach yet. Analysis paralysis. Which app is best? Should you hire a tutor? Take group lessons? Learn with a podcast?
We already know the three steps to reaching any level of fluency.
Listen and read daily. Find audio/visual content and written materials at your level. Consume them. Look up words you don’t know.
Converse bi-monthly. Talk to a native speaker at least 2x per month, 1-1.
Sprinkle in grammar. The easiest way is to follow a structured grammar-based resource (e.g., recorded online course, textbook series, weekly group class)
If you are still on the fence, pick just 1 of the 3 steps and do only that to begin. Choose the one that feels the easiest. For example, as a beginner I used to start with step 3 and sign up for a weekly group class. It felt like the friendliest way to begin. Later on I would add in daily listening & reading as well as 1-1 conversations with natives.
Beginner → Intermediate
In my experience, the most frequent reason that people get stuck at a beginner level is that they’re language learning methods aren’t effective. You aren’t following the three steps I already outlined above.
Listen and read content at your level, looking up unfamiliar words
Talk to a native speaker 1-1 at least 2x per month.
Sprinkle in grammar with a structured grammar-based resource.
Doing those three things consistently gives you a very high chance of reaching an intermediate level within about 275 hours (i.e., 1 year of practicing 45 minutes a day). If you are practicing less than 45 minutes a day, it may take longer.
If you are stuck at a beginner level, you are probably relying primarily on an app or only partially following the 3 core steps outlined above. Or, alternatively, you are doing everything right, but aren’t doing them consistently, day in and day out.
Intermediate → Advanced
Almost every time, people who can’t reach an advanced level have the exact same roadblock: vocabulary acquisition. To become advanced, you need to (roughly speaking) double your current vocabulary size. That happens by doing more reading and/or listening. Switch up the materials you use to increase the variety of words you encounter in context. Try different genres of content too.
The good news is that you can double your vocabulary size in approximately 1 year, provided you are spending around 45 minutes a day on your language studies.
The biggest mistakes I see at the intermediate stage are as follows:
Focusing too much on grammar
Doubling down on conversation practice
Coasting and hoping you’ll magically become advanced
It’s also worth pointing out that many intermediate learners underestimate their abilities. They really are advanced, but don’t realize it. Underestimating one’s level happens as a beginner too, but is more common at the intermediate level.
Lastly, you probably won’t feel like your vocabulary is increasing. Instead, you’ll think to yourself that you keep forgetting words over and over. This is normal. The simplest way to remedy this problem is to do all your listening & reading in the premium version of the LingQ app. It costs something like $20/month.
For a free alternative, use my vocabulary self-assessment after every 50-100 hours of reading/listening. Email me if you want it (though LingQ will give you more real-time feedback on changes in your vocabulary size. It’s well worth the $20/month).
If you choose to use LingQ, be sure to watch a YouTube tutorial on the app. It will save you a ton of time.
Advanced → Very Advanced
The first roadblock is vocabulary size. You likely know approximately 50% of the total words that a native speaker does. That percentage is not an exact science, but rather a rough placeholder number to demonstrate just how much more native speakers know compared to you. To gradually remedy this, keep reading and listening, varying the types of content you consume.
Despite the large vocabulary gap, it’s not your biggest concern. For instance, I technically still have this problem in French and Spanish. But my level is C2, the highest one could measure with traditional testing methods. I have a high-advanced level (demonstrated with an official certificate too, at least in French) and I do feel truly bilingual in each language.
Reaching a very advanced level
So what is the biggest problem? Why do I feel truly bilingual when other advanced speakers do not? There are two reasons:
Small, recurring errors
Emotional fluency
Small, recurring errors take time to fix. They usually don’t completely go away, but you can bring the number down to near-zero. I fixed them in French and Spanish by writing regularly and having my work edited. I wanted the ability to write something with near-perfect spelling and grammar.
I also went out of my way to make friends who I specifically instructed to correct all my mistakes when I talk to them. After many months of never needing corrections, I gained a certain grounded confidence that I was speaking correctly. I felt especially validated when I met strangers who typically thought I was a native speaker.
Emotional fluency
Emotional fluency is all about feeling fluent. It goes beyond having a specific objective level. This concept applies to every language learner, but is especially important when wanting to be very advanced or even near-native.
Frequently the last dragon to slay before finally reaching the finish line is confidence. I don’t have a one-size-fits all answer to fix this, but a great place to start is to ask yourself, what would it take for me, in my own eyes, to really feel fluent?
For me in Ukrainian, it’s about having Ukrainian-speaking friends.
In Gujarati, it’s about having near-perfect comprehension.
In Mandarin, it’s about feeling the same way I do when speaking my two best foreign languages (French and Spanish).
When I was learning French, it was about getting a high-advanced certificate and being able to pass as a native speaker. My goal in Spanish was similar, but I didn’t necessarily need the certificate.
Final thoughts
In a way, a part of me wants to stop making language learning content. The pathway to fluency is 100% clear to me now, no matter how proficient you want to be. Even the progress timeline is predictable. The only real challenge may be to go from advanced to very advanced or near-native. I can agree that, at that point, it may be challenging.
But before that? C’mon now. This is not hard. You can do it. Really. It has taken me over 18 years to understand that learning a language is, in fact, reasonably simple. You’re just overcomplicating things for yourself.
Keep it simple. Do the basics. And ta-da! You’ll make it to the finish line, whatever that finish line is for you.
Thanks for reading!
Azren
Calgary Language Nerds owner
https://azrenthelanguagenerd.com
Excellent summary with very practical recommendations. Thank you.