Every tool and resource you need to become fluent in a foreign language
French, Spanish, Mandarin, Gujarati, Italian
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:
What I’ll cover
I do something like this approximately once a year. I’ve compiled a starter list of resources for these languages:
French
Spanish
Mandarin
Gujarati
I’ll also be giving precise instructions on how to use each resource so that you are sure to succeed in learning a new language!
If you would like me to add a resource list for a certain language that is not listed above, please let me know.
A brief bio
I suspect this post will reach many first-time readers, so I would like to briefly introduce myself. My name is Azren and I am a language learning expert. I speak 5 languages had dabbled in many others. My goal is to become fully fluent in at least 8 languages in my lifetime.
In many ways I view myself as a professional language learner as it has been the central focus of my life personally for over 18 years. This is also my 10th year in business teaching languages.
Read about my mission and my full bio here.
The problem
I was frustrated by the fact that most people who try to learn a language do not reach their goals. They download Duolingo, but then have nobody to practice speaking with. They then hire a private tutor for conversation practice, but their progress stagnates and they don’t know what to do. Next they supplement lessons with listening to podcasts and shows, but still don’t quite feel like they’re getting better.
Do you see the problem?
How I solved problem
I started by quantifying fluency. This allowed me to figure out what language learning methods actually work and how to predict rates of progress. The latter was particularly useful: I can pretty much give people an accurate estimate of when they will reach their fluency goals. The age old question of “how long does it take to learn a language” is officially solved by using objective progress data.
So what method works?
This 3-step method is, in my experience, the easiest way for people to fit language learning into a busy life and still progress efficiently. I also have plenty of case studies of people who use this method, or something similar, and see excellent results. I have a long list of case studies about halfway down my website.
Step 1: Listen and read
Recommended frequency: Every day
Find audio/visual content and written materials at your level. Consume them. Look up words you don’t know in an online translator or dictionary. I recommend 30 minutes a day. It may sound like a lot, but thankfully there’s an easy hack: study passively for 15 minutes (e.g., listen to a podcast while you commute) and 15 minutes actively (e.g., read or listen while at home, fully focused).
That works for most people as th
Step 2: Study grammar
Recommended frequency: 1 day per week
The easiest way is to follow a structured grammar-based resource (e.g., recorded online course, textbook series, weekly group class).
Step 3: Converse with native speakers
Recommended frequency: 2 days a month
Obviously you can practice speaking more than 2x a month, but it was a pleasant surprise to see that you don’t need to do a whole lot of speaking practice. Listening and reading are much, much more important.
Speaking practice sessions don’t need to be long; even a couple of short conversations per month is effective.
Part 2: Materials
Now that you know what to do, I would like to provide you a list of resources organized by language and level. These are a great place to begin.
French
Listening
Beginner: Alice Ayel, French Comprehensible Input
Intermediate: Easy French, Français Authentique
Reading
Beginner/intermediate: search “French graded reader” on Amazon. There are lots - pick as many of them as you want. These will be texts written for the purpose of reading practice at different levels of difficulty.
Speaking
Spanish
Listening
Beginner: Dreaming Spanish is my go-to. So much content. There are also lots of other videos; just search “Spanish beginner listening practice”
Intermediate: Dreaming Spanish is also my go-to. I also use Easy Spanish or Español con María.
Reading
Beginner/intermediate: search “Spanish graded reader” on Amazon. There are lots - pick as many of them as you want. These will be texts written for the purpose of reading practice at different levels of difficulty.
Speaking
Mandarin
Listening
Beginner: My go-to is an app called Immersive Chinese, but there are tons of excellent videos on YouTube if you simply search “beginner Mandarin listening comprehension.” Although pricier, YoYo Chinese is also excellent.
Intermediate: Mandarin Corner is my go-to. Comprehensible Mandarin is also excellent along with Learn Taiwanese Mandarin (it’s useful even if you aren’t specifically learning Taiwanese Mandarin).
Reading
Beginner/intermediate: HSK reading, Du Chinese.
Speaking
Italian
Listening
Beginner: Italiano sì, Learn Italian the Simple Way
Intermediate: Easy Italian
Reading
Beginner/intermediate: search “Italian graded reader” on Amazon or Google. There are lots - pick as many of them as you want. These will be texts written for the purpose of reading practice at different levels of difficulty.
Speaking
Gujarati
For Gujarati, the primary resource that is updated regularly is my YouTube channel and podcast. My goal is for it to become a comprehensive, one-stop shop for beginner and intermediate Gujarati learners.
Aside from teaching Gujarati, I also share resources I have come across over time. Gujarati, compared to many other languages, doesn’t actually have that many resources for beginner and intermediate learners.
A final note
No matter your level, I highly encourage you to spend at least 20% of your time on consuming content (e.g., shows, music, movies, etc) that is made for native speakers. You definitely will not understand most of what they’re saying, but it’s such a great habit to get into anyway as a way to get accustomed to how native speakers actually talk in the real world.
Thanks for reading!
If you want to hire me to work with you 1-1 to reach your fluency goals, simply visit my website and fill out the Google Form. Hiring me is a much, much easier way to ensure you succeed in your language learning efforts.
See you soon!
Azren
Calgary Language Nerds owner
https://azrenthelanguagenerd.com
This is incredible! I have long since ditched Duolingo and just ran through so many apps. But as they say speaking it really does help!