Ermeny
Community Tutor
do you believe it is possible to stay fluent in 3 months?
Nowadays several courses promise fluency in English in 3 months. Do you think it's possible? why?
Jun 20, 2020 2:35 AM
Comments · 15
8
I hate to sound negative, but I really don't think it's possible. It's a product, and the people behind it want to make money. It's as simple as that. So they come up with buzzwords to make you think their product will make all your dreams come true. Their marketing techniques are designed to make you think that they can deliver on something, but it's not genuine. Not if they're suggesting <em>fluency</em>.

Perhaps the right words should be "comfortable" or "proficiency". But people love the word <em>fluent</em> and I think companies that create these products know that.

And in three months? Incredible. I'm impressed when people can achieve a basic understanding in that time. If they cram the entire three months into devoting to their studies, maybe they'll be able to speak and understand at an intermediate level. But even that's a stretch.
June 20, 2020
7
If your definition of “fluent” is the ability to have polite conversation on everyday topics, your target language is close to one you already know well, and you’re willing to study long hours every day, then yes, of course it’s possible. However, the faster you learn, the faster you’ll forget, so if you don’t have a real need for the language in the near future, it’s not worth the trouble for most people. I prefer the slow and steady approach myself. I’m willing to accommodate my students’ wishes, after discussing the pros and cons.

BTW: When you say "stay fluent", I imagine you really mean "get fluent". ("Stay" is a translation from Portuguese, right?)
June 20, 2020
6
It all comes down to motivation. Someone who is sufficiently motivated wouldn’t even ask the question. Your life partner doesn’t speak your language? You’ve just immigrated to a foreign country because your country is, shall we say, unlivable? That’s motivation. You want to learn a language in three months because you can’t stand the thought of studying it for four months? Lol. That’s not motivation — that’s the opposite.

June 20, 2020
4
It depends on so many factors, including your native language, prior experience learning languages, belief that you can become fluent, willingness to spend free time with the language, the amount of time you can dedicate to English in those three months, and the intensity of your interest in movies, books, podcasts, videos and speakers of English. It also depends on your definition of fluency.

Some people see fluency as nothing less than perfection in every situation imaginable in the language. Others lower the bar so that whatever level they will have reached in 3 months counts as fluent. We will always quibble about definitions, but fluency can be thought of as the level at which you can have meaningful conversations with a native speaker without strain for either of you. You don't struggle to understand their speech at a normal pace. You don't constantly ask them to repeat or rephrase what they said. They don't feel they have to simplify their speech or slow down. They don't struggle to understand you. You can express what you want without feeling restricted because you don't know how to formulate the thought. Most importantly, it flows. The correct words and arrangement tumble from your lips without much mental strain. This is probably between a B2 and C1 level, which is no small accomplishment.

Therefore, I think some people can do it in three months, especially when you consider that many non-native speakers of English have at least some background in the language due to years of schooling. I think in most cases, though, it's not a realistic goal because most people don't have the time or the interest. You're going to need hundreds of hours to reach a true B2/C1.

One famous proponent of the "fluent in 3 months" approach made grandiose promises about becoming fluent in a Sinitic language in three months and did not reach the goal, despite putting in hours a day. The lesson? Don't make people think it's realistic for just ANYONE to be fluent in three months.
July 21, 2020
4
Being fluent just after 3 months???!!! No way!!! :-)
July 20, 2020
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