How do you know when you’re fluent in a language? Fluency is a tricky concept that can feel like the be all and end all. Is this really true?

The word has been used in different contexts, with different meanings and by different people. As a result, it’s hard to define what fluency really means. Is it the ability to communicate using complex sentences and advanced vocabulary? How can we measure fluency? And how long does it take to become fluent in another language? In this post we’ll answer these questions and more.

What is fluency?

Fluency is a complex concept, and it’s not the same for everyone. Some people can have very high fluency in a language, but still be unable to use it fully in certain situations or contexts. For example, you may be able to speak Mandarin fluently when having a casual conversation with your friends, but if you’re asked to give a presentation at work in Mandarin then your fluency might suffer because speaking publicly requires different skills.

Similarly, you may be able to conduct an interview with someone about their career history in French (total ‘business level fluency’ vibes), but if you were asked to translate a conversation between teenage friends (oh hey, ‘down-with-the-kids slang fluency’) then it might be trickier to gauge a full understanding, and as a result, your feelings of fluency confidence might take a bashing.

To put it simply: fluency is like a video game with expansion packs. You get your base level fluency, and then gradually (or never at all in some cases), you add on areas in which you become fluent to grow your overall fluency.

Holiday fluent, at work fluent, undergrad studies fluent, chatting with the in-laws fluent.

And all of these versions of fluency consist of a few different things: fluidity, accuracy, comprehension, production, and interaction. Let’s take a look at them all individually.

Fluency vs fluidity

One element of fluency is fluidity. Fluidity refers to how quickly and easily you can produce speech in a language.

This may not be 100% all-of-the-time top-of-the-class accurate, but if you can keep a consistent steady flow to what you say, then you’ve got a good level of fluidity in a language.

For example, I struggle with Russian verbs, but I know enough work-arounds to keep talking and describe what I want to say to keep a conversation moving. This means thee’s work to be done on my overall fluency, in particular my accuracy, but my fluidity is good.

This is one reason why it’s never fun to focus too much on accuracy alone and saying everything perfectly. If however, when I speak Russian, I want every word to be the exact one I want, pronounced “like a native” (whatever that means), then my fluidity will suffer.

I’ll be too hung up on accuracy to keep talking and keep the conversation flowing.

Fluidity can be improved when we loosen up on our approach to mistakes. Not only that, but the more we understand what we hear, the more we’ll be able to boost our fluidity too.

Accuracy

Accuracy is important, but it’s not the same thing as fluency. Instead, it’s a factor of fluency.

Accuracy refers to how well you can use the language. Pronunciation? Top notch. Mistakes? Nowhere to be seen.

Accuracy can be measured through objective assessments like vocabulary tests and grammar tests (like graded readers). These tests are good indicators of progress—but they don’t capture everything that makes up fluency.

And it’s accuracy that often gets mistaken for fluency. We think that fluency = perfection. That’s not it.

Fluency often comes before accuracy. After all, it’s through frequent practice that our accuracy in a language improves. And that practice? That also helps us to become more fluent.

Working on accuracy can come from general speaking practice, but also specific focuses on grammar, vocabulary, or other areas you think need improving in your own language skills.

Comprehension and interaction

Oh, but there’s more!

Comprehension. This is understanding what is being said to you. It’s not just knowing the words but also knowing how grammar works, what the accents on certain letters mean and how to pronounce a word properly.

Essentially, comprehension is about how good you are at listening.

Interaction is when you can understand what someone else is saying and respond appropriately. This goes beyond just knowing vocabulary or grammar rules perfectly, or even having great listening skills. It’s about (prepare yourself for a fancy linguistics word) pragmatics.

Think nuance. How well can you interpret what’s not said as well as what is said.

“Like a native”

Speak “like a native”? It’s not a realistic goal.

Firstly, let’s address the problem of the obsession with “native” speakers. When someone says they want to speak English “like a native”, often what they really mean is “I want to speak English like an RP British English speaker” or “…like a US accent from California.”

What this ignores is the wide variety of native English speakers who don’t speak this way. Who live in those countries and speak with a different accent. Or who live in a different country and speak a version of English that’s oftentimes ignored or not considered “as good” as other varieties. Nope. Nope nope nope.

If you ever catch yourself using the expression “like a native”, it’s always worth questioning yourself as to what you really mean by that.

Secondly, native-language speakers have been using, living around, speaking, hearing, existing with this language their whole life. That level of immersion is very difficult to replicate later in life.

You can become a very good speaker in another language, and if you ever get mistaken for a native speaker, it can feel like a badge of honour, for sure! But to focus on this as a goal with your languages is likely going to lead to disappointment.

Adjust your goals to focus on other milestones, and if this happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it’s all good, you still will have achieved something great.

How long does it take to become fluent in a foreign language?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. How long it takes you to become fluent in a foreign language depends on your personal factors, as well as the language you’re learning and the resources available to you.

How much time do you have to devote to learning? What’s your previous language learning experience? Are those languages similar or different to the one you’re learning now? There’s lots of factors that will affect how quickly you become fluent in a language.

Motivation can also play a role in how quickly someone learns—and therefore how well they ultimately speak the language fluently. If someone has high motivation levels (they’re determined), then they will likely dedicate more time and effort toward studying than if they didn’t care much about mastering that particular skill set. This can be especially true when it comes down doing homework or practicing conversation skills with friends who are native speakers of the target language).

How do I know when I’m fluent?

You get to define what fluent feels like for you. But as a general guide, these might be some things to look out for:

💬 You know what you want to say to respond almost instantly in a conversation
🤡 Humour and jokes begin to make you laugh
🍿 You rely less on subtitles when watching films and TV
🎧 You understand more than you used to when listening to podcasts, music and the radio
📚 Reading feels like less of a slow drag and you’re able to do it faster now
🤩 You notice you’re making less mistakes when speaking and writing
😉 Subtle things that aren’t said become clearer to you