Fluent

in 3 Months
How Anyone at Any Age
Can Learn to Speak Any Language
from Anywhere in the World

Benny Lewis

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Copyright

fluent in 3 months: How Anyone at Any Age Can Learn to Speak Any Language from Anywhere
in the World. Copyright 2014 by Brendan Richard Lewis. All rights reserved. Printed in the
United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner
whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in
critical articles and reviews. For information, address HarperC ollins Publishers, 10 East
53rd Street, New York, NY 10022.
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HarperC ollins ,

, and HarperOne are trademarks of HarperC ollins Publishers.

first edition
Designed by Terry McGrath
Library of Congress Cataloging-i n-P ublication Data
Lewis, Benny (Brendan Richard)
Fluent in 3 months : how anyone at any age can learn to speak any language from
anywhere in the world / Benny Lewis. First Edition.
pages cm
isbn 9780 062282699
1. Language and languagesStudy and teaching. 2. Language and languagesSelf-
instruction. I. Title. II. Title: Fluent in three months.
P53.77.L49 2014
418.0071dc23
2013034559
14 15 16 17 18 rrd(h) 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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Contents
A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S vii
I nt r od u ction

My Story, Your Passion 1

Your story, like mine, begins and ends with passion
the surest path to learning a new language.
C h a p te r 1

Destroying Twenty Common Language Learning Myths 15

Stop making excuses. Theres simply no reason you
cant learn a new language, and Ill tell you why.
C h a p te r 2

Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It 49

Do away with vague daydreams, such as learn Spanish, by setting
specific end goals within specific time frames and incorporating
new language learning techniques to achieve concrete results.
C h a p te r 3

How to Learn Thousands of Words Quickly 67

If you dont have the memory of a supercomputer, dont worry.
This chapter explains why we forget things and teaches a much
more efficienta nd funway to remember foreign words.
C h a p te r 4

Immersion Without Buying a Plane Ticket 87

You dont need to be in a foreign country to learn the language.
You can do it from the comfort of your home or local community.
iii

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C h a p te r 5

Speaking from Day One 107

Start speaking a new language right away with easy-to-follow
cheats for when you dont know the words you want to say.
C h a p te r 6

Tips for Starting Specific Languages 137

Learning a specific language is easier than you think.
Here I tell you why.
C h a p te r 7

From Fluency to Mastery 177

Strive toward fluency and beyond by coming back to the academic
aspects better suited to this part of the language learning process.
C h a p te r 8

How to Get Mistaken for a Native Speaker 199

Its time to go beyond fluency by adapting to the local
culture, until a stranger mistakes you for a native!
C h a p te r 9

Hyperpolyglot: When One Is Just Not Enough 217

Take language learning to the next level. Speak
multiple languages without mixing them up or
forgetting the one(s) youve already mastered.
C h a p te r 1 0

Free and Cheap Language Learning 2.0 233

Study a new language beyond spoken practice sessions
with invaluablea nd mostly freeresources.

Conclusion 247
a b o u t t h e a u t h o r 249

iv

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