How I Became Fluent in 4 Months

“Learning English will open many doors and present incredible opportunities for you, your education, work and your happiness.”

By Benjamin Dent

Remember when you were a kid and you thought the world was in your hands? Or that you were told that you could do anything and you would be successful?

I first felt that when I was the pitcher on my little league baseball team when I was 8 years old. My wicked side arm threw everyone off. I had something special that other pitchers didn’t have.

I felt I was MLB (Major League Baseball) material. In fact, I started asking my teachers how I could study to become a professional baseball player!

5 years later, I realized how difficult it was to stand out with such talented pitchers I competed against. And sadly, I realized there was no degree to study for professional baseball… It just doesn’t work that way.

My passions turned to creating small businesses. In fact, I had a yard maintenance business and a power washing business. I thought creating a business was fun! I just didn’t want to mow lawns, pressure wash roofs or pull weeds all day. That was not fun, but it taught me hard work pays off!

7 years later, I found myself in Miami, Florida speaking a new language! Guess which one? Spanish!!! ¡Hola amigos! ¿Cómo estás? In English that means: Hi friends! How are you doing?

For those that don’t know, Florida is in the very Southeast corner of the United States and is a popular vacation place with beautiful white sand beaches, light blue ocean views and lots of fun things to do. The water is so warm and feels so relaxing.

Enough about Disney World, beaches and alligators. So why did I move to Florida for 2 years? I went there on a service mission to help other people. It was 2 fun years of hard work and joy. Because there are a lot of Hispanic people (people from Spanish countries, like Mexico in Central America and Colombia in South America), I had to learn Spanish. And guess what?

I became fluent in 4 months and sounded like a native speaker. Some people even thought I was from Colombia – a true native! Well, how did I learn Spanish and speak like a native speaker in 4 months? I will share 5 effective methods to learn English below:

1) Find a friend to practice what you are learning

You can teach each other from your mistakes, laugh together and learn together. You will learn faster because you are actively listening and learning from your errors.

2) Start memorizing words and phrases

Use flashcards or English apps to help you remember them. Set a goal each day to learn new words and hold yourself accountable.

3) Start reading out loud

This is speaking and this is the best way to learn. Even if you don’t understand, you will train your ears and your brain to think in the language you are reading and speaking. Maybe find a book in your language and then find the same book in English and compare them while you read.

4) Listen to audio books

Train your ears and your brain to think in the language you want to learn. The more you listen, the more you will remember how to say something.

5) Listen to youtube videos of Native speakers

Youtube is fun and there are so many great videos out there.

Well my friends, if you follow methods above, you will become a fluent English speaker in no time. Be consistent and work hard. You can do it. We created Hallo to help you find English partners so you can become fluent! We want you to be successful and we are here to build a product that will help you.

Learning English will open many doors and present incredible opportunities for you, your education, work and your happiness. We need your help too! Please send us feedback and ideas of features that could help you.

Next week, I will share best practices for the TOEFL and IELTS exams. Stay in touch!

Ben from Hallo