Benny Lewis

Benny Lewis is that fun and laid back kind of guy who runs fluentin3months.com, one of the most important polyglot blog available on the web. Most importantly, he himself is an hyperpolyglot who can speak about 12 languages with various levels of proficiency! Now, how do you do that?!Well, here he shares some his techniques for being a successful and efficient language learner and, although a light and humorous read, I found his book strikingly useful and relevant on many points.

Don't mind show more the sensationalist title (deliberately tongue-in-cheek) as, some of his advices rightly echo my own experience. Indeed, they are what I believe in myself to succeed that is, not only putting strong emphasis on communication ('speak from day one') but, also, not seeing grammar as being that important until you have reached a certain level. Here is in fact the key: accuracy comes through fluency, NOT the other way round as is too often taught (especially in schools, with the poor results we all know!).

Of course, being light and fun, this book is far from perfect! Some of the advices given might not work for everyone -but he is well aware of that, it's all about finding which tips work for you! I personally think, unlike him, that memo-technique to remember vocabulary is over complicating tediously the learning process. A whole chapter, supposed to give hints on how to start various listed languages, is so light it's absolutely useless -I mean, be thorough or don't bother at all! The book is generic enough to be useful as it was. More, it's packed with so much self-promotion for his blog that, it gets quite annoying in the end.

BUT, having said that, 'Fluent in 3 Months' is so very accessible, fun, relevant and, above all, so full of passion and encouraging tips that, it might keep you motivated when the learning gets tough. A very enjoyable read, then! show less

"One controversial aspect of my advice is that I say we should focus much less on writing and reading in the early stages, [...]"

There is no denying that the best way to learn a language is by fully immersing yourself in it. If you speak it, listen it, read it, and just about see it everywhere, you are more prone to acquire the knowledge you need to advance in it.
That said, not everyone can drop their day job and go traveling the world; and not anyone can even afford a holiday in their own show more country, let alone abroad.

With Fluent in 3 Months, it feels like the sole point of the book is on spoken conversations. Yes, it offers some advice on what to do if you can't travel, but some of the options are also not viable to everyone, basically making you feel slightly neglected.

That's not to say there's no sound advice in here, nor any inspiration to be found. And it doesn't mean that you can't take the recommendations and adapt them to suit your life. But there's a slight gap between studying a language to mostly speak it while you travel (which is what he seems to refer to when saying "fluent"), and studying a language to mostly read it (or even to know it fully and be truly fluent). Particularly if you're studying a language that has symbols.

While the book does offer some insight on reading and writing, it's quickly dismissed with a "See more in (website)".
Yes, registering is free (if you have the book), but I bought the damn book, why can't you just say it here? It's not like this type of advice can change much over the years? Must I physically find an internet-able device that can connect me to this website, register, and then waste time browsing to find something that should have been included in the book? (Book that reads like really short blog posts, btw).

Still, you can't really fault the book for not being focused on writing, I suppose. I mean, it's right there on the title: Learn to Speak Any Language; it's in the blog too, where you see it's mostly about traveling, couchsurfing and speaking.

It's not really a book for anyone who wants to be serious about studying a language to fully understand and use it in all manner of ways, though it can be adapted to work for those people too.

All in all, it's an interesting read and an inspirational book, but not overly good if you want advice in doing more than just speaking the language. show less

I read Benny Lewis' book "Fluent in 3 Months" with one thing in mind - kick-starting my language learning into high gear and he has succeeded in doing that.

I am not new to language learning. Born in Canada, I took French in school right through high school and several years ago I decided, as a challenge, to learn Japanese. I have found that my level in these languages has not budged - mainly through lack of effort on my part.

Benny shows in his book many ways to involve yourself in language show more in order to bring it to the next level. For example, he recommends that you get tested when you get to a reasonable level. I didn't bother with Japanese - I know I am somewhere between an A1 and an A2. However, I did get tested in French and was not surprised to find I was rated a B2.

So I have taken Benny's advice and I am finding ways to bring these languages into my day. With Japanese, I am using flash cards to memorize the kanji and I am reading basic texts. For my French, he advises when you get to the higher levels it is time to get into gear with grammar. I purchased a good verb book and an advanced grammar text. I am also translating a book I know well ("Little Women") and using an app with French exercises. I can already notice the difference.

Benny's book has a lot to offer whether you have never studied a language before or, like me, just need some advice on how to take it to the next level. I found this book interesting and I enjoyed Benny's conversational tone. Recommended for any language learner. show less

Well, yes, you could be fluent in three months if need be, and you could immerse yourself completely in an environment speaking your target language, but the title is a bit of a hyperbole.

Nonetheless, Lewis has a lot of really good ideas for increasing exposure to your target language and inspires a passion for learning it.