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Benny Lewis
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Fluent in 3 Months Paperback – 11 Mar. 2014

by Benny Lewis (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars 1,826 ratings
on any 2 Terms

Meet the man who makes the mission of learning any language possible!

The all-you-need guide to learning a language.

Language hacker Benny Lewis shows how anyone anywhere can learn any language without leaving their home, using a simple toolkit and by harnessing the power of the Internet.

Benny definitely wasn’t born with the ‘language gene’. After graduating in electronic engineering in his native Ireland he spent six months in Spain struggling to learn Spanish. This frustrating experience fuelled his determination to take a different approach to learning foreign languages.

Today he speaks over ten languages including Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, French, German, Portuguese, and Hungarian. He has also learnt Japanese in Spain. This typifies one of his ‘3-month challenges’ where he targets a new language and proceeds to become fluent in it within just three months. He charts his progress on his blog, proving that his techniques allow anyone to learn a language from anywhere.

Benny’s blog, also called Fluent in 3 Months, is the largest language learning blog in the world.

The key principles of Benny’s method:

  • Speak from day one: find mother-tongue speaking partners online. Don’t be self-conscious – keep the flow going!
  • Change your mindset: ditch the excuses, you can do it!
  • Stay focused and determined: even if you don’t have much time, never forget the goal you’ve set yourself and work at it.
  • Learning a language doesn’t need to be expensive: there is a wealth of free resources out there, if you know where to find them
  • Reap the rewards! Learning a new language is not an end in itself, but a means to meeting new people and discovering new cultures. Curiosity will fuel your determination.
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  1. ISBN-10
    0007543921
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0007543922
  3. Publisher
    Collins
  4. Publication date
    11 Mar. 2014
  5. Language
    English
  6. Dimensions
    19.81 x 1.65 x 12.9 cm
  7. Print length
    258 pages
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Product description

Review

"Benny Lewis is the Eckhart Tolle of language learning. Fluent in 3 Months is the definitive self-help guide for anyone who wants to master a foreign language." Anna Codrea-Rado, the Guardian.

“This is a lively and down-to-earth guide to learning a language. It really communicates Benny Lewis’s own passion for languages and encourages readers to take a more unbuttoned approach to learning them.” Professor Mike Kelly, Honorary Secretary and Director of Speak to the Future

“Buy this book and prepare to experience the world―no matter where you live or travel." Chris Guillebeau, author of New York Times bestseller $100 Start Up.

“Benny is an inspiration! What a great motivator!” Paul Noble, language guru.

"Fluent in 3 Months is the essential first step for anyone interested in learning languages. Its practical and insightful advice will inspire a whole new generation of polyglots." Alex Rawlings, Collins Most Multilingual Student 2012

About the Author

Irishman and internet sensation Benny Lewis was distinctly mediocre at languages at school and, upon finding himself living in Spain at the age of 21, struggled for 6 months to form a few simple sentences. But years on, he has learned to speak over a dozen languages, has travelled the world, and has countless friends in many different countries.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Collins (11 Mar. 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 258 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0007543921
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0007543922
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 13 years and up
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 19.81 x 1.65 x 12.9 cm
  • Customer reviews:
    4.1 out of 5 stars 1,826 ratings

About the author

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Benny Lewis

Benny Lewis

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In 2003, Irish native Benny Lewis spoke only one language: English. After college, he moved to Spain and was soon frustrated that he could not speak Spanish despite months of trying. So he decided to abandon traditional learning approaches, and everything changed.

Today Benny is the known as The Irish Polyglot and speaks over 10 languages, several at a fluent level. He also now runs the largest language learning blog in the world, fluentin3months.com, which receives more than half a million unique visitors every month, and he makes frequent videos on his YouTube channel to encourage newbie language learners.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
1,826 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book provides practical tips and motivation for language learning. They describe it as an interesting, easy read with great content. The author's approach to becoming fluent is well-written and easy to understand.

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68 customers mention ‘Learning tips’63 positive5 negative

Customers find the book helpful and motivating for learning a language. They appreciate the practical advice and useful resources provided, including links to websites. The book helps build a solid foundation for language learning and provides good ideas and common sense.

"...Great tips and approaches to becoming fluent. Of course, the title isn't meant to be a promise...." Read more

"...The book is full of great tips that can boost your learning curve or can motivate you to learn faster...." Read more

"I found this book so interesting and useful that I also bought it on Kindle, for quick and easy referencing...." Read more

"...Highly motivating book (I almost gave it 4 stars), but I walk away from this book not knowing what approach to follow going forward...." Read more

62 customers mention ‘Readability’58 positive4 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and full of great content. They find it useful for people wanting to dive in quickly. The book provides excellent ideas on starting the journey of language learning, making it more effective and enjoyable. Readers appreciate the author's realistic approach and practical tips.

"...get ready to make achieving fluency a much more effective and enjoyable experience. You can hold up on the grammar book (at least for now) as well." Read more

"...For me the book and Benny Lewis are absolutely inspiring references to learn Norwegian (in my case) and any other language that I might try in the..." Read more

"...It gives great information and tips about learning a language. But, more than that - it takes the mystery out of it...." Read more

"...to the country, this author is clearly realistic and has shared great experiences...." Read more

32 customers mention ‘Language learning’26 positive6 negative

Customers find the book helpful for language learning. They say it offers good tips and approaches to becoming fluent. The tips are easy to understand and the author speaks the languages like a native speaker. The book provides clear outlines on how to work through languages and has plenty of good ideas and common sense about getting started.

"...Great tips and approaches to becoming fluent. Of course, the title isn't meant to be a promise...." Read more

"...First of all, speak the language from day one and build your knowledge through communication. To do that just have videocalls with language partners...." Read more

"...and useful that I also bought it on Kindle, for quick and easy referencing. It gives great information and tips about learning a language...." Read more

"...So why do I like this book? It offers a counter intuitive method of learning languages, that is not easier than others, and in fact looks harder,..." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Vincent
    5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 April 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Definitely deserving of a five star ranking, and Benny's blog is also well worth following.

    I've tried all sorts of language products looking for some way to make sense of the actual process of learning languages, to find some way to become fluent, but this book delivers the reality- that you need to speak it from the start! Great tips and approaches to becoming fluent. Of course, the title isn't meant to be a promise. The point is to really get into learning regardless of your situation, set goals, beat them, and then keep going. All the while, you will actually be SPEAKING the language just like you want to!

    Go buy this book, choose the language you want to learn, and get ready to make achieving fluency a much more effective and enjoyable experience. You can hold up on the grammar book (at least for now) as well.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Hector
    4.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring. Very useful tips.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 December 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Just finished to read the book and I think it's a great inspiration by a skilled polyglot. I've been learning Norwegian for a while and I still can apply some of the methods he recommends.
    First of all, speak the language from day one and build your knowledge through communication. To do that just have videocalls with language partners. There are plenty of websites to find people that are eager to learn your mother tongue or whatever language you know.
    Second: live the language. Think in that language, read newspapers, hear the radio, write a blog, immerse in that language, use apps in your target language, etc.
    In this way, you will be able to reach a B1 level in 3 months with a minimum use of text books. Of course you also need persistence and passion.
    It was nice to read his point of view about Spanish (my mother tongue Spanish) and some tricks to learn it (and other latin languages).
    The book is full of great tips that can boost your learning curve or can motivate you to learn faster.
    For me the book and Benny Lewis are absolutely inspiring references to learn Norwegian (in my case) and any other language that I might try in the future.
    22 people found this helpful
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  • Placeholder
    5.0 out of 5 stars A great resource for every language learner!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 May 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I found this book so interesting and useful that I also bought it on Kindle, for quick and easy referencing. It gives great information and tips about learning a language. But, more than that - it takes the mystery out of it. Benny Lewis has convinced me that I can actually learn a second or a third language, and, that I can enjoy it!

    I would recommend this book, not only to students of language, but also to teachers. Using the strategies of this book in the classroom could really help motivate and encourage school students. Then, unlike Benny after five years of school German, students will be able to do so much more than buy a train ticket in their target language.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • whatsup
    3.0 out of 5 stars Motivating, but not giving a clear language learning approach
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 March 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I just finished reading the book. The book is great for motivating you to learn a language and Benny Lewis is quite an inspiration!

    The media hype helped a lot in convincing me to buy the book. However, I wish this book had more practical examples of how I can approach learning a (only one) specific language. Perhaps I was hoping for a day by day to do list on how to learn a language in 3 months. Towards the end of the book the author gives some guidance on some languages, but the book is trying to cover too many languages and is too high level. The author uses the approach of immediately talking and doing skype calls etc which is fantastic, but I don't think the book has fully answered the question how I can memorise some of the words and genders. To be fair the author does give you examples of how he memorised words, but those approaches will never work for me. I am still uncertain on how to progress between learning words, doing fun things with the language and learning some grammar. I fully agree with the author's approach to learn the language before he travels to the country, this author is clearly realistic and has shared great experiences.

    Highly motivating book (I almost gave it 4 stars), but I walk away from this book not knowing what approach to follow going forward. I think it helps to sign up to the author's website version, because Benny Lewis gives some really good advice on there.
    32 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • 書斎
    5.0 out of 5 stars 外国語学習に役立つヒントや助言が得られる本
    Reviewed in Japan on 23 February 2015
    Verified Purchase
    母語である英語を含めて12カ国語を習得した著者の外国語学習体験談。胸にぐさっと来るのは「言語の目的はコミュニケーションなので、まず最優先すべきは完璧さではなく自分の言いたいことを相手にわかってもらうことである。もし数語しか知らなくても、それを使う方が黙っているよりも効果的である」(pp. 115-116)ということばである。
    我々日本人は著者とは異なる環境に置かれているので、著者の体験談をそのまま踏襲することはできないが、外国語学習に役立つヒントが満載の本である。英語も易しく英語の会話に生かせそうな表現が多い。一読をお勧めする。
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  • darswords
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Book About Learning Languages!
    Reviewed in the United States on 19 February 2017
    Verified Purchase
    I finished reading this a couple days ago. No, I was not in the haze of wanting to stay with the story or characters. This is a non-fiction about learning other languages. I didn't want to leave this one because it helped me so much and I want to re-read it a lot more times.

    As many of you know, I have been working with Duolingo learning Spanish and German. I have taken two levels of both in school but would like to be fluent in both of them. Right now I can read a bit but I feel so very elementary in both of them.

    There are so many good ideas on how to learn a language and get to the point of fluency! And I read this using the Audible with the author's voice. What a delight to hear his accent and enthusiasm! And he is a polyglot. For those of you like I was, who don't know, that means he is fluent in many languages, all learned since he was an adult.

    The best part is that there are web-links to study certain aspects of each chapter. I didn't follow those with the first reading, but I will with the next. And I will take notes and make flashcards.

    This is the best book about languages I have ever read. If you are thinking about studying another language, this should be your first book to read to give you the best start.
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  • Charles Bell
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very helpful.
    Reviewed in Spain on 23 December 2022
    Verified Purchase
    This really simplified the language learning process and shed a light on dark corners. Above all, it gave me confidence to learn and practice more, and I have made big strides. You can't put a price on that.
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  • Hassan akkad
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good book
    Reviewed in Sweden on 25 November 2023
    Verified Purchase
    I start of it and it has a good tips for learning.
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  • Mostyn
    5.0 out of 5 stars There's a catch
    Reviewed in Australia on 9 December 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Being fluent in a language isn't an impossible dream. In this book Benny Lew is makes it clear that anyone can do it. You will probably argue with this, but this includes you. It doesn't matter how old you are or how smart or talented you are, your brain is designed to learn languages.

    Here's the catch. There aren't shortcuts to becoming fluent in 3 months. Benny Lewis says languages are learnt in hours, not in years. It takes hours and hours of doing the right kind of learning (as opposed to memorising word lists and grammar). You need to make the language your life. Surround yourself with people, use the language socially. Forget being embarrassed about your language levels, most people are glad that you are trying their language.

    Despite the book's title, this book isn't specially designed for the goal of fluency, no more no less, in exactly three months. The strategies and tactics in the book can be used for any level of language learning from learning some phrases for your holiday to professional level.

    I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn to speak more languages. The bad news is that there are no shortcuts, you will have to work for it. The good news is that you can learn languages and use them meaningfully.
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