Still Far From Fluent? Master a New Language Faster by Answering This Key Question.

Before you commit the thousands of hours it will take to get fluent in a foreign language, it's imperative that you first answer a deceptively simple question:

"What exactly do I want to be able to do with this language?"

Without a clear answer, you will waste years or even decades spinning your wheels and practicing the wrong things. You will conclude that you are "bad at languages," when the truth is that your disappointing results are simply the product of misaligned methods.

The Misalignment Problem

Consider this common scenario: a person falls in love with Japanese culture and boldly proclaims:

"I want to learn to speak Japanese!"

So they go on a resource spending spree, sign up for classes, and start studying hours a day.

Months later, they find themselves frustrated with their complete ability to say more than just a few memorized phrases.

And they draw a complete blank when someone replies to their stock statements.

When we review their daily practice routine, it becomes immediately clear why this is happening. Despite a goal to "speak Japanese," their time consists almost entirely of reading and studying written Japanese, with a tiny bit of listening practice thrown in for spice. Common percentages look something like this:

• Reading Japanese textbooks: 50%

• Memorizing vocabulary and kanji: 25%

• Completing grammar exercises: 15%

• Occasionally listening to Japanese media: 10%

Notice what's missing? Direct speaking practice!

This disconnect between stated goals and actual practice is perhaps the single biggest reason language learners struggle to achieve fluency despite years of effort.

Case in point: look no further than the generally poor level of English speaking ability in Japan. Despite studying the language all the way through junior high school, high school, and university (with additional study at cram schools on the side), very few students reach even a basic level of spoken fluency.

To be clear, this is NOT the fault of the students or the teachers. I've lived in Japan and taught English at a Japanese high school, and saw first hand just how diligent most Japanese students are and how hard most English teachers work to help their students succeed.

The problem is that their entire system is centered on memorizing and testing facts about English. Lip service is given to learning to speak the language, but the actual curricula and incentives do not support this objective.

And we can see the same pattern on display in most foreign language programs here in the states, too.

Fortunately, there are three simple yet powerful ways to cut through the noise and distractions, and better align your behavior with your objectives: specificity, directness, and frequency.

The Specificity Solution

Rather than vague aspirations like "get fluent," successful language learners get hyper-specific about exactly what they want to achieve, and precisely what they will do every single day to reach their desired destination.

For example:

• "I want to hold a 10-minute casual conversation about Aikidō."

• "I want to understand cooking videos on YouTube (e.g. Kurashiru) without subtitles."

• "I want to read the ONE PIECE manga series in its original form without a dictionary."

• "I want to write physical letters to my Japanese penpal using proper kanji and kana.

Each of these goals requires a distinct training approach.

• You won't be able to talk about Japanese martial arts if you only practice reading about them.

• You won't train your brain to understand videos without subs if you always keep them turned on.

• You won't get through many volumes if you stop to look up every single word or kanji you don't know.

• You won't be able to write Japanese by hand if you mostly practice typing on a keyboard.

The Power of Direct Practice

Directness is a remarkably simple principle, yet it is frequently overlooked.

The bottom line is that you get better at what you practice.

For example, if you want to improve your speaking skills, you must practice having lots of conversations.

Tapping away in apps, memorizing rules in textbooks, or buying expensive courses will NOT help you reach this objective.

Yet that is precisely what most learners do.

There are many reasons for such seemingly illogical indirectness, but I think the number one cause is fear.

• Fear of making mistakes.

• Fear of looking stupid.

• Fear of not knowing what to say.

• Fear of being misunderstood.

• Fear of not understanding others.

The first step to overcoming this fear is acknowledging it. Admit you are afraid. Admit you are doing comfortable, indirect language study instead of the direct, uncomfortable practice that will get you fluent.

I've had to do this myself many, many times. I still do with new languages or ones I haven't practiced in a long time.

So go back to the original question:

"What exactly do I want to be able to do with this language?"

Perhaps your answer is "have flowing conversations in Spanish."

The next step is to honestly assess your current activities and see if they are aligned with this objective.

• How many hours a week are you directly practicing speaking?

• Are you regularly meeting with a Spanish tutor from italki?

• Are you practicing with AI chatbots using a tool like Teacher AI?

If not, the next step is to better align your actions with your goals.

You will feel better about yourself and you will move towards fluency faster.

Apply the 80/20 Rule to Language Study

In the early 1900s, an Italian economist named Vilfredo Pareto noticed something startling: 80% of Italy’s land was held by only 20% of its population. Likewise, he observed that 80% of the wealth in England was held by but 20% of the English. He then shifted from finance to food, noticing that 80% of the peas in his garden were produced by just 20% of the pea pods!

In fact, the same pattern showed just about everywhere he looked. Eventually, this phenomenon (technically called a "power law probability distribution") came to be known as the "Pareto Principle," "Pareto Distribution," or "80-20 Rule."

In essence, it posits that 80% of effects are caused by just 20% of causes, or that 20% of inputs lead to 80% of outputs.

So what does this have to do with learning a language?

Simple: a small percentage of high-frequency words account for the vast majority of the conversations and texts you’ll encounter on a daily basis. This is phenomenal news for language learners!

If you master the most common words first, you will be able to start understanding and using the language far earlier than those who spread their time and attention too wide.

Consider the following average frequencies. On average:

• The most frequent 100 words account for 42% of written materials.

• The most frequent 500 words account for 72% of written materials.

• The most frequent 1,000 words account for 86% of written materials.

• The most frequent 2,000 words account for 96% of written materials.

• The most frequent 3,000 words account for 98% of written materials.

As you can see, the most common 100 words account for just under half of the terms you’ll encounter! Take that number to 500 words, and you’re up to nearly three-quarters!

And the Pareto Principle doesn't just apply to vocabulary. A similar pattern can be seen among grammar rules, patterns, phrases, idioms, and Chinese characters.

So to maximize your language learning efficiency, identify the 20% of activities that will give you 80% of your desired results. For most conversational goals, this means prioritizing:

• High-frequency vocabulary relevant to your interests, profession, etc.

• Basic grammar patterns that form the backbone of colloquial expressions.

• Active production practice in your target skill (e.g. speaking, writing, etc.).

• Authentic input that models your desired output (e.g. watching TV shows about daily life on Netflix).

The path to language mastery isn't about accumulating knowledge—it's about developing practical skills through deliberate practice. By clearly defining what you want to accomplish in your target language and designing your practice to directly support those objectives, you can transform your learning experience from frustrating to fulfilling.

Periodically audit your practice time with this simple question:

"If someone observed my language learning routine for a week, what would they conclude my goals are?"

If the answer doesn't align with your actual objectives, it's time to realign your practice.

Remember: What you directly practice, you'll (eventually) improve. Choose wisely.