Fluent Forever: How to Learn Any Language Fast and Never Forget It

by Gabriel Wyner

FOR THE INTERMEDIATES If you’ve already spent some time studying your target language, adjust your shopping list as follows: First, if you already have a grammar book, make sure that you actually like it and that it’s sufficiently challenging. If not, get a new one that fits your level. Second, if you don’t have a phrase book, they’re worth having. Even if you’re already reading books in your target language, you might not know how to ask about business hours or rental car insurance. A phrase book will let you look up sentences for many day-to-day situations that don’t show up in books. Third, you probably don’t have a frequency dictionary yet, and you’ll use it much earlier than a beginner. Go get one. Last, hold off on a pronunciation book or trainer until the end of Chapter 3. You’ll have a better idea then as to whether you’ll need one.