When people hear I am a polyglot, they often ask me just how many words I can speak in each of the languages I know. The answer: I don’t know.
I don’t keep track of just how many words I speak in each language, but I speak 4 of the 8 languages I do fluently. And that’s what people really want to know – what does fluency in a language take?
Language experts have their own guide for just how many words you have to master in a new language to be considered fluent; however, I also believe that fluency depends on your communication needs in that language.
Let’s find out what language fluency entails.
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What’s the Difference Between Active and Passive Vocabulary?
Do you use all the words in your vocabulary? Probably not, unless you’re a walking-talking thesaurus.
We have an active vocabulary, which consists of daily used words, but we also have a passive vocabulary of words we don’t really use (though, we recognize these words when we see or hear them).
Fluency implies that you need the active vocabulary, but you should also not be bowled over by passive vocabulary if you encounter these lesser-used words. You may find that you only need to say a basic “good morning” when greeting someone, but you should also know variations like “good day” or “rise and shine.”
When learning a new language, you need to continuously expand on your passive vocabulary while using the active vocabulary as often as you can to help you develop (and maintain) fluency.
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Language Competency: Truths and Myths
To start, no beginner language learner can master all the words in a chosen language, unless it’s a minimalist language like Toki Pona, with a mere 120 words in the whole language. English has at least 500,000 words, while Korean has 1,100,373 words – and vocabularies never stay the same as people invent new words, adding to these totals.
It’s also no simple matter to “count” the words people speak daily as many words are derivatives of each other, based on word families, such as “man” giving us “tradesman,” “congressman,” and “bondsman.” Extensive studies have been conducted, with a study giving the most comprehensive findings that English speakers use (and know) a maximum of 18,300 base words.
But the real question is whether you actually use all 18,300 base words in order to be fluent.
And what about transitional words, articles, conjunctions, prefixes, suffixes, and more that you would require to complete sentences?
Do these count, even though they aren’t really the “meat and marrow” of the language you speak?
What Language Experts Say About Your Vocabulary Size
I decided to turn to what language experts say about the requirements to speak a language fluently.
The Basic Use Vocabulary - 1,000 Words
If you can speak about 1,000 words in a language, you are likely to have about 80% understanding of what is being said, and you can express yourself in elementary terms.
A Solid Understanding - 3,000 Words
If you have mastered 3,000 words, you probably speak about 95% of the language’s content (unless it’s a language like Korean, where 3,000 is merely a drop in the bucket against over a million words).
You’d likely be speaking at the same level as an adult (with basic high school education), who speaks their native language with some comprehension and basic nuances.
Near-Native Level - 5,000 Words
You can figure out most of what’s being said when you know 5,000 words in a new language.
You have a near-native fluency, and you speak using more nuanced expressions and a deeper understanding of the language, such as a highly educated native speaker would use in their daily conversations.
Native Level Comprehension - 10,000 Words
When you know 10,000 words in the language you are learning, you speak like a native-level speaker, and you understand as much as 99% of more complex conversations in that language.
I also like to point out that when you know as many as 10,000 words, you should start thinking in the language you are speaking (not thinking in English and translating to Spanish) for fluent sentence formation and ideation.
The Levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)
Linguists refer to the CEFR as a guide to what you should be able to do in a new language to achieve different language competency levels. These levels are like “grades” for your language progress, so it’s also a pretty good indication of your language fluency.
You have a near-native fluency, and you speak using more nuanced expressions and a deeper understanding of the language, such as a highly educated native speaker would use in their daily conversations.I like that the CEFR guide also indicates how you can apply the new language as a sign of just how fluent you are, instead of only focusing on the amount of words you need to master.
Of course, the more words in a language, the less accurate the fluency word count becomes.
In general, this is what the CEFR levels look like:
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- A1 (Basic Level): 500 words
You can understand when locals speak slowly, using easy words with clear meanings. When you speak, you can tell people about yourself, your family, and basic things like your job or hobbies.
- A2 (Pre-Intermediate): 1,000-1,500 words
You can read basic texts or stories with some writing skills.
- B1 (Intermediate): 2,000-2,500 words
Small talk begins to intrigue you, and you can discuss more complex subjects like entertainment, media, and news.
- B2 (Upper Intermediate): 3,000-3,700 words
Your language ability increases to include tenses, advanced grammar and sentences, and abstract meaning with localized expressions.
- C1 (Advanced): 4,000-4,700 words
Academical and technical texts are easier to read, and you plan complex conversations and texts.
- C2 (Fluent): 6,000 words and above
Expression comes naturally, and you no longer rely on a dictionary to help with complex words.
Do You Really Need Thousands of Words? A Best Selling Book with 50 Words
Did you know that one of the most successful books ever written contains only 50 words. Dr Seuss’s “Green Eggs and Ham” is an inspired children’s book that has only 50 words, which repeat in the rhyming story.
If you want to learn Spanish to study in Italy or Spain, you would need to master at least 4,000 to 6,000+ words, as you’d be using Spanish at near-native and at an academic level.
But if you are only going on holiday in Spain or to walk the Camino, you don’t need nearly as many words. While you won’t be fluent in Spanish with only 500 words, you would be able to get around and converse in basic terms with the locals.
Best Strategies for Learning Foreign Vocabulary
If you want to learn a foreign language effectively and reach the much-coveted rating of C2 fluency, you have to work and learn strategically.
I’ve used these methods to help me develop an excellent range of vocabulary in all 8 languages I speak, and you can use them successfully too.
Supplemental Learning Sources
You may rely on a single source to learn a new language, but that’s no way to really acquire a great working vocabulary.
You have to supplement your primary learning source with additional sources such as language apps, reading magazines, listening to podcasts, and watching TV in the language you are learning.
Practice Daily
To successfully learn a language and master a wide vocabulary, you need to practice daily. Speak with locals, get a language tutor, enjoy activities of the language’s culture.
Consider taking cooking lessons in Spanish, getting horse riding instructions from a German dressage instructor, or enjoy painting with a French painter. Conversations are excellent learning devices.
When you use a language conversationally, you will pick up useful words much more easily, which will soon solidify your language ability.
Please check my other articles about learning languages :
A Word per Day
It’s a great idea to start by learning words that you can actually use in the language you are learning. Discover words around themes, such as how to order food, asking for directions, and applying for a job in the chosen language.
Random words or learning words alphabetically is much harder and less likely to be successful.
Pick a topic for the week or month, then decide on a word per day in that topic that you can easily begin remembering and using.
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The Final Word
Learning enough words to be fluent depends on your definition of fluency in the language you are learning.
Do you want to speak comfortably with locals? Then mastering 500 to 1,500 words may be enough for your upcoming holiday to wherever it is they speak that language.
However, if your purpose for learning a language is to speak it like a native-speaker does, you have to master more words (upward of 6,000 words).
Remember that fluency also applies to how well you speak and use the words you know. Ultimately, fluency only comes from speaking the language (as much or little of it that you know) as often as you can.
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