This is how Merriam-Webster Online defines ”fluent” :
2 a : capable of using a language easily and accurately <fluent in Spanish> <a fluent writer> b : effortlessly smooth and flowing : polished <a fluent performance> <spoke in fluent English> c : having or showing mastery of a subject or skill <fluent in mathematics>
In the general population, however, it depends on who you ask. I know people who are capable of speaking Spanish “easily and accurately” who deny being fluent, and I don’t think that’s just false modesty. They seem to think that because they don’t know every every idiom, the meaning to every word and every grammatical construct that they aren’t fluent.
Well, think about this – are you fluent in English? Do you speak it easily and accurately? And do you know every idiom, the meaning to every word and every grammatical construct? I didn’t think so. But you probably said that “yes”, you were fluent in English.
And what about people who speak only English but whose grammar may not be very good. “Where are you at?” is a poorly worded sentence, yet we hear it all the time. Does that mean that the speaker isn’t fluent in English? Do you think that all native Spanish speakers have good grammar?
Fluency is a great thing for which to aim (I originally wrote “a great thing to aim for” and then realized that it was grammatically incorrect). But don’t beat yourself up over it. There might be various levels of fluency. And there are various stages along the way. Competent, for instance. Does that sound more modest? ”Are you fluent?” “Oh, I’m competent”.
Rosana Hart, who posts on LearnSpanishRapidly.com, has an interesting take on advancing through the various levels.
So the next time you’re struggling to remember that Spanish word and berate yourself for your lack of progress, think back. Have you ever struggled to remember an English word?
Here are a couple of references for what it means to be fluent:
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