ENGLISH
REFERENCE

fluency

n. uncountable
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈfɫuənsi// UK //flˈuːənsi// flu·en·cy

n. the ability to speak or write a language easily and well. It means you can express your ideas smoothly without having to stop and think too much.

n. the quality of being able to speak or write a language easily, smoothly, and with little effort. Refers to the flow and speed of language production rather than perfect grammatical accuracy.


SIMPLE

She reached a high level of fluency in Spanish after living in Madrid.

CONTEXTUAL

While his grammar is not perfect, his fluency allows him to participate in complex business negotiations without a translator.

COMPLEX

True linguistic fluency involves not just a large vocabulary, but the ability to use idiomatic expressions and appropriate registers naturally in a variety of social contexts.

Synonyms
Usage

Often paired with the preposition 'in' when referring to a specific language.

Pitfall

He has a great fluencyHe has great fluencyFluency is uncountable when referring to the general ability; it should not be used with the indefinite article 'a'.

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