Earlier this summer, I stood in the pre-dawn dark with a crowd of fellow travellers, waiting for the sun to rise over Angkor Wat.
It was the highlight of a month-long trip through Southeast Asia—a trip that began with a two-week work stint in Singapore and Hong Kong (I’m a lawyer by day), followed by time off in Vietnam and Cambodia.
But Angkor Wat wasn’t just a visual spectacle.
It gave me a fresh perspective on language learning—one I’ve been thinking about ever since.
Build first. Embellish later.
Angkor Wat is one of the most magnificent religious monuments in the world, built in the twelfth century by the Khmer Empire.
What makes it all the more fascinating is how it was constructed:
- The builders raised the massive sandstone blocks first.
- Only afterwards did they carve the intricate details—right there on the finished structure.
Contrast that with medieval Europe, where masons painstakingly carved stones on the ground before lifting them into place. That approach slowed progress dramatically.
In fact, while Angkor Wat was finished in under 40 years, many European cathedrals took centuries to complete.
What does this have to do with language learning?
As language learners, we often approach things the “cathedral way”.
You know? We find ourselves trying to “perfect” every sentence before we dare speak or write. We want to fully grasp every grammar rule before taking even small steps.
But what if we did it the Angkor Way?
Get the basic structure in place first—core patterns, simple vocabulary— up, rough and ready.
And only later start refining.
The foundation: Fluency Phrases and key vocabulary
So what does laying that structure look like?
It means focusing early on ready-to-use, high-frequency sentence patterns—what I call Fluency Phrases.
These are language chunks that combine vocabulary and grammar in ways that are immediately useful. Think:
- “I’d like to…”
- “Can you…?”
- “I’ve never…”
They’re the reusable building blocks of communication. Pre-packed language.
Add key vocabulary
Start with two types of words:
- Common words: the most frequent 600–1000, based on frequency lists (these are available online for many languages).
- Personal key words and phrases: these are specifics that relate to your life—your job, interests, family, goals.
It’s best if you can gather these words in the context of a fuller phrase or sentence (“Fluency Phrases” again!).
When it comes to grammar, some of your most useful phrases may actually contain quite complex grammar that you might not understand fully until much later. And that’s completely fine.
A well-designed language course (or self-study plan) will combine usable phrases and generally relevant vocabulary with clear, jargon-free, and level-appropriate explanations of how the language works as a system. This is the why behind the what. It’s a level of understanding that native speakers often don’t have, but which can really help you progress faster (and make the process more interesting) as an adult learner.
But don’t just rely on a course. Start collecting your own words and phrases, especially for those bespoke things you’ll want to talk about that are specific to your situation.
How to make phrases stick
It’s one thing to jot down a phrase and understand what it means.
It’s quite another to remember it and use it spontaneously when you need it.
The solution? Spaced recall!
That means combining two powerful ideas:
- Spaced repetition – Reviewing phrases at increasing intervals.
- Active recall – Trying to remember and produce them without looking.
Put them together and you’ve got one of the most effective memory strategies around.
A 4-step routine for phrase-based learning
Here’s a way we can put this into practice.
First, collect! Choose 5–10 short, practical phrases you’d genuinely use.
Second, repeat
Say them aloud a couple of times a day. Even whispering them works. You can increase the level of challenge (and hence of likely retention) by having the phrase in your target language on one side of a flash card (paper or electronic) and the equivalent in your new language on the other.
Third, write
Jot them down by hand. Writing engages different mental pathways.
Fourth recall at intervals. Over time, increase the intervals at which you return to your latest batch of new phrases. Frequent recall attempts at the beginning (one day later, three days later, a week, two weeks, a month…). Electronic apps such as Anki will build in the spacing for you.
All the time, try to spot and use. Look out for your phrases in podcasts, subtitles, YouTube, and conversations. If you have speaking sessions with a tutor or exchange partner, try to weave them in to the conversation.
The spaced, effortful interaction with what you’re learning builds mental connections—and increases the chance you’ll be able to recall the phrase next time it matters.
And, since you’re learning phrases, you’ll know that you’ve got it right (unlike when you’re trying to string individual words together, applying the grammar on the hoof).
Adding precision and nuance: carving the intricacies of your language
Once your stone blocks are up and you’re recognising and using phrases, it’s time to refine.
This doesn’t mean chasing perfection.
It means becoming more aware of common mistakes—and gently correcting them over time.
Depending on your language, focus areas might include:
- Getting articles and noun gender right
- Improving word order or sentence structure
- Firming up tricky verb conjugations
- Noticing how tenses are used in context
For intermediate learners, it might be revisiting “easy” material from the early stages and noticing new layers of detail.
Three practical ways to refine
Get feedback! From a tutor, language partner, or coach. Ask for feedback on your most common errors—just one or two at a time.
Compare your output (speaking, writing). Record yourself and compare with native audio. Or try writing and then contrasting your version with a model answer.
Reflect afterwards. After a lesson or writing session, jot down what tripped you up. Look it up, practice it, move forward.
Each small correction adds polish to your foundation. It also stops early errors becoming too engrained, harder to shift later.
A key mindset shift: your temple will never be “finished”
Angkor Wat looked pretty impressive to me. But when I read up afterwards, I learned this:
- Some stones don’t match.
- Some carvings are incomplete.
- The design isn’t perfectly symmetrical.
And yet… it’s one of the greatest architectural achievements in human history.
Your language learning will be the same.
Never complete.
There’ll always be more to polish, more vocabulary to learn, more idioms to discover. And that’s okay.
Because the goal isn’t flawlessness.
The goal is communication, connection, curiosity.
The true foundation of fluency in a foreign language
It’s not perfect grammar.
It’s not a giant vocabulary.
It’s confidence.
Confidence to keep going—even when the task feels huge.
Confidence to speak up—even when you know you’ll make mistakes.
Confidence to enjoy the process, even if progress feels slow.
Because here’s the real secret:
You don’t become fluent by waiting until you’re “ready.”
You get ready by hoisting the blocks that you already do have up into place; by using what you do have. Even if it’s rough and ready.
Your turn!
If you’re just getting started, how about taking a month to get together thirty core phrases. Add one a day. Say them, write them, use them.
If you’re intermediate, revisit old material and spot the gaps. Build around your own interests and real-life needs.
And if you’ve taken a break—start again. The stones are still there. The scaffolding is waiting.
Keep at it and structure will rise as surely as the sun will rise tomorrow over Angkor Wat.
Want to get better at learning languages as an adult? You can get my free Language Learner Pro method course (one short vid a day for a week) and join my free Howtogetfluent Email Club using the box below.
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