IN order to become fluent in a second language, one must immerse himself or herself in the culture and in daily use of the language. To become fluent, one must reach the point at which one automatically thinks in the language. I took German classes in college some 60 years ago but that was not enough,. I moved to West Berlin shortly after and cut off all contact with English speakers. Within 3 months I was able to carry on a conversation on th streets of Berlin with a stranger without his recognizing that I was not German.

I have not spoken German on a Daily basis in over 40 years. I have forgotten many words, but can still think in the language automatically and can still converse readily.