Waiting until you’re fluent to move abroad is the most expensive excuse going
You do not need to speak the language to move abroad. Read that again, because it’s the thing most people planning an escape never let themselves believe. They’d rather spend three years on a language app than three weeks booking a one-way ticket.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: “I’ll go once I’m fluent” is a plan that feels responsible and works like a sedative.
The fluency myth
Fluency is a finish line, and you’re treating it like a starting gun. Nobody gets to conversational confidence by studying alone at a kitchen table in the US. You get there by needing to buy a SIM card, argue gently with a landlord, and order dinner when the menu has no pictures.
Here’s a fact that should loosen your grip on the myth. In the EF English Proficiency Index 2025, which measured 123 countries and regions, the Netherlands ranked first, with Croatia second and Austria third. So yes, plenty of places will meet you halfway in English, and some of them probably aren’t the ones you’d guess.
Does that mean you can skip the local language forever? No, and I’ll get to that. But it does mean the “I can’t possibly manage” story has more holes in it than you think.
What you actually need on day one
Almost nothing. A translation app, a handful of polite phrases, and a willingness to look slightly ridiculous. That’s the whole kit, and yes, really.
Learn hello, thank you, please, how much, and “where is.” Say them badly. In my opinion, effort beats accuracy every time, and a mangled “thank you” lands better than a perfect silence.
Pointing is also a legitimate communication strategy. Ordering by pointing at the thing you want has fed a lot of confused newcomers.
Where the language gap actually bites
Let’s be fair, because this isn’t a “just wing it” pep talk. The gap shows up in the boring, high-stakes stuff: paperwork, rental contracts, anything with a medical form. Chatting with a street vendor is easy. Reading a lease is not.
So treat those moments differently. Bring a local friend, hire a translator for the paperwork, or find a service built for newcomers. That’s a few hours of help, not a reason to stay home.
And no, the static doesn’t last forever. Immersion has a sneaky way of turning noise into sentences. Funny how that works when you can’t avoid it.
My hot take: learn it after you land
Here’s the opinion, stated plainly. Study the language in the place where you’ll use it, not before you leave. Every errand becomes a free lesson, and you stop treating fluency like a gate you have to pass first.
You’ll also pick up the language people actually speak, rather than the polished version a textbook invented. Slang, speed, and half-swallowed words are a real part of daily life.
If you wait for “ready,” you’ll be waiting at the same airport gate for a decade. The version of you who lands confused but curious is the one who ends up speaking it.
So what’s the language you keep using as your excuse? Tell me in the comments and I’ll tell you whether it’s actually standing in your way.
If the language excuse has you curious about the bigger picture of leaving, the move abroad start page has more.
