You’ve probably heard that you are fluent in a language when you start dreaming in that language. Or that you can become fluent in any language after a couple of pints at the pub.

But, I mean, seriously?

We’ve all dreamed we could fly. Nobody in their right mind, however, would wake up thinking they could jump out of the window and spread their wings.

As for drunken fluency, that is just like drunk driving: something you’re always sure you can do extremely well, but at the same time should never attempt.

So, how can you tell when you are really fluent in a language?

Well, in my experience, you do when you start getting the humour.

As soon as you find yourself laughing at a joke, or even better, you’re the one making jokes in another language, you, my friend, are fluent in it.

When I first moved to England, I was a complete stranger to the famously dark British sense of humour. At the pub I would fake laughter every time my friends laughed (alright, after a few drinks I was the first to laugh at pretty much anything, but as I said earlier that doesn’t count).

I just couldn’t keep up. I was too busy translating every other word in my head, trying to grasp what the conversation was about. And as a result, I was missing out on subtleties, innuendos and sarcasm, which are key to understanding British humour.

Then, one day, I fell in love with an Irish comedian. His name is Dylan Moran. He’s got messy hair, a terrible lifestyle and no fashion sense whatsoever. He’s also angry, disrespectful and absolutely hilarious.

If you have no idea who I’m talking about, you can watch the first episode of Black Books here (and thank me later). He may not be the easiest man to start learning British comedy with, but he’s definitely worth it. I promise.

Comedy is one of the most difficult things to deliver in a second language. The words you choose must be simple, but you need to arrange them in a clever way. You need to think ahead and know where you’re going. Basically, you need to be a good storyteller.

How can anyone achieve that?

Two steps. First, find a comedian you like. I love British humour, but if it isn’t your cup of tea, switch to something else. There are great comedians from all over the world, and you can taste their sense of humour for free on YouTube (isn’t that marvelous?)

Second, start practising. The funniest stories are about everyday life. So choose something funny that happened to you and practise telling people about it. Then, look at their reactions. Identify what makes them laugh and use it to perfect your storytelling.

Before you know it, you will be laughing your way to fluency and making people happy in the process. Drinking is only optional!