No matter the language you want to learn, there are lots of factors involved in how long it will take you to learn. It also depends on what level you want to reach. If you want to be confident in day-to-day conversations, it might take you less time than it would if you want to reach the ultimate goal of complete fluency.
How much time it takes to learn a new language also depends on your language background, the language you’d like to learn, and whether you’ve previously learnt another language.
As an English speaker, some languages will be easier to learn than others.
Let’s take a look at how languages are grouped.
FSI language groups
How long does it take to learn a new language? According to the FSI (Foreign Service Institute), it depends on which language you’re learning.
FSI’s four language groups increase in difficulty. Group 1 will contain the easiest language to learn for English speakers, while Group 4 will contain the hardest language to learn.
Each group on the FSI scale has a rough guide to the number of language learning hours it takes to learn languages in the group as an English speaker.
FSI language groups’ approximate hours of learning
| Group | Language learning hours | Description |
| I | 600-750 hours | Languages more similar to English |
| II | 900 hours | Languages with linguistic and/or cultural differences from English |
| III | 1100 hours | Languages with significant linguistic and/or cultural differences from English |
| IV | 2200 hours | Languages which are exceptionally difficult for native English speakers |
Languages in the groups
Group I
Group 1 languages include:
- Danish
- Dutch
- French
- Italian
- Norwegian
- Portuguese
- Romanian
- Spanish
- Swedish
Group II
Group 2 languages include:
- German
- Haitian Creole
- Indonesian
- Malay
- Swahili
Group III
Group 3 languages include:
- Albanian
- Czech
- Bengali
- Bosnian
- Russian
- Polish
- Lithuanian
- Urdu
- Turkish
- Greek
- Finnish
- Icelandic
- Bulgarian
- Tagalog
- And others
Group IV
Group 4 languages include:
- Arabic
- Cantonese
- Mandarin
- Korean
- Japanese
CEFR standards
As mentioned above, when people ask how long does it take to learn a new language, we need to know what sort of proficiency they mean.
Learning a language is relative. Each person has their own interpretation of what being competent and proficient means. For some people, being fluent would mean conversing and knowing the language with native speakers without any barriers. For others, it means being able to get by in the country.
This is when CEFR levels can help.
CEFR (Common European Framework of References) is a reference that standardises language learning levels. It can be used across different languages to judge learning and assessment.
An overview of CEFR levels
There are three levels — A, B, and C — and each one is broken down into two parts. Here is what each level means:
A1 (Beginner) – a basic understanding of the language, aware of commonly used phrases and introductions, need a slower pace for understanding speech
A2 (Elementary) – can communicate easily and understand routine questions and use daily expressions
B1 (Intermediate) – can communicate with ease and form well-structured sentences, better at expressing and communicating opinions and views
B2 (Upper-Intermediate) – sentence structures are clear, more fluency and spontaneity, communicate easily with native speakers
C1 (Advanced) – distinctive fluency and vocabulary, can use the language for professional and academic purposes. Able to read, speak, and write without any difficulty
C2 (Proficient) – a person can use the language with no difficulties or restrictions.
Factors that affect how long it takes to learn a new language
As well as the language difficulty and the time committed to learning, there are lots of other things that influence how quickly you will pick a new language up. Here are some of them:
Your mindset
Adopting a growth mindset will mean you’re capable of achieving more. Many people either believe you’re good at languages or you’re not, but this is not true. The vast majority of people, for example, already speak one language fluently!
Having a growth mindset will mean you’ll need to be patient, get outside your comfort zone, relish a challenge, and surround yourself with language learning on all sorts of levels.
Your interests and motivation
If you’re interested in the language, you’ll do better and you’ll learn more quickly. Choosing a language where you are interested in the culture, for example, will spur you on to improve more quickly.
If, for example, you’re debating on whether to study French or Spanish but are really interested in Spanish art, it’s a no-brainer.
In terms of motivation, you’ll need it. Learning languages is tricky and you need to be motivated to make progress. Having a positive attitude and reflecting on how much you’ve learnt so far is a good way to stay motivated.
Your anxiety level and self-esteem
Foreign language anxiety is a real thing (I wrote about how to overcome it here). If you’re anxious about learning it or believe you’re useless at it, it’s almost like a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Understanding that everyone gets anxious sometimes when learning a language (and especially when it comes to speaking to natives) will mean it’s easier to overcome. And don’t forget to blow your own trumpet when you do well and achieve something either!
How to learn a language fast
If you’re impatient, you might want to know some tips and tricks on how to learn a language fast.
Many people ask about how many hours a week to learn a language. Essentially, it depends per individual, but the more the better (without becoming overloaded, of course).
Many people ask, “how many hours a day should I study a foreign language?” but there is no should when it comes to language learning. I’d even argue that anything more than three hours a day is too much for your brain and memory to handle!
If you’re asking yourself these questions, here are my tips:
Choose a similar language to English and you’ll learn faster
Choosing a language in the first one or two FSI groups will mean you will become proficient in the new language much quicker than if you were to choose a language in the 5th group. For example, it is much easier to learn Spanish or Italian as a native English speaker than it is Mandarin.
Also, if you have learnt another language in the past, you’ll learn much quicker too. This is because you’ll already have the skills and knowledge about what makes up a language – and you won’t be so confused when your teacher introduces you to the subjunctive mood, for example!
Commit time
You can’t expect learning a new language to come easily. For many, it’s a tough challenge but one that’s certainly worth pursuing.
The FSI is somewhat unrealistic in that it recommends spending ten hours a day on a new language, which if you have a job or have other commitments, just isn’t feasible (unless you relocate to the country and immerse yourself).
Immerse yourself
Immersive learning is by far the best way of learning a language. But short of moving abroad and giving up your English-speaking world, what else can you do to immerse yourself?
You can read online about French hacks to learn more quickly or ways to learn faster but most importantly, choose variety. If your learning involves poring over a grammar exercise book day in and day out, you’re not going to make much progress – and you’re going to get incredibly bored too.
So, immerse yourself in what you watch on TV, what you listen to, and what you read. Reading, watching, and listening for pleasure will make any formal learning you do make so much more sense – and you will progress faster!
Final thoughts
I hate to say it but how long is a piece of string?
The time it takes to learn a new language varies considerably depending on the language chosen, the time spent studying, and how motivated you are to improve. If we look at the FSI categories, you could learn French proficiently in 600 hours. Effectively, if you spend 60 days studying 10 hours a day, you could be proficient.
Realistically though, this likely isn’t sustainable (unless you up sticks and move abroad). So, instead of focusing on the time it takes, focus on enjoying the process and seeing how far you’ve come. Good luck!