How long to learn different languages

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Have fun with it! I aim to be able to use the language effectively in everyday conversation. If you were to look at my goals in terms of pre-established levels, then on the Common European Framework of Reference for languages CEFR scale my goal is around a B2 level. Each has a different estimate of how long it takes to learn a language.

Most of these organizations measure time based on classroom hours. The suggested ratio is 2 hours of personal study time for every 1 hour of classroom time. That makes one classroom hour into three study hours. Essentially, these are hours in a classroom. If we look at a typical language course of 2 hours a day, 5 days a week, that equates to 10 hours per week or 20 hours of total study time.

Using English as a baseline example the GLH required to reach a B2 level on the Cambridge English Exam is around to hours, which, when accounting for personal study time, equates to between 1, and 1, hours. The have 5 different levels — Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, Superior and Distinguished — with the first 3 each having 3 sub-categories of low, mid and high. The equivalent level to what I work towards on my language missions is around the Advanced-Mid level. So, how long do they say it takes to learn a language?

Their estimate to reach Advanced-Mid level ranges between hours of classroom study for Group I and 1, hours of classroom study for Group IV. Double that to include personal study time, and you arrive at somewhere between and 2, hours! This is the premier and only language school for military and government personnel.

They provide residential language learning programs and even encourage a total immersion environment. According to their course catalog , students attend class 6 hours a day, 5 days a week. Their course catalog also provides the number of hours to complete their course. At 30 hours a week of classroom time, this equates to between and 1, hours to learn a language. Factor in personal study time, then it is at least twice that number: 1, to 3, hours!

Non-official sources provide an even broader picture of how many hours it takes to reach fluency. According to Huan Japes , the deputy chief executive of English UK, a trade body for language colleges, it should take around hours to get to around a B1 level. With personal study time that is to 1, hours. They range from to 4, hours. If you were to study a language on your own for 4 hours a day, 5 days a week, for a total of 20 hours a week, these estimates mean it would take you somewhere between 45 weeks and weeks to reach B2 level of your target language.

That is between one and four years! So, how do you account for hundreds of people around the world including myself who are able to reach a B2 level in a matter of months? The schools and organizations that these figures come from are focused on helping students pass a specific test or reach a certain certification or degree. Of course, there is nothing wrong with those who pursue an academic understanding of languages.

Personally I think it is wonderful that there are those who have dedicated themselves to a scholarly pursuit of language theory and pedagogy. My purpose for learning languages is quite different.

I rarely study to meet the requirements of a specific test. I know some people will argue that this only makes learning languages faster but other than that how else would this poll or research affect in outcome for people who speak multiple languages?

Yes, the alphabet is easy to learn. The pronunciation is more difficult than Japanese. The word order like Japanese is more difficult than Chinese which is often quite similar to English.

The grammar is very similar to Japanese, but Japanese grammar is a bit harder than Korean grammar when you get into more advanced transformations. Both Japanese and Korean grammar and usage are very difficult for English speakers. Other language institutes put Japanese and Korean in the same category as more difficult than any other languages for English speakers.

Hangul in itself is not the Korean language; it is a very efficient system for writing the Korean language phonetically. I also consider this missing language in this list important very more important than english, for example.

Hangul is the Korean writing system, or alphabet, and is fairly easy to learn. I Learned to read Hangul in 3 days. Learning Hangul is not the same as learning the Korean language. This is about English native speakers learning a foreign language. I would like to get an answer for the inverse direction: How much time is necessary to learn English up to a certain level, if your mother tongue is, e.

Are there any studies about this subject? I would agree that Hangul is one of the easiest alphabets to learn, and this makes starting to learn Korean more accessible, but the language itself, the grammar and vocabulary, are so different that it belongs in a more difficult category.

Irish is a rich and full culture that has had centuries of ancient people to visit, inhabit and create what it is now. Explaining words or phrases is to only be done in the target language. The failure of grammar translation in having no natural speaking also failed me with Tagalog. I follow the instructions by Prof.

Jeff Brown at Poly-glot-a-lot on YouTube. The full videos on the method are at the end of the list there. No need for useless classes and grammar texts. New words are incorporated as they come up. No language other than the target language, no grammar, no translation.

What about Korean language, is it very difficult to learn If i give 2hours daily Than hoe much time it will take to learn? A little surprised too that Catalan is not included, but remember the phrase about the languages that are considered important diplomatically for American diplomats! In the tougher part of French and Spanish territory there are two smallish colours different to the rest, which are where Breton, and Basque are spoken yet not Corse — Corsican to anglophones.

Nearing 2 years in Vannes, in the Morbian district od S. Yer mat as we Bretons say! Vive la difference! I suppose Danish and Dutch grammar are more simple than German grammar. German noun cases are really complicated for me Romanian. They are really a big mess in my head. Name required. Email required. Click here to cancel reply. Get the best cultural and educational resources on the web curated for you in a daily email.

We never spam. Unsubscribe at any time. Open Culture scours the web for the best educational media. Category I: weeks hours. Category III: 36 weeks hours. Languages which are exceptionally difficult for native English speakers. Comments You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed. November 29, at am. Loomans says:. Who do you think you are? Michael Sharpe says:. November 29, at pm. George Jetson says:.

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