How long does it take to learn English? ‹ Frequently Asked Questions ‹ Frequently Asked Questions (2024)

FAQs

How long does it take to learn English perfectly? ›

By the time a learner reaches the advanced level, they will have mastered all the grammar rules and a wide range of idioms to help them express themselves creatively in their written work. It usually takes around 1,200 hours to reach this level of fluency.

According to FSI research, it takes around 480 hours of practice to reach basic fluency in all Group 1 languages. The difficulty begins to spike as we move down the list. It takes 720 hours to achieve the same level of fluency in Group 2 languages, which include Bulgarian, Burmese, Greek, Hindi, Persian and Urdu.

At least 20 minutes per day. This gives you time for some English input and a few minutes of speaking practice. Even though it is better to study a little more than this each day, something is better than nothing. Even if you only have 10 minutes, use it to practice rather than skipping the day altogether.

We do not recommend giving yourself a month to learn the English language fluently. Learning a second language requires time and you need to be patient enough to let yourself new language's vocabulary, pronunciation, tenses, sentence formation, etc. We do not recommend devoting only one month to improving your English.

Mandarin Chinese

Interestingly, the hardest language to learn is also the most widely spoken native language in the world. Mandarin Chinese is challenging for a number of reasons. First and foremost, the writing system is extremely difficult for English speakers (and anyone else) accustomed to the Latin alphabet.

A good rule of thumb is that you can expect to be conversational in a language within 6-12 months of dedicated study and practice. This means that you'll be able to hold basic conversations and understand most of what is being said. To reach fluency, you'll likely need to dedicate at least 2-3 years to the language.

No. Duolingo won't likely make you fluent if used on its own. However, when you use Duolingo combined with other resources, activities and tools that work for you, then yes, Duolingo will play a part in making you fluent.

In a study done with adolescents learning English as a second language in school, basic conversation skills were achieved within one year of study, oral proficiency in 3-5 years, and advanced academic proficiency in 4-7 years. The length of time required to learn a language also depends a lot on your goals.

If you need to think through anything you say or write out carefully, chances are, you're not yet fluent. For full fluency, you should be able to speak or write off-the-cuff, like you can in your native language. This is a clear marker of ease in using the language, which is a sign of fluency.

Can I learn English in 3 months? ›

To achieve basic fluency in English, you must complete at least 480 hours of study and practice. So, if you want to reach that goal in just 3 months, you need to study about 40 hours a week.

To speak fluent English in 30 days, you must also spend an hour or two every day studying basic grammar as well as learning a set of 5-10 new words. Read a newspaper every day or start reading a good English book. Make flashcards to learn new words or download a vocabulary-building app on your smartphone.

As we said, it takes time to learn a language, and you can't expect to become fluent in just three months. However, if you are committed to reviewing what you have learned and committing to repetition, you will make progress.

Fluency is the stage of learning a language when things just “click.” It takes a lot of time and effort to reach this level, so many learners don't think it's realistic. But thousands of people learn how to speak English fluently every year, and with enough determination, you can, too!

We raised a popular question: is it possible to become fluent in three months? We talked about how the answer depends on your definition of fluency. If your definition of fluency is like mine—close to a B2 level on the CEFR scale, then the answer is no. You certainly can still aim to achieve a lot in a 3-month period.