How Long Does It Take to Learn a New Language?

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Learning a new language is an excellent way to improve your memory, develop strong listening skills, and open up new career options. It also expands your horizons and helps you learn more about another culture. (Think of the travel opportunities!)

But it takes time to learn a new language, especially if you’d like to become bilingual or a polyglot. Find out how long it takes to learn a new language, what may impact your language learning timeline, and how you can speed the process up a bit.

How many hours or weeks does it take to learn a language?

According to the Foreign Service Institute (FSI), learning a new language can take between 24 weeks and 88 weeks. That works out to 600-2,200 hours of practice to reach Professional Working Proficiency, which is an intermediate level of fluency.

What languages take less time to learn?

But the time it takes to learn a language depends largely on the language itself. If an English speaker needed to learn completely new grammar structure, for example, that language would be ranked as more difficult than a language that shared grammatical structures with English.

The FSI language difficulty rankings place languages into categories according to how long an English speaker would need to study to reach Professional Working Proficiency.

Why some languages take longer to learn

Latin-based Romance languages, such as Spanish and Italian, take less time for English speakers to learn because English shares many Latin roots, and their grammar patterns are predictable. However, Slavic languages, like Russian and Polish, don’t share many vocabulary words or grammar patterns with English, making them more difficult to learn. 

The languages that take the longest for English speakers to learn are tonal languages, such as Mandarin and Cantonese. These languages depend on spoken pitch to express word meaning, making comprehension and pronunciation difficult for English speakers to grasp right away.

Factors that impact your language learning speed

Not everyone begins their language learning journey in the same way—or at the same time. The speed of second language acquisition depends on a number of factors, along with the difficulty level of a new language.

Prior language knowledge

If English is the only language you know, then the FSI rankings should be somewhat accurate to your experience. But if you know another language in the same language family, you may be able to learn more quickly.

For example, if you know some Spanish, you may be able to pick up another Romance language like Portuguese or Italian with some ease. Learners with some experience in Russian may find other Slavic languages like Ukrainian or Polish easier to learn. 

And even though Farsi and Arabic are in different language families (Indo-European and Afro-Asiatic, respectively), their similar writing systems make it easier to learn the other language. 

Age when beginning study

You may have heard that you have the best chance of learning a new language when you’re under ten years old. Children are able to acquire the sounds of a second language faster than adults, but that doesn’t mean they can become fluent in a new language more easily.

Studies show that the age of language acquisition can extend longer than early childhood. Additionally, adults are better at explicit learning, which is studying the rules and vocabulary of language in lessons. They are able to focus on the goal of learning a new language, apply rules to different language contexts, and use study skills to become proficient.

So, if you’re older than ten, don’t worry—you can still easily learn a new language (or several)!

Exposure and immersion

Being immersed in a new language is a tried-and-true way to learn more quickly. When you live in a place where everyone speaks another language, you need to use that language to meet your needs, leading to faster learning and acquisition. 

If you’re not able to move to Spain, India, or another country where they speak your new language, Rosetta Stone’s Dynamic Immersion method fosters the same skills from the comfort of your home. Because instructors communicate in the language you’re learning, you pick up the basics more quickly, just as you would if you lived in another country.

Learning method

The best way to learn a language is the method that works for your learning style. If you like working alone, you can learn a new language by yourself. For those who prefer interacting with other speakers, Rosetta Stone Live Lessons are a good option. 

Students who enjoy learning on the go can access mini-lessons and stories with the Rosetta Stone App, and those who like working one-on-one may find success with tutoring sessions. Every language student is different, and the learning method you choose can affect how quickly (and well) you learn. 

How do you know if you’ve mastered a language?

While it can take between 600-2,200 hours to reach Professional Working Proficiency in a new language, it may take longer to become fluent in that language. The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) categorizes language learners into three levels of proficiency based on their listening, speaking, reading, and writing (LSRW) skills. Each level includes two separate skill levels (1 and 2) to reach before they achieve the next level of proficiency. 

• Basic user (A1, A2): Speakers can understand and use everyday expressions, introduce themselves, provide basic information, and make simple requests.
• Independent user (B1, B2): Speakers can describe experiences, give explanations, understand complex text, and have a nearly fluent conversation.
• Proficient user (C1, C2): Speakers can express themselves spontaneously, use language efficiently and spontaneously, and understand a wide range of texts.

An Independent user on the CEFR scale would reach the equivalent of Professional Working Proficiency. Once a learner becomes a Proficient user at level C2, they’re able to easily converse and even teach in their new language.

Learning a new language is a valuable investment

No matter how long it takes you to learn a new language, it’s an investment that will pay off in the future. From the time you choose your preferred language to the moment you understand it without translation, your learning time is time well spent.

Want a new challenge? Find out how long it takes to learn German, and if it takes less time to learn French or less time to learn Japanese. See if you can learn two languages at once—and decide which learning method is right for you!