How long does it ACTUALLY take to learn a language to fluency?

Seriously, stop asking this question... and ask these questions instead!

0:00 A question that I DREAD...
1:01 Learn languages anywhere with Lingoda!
2:45 This question makes no sense
3:12 You're never "done" learning a language.
3:48 Learning isn't linear, it fluctuates.
4:21 X time doesn't equal X progress.
4:55 We weaponize time against ourselves.
5:50 Instead of time, consider EFFORT and CONSISTENCY
6:35 There ARE good time-based questions!
7:11 There is no one number.
7:35 like subscribe yaddayadda

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💌 about me: my name is Elysse, I'm 22 years old from the southern U.S. I've been learning languages for about 8 years, and I speak English (native), Spanish (C2), German (B2/C1), Portuguese (B2), French (B1/B2), American Sign Language (advanced), and Turkish (A1). I'm interested in learning Hebrew, Chinese, Georgian, and maybe Náhuatl as well :)

#polyglot #languagelearning #learngerman

[Spicy-Raven]

Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that when we were children it took us around 7 years of constant learning and improving to become fluent in English and even after that there were still words we needed to learn later on as we grew, so we need to be kind to ourselves when learning a new language. Span of time doesn't matter, consistency when learning does

[RedPandas]

It all comes down to how much effort you are willing to put in and how resourceful you are in your learning quest

[calmontes]

Spanish is my native language but I haven’t lived in a Spanish speaking country in 13 years, and I haven’t lived in my home country in 20 years. After 3 years due to the pandemic I finally visited again my home country and Mexico and there were so many expressions that I didn’t know and I had to ask what they meant even if I had clues from the context, because most of my speaking time over video/phone calls is mostly with my parents or people my generation, and I don’t consume Spanish content because I prefer to watch/read in my target languages. So, yeah, languages are always evolving and you can lose track of new things in your own native language.

It’s common to hear among immigrants that they don’t feel confident about their English language skills while at the same time they feel they are losing competence in their own native language.

[levipierpont]

One reason *I* often google stats on how long it takes to learn a language is because I want to know how much patience to have with it. Of course it’s very logical to say, it depends on how much time you have to work on it. But here’s my very specific case: I’m going to university in one year, and I can take classes in my TL at university to fulfil my language requirement. However, since I’d love to learn it as soon as possible, I’m working incredibly hard learn it now as I work full time and am not taking classes this semester. So, I often wonder, is it possible to get to a point with my TL at which I could comfortably decide to pursue a new one with formal study at university? Anyway, that’s just an explanation of why someone might ask that question without the intention of “beating themselves up” if they don’t achieve something “in time.” At the end of the day, I have a lot of patience with myself and it took me many years to get to my level of proficiency in ASL, so I’m prepared for any stretch of time, really.

[dreamysol]

i love this video. it’s super refreshing and honestly motivating. i stopped learning spanish because i got burnt out with trying to reach a certain level in a specific amount of time. now i want to ease myself back into it by just reminding myself that how people online learned spanish may or may not work for me and by also reminding myself that i’ll always be learning and that i don’t need to be at a certain level and a certain amount of time. i can just enjoy getting back into the language and learning in the way that works for me ❤️

[quantus]

Understand your view on the time question (and to some extent I totally agree), however some people do want to have a "ballpark" idea of how long it might take. It's actually fairly to easy to answer as long as you apply a few caveats to the answer, which the Foreign Language Service (FSI) has done with over 70 years of empirical data, and that you are ok with a "range". Their data assumes you are a native English speaker and they rate the target language on how hard it it is to learn assuming you're coming from English. From their web site: Category I – Languages usually require around 24-30 weeks or 600-750 class hours to reach S-3/R-3 proficiency (around B2/C1). This group contains languages like French, Spanish, Romanian and Dutch. I'd probably argue that the range might be a little wider -- like maybe 500-850 to reach S-3/R-2 -- you can do better if you are a very experienced language learner and worse if you are an inefficient language learner. But that 600-750 is backed up with extensive data, and it is super useful because it does lend itself to making rough estimates -- let's say you're trying to learn Portuguese ( Cat I) language. At 1 hour every day you should be at S-3/R-3 (B2/C1) after about 2 years. Again, assumes your 1 hour a day is spent efficiently -- but yeah, the FSI numbers are nice -- just to get that rough ballpark range. It's also super useful to know something like 50 or 200 hours is not enough.

[austinprince]

A few things: first, I love the new camera; I think it is very clear and keeps up the FPS to produce smooth video quality. Second, I think this is the exact answer that every YouTuber or language influencer should say. You can be fluent in a language in 6 months, even if it is a distant language that is completely unrelated to the one you already speak (you have to put in the effort though) or you can learn a language for ten years and still not be "fluent." I love your channel. Keep up the good work :)

[thehybrid]

Elysse thank you for spending some of your time to make these videos, they're sooo helpful. We always learn a lot from you, I'm learning german and sometimes when I'm not motivated and I watch your videos it gives me this boost that I need to keep going, so I really appreciate them! Greetings from Brazil

[ComprehensibleMandarin]

I spent a lot of time reading the old AJATT blog way before I ever learned any languages seriously, & he really emphasized that it takes thousands of hours to reach a high level in a language unrelated to our own. I do feel like having realistic expectations helped me when I started learning Chinese. I have only a limited amount of time to spend, but I am not surprised or disappointed when my progress is slow. I get the sense there are lots of people who consider themselves "bad at learning languages" because they aren't fluent after a couple semesters of classes or 6 months of Duolingo, when in fact they're doing fine & just have no realistic sense of how many hours are required. I also agree that elapsed time is a bad measure - there's a big difference between a professional language learner doing 8+ hours a day for a few months, & a regular person doing an hour a day or less for the same amount of time.

[claireabadie]

So exciting to see new videos from you!

[marinasantos]

Nice video!
Going off on a different.. almost poetic tangent here, if you're not studying for professional or academic need - and because you enjoy the language and culture, then you are studying people too. Studying a language is studying how people will express themselves, you're simply learning the means. There are idioms, old sayings, cultural references, literature, sense of humor, gramatical puns, poetry does knowing that count as fluency? I wonder. So many polyglots talk about their fluency as a language learning process so devoid of feeling, and it's so sad. I'm learning russian and french because I have a russian friend I'd like to talk to in her native language, and because there are french expressions that call to my attention. One day, I'll invest my time in turkish, because I feel closeness to the people, culture and food, and fascination with the language - again, through a friend. I don't want to know everything to pass an exam, because ultimately it is about people, to me. I want to know enough to visit the countries and be confident that I can make a friend and feel a bit more welcomed, and a bit more at home. For some it's this raw process like a game.... it's easier if you try to enjoy the people you're learning about. :)

[winterrenes]

I loved this talk a lot. It's very true that effort is more important than the overall time. Thank you for having this conversation. AND the camera footage looks great! Good investment 🥰

[GeeClef]

Preach it girl!! Like you mentioned, the question itself appears very innocent, and it usually comes from a place of pure curiosity. However, this question has the potential to make language learners feel bad about themselves, especially if someone (like myself) has spent a lot of time on the dreaded "intermediate plateau". The learning journey becomes a lot more enjoyable after you rid yourself of comparison.

Also, the new camera looks amazing! Would you mind sharing what type of camera that is?

[Eduardosilva-xovv]

Wow, I was really having a hard time comparing my journey with the ones of other people. Now I feel way more positive after watching this video. It's a simple thing to think really, after all, everyone is different, still, it's good to be reminded of it

[zahrakarimi]

This video actually helped me to not get nervious and critisize my self based on others time standards for language learing. we all have different ways to learn and it doesn't matter how much time it takes.

[heidispringmann]

I love this! What a great reminder- I was just talking about how long I’ve been learning Spanish. When I realized it was two years, I got really discouraged and even embarrassed. However, when I asked myself how was I really studying during this time…I realized it was only some Duolingo here and there and using the repeated same phrases at work with customers. Here is to a new year of more productive, active learning to us all! Our language paths will never be identical!

[GabrielaCambuhy]

Great video! One thing people usually forget to put in consideration is what languages you already know, for example, I've been studying Italian and Korean for about 2 months, and since my native language is portuguese, I've been "leveling up" in italian waaay quicker than korean. Both I dedicate the same time per week, but it's not the same progress, and that's normal

[adampena]

Thanks for this video I’ve been focused on learning Spanish for over a year. I just started learning Brazilian Portuguese but I’m taking my time with it because I rushed with my Spanish. Mainly because there’s a lot of people that speak to me in Spanish at my job so I was trying to Learn Spanish fast. with Portuguese I’m just enjoying the process so far its been fun.

[peterdrescher]

I like the new cam. I'm not sure what's different about it, but you look very clear. 👍

[nanasouza]

You look absolutely stunning in this new camera!!