When am I going to be fluent?

Perhaps the most common question I get from students who are taking or willing to take classes is this one. It is understandable and only fair that one should have an idea of how much time will be spent on the new, or not so new project.

The CommonEuropean Framework of Reference for Languages (C.E.F.R.) provides a good indication of how much time someone might spend to reach certain levels.

But this is as far as it goes in terms of trying to put language learning into numbers. The factors involved in language learning are not exactly mathematical.

For instance, let’s consider aptitude. This is the term that tries to explain why some people are naturally good at languages, whereas others are instinctively good at mathematics or physics. There are many questionnaires you can use to give you an idea, but it is rather difficult to get this information and cross reference it with the time you’ll need to learn.

The concept of ‘fluent’ itself is quite a subjective one. What do you consider to be a fluent second language speaker? Someone who speaks just like a native? Or someone who’s able to easily manage transactional interactions when travelling on holiday?

Some people manage to learn a second language without even being present in a classroom. In fact, this is how we all learn our first languages. Which leads to the question related to what use you’ll give to this new language you’re learning. For example: are you going to talk to your boss on a daily basis? Or are you learning to watch movies on the weekends? Of course, the more real and frequent the use, the quicker you might be able to learn. After all, languages are learned to be used. This is also related to how much time you’ll be in contact with the language outside class in many different contexts. It can be through listening to music, reading books, watching news reports or TV, for example.

Another key point to be considered is your level of motivation. It is quite standard to find two kinds: intrinsic motivation (e.g. “I really want to learn a new language”) and extrinsic motivation (e.g. “My boss really wants me to learn a new language”).

There are many other points to be considered, we could go on for quite a while. So maybe the best and most honest response I can give you is something like this: “I don’t know. I can give you some general numbers to consider, but at the end of the day, it is I who ask you how long you’re going to take to get there. How many hours do you have available? How much money are you willing to invest in your learning? What motivates you? …”

That is why you should be somehow sceptical when someone promises you’ll learn within 12 months. I’m not saying it’s a lie, of course you can learn in a year. I’m just saying it is a quite risky assumption.