For most people, it takes around six months to a year to become reasonably fluent in a foreign language. However, frequent practice and immersing oneself in the language can cut it down to three months. Even after a few days or a few weeks into the language course, most people consider themselves to be reasonably fluent and comfortable in speaking.

Question

I’d like to know the duration I would ideally need to immerse myself into a foreign language before I become fluent in it.

Answer 1

If the language you are learning is similar in structure to another language you already know, you should expect that it will take about six months to get the hang of it. For further languages like Japanese compare to English, it is advisable to consider a time frame of at least two years of diligent study to be able to function in most everyday contexts effortlessly.

Comments

The fastest I have ever learned a language was when I was 5. Me and my family moved to Poland and after 2 months I was speaking fluently Polish.

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I haven’t made the full commitment to learning a new language yet. However, I’ve found that listening to music in a specific language helps a lot. Not only do you get to hear the language in an enjoyable way, but you also find yourself singing along with the song which helps with pronunciation and accent. I love Spanish music and I’ve learned tons of Spanish words and phrases from just listening to songs. Whenever someone speaks to me in Spanish, most of the time I only understand only a few words a sentence. But it’s usually enough for me to figure out what they’re trying to say by using context clues.

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I totally agree with you Brian. Mastering a language requires a lot of time and effort to be put together into this process. More effectively, practice listening and speaking the targeted language as much as you can.

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Thank you, Brian!
I'm from Belarus so I know Belarusian and Russian languages at the native level. Then I started learning English at school, so now I'm quite fluent in the language (still grammar, tenses and speaking overall are tough part; lack of practice you know). I think about getting higher education abroad (EU, probably) so I consider learning German or Polish (the last one is actually easy for me as my mother knows it).
The content is very helpful as it gives some interesting exercises that involve physical memory. I like your realistic thoughts about time needed to become fluent in new language.
P.S. I do also agree that apps like Duolingo are not worth your time.

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Thank you for this advise. I have just started learning French 5 days ago and yes, I did come across those videos giving advise on how to learn a language in 30 days. I decided to drop the unrealistic expectations and give myself at least 6 months to 1 year. I have the advantage that I also speak Spanish so some of the language is easy to understand.

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I love the realness! 6 months is a generous amount for comfortable speaking

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I actually learned Finnish in only 6 months just by living in the country and hearing people speak it every day. I was 13 by the time btw. So, for me, the easiest and fastest way to learn a language is by practising your listening and speaking comprehensions.