How Long Does It Take To Learn A Language?

First things first, there is a common notion that an ability to learn a foreign language depends on some kind of inherited skill. This, however, is not entirely true because practice and motivation are primary factors determining learner’s success. Of course, some languages are simply easier to learn than the others.

Here are some statistics on how quickly a native English speaker may learn a foreign language:

• It is not surprising the easiest languages to learn are the Western European languages that feature some common roots with English. The basics of Norwegian, for example, can be mastered in about four months. French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese will require at least 8 months on average.
• Languages that are considered a bit more complicated for an English native speaker are Oriental and Eastern European languages. Yet, if you set your mind to it, you will speak Russian, Polish, or Greek in about a year. The basics of Hebrew or Turkish can be learned in about 6-8 months.
• The most complicated languages for an English native speaker are Arabic, Japanese and Chinese. It will take up to two years to learn one of these languages.

Again it’s worth mentioning that motivation, determination and appropriate teaching mechanism remain the key pillars in speeding up the learning process.