Note before you read this article: Everyone has their own take on effective ways to learn a language. Because of this, last summer I decided to try distilling fundamental truths about language learning that all, or at least most, language learning experts would agree on.
This is the fourth lesson. You can watch the video here, listen on Spotify here, or keep scrolling down to read a summary. You can see all 12 lessons by clicking here.
Feel free to contact me at https://azrenthelanguagenerd.com/contact if you have any questions about language learning or if you’d like to inquire about taking private/small-group lessons
Today’s episode can be summarized with this one picture.
A few notes:
If you don’t know your current level, contact me for a level assessment.
I’ll also help you pick the strategies and resources you should use to progress to the next level.
Languages offered: English, French, Spanish, Mandarin, Gujarati.
The hours in the chart refer to engaged learning time as opposed to passive learning time. An example of passive learning would be listening to music inattentively in the background.
You can reach different levels of proficiency faster than the averages above. Two ways to achieve this are:
Cutting corners. Only focus on learning that which is relevant to your needs. Trim the fat.
Making a mental commitment. Focus. Tell yourself and decide with 100% conviction that you will beat the average.
For children, the time required to progress through the levels is different.
A1 takes 400 to 600 hours
A2 takes 700 to 850 hours
B1 takes 1,000 to 2,000 hours
Children don’t typically reach a level in a foreign language above a B1.
The sources I used to make this chart are at the very end of this article.
If you have any questions/comments or if you’d like to inquire about taking private/semi-private lessons, contact me here. Here are the sources for the chart I made. I combined my personal judgement with what I read here:
Cambridge University Press article: https://www.cambridge.org/elt/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/How-long-does-it-take-to-learn-a-foreign-language.pdf
Foreign Service Institute data: https://www.state.gov/foreign-language-training/
CEFR Companion Guide: https://rm.coe.int/cefr-companion-volume-with-new-descriptors-2018/1680787989
Alberta Education ESL Guide to Implementation (K-9): https://www.cmef.ca/wp-content/themes/cmef/pdf/ESLGuidetoImplementation.pdf