Updated on August 9, 2024
How long does it realistically take to learn French?
If you’re embarking on your French learning journey, you must be feeling truly excited! The thrill of learning one of the most romantic, elegant and widespread languages on the planet is definitely unique.
And yet, anxious thoughts might creep in and make you wonder: “How long does it take to learn French and be fluent in it?”. You may be worried that it will take you ages to reach that proficiency level you’re dreaming about. To reassure you, it will most probably take you much less than you imagined.
To answer your question, let’s examine the aspects influencing your journey more closely to help you set realistic expectations!
Learning French is a personal journey. The length of experience will largely depend on the goals that you set for yourself. Do you aim to reach a B1 level in French (intermediate) where you can communicate more or less freely in familiar situations or do you need to reach B2 in French (upper-intermediate) to study or work abroad?
Generally, it takes around 400 hours to reach an intermediate level and significantly more (around 900 hours) to become a proficient speaker. It is, however, only a rough estimate and will ultimately depend on a great deal of individual factors that determine how long it takes you to learn French.
French has certain grammar elements and pronunciation rules that can make it quite a difficult language to learn. But to be honest, the speed of your learning experience depends less on the challenges of French grammar and more on the proficiency level you aim to reach.
Other variables that come into play are your native language, any other languages you speak, your motivation and the time commitment you have to learn French. Let’s look at each aspect in detail.
First of all, you need to know what your desired language level is. If you want to communicate without strain when you travel to a French-speaking country, aim for an intermediate level (B1). If you have more ambitious plans, such as using French in a business environment, then you should expect a longer time commitment and aim for a C1.
Defining your objective is a useful exercise. It will help you answer the question ‘How fast can you learn French?’ in a pragmatic way. Do it now: think of your French learning goals. Why are you learning French? What level do you need to reach? What language skills do you need to acquire? As you clarify your objectives, you will have a clearer idea of how to reach them.
Your first language plays a huge role in predicting how fast you can learn French. If you’re a native English speaker, learning French vocabulary will be quite straightforward for you. Some 30% of English words are of French origin.
If your native language is Spanish, Italian or Portuguese, learning French will likely be even quicker. All of these are Romance languages, which have a lot in common in terms of grammar and vocabulary. For example, mastering the French gender and number system or sentence organization will be much quicker and easier if you’re a native Spanish speaker as Spanish has similar grammar rules.
Of course, if you speak one or two Romance languages, it will definitely give you a head start when learning French. You will be able to recognize the meanings of the words and sentence structure much easier and quicker.
If you speak Germanic languages like German, Swedish or Dutch, it may take you a tad longer to master French grammar and vocabulary. French has very little in common with Germanic languages, apart from English. But it also means that it’ll be a much more fruitful adventure for you, too!
You need to assess how much time you can dedicate to studying French. Learning a language takes time and our busy lives usually leave us very little space to be able to fit language learning into our days. If possible, set aside at least 20 min a day for you to practice French. Ideally, you should also study it regularly once or twice a week for at least 1 hour.
Regular practice is key to consolidating your grammar knowledge and building your vocabulary faster. If you’re good at time management, it won’t be a problem for you to find time to learn the language. If you don’t think you can organize yourself on your own, consider taking a language course that will help you do it for you.
The learning method used plays a major role in shaping your language learning experience. If you stick to learning grammar rules on your own, it may take you much longer to actually start speaking French. If, on the other hand, you decide to immerse yourself in a fully French-speaking environment, it may speed up your progress. However, this isn’t always true: without appropriate guidance, which is essential for beginners, full immersion abroad can turn out to be quite a frustrating experience.
The best is to study with a learning method that has a comprehensive curriculum. Something that allows you to work on all the language skills and gives you the support you need as a learner is best. Lingoda can help you make progress faster with a French course. Having a structured curriculum, professional teachers and a flexible schedule makes learning easy. Another learning method, that allows you to gain fluency even faster, is the Lingoda Sprint challenge. It may be an attractive option for you if you need to progress quickly and reach a certain proficiency level within only 2 months.
Another crucial factor when learning French quickly is your personal motivation. Think about this: how fast can you learn French if you don’t feel motivated enough? Even if you have the best professional help or self-study plan, your French proficiency will not improve much if you’re not committed. On the contrary, if you are determined to go the extra mile to learn French, you’ll soon be making spectacular progress!
Motivation goes hand in hand with discipline. Self-discipline is key if you’re learning French because when you’re organized, you’re much more efficient as a learner. Self-discipline is all about setting a learning routine and sticking to it. Consistency is more often than not the answer to the question of how you can learn French fast.
The quickest way to learn French is to learn from the people who speak it. If you don’t have French speakers in your surroundings, do your best to use French in your own life as much as possible. Speaking can greatly improve your confidence in the language and is the best way to practice your grammar and vocabulary. Here are three tips on how to learn French fast through speaking and pronunciation activities:
So, how fast can you learn French? This depends on factors such as the languages you speak, your long-term goals and your motivation. Commitment and good language awareness can certainly help you learn the language faster but you can expect to reach the Intermediate level in around 400 hours at least.
Professional help is by far the quickest way to get started with French. You can start with Lingoda to learn French with native-level teachers, a structured curriculum and a schedule adaptable to your pace and needs. Lingoda’s structured language course can help you make steady progress and enjoy the French language learning journey to the fullest. Bon courage (good luck) in your discovery of French!
Let’s answer some of the questions you may have on how fast to learn French.
Immersion is definitely the quickest way you can learn the language. It gives you significant consistent exposure to the language, which allows you to absorb vocabulary and grammar structures and make progress quickly. It also helps you practice intonation patterns, which you can start imitating very early on.
French A1 level will take you around 100 hours to reach it. It takes around 400 hours to reach B1 level in French and more than double (500 hours) to reach the Advanced level. A language course with a structured curriculum, especially if it’s 1:2:1 or in a small group, can help you achieve fluency faster. If you’re highly motivated and can commit at least 20 minutes a day to learning French, you can expect to learn the language even faster.
Lingoda can help you become confident in French rapidly and efficiently. Its intensive French course is designed to help you see real results in 3 months. An even faster way to learn French is to join Lingoda’s Language Sprint challenge to help you gain confidence in 2 months. Both options will give you extensive speaking practice with native-level teachers and will set you up for success in no time.
