I’m often asked by potential clients how long it will take them to become “fluent” in their target language. I always ask in return what it means to them to be fluent. People have varying ideas about what it means to be fluent in a foreign language. Some people perceive it as being able to communicate on a basic level without much difficulty while others view it as being equivalent to a native speaker and everything in between.
Language fluency is defined as, “the ability to be understood by both native and non-native speakers of a specific language.” By that definition fluency can generally be achieved within 9-12 months of moderate language study. A higher level of competency can be referred to as native fluent or bilingual. This can often take many years of study, often coupled with living abroad in a country in which the target language is spoken.
In its most basic form, fluency is achieved when one can speak in a language without halting or pausing. This can be achieved through a large vocabulary or the ability to express yourself in a roundabout way if the vocabulary is lacking. Anyone who has studied a foreign language knows that there are many stages within the language learning process and progress is often not as linear as people presume.
Many of my clients want to know if they are progressing “normally.” In other words they want to know if they are on track to achieve their goals in a timely manner. Having taught over 1000 people I have a good sense of where students should be at a given point in their course of language study.While results vary between individuals I have outlined the basic stages of language learning below:
(Note: The following outline presumes that you are studying with a private instructor 1-2 times per week in addition to 4-6 hours per week of self-study)
1-5 weeks of study: the student is getting a handle on the basics of the pronunciation, the flow of the language, common everyday expressions and basic sentence structure
6-12 weeks of study-the student is learning to master the present tense, learning to introduce oneself, talk about work, family and hobbies, writing basic sentences
3 months-6 months of study- learning to express oneself in the past tense, talking about one’s childhood experiences, previous work experiences and relationships, able to participate in basic conversations with native speakers, translating simple paragraphs
6 months-9 months of study-learning to express oneself in the future tense, talking in a more in-depth level about world events, reading short stories, expressing emotions clearly and comfortably, able to hold everyday conversations on numerous topics
9 months-12 months of study-learning to express oneself in the subjective/hypothetical, learning more complex vocabulary surrounding politics, health, the workplace, able to read the newspaper and follow along with the news
1 year-2 years-completely comfortable in all tenses, able to watch television programs and conduct business in the target language, comfortable conducting an interview, able to write presentations and essays
2+ years-continually honing specialized vocabulary, mastering local idioms and generally communicating on a near-native level.
