How long does it take to become fluent in a language?

Question

On average
I really want to learn quite a few foreign languages. I know the best way to learn and retain is through immersion, but that might not be possible for a few languages I want to learn. Ultimately, I'd like to be fluent in Spanish, Mandarin, German, French, Japanese, Arabic and Dutch. How many years do you think it would take me to become fluent in these languages? I have a real knack for them, I learn syntax and pronunciation really fast and am better than friends who have taken college German for a year and a half after spending a couple weeks there not knowing any before.

Answer 1

The professional research shows it takes between 5 and 7 years if learned by immersion.

Answer 2

If your studying the languages it will take you years and years. I did french in school for 5 years and have a BA degree in french and german. I am only fluent in german though because I spent a year in germany before university where I spoke german every day and absolutely no english. Years later, no matter how many french books I read, songs I listen to, I just can't speak it as well as german. In my opinion, the best and only way to learn a language, is to first live in the country, and totally immerse yourself in the language and culture. You will pick up everything by ear and at the same time instinctively know how to write it correctly as you would with your first language. Then you can study the grammer books to make sense of what you are saying, and consolidate what you have learned, as in a native speaker has no clue of the grammer rules of their own language. Out of the 3 languages you're learning, french will be the easiest as it is similar to english where arabic or chinese are completely different. And it's quite difficult to learn a few languages from scratch without becoming confused. But keep at it.

Answer 3

It depends on your definition of "fluent". And if you have a talent for learning languages, like you say, then it's impossible how long it will take for you personally. Give it a shot and you'll find out!

I think it's absolutely wonderful that you want to learn all these languages. I say start with one and keep going until your needs have been met. Have a great time with language learning! I have learned Spanish and German, and I'm working on Serbian, and I don't think I'm done yet.

I think that the previous answerer is mistaken when saying that you can speak German with only 100 words. That would probably just barely cover the function words like "and", not to mention anything you would actually want to talk about. He must have misunderstood something. No offense. English conversation, for example, generally takes 3000 words, according to a recent applied linguistics publication. I imagine just about any language takes something similar.

Answer 4

Define "fluent'? How well You speak the language is a matter entirely in Your hands. Don't for get that You will learn more OF the language as You use it to learn more ABOUT the people who use it. The accents and inflections are a matter of dialectics. My wife learned to speak French from a group of Belgians She served with in Africa. Trust Me, she could swear like an RSM on maneuvers, and had the worst "French" accent in the world: but men liked the way She expressed Herself. Remember the line from William Shakespeares' :The Tempest", "You taught me language, and My profit on it is I know how to curse" (Caliban)
Do You have a good "ear" for languages? If not then forget it. German is one of the few languages spoken in Europe which only requires an initial vocabulary of about 100 words. The rest You pick up. Remember the trick to learning a language is to not treat it as if You were using "ABC" or "Spellcheck" to edit "English" rather than "American", learn it correctly, not the easy way.

Answer 5

It's been said that if you could totally immerse yourself in the language -ie: live where it's spoken on a daily basis by everyone around you- it would take at least 6 months to become fluent in both reception and expression. The key word here is "fluent," not expert, or even skilled. Just "fluent," or able to hold somewhat of a conversation in most places.

Answer 6

two years...i think