How long does it generally take to learn Esperanto, self-taught?

Answer 1

It depends upon your language learning capabilities. Some people assimilate languages very quickly, others do not.

Theoretically, it's possible to acquire a working knowledge of Esperanto in less than a week, but the key to retaining it is constant practice.

If you don't have anyone else with whom you can practice the language, use a tape recorder. Read an Esperanto text onto the tape, and listen to it.

Or, formulate some questions, read them onto the tape, then answer them.

If you can find an Esperanto penpal, all the better; you will obtain valuable practice by corresponding in the language.

Other excellent ideas would be to join ELNA and EANA
(Esperanto League of North America) and (Esperanto Association of North America.)

But the really BEST suggestion of all would be for you to join one of the many Esperanto Yahoo groups. There are 1,003
groups listed, but there are some for beginners, and Esperantists are very friendly, helpful people.

So, the best of luck to you (or as we say in Esperanto:
"Bonsxancon!")

Answer 2

Esperanto makes it possible to discuss various simple ideas within the first week of starting with about 10 hours, maybe less, of study. It really is an individual thing though.

Here are some ideas many second language learners don't normally realize.

FIRST: Completely eliminate idioms when you speak. We use a LOT of phrases that are not understood in other countries, and they use ones we don't understand. Examples: Get to first base. Flip the switch. Hitch a ride. Hit the road.
Put yourself in the place of a new learner of English and ask yourself if you would really understand the meaning of 'hit the road' when you heard it, or would you litterally try to 'hit the road'?
Even between England and North America, for example 'knock someone up'. In North America it means get someone pregnant. In England it means knock on their door. So you can see how embarrassing it might be should you stumble on an idiom that means something else.

SECOND: Realize that it is not ALWAYS a one-for-one word exchange when translating. Some languages can express an idea in as little as one word compared to a few, and vice-versa.
Also, many languages don't use the Subject, Verb, Object sequence that English does. Some are S-O-V or V-S-O, etc.
Hand in hand with this, understanding that the idea being expressed is what's important, not the way it's said. Just because the sentence wasn't constructed the way we would have said it doesn't make it wrong.

THIRD: Pronunciation can be improved by reciting the names of things you see as you walk about, and holding conversations with yourself in the absence of friends to practice with. (Warning! Don't do this in the vacinity of mental institutions.)

Not to understate it of course, but listen to and read as much as you possibly can, whenever you can.
Immersion, immersion, IMMERSION!
I listen to Esperanto music all day long, just to tune my ear to it.

Good luck!

Ĝis!

Answer 3

First, it is not true that if you can "find a c key then you can figure scores out." Whoever told you that doesn't know what he or she is talking about. Self-teaching is possible to a degree, but it depends on what your goals are and what you want to be able to play. If you're thinking classics - Chopin, Mozart, you name it - it's highly doubtful you can do this on your own unless you are some type of savant. There are people who have have studied all their lives and still struggle with it. If you want to play the classical repertoire, call your local university music department and ask them to suggest an independent teacher for you. But if you want to play jazz, blues, rock, pop - you can get books with scales, chord theory, technique, and so on - and if you put sufficient time into it you can learn to play - how well depends on your natural talent and the work you put into it. But without a teacher, you'll have no professsional feedback, and every musician needs that, particularly when he or she is starting out. What's NOT going to happen is you sitting at the piano all by yourself and turning into anything but an amateur plunker. Anybody can find a C on the piano, but it won't do anything more for you than being able to find a C on the piano!

Answer 4

With English (U.S.) as my first language, and Esperanto as my second, I was conversational in about 4 months, and fluent within 18. Your mileage may vary.

Answer 5

I taught myself Esperanto in about a month. But it takes time to increase your vocabulary, but you can become 'fluent' in 4-6 months. La pli bona loko por lerni estas "lernu.net" :)
The best place to learn is http://lernu.net

Answer 6

This is very difficult to answer :S
I think you need some 400 hours to start mastering the language. It is normally "sold" as a very easy one. and it is! But only in the basic steps. It has a lot of things to be learned. Honestly those 16 basic rules are NOT enough. And whoever says it is simple, let Don Harlow know his PMEG is useless!