{"id":2626,"date":"2021-11-01T12:39:32","date_gmt":"2021-11-01T12:39:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/?p=2626"},"modified":"2021-11-01T14:36:02","modified_gmt":"2021-11-01T14:36:02","slug":"how-long-does-it-take-to-learn-french","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/how-long-does-it-take-to-learn-french\/","title":{"rendered":"How Long Does It Take To Learn French? The Ultimate Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>#kt-info-box_7a8846-bb .kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap{padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:40px;}#kt-info-box_7a8846-bb .kadence-info-box-image-inner-intrisic-container{max-width:1200px;}#kt-info-box_7a8846-bb .kadence-info-box-image-inner-intrisic-container .kadence-info-box-image-intrisic{padding-bottom:52.3333%;width:1200px;height:0px;max-width:100%;}#kt-info-box_7a8846-bb .kadence-info-box-icon-container .kt-info-svg-icon, #kt-info-box_7a8846-bb .kt-info-svg-icon-flip, #kt-info-box_7a8846-bb .kt-blocks-info-box-number{font-size:50px;}#kt-info-box_7a8846-bb .kt-blocks-info-box-media{color:#444444;background:transparent;border-color:var(--global-palette9, #ffffff);border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;}#kt-info-box_7a8846-bb .kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap:hover .kt-blocks-info-box-media{color:#444444;background:transparent;border-color:#444444;}#kt-info-box_7a8846-bb .kt-blocks-info-box-learnmore{background:transparent;border-width:0px 0px 0px 0px;padding-top:4px;padding-right:8px;padding-bottom:4px;padding-left:8px;margin:10px 0px 10px 0px;}#kt-info-box_7a8846-bb .kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap{box-shadow:0px 0px 6px 1px var(--global-palette6, #718096);}#kt-info-box_7a8846-bb .kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap:hover{box-shadow:0px 0px 6px 1px var(--global-palette6, #718096);}<\/style>\n<div id=\"kt-info-box_7a8846-bb\" class=\"wp-block-kadence-infobox\"><a class=\"kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap info-box-link kt-blocks-info-box-media-align-left kt-info-halign-center\"><div class=\"kt-blocks-info-box-media-container\"><div class=\"kt-blocks-info-box-media kt-info-media-animate-none\"><div class=\"kadence-info-box-image-inner-intrisic-container\"><div class=\"kadence-info-box-image-intrisic kt-info-animate-none\"><div class=\"kadence-info-box-image-inner-intrisic\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/how-long-does-it-take-to-learn-french-article.jpg\" alt=\"how-long-does-it-take-to-learn-french-article\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" class=\"kt-info-box-image wp-image-2662\" srcset=\"https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/how-long-does-it-take-to-learn-french-article.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/how-long-does-it-take-to-learn-french-article-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/how-long-does-it-take-to-learn-french-article-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/how-long-does-it-take-to-learn-french-article-150x79.jpg 150w, https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/how-long-does-it-take-to-learn-french-article-768x402.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"kt-infobox-textcontent\"><\/div><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"line-height:1.5\">As a French coach, <strong>one of the most common questions I get is &#8220;How long does it take to learn French?&#8221;.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A general rule of thumb is that it takes between 500 to 750 hours to be fluent in French. But how quickly you&#8217;ll pick up French also depends on several factors, specific to each student.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this article, you&#8217;ll find out:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>What being fluent in French actually means and how long it will take you to get there<\/li><li>Which 5 factors have an impact on your French learning journey<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Let&#8217;s get started!<\/p>\n\n\n<style>#kt-layout-id_81bc7c-a0 > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(#kt-layout-id_81bc7c-a0 > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}#kt-layout-id_81bc7c-a0 > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);max-width:var( --global-content-width, 1200px );padding-left:var(--global-content-edge-padding);padding-right:var(--global-content-edge-padding);padding-top:var( --global-kb-row-default-top, 25px );padding-bottom:var( --global-kb-row-default-bottom, 25px );padding-top:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:25px;padding-right:25px;grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}#kt-layout-id_81bc7c-a0 > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){#kt-layout-id_81bc7c-a0 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){#kt-layout-id_81bc7c-a0 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-rowlayout alignnone\"><div id=\"kt-layout-id_81bc7c-a0\" class=\"kt-row-layout-inner kt-layout-id_81bc7c-a0\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-gutter-default kt-v-gutter-default kt-row-valign-top kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-m-colapse-left-to-right kt-mobile-layout-row kb-theme-content-width\"><style>.kadence-column_f36917-3f > .kt-inside-inner-col{border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;}.kadence-column_f36917-3f > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column_f36917-3f > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column_f36917-3f > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column_f36917-3f > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column_f36917-3f > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column_f36917-3f > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column_f36917-3f{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column_f36917-3f > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column_f36917-3f > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column inner-column-1 kadence-column_f36917-3f\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><style>.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id_28c7d3-61:not(.this-class-is-for-specificity):not(.class-is-for-specificity){margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;}.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id_28c7d3-61 .kb-table-of-content-wrap{padding-top:20px;padding-right:20px;padding-bottom:20px;padding-left:20px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;box-shadow:0px 0px 14px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);max-width:669px;}.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id_28c7d3-61 .kb-table-of-contents-title-wrap{padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;}.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id_28c7d3-61 .kb-table-of-contents-title-wrap{color:var(--global-palette2, #2B6CB0);}.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id_28c7d3-61 .kb-table-of-contents-title{color:var(--global-palette2, #2B6CB0);font-size:18px;line-height:5px;letter-spacing:0px;font-weight:regular;font-style:normal;text-transform:none;}.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id_28c7d3-61 .kb-table-of-content-wrap .kb-table-of-content-list{color:var(--global-palette2, #2B6CB0);font-size:18px;font-weight:regular;font-style:normal;text-transform:none;margin-top:20px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;}.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id_28c7d3-61 .kb-table-of-content-list li{margin-bottom:1px;}.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id_28c7d3-61 .kb-table-of-content-list li .kb-table-of-contents-list-sub{margin-top:1px;}<\/style><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is French fluency?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>When people ask &#8220;How long does it take to learn French?&#8221;, they usually imply &#8220;How long does it take to be fluent in French?&#8221;.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the true meaning of fluency is often mistaken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s not about speaking perfect French, never making mistakes and understanding absolutely everything, even the most complex topics (like law or medicine, unless you&#8217;re an expert in those fields).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To be honest, if this is your definition of fluency, learning French will take a long time, leaving you desperate and wanting to quit because you&#8217;re not achieving the unrealistic goal you set for yourself quickly enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead, <strong>let&#8217;s think of fluency another way: It&#8217;s all about being able to express yourself easily and confidently in everyday situations while understanding the majority of written and spoken French.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fluent speakers may still make some mistakes, but they can speak naturally without much pause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let&#8217;s see what kind of proficiency level you need to achieve such fluency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For that, we&#8217;re going to refer to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.coe.int\/en\/web\/common-european-framework-reference-languages\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)<\/a>, the most commonly used guideline in Europe. It breaks down language proficiency into six levels, helping you set realistic goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wptb-table-container wptb-table-2620\"><div class=\"wptb-table-container-matrix\" id=\"wptb-table-id-2620\" data-wptb-version=\"1.4.13\" data-wptb-pro-status=\"false\"><table class=\"wptb-preview-table wptb-element-main-table_setting-2620\" data-reconstraction=\"0\" style=\"border: 1px solid rgb(209, 209, 209);\" data-wptb-table-tds-sum-max-width=\"714\" data-wptb-extra-styles=\"LyogRW50ZXIgeW91ciBjdXN0b20gQ1NTIHJ1bGVzIGhlcmUgKi8=\" role=\"table\" data-table-columns=\"3\" data-wptb-even-row-background-color=\"#FFFFFFFF\" data-wptb-odd-row-background-color=\"#FFFFFFFF\" data-wptb-header-background-color=\"#FFFFFFFF\" data-wptb-table-alignment=\"center\" data-wptb-td-width-auto=\"100\" data-wptb-responsive-directives=\"eyJyZXNwb25zaXZlRW5hYmxlZCI6ZmFsc2UsInJlc3BvbnNpdmVNb2RlIjoiYXV0byIsInByZXNlcnZlUm93Q29sb3IiOmZhbHNlLCJyZWxhdGl2ZVdpZHRoIjoid2luZG93IiwiaGVhZGVyRnVsbHlNZXJnZWQiOmZhbHNlLCJtb2RlT3B0aW9ucyI6eyJhdXRvIjp7ImRpc2FibGVkIjp7ImRlc2t0b3AiOmZhbHNlLCJ0YWJsZXQiOmZhbHNlLCJtb2JpbGUiOmZhbHNlfSwidG9wUm93QXNIZWFkZXIiOnsiZGVza3RvcCI6ZmFsc2UsInRhYmxldCI6dHJ1ZSwibW9iaWxlIjp0cnVlfSwicmVwZWF0TWVyZ2VkSGVhZGVyIjp7ImRlc2t0b3AiOnRydWUsInRhYmxldCI6dHJ1ZSwibW9iaWxlIjp0cnVlfSwic3RhdGljVG9wUm93Ijp7ImRlc2t0b3AiOmZhbHNlLCJ0YWJsZXQiOmZhbHNlLCJtb2JpbGUiOmZhbHNlfSwiY2VsbFN0YWNrRGlyZWN0aW9uIjp7ImRlc2t0b3AiOiJyb3ciLCJ0YWJsZXQiOiJyb3ciLCJtb2JpbGUiOiJyb3cifSwiY2VsbHNQZXJSb3ciOnsiZGVza3RvcCI6MSwidGFibGV0IjoxLCJtb2JpbGUiOjF9fX0sImJyZWFrcG9pbnRzIjp7ImRlc2t0b3AiOnsibmFtZSI6ImRlc2t0b3AiLCJ3aWR0aCI6MTAyNH0sInRhYmxldCI6eyJuYW1lIjoidGFibGV0Iiwid2lkdGgiOjcwMH0sIm1vYmlsZSI6eyJuYW1lIjoibW9iaWxlIiwid2lkdGgiOjMwMH19fQ==\" data-wptb-adaptive-table=\"0\"><tbody><tr class=\"wptb-row\" style=\"background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"><td class=\"wptb-cell\" data-y-index=\"0\" data-x-index=\"0\" style=\"border: 1px solid rgb(209, 209, 209); width: 100px; padding: 10px;\" colspan=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\" data-wptb-fixed-height=\"50\"><div class=\"wptb-text-container wptb-ph-element wptb-element-text-1\" style=\"color: rgb(74, 85, 104); font-size: 15px;\"><div class=\"\" style=\"position: relative;\"><p style=\"text-align: center;\">Beginner<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/td><td class=\"wptb-cell\" data-y-index=\"0\" data-x-index=\"1\" style=\"border: 1px solid rgb(209, 209, 209); width: 50px; height: 50px; padding: 10px;\"><div class=\"wptb-text-container wptb-ph-element wptb-element-text-2\" style=\"color: rgb(74, 85, 104); font-size: 15px;\"><div class=\"\" style=\"position: relative;\"><p style=\"text-align: center;\">A1<\/p><p><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/td><td class=\"wptb-cell\" data-y-index=\"0\" data-x-index=\"2\" style=\"border: 1px solid rgb(209, 209, 209); height: 50px; padding: 10px; width: 500px;\" data-wptb-cell-vertical-alignment=\"center\"><div class=\"wptb-list-container wptb-ph-element wptb-element-list-3\"><ul>            <li class=\"wptb-in-element\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;\">                <div class=\"wptb-list-item-content\" style=\"position: relative;\"><p data-list-style-type-index=\"1.\" style=\"color: #4a5568; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;\" class=\"wptb-list-style-type-disc\">Understand and use very basic phrases and familiar expressions<br><\/p><\/div>            <\/li><li class=\"wptb-in-element\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;\">                <div class=\"wptb-list-item-content\" style=\"position: relative;\"><p data-list-style-type-index=\"2.\" style=\"color: rgb(74, 85, 104); font-size: 16px; text-align: left;\" class=\"wptb-list-style-type-disc\">Introduce themselves and others<\/p><\/div>            <\/li>            <li class=\"wptb-in-element\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;\">                <div class=\"wptb-list-item-content\" style=\"position: relative;\"><p data-list-style-type-index=\"3.\" style=\"color: #4a5568; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;\" class=\"wptb-list-style-type-disc\">Ask and answer basic questions about personal details<\/p><\/div>            <\/li>            <li class=\"wptb-in-element\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;\">                <div class=\"wptb-list-item-content\" style=\"position: relative;\"><p data-list-style-type-index=\"4.\" style=\"color: #4a5568; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;\" class=\"wptb-list-style-type-disc\">Communicate in a simple way if the other person articulates slowly and helps them<\/p><\/div>            <\/li>        <\/ul><\/div><\/td><\/tr><tr class=\"wptb-row\" style=\"background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"><td class=\"wptb-cell\" data-y-index=\"1\" data-x-index=\"1\" style=\"border: 1px solid rgb(209, 209, 209); width: 50px; height: 50px; padding: 10px;\"><div class=\"wptb-text-container wptb-ph-element wptb-element-text-5\" style=\"color: rgb(74, 85, 104); font-size: 15px;\"><div class=\"\" style=\"position: relative;\"><p style=\"text-align: center;\">A2<\/p><p><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/td><td class=\"wptb-cell\" data-y-index=\"1\" data-x-index=\"2\" style=\"border: 1px solid rgb(209, 209, 209); height: 50px; padding: 10px; width: 500px;\"><div class=\"wptb-list-container wptb-ph-element wptb-element-list-6\"><ul>            <li class=\"wptb-in-element\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;\">                <div class=\"wptb-list-item-content\" style=\"position: relative;\"><p data-list-style-type-index=\"1.\" class=\"wptb-list-style-type-disc\" style=\"color: #4a5568; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;\">Understand phrases and frequently used expressions related to everyday life (family, shopping, employment)<br><\/p><\/div>            <\/li><li class=\"wptb-in-element\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;\">                <div class=\"wptb-list-item-content\" style=\"position: relative;\"><p data-list-style-type-index=\"2.\" class=\"wptb-list-style-type-disc\" style=\"color: rgb(74, 85, 104); font-size: 16px; text-align: left;\">Communicate information on familiar and routine matters<\/p><\/div>            <\/li><li class=\"wptb-in-element\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;\">                <div class=\"wptb-list-item-content\" style=\"position: relative;\"><p data-list-style-type-index=\"3.\" class=\"wptb-list-style-type-disc\" style=\"color: #4a5568; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;\">Provide simple details about their background, surroundings and immediate needs<\/p><\/div>            <\/li>                                <\/ul><\/div><\/td><\/tr><tr class=\"wptb-row\" style=\"background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"><td class=\"wptb-cell\" data-y-index=\"2\" data-x-index=\"0\" style=\"border: 1px solid rgb(209, 209, 209); width: 100px; padding: 10px;\" colspan=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\" data-wptb-fixed-height=\"50\"><div class=\"wptb-text-container wptb-ph-element wptb-ondragenter wptb-element-text-7\" style=\"color: rgb(74, 85, 104); font-size: 15px;\"><div class=\"\" style=\"position: relative;\"><p style=\"text-align: center;\">Intermediate<\/p><p><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/td><td class=\"wptb-cell\" data-y-index=\"2\" data-x-index=\"1\" style=\"border: 1px solid rgb(209, 209, 209); width: 50px; height: 50px; padding: 10px;\"><div class=\"wptb-text-container wptb-ph-element wptb-element-text-8\" style=\"color: rgb(74, 85, 104); font-size: 15px;\"><div class=\"\" style=\"position: relative;\"><p style=\"text-align: center;\">B1<\/p><p><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/td><td class=\"wptb-cell\" data-y-index=\"2\" data-x-index=\"2\" style=\"border: 1px solid rgb(209, 209, 209); height: 50px; padding: 10px; width: 500px;\"><div class=\"wptb-list-container wptb-ph-element wptb-element-list-7\"><ul>            <li class=\"wptb-in-element\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;\">                <div class=\"wptb-list-item-content\" style=\"position: relative;\"><p data-list-style-type-index=\"1.\" class=\"wptb-list-style-type-disc\" style=\"color: #4a5568; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;\">Understand topics on regular daily matters (such as work, school, leisure)<br><\/p><\/div>            <\/li>            <li class=\"wptb-in-element\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;\">                <div class=\"wptb-list-item-content\" style=\"position: relative;\"><p data-list-style-type-index=\"2.\" class=\"wptb-list-style-type-disc\" style=\"color: rgb(74, 85, 104); font-size: 16px; text-align: left;\">Can travel in a French-speaking country without much difficulty, managing simple navigation and communication when needed<\/p><\/div>            <\/li>            <li class=\"wptb-in-element\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;\">                <div class=\"wptb-list-item-content\" style=\"position: relative;\"><p data-list-style-type-index=\"3.\" class=\"wptb-list-style-type-disc\" style=\"color: #4a5568; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;\">Write simple texts on topics of familiar or personal interests<\/p><\/div>            <\/li><li class=\"wptb-in-element\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;\">                <div class=\"wptb-list-item-content\" style=\"position: relative;\"><p data-list-style-type-index=\"4.\" class=\"wptb-list-style-type-disc\" style=\"color: #4a5568; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;\">Describe past events and futures plans<\/p><\/div>            <\/li><li class=\"wptb-in-element\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;\">                <div class=\"wptb-list-item-content\" style=\"position: relative;\"><p data-list-style-type-index=\"5.\" class=\"wptb-list-style-type-disc\" style=\"color: #4a5568; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;\">Briefly explain opinions<\/p><\/div>            <\/li>        <\/ul><\/div><\/td><\/tr><tr class=\"wptb-row\" style=\"background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"><td class=\"wptb-cell\" data-y-index=\"3\" data-x-index=\"1\" style=\"border: 1px solid rgb(209, 209, 209); width: 50px; padding: 10px;\"><div class=\"wptb-text-container wptb-ph-element wptb-element-text-11\" style=\"color: rgb(74, 85, 104); font-size: 15px;\"><div class=\"\" style=\"position: relative;\"><p style=\"text-align: center;\">B2<\/p><p><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/td><td class=\"wptb-cell\" data-y-index=\"3\" data-x-index=\"2\" style=\"border: 1px solid rgb(209, 209, 209); padding: 10px; width: 500px;\" data-wptb-cell-vertical-alignment=\"center\"><div class=\"wptb-list-container wptb-ph-element wptb-element-list-8\"><ul>            <li class=\"wptb-in-element\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;\">                <div class=\"wptb-list-item-content\" style=\"position: relative;\"><p data-list-style-type-index=\"1.\" style=\"color: #4a5568; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;\" class=\"wptb-list-style-type-disc\">Understand the main ideas of complex texts on concrete and abstract topics, including those pertaining to their field of expertise<br><\/p><\/div>            <\/li><li class=\"wptb-in-element\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;\">                <div class=\"wptb-list-item-content\" style=\"position: relative;\"><p data-list-style-type-index=\"2.\" style=\"color: #4a5568; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;\" class=\"wptb-list-style-type-disc\">Interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interactions with native speakers quite easy<\/p><\/div>            <\/li>            <li class=\"wptb-in-element\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;\">                <div class=\"wptb-list-item-content\" style=\"position: relative;\"><p data-list-style-type-index=\"3.\" style=\"color: #4a5568; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;\" class=\"wptb-list-style-type-disc\">Articulate clear opinions<\/p><\/div>            <\/li>            <li class=\"wptb-in-element\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;\">                <div class=\"wptb-list-item-content\" style=\"position: relative;\"><p data-list-style-type-index=\"4.\" style=\"color: #4a5568; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;\" class=\"wptb-list-style-type-disc\">Talk about the pros and cons of a topic or situation<\/p><\/div>            <\/li>        <\/ul><\/div><\/td><\/tr><tr class=\"wptb-row\" style=\"background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"><td class=\"wptb-cell\" data-y-index=\"4\" data-x-index=\"0\" style=\"border: 1px solid rgb(209, 209, 209); width: 100px; padding: 10px;\" colspan=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"><div class=\"wptb-text-container wptb-ph-element wptb-element-text-13\" style=\"color: rgb(74, 85, 104); font-size: 15px;\"><div class=\"\" style=\"position: relative;\"><p style=\"text-align: center;\">Advanced<\/p><p><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/td><td class=\"wptb-cell\" data-y-index=\"4\" data-x-index=\"1\" style=\"border: 1px solid rgb(209, 209, 209); width: 50px; padding: 10px;\"><div class=\"wptb-text-container wptb-ph-element wptb-element-text-14\" style=\"color: rgb(74, 85, 104); font-size: 15px;\"><div class=\"\" style=\"position: relative;\"><p style=\"text-align: center;\">C1<\/p><p><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/td><td class=\"wptb-cell\" data-y-index=\"4\" data-x-index=\"2\" style=\"border: 1px solid rgb(209, 209, 209); padding: 10px; width: 500px;\"><div class=\"wptb-list-container wptb-ph-element wptb-element-list-9\"><ul>            <li class=\"wptb-in-element\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;\">                <div class=\"wptb-list-item-content\" style=\"position: relative;\"><p data-list-style-type-index=\"1.\" style=\"color: #4a5568; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;\" class=\"wptb-list-style-type-disc\">Understand a wide range of demanding topics<br><\/p><\/div>            <\/li><li class=\"wptb-in-element\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;\">                <div class=\"wptb-list-item-content\" style=\"position: relative;\"><p data-list-style-type-index=\"2.\" style=\"color: #4a5568; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;\" class=\"wptb-list-style-type-disc\">Recognize implicit meaning<\/p><\/div>            <\/li><li class=\"wptb-in-element\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;\">                <div class=\"wptb-list-item-content\" style=\"position: relative;\"><p data-list-style-type-index=\"3.\" style=\"color: #4a5568; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;\" class=\"wptb-list-style-type-disc\">Express themselves fluently and spontaneously without obvious searching for words<\/p><\/div>            <\/li>            <li class=\"wptb-in-element\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;\">                <div class=\"wptb-list-item-content\" style=\"position: relative;\"><p data-list-style-type-index=\"4.\" style=\"color: #4a5568; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;\" class=\"wptb-list-style-type-disc\">Use the language flexibly and accurately for social, academic and professional purposes<\/p><\/div>            <\/li>            <li class=\"wptb-in-element\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;\">                <div class=\"wptb-list-item-content\" style=\"position: relative;\"><p data-list-style-type-index=\"5.\" style=\"color: #4a5568; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;\" class=\"wptb-list-style-type-disc\">Write well-structured and detailed texts on complex topics<\/p><\/div>            <\/li>        <\/ul><\/div><\/td><\/tr><tr class=\"wptb-row\" style=\"background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"><td class=\"wptb-cell\" data-y-index=\"5\" data-x-index=\"1\" style=\"border: 1px solid rgb(209, 209, 209); width: 50px; padding: 10px;\"><div class=\"wptb-text-container wptb-ph-element wptb-element-text-17\" style=\"color: rgb(74, 85, 104); font-size: 15px;\"><div class=\"\" style=\"position: relative;\"><p style=\"text-align: center;\">C2<\/p><p><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/td><td class=\"wptb-cell\" data-y-index=\"5\" data-x-index=\"2\" style=\"border: 1px solid rgb(209, 209, 209); padding: 10px; width: 500px;\"><div class=\"wptb-list-container wptb-ph-element wptb-element-list-10\"><ul>            <li class=\"wptb-in-element\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;\">                <div class=\"wptb-list-item-content\" style=\"position: relative;\"><p data-list-style-type-index=\"1.\" style=\"color: #4a5568; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;\" class=\"wptb-list-style-type-disc\">Understand virtually everything heard or read in French<br><\/p><\/div>            <\/li>            <li class=\"wptb-in-element\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;\">                <div class=\"wptb-list-item-content\" style=\"position: relative;\"><p data-list-style-type-index=\"2.\" style=\"color: rgb(74, 85, 104); font-size: 16px; text-align: left;\" class=\"wptb-list-style-type-disc\">Interact with ease and skill similar to a native French speaker, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in more complex situations<\/p><\/div>            <\/li>                    <\/ul><\/div><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>From reading this table, you can see that <strong>&#8220;fluency&#8221; as we&#8217;ve defined it corresponds to a B2 level.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That&#8217;s more reachable than thinking being fluent is achieved only when you&#8217;ve unlocked a C2 level, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, let&#8217;s talk actual numbers!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How many hours does it take to learn French?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Several institutions have run tests and experiments to try to determine the amount of hours needed to reach that B2 level.<\/strong> Here&#8217;s what they found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Alliance Fran\u00e7aise<\/strong>: 560-650 hours. [<a href=\"https:\/\/afleeds.org.uk\/faq\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">1<\/a>]<\/li><li><strong>US Foreign Service Institute<\/strong>: 600-750 hours to reach \u201cProfessional Working Proficiency\u201d, by which we can understand a B2 level. [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.state.gov\/foreign-language-training\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2<\/a>]<\/li><li><strong>Cambridge University Press<\/strong>: 530-750 hours for a motivated adult learner, with access to quality resources and experienced teachers. [<a href=\"http:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/elt\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/How-long-does-it-take-to-learn-a-foreign-language.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">3<\/a>]<\/li><li><strong>Council of Europe \u2013 Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)<\/strong>: 500-600 hours. [<a href=\"https:\/\/support.cambridgeenglish.org\/hc\/en-gb\/articles\/202838506-Guided-learning-hours\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">4<\/a>]<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>As you can see, each institution has its own idea on the subject and <strong>keep in mind that these tests were performed under ideal conditions (in a classroom, with teachers)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So take these numbers with a pinch of salt, even if they are a good starting point to give you a general idea of how long it will take you to learn French.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If you&#8217;re studying on your own, learning French will likely take you more time.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The reason why it&#8217;s impossible to tell you specifically &#8220;Study X hours and you&#8217;ll be fluent in French&#8221; is because everybody is different.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>There are several factors to take into account.<\/strong> Let&#8217;s talk about them to get you better prepared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is your mother tongue?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You may not know this, but <strong>your mother tongue plays a big part in how quickly or slowly you learn French.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Consider these questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Do you have the same alphabet or will you have to learn a new one?<\/li><li>Do French and your mother tongue have sounds in common?<\/li><li>Do you share words or similar expressions?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In theory, <strong>the closer French is to your mother tongue, the easier it will be to learn.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>French is part of the Romance languages, which descend from Latin.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If your mother tongue is another Romance language (Spanish, Italian, Portuguese or Romanian), you&#8217;re in luck because you&#8217;ll pick up French faster. You&#8217;ll find many similar words, phrases and grammar rules between them, saving you a lot of learning time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>French is also considered one of the easiest languages to learn for a native English speaker. <\/strong>That&#8217;s because English can be considered a cousin to Romance languages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sure, the grammar isn&#8217;t quite the same. But if you speak English, you already know plenty of French words! For example, &#8220;question&#8221;, &#8220;situation&#8221; or &#8220;information&#8221; all exist in French, with the same ending and slightly different pronunciation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That&#8217;s great!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But <strong>what if you&#8217;re not a native speaker of English or one of those other Romance languages? Are you doomed to struggle studying French?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course not!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even if Romance languages or English aren&#8217;t your mother tongue, if you&#8217;ve learnt one of them as a second language, you&#8217;ll still have a head start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Since you&#8217;re reading this article in English, I&#8217;ll assume it&#8217;s either your first or second language, so you&#8217;re already ahead in the game.<\/strong> Congratulations!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Have you learnt another language before?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If you ever learnt a second language, then picking up another language<\/strong> (be it your third, fourth, etc.) <strong>becomes gradually much easier.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why is that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You have an advantage because you know how to learn a language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You already have a general idea of which study techniques work for you and which ones don&#8217;t. Not everybody likes learning the same way after all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You&#8217;ll also have a better grasp of basic grammar concepts (verb conjugations, tenses, etc.) and vocabulary, especially if you already learnt a language close to French.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, <strong>don&#8217;t worry if French is the first language you&#8217;re learning besides your mother tongue.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>There are other more important factors to consider, on which you have some actual control.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why are you learning French?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Motivation is a key element when it comes to how long it will take you to learn French.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Think about this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ask two people why they are learning French: One answers that her boss is forcing her, the other says that she loves the French culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Who is more likely to actually learn the language and stick with it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;m sure you guessed right!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The second person will learn much more quickly and with more success because she&#8217;s actually interested in the language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you don&#8217;t really want to learn French, then it will be very difficult for you and you&#8217;ll eventually give up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because yes, learning French takes time and effort. Even with the highest motivation, you&#8217;ll still have some disheartening moments when you don&#8217;t understand something straight away.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It happens, but don&#8217;t let that discourage you either! You&#8217;ll just have to push through and when you have reached your B2 level, you&#8217;ll be proud of your achievement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If you have a personal interest in French, you&#8217;ll overcome those moments of doubt and you&#8217;re also more likely to practice outside of your study time. The more you practice, the faster you&#8217;ll progress.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>You love movies? Watch them in French.<br>You love books? Read them in French.<br>You love music? Listen to French songs.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>You get the idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And if you need some more motivation, here are <a href=\"https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/reasons-to-learn-french\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">13 good reasons to learn French<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How much time do you spend studying French?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s simple: If you study French only 1 hour a week, it will take you 10+ years to become fluent. And I&#8217;m being generous with this number. In reality, it&#8217;s more likely you&#8217;ll never reach your B2 level, ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If you want to see real progress and fast, you need to seriously up your game.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I don&#8217;t mean work 8 hours a day and learn French in 3 months though. You&#8217;ll probably blackout if you do that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead <strong>stick to a regular schedule: Start with 30 minutes or 1 hour per day, ideally every day or at least 5 days a week.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Consistency is key when it comes to language learning.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By the way, if you&#8217;re thinking about cramming all your study time in one single day instead, that&#8217;s not a good idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you spend 5 hours studying every Sunday, chances are you won&#8217;t retain a lot and you&#8217;ll have forgotten much by the time next Sunday comes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s like the tortoise and rabbit story. You want to be the tortoise because slow and steady wins the race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So<strong> make sure to practice your French a little bit every day <\/strong>to get better results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How are you learning?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The way you&#8217;re learning is a crucial factor. I would even say that it&#8217;s the most important one!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can have the highest motivation and be consistent with your study time, but if you don&#8217;t know how to learn French properly and efficiently, then you&#8217;ll lose all your advantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In theory, with all the free information available on the Internet, it&#8217;s possible to learn French on your own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, that requires a lot of organisation and focus on your part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And the amount of information can be quite overwhelming, leaving you wondering what you should work on or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That&#8217;s why <strong>I advise you to take a French course<\/strong> of some sort, at least when you&#8217;re starting out. <strong>It can be a physical class near your home, an online course or a book course.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I personally prefer an online course or a good book over a physical classroom, because it allows me more freedom in how and when I work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Any good course will give you a great head start, thanks to its structure.<\/strong> You won&#8217;t have to wonder if you need to be learning this or that, <strong>everything will be laid out for you, which means that you&#8217;ll learn faster.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, these kind of courses cost money, and maybe you&#8217;re hoping to learn French without spending a dime. It can certainly be done, but it really all comes down to the old battle of Time versus Money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If you&#8217;re serious about learning French and are able to invest in it, buying a course will save you a lot of time!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>There are plenty of French courses out there, for every budget and learning style. <\/strong>Just make sure to choose the one that suits you best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>French classrooms, textbooks and courses are a great starting point. Through them, you learn the basics of the French language and its structure, so you can make up sentences yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But they only get you so far&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>To really succeed, you also need to make French a part of your life.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Obviously, the ideal option is to travel to France and have no other choice but to speak French.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, contrary to popular belief, you don&#8217;t need to be in France to immerse yourself in French! Nowadays, <strong>you have plenty of options to practice French, especially with the power of the Internet and technologies at your fingertips.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Here&#8217;s a list of activities you can do:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Download a language learning app like HelloTalk or Tandem to find native French speakers you can talk and write to<\/li><li>Listen to French songs, radios, podcasts<\/li><li>Watch French movies and series<\/li><li>Read French books, eBooks, newspapers, web articles<\/li><li>Watch YouTube videos on your favorite topics in French<\/li><li>Translate a French song into your mother tongue<\/li><li>Mimic the French actors in the movies and series you&#8217;re watching by repeating what they say, trying to match their pronunciation and flow<\/li><li>Keep a journal in French and write about your day or anything else you like<\/li><li>Act out a French situation in your head (for example, what would you say in French if someone asked you to introduce yourself or talk about your favorite vacation)&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Trust me, this last one isn&#8217;t as crazy as it seems! It&#8217;s actually a great way to force yourself to think in French and build up your confidence. Plus, it&#8217;ll come in handy when you&#8217;re really faced with whatever situation you acted out.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All these things aren&#8217;t considered strictly &#8220;study time&#8221;. When you do them, you&#8217;re not always actively studying. For example, you don&#8217;t need to stop and search every word you don&#8217;t understand. Instead, try to guess what the French means by the context and the words you already know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>By writing and speaking with someone, you&#8217;ll also progress much faster. That&#8217;s because you&#8217;ll make mistakes and get feedback<\/strong>, which will allow you to improve over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>There are plenty of ways to spice up your French learning journey. <\/strong>Choose what you like best and have fun with it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The bottom line<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For an English speaker, becoming fluent in French should be fairly easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If you study consistently 1 hour per day and practice your French on the side, with the right resources, you&#8217;ll be able to speak French at a B2 level in one year and a half.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When it comes to language learning, this is actually a reasonable timetable for most learners who have a life outside of French.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Remember: <strong>Learning French is a journey, not a destination<\/strong>. So enjoy it and the rest will follow!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It takes between 500 to 750 hours to be fluent in French. But how quickly you&#8217;ll pick up French also depends on several factors, specific to each student.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2725,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ub_ctt_via":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"default","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"table_tags":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/how-long-does-it-take-to-learn-french-e1635776776838.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Joanna","author_link":"https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/author\/joanna\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2626"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2626"}],"version-history":[{"count":58,"href":"https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2626\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2736,"href":"https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2626\/revisions\/2736"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2725"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2626"},{"taxonomy":"table_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frenchscope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/table_tags?post=2626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}