Rosetta Stone estimates it will take about 40–50 hours to complete the content in each level. And, the company wouldn't have been able to survive for … How long does it REALLY take to learn Spanish? You can accurately communicate emotions and subtle shades of meaning. Of course, there is nothing wrong with trying to become fluent at a native level. Language learning is a dynamic and on-going process and will depend on how much time you choose to dedicate to your journey. Learning Spanish isn’t a walk in the park, but it is not nearly as difficult as the FSI is making it out to be. In my opinion that “sweet spot” is about 1 hour per day of learning time. Wrong. Select a 5-10 minute lesson and sneak it in while you wait in line or for your ride to show up. So if you want to learn Spanish for the real world, then you should devote as much time as possible to learning via real human interaction. You quit your job, fly off to Guatemala and enroll in an intensive 4-week Spanish course. Furthermore, they suggest an approximate 1:1 ratio between time spent in the classroom, and time spent studying independently (most people miss this part). However, progress is extremely slow and sometimes this can cause people to give up altogether. Many of our most successful learners retain what they've learned by repeating lessons and routinely using Extended Learning. Best-selling author and polyglot Tim Ferris puts it this way: “To understand 95% of a language and become conversationally fluent may require months of applied learning; to reach the 98% threshold could require 10 years. However, figures like the 1,200 hours quoted by FSI paints the goal of learning Spanish as a daunting, massive undertaking. In a 3-hour class, each student might only get 10 minutes of actual speaking practice. Frankly, most people are never going to reach “native-level fluency” because it takes exponentially more work to get there, and the added benefits of which may not be worth it. Surround yourself with Spanish (Latin America) whenever, wherever with the Rosetta Stone app. Even the most popular software and apps use this as a benchmark. It is part of our free guide on the Best Way to Learn Spanish for Beginners. When this happens, many people will end up blaming themselves. You’ll just need to make sure you get enough conversation practice via language exchanges or meetups, and be very disciplined about studying on your own. Everywhere you look, you’ll find answers to this question that are either unhelpful, exaggerated, or downright misleading. The problem is, the traditional classroom is one of the least effective ways to learn. One of the most important things for a beginner is to start learning Spanish with a positive, confident mindset. But first, we need to agree on the following: When you say you want to learn Spanish, then I assume you want to eventually become fluent. It will take a lot more time than if you were learning with a teacher, but it is still possible to become fluent within 1 year. The Rosetta Stone language programs lack verb conjucations. This assumes that you are taking lessons with a Spanish teacher at least 2 times per week, and spending the remaining time doing homework, and reviewing what you learned. There is a point of diminishing returns where, for most people, it makes more sense to acquire more languages (or other skills) vs. add a 1% improvement per 5 years.” – Tim Ferris. The more you practice, the sharper your language abilities will be! In contrast, if you’re taking part in 1-on-1 conversation practice, you’ll probably get to speak for 30 minutes of every hour. So how long does it take to learn Spanish? You study for 5 hours a day until your brain turns into mush. Now there’s nothing wrong with trying to learn Spanish for academic reasons, but there are many people who have passed a test, or have received a Spanish certification, but can’t actually speak Spanish with confidence. Let’s say you decide to go all-in on Spanish. Now, assuming you’re enrolled in a typical college Spanish class that runs 3-hours per week, that means it will take you 4-years to learn Spanish! For example, someone learning with Verbalicity might have a schedule that looks like this: This learning plan averages out to about 1 hour a day and should fit into anyone’s schedule, whether you’re a busy professional, or full-time student. This is a shame because in reality, it’s the program and the unrealistic expectations they’ve been fed that are to blame. On the other end of the spectrum, there are people who have been learning Spanish for years. On average, it takes approximately: 120 - 150 hours to complete the content in Levels 1-3. Your pronunciation is perfect. Most people waste a lot more time than they realize, and occupy themselves with “activities” that keep them busy but don’t accomplish what’s truly important to them. They’ve doing this for 3-4 years and are barely conversational. According to them, they’ve tried it and failed, and may even believe that they’re just not cut out for languages. If this sounds like too much of a commitment to you, then ask yourself, are you busy for the sake of being busy? Conversational fluency allows you to enjoy most of the benefits of knowing how to speak Spanish, like being able to travel with confidence to a Spanish-speaking country, communicating with a loved one, or using Spanish in a work setting.