To a lot of people, it does - but even if one holds another opinion on it, I think it would be very dangerous to call yourself fluent if there is a very obvious and large GAP between how you speak and understand the language and how a native speaker does. As a general rule of thumb I always maintain that it is not very humble and also kind of inviting challenges to it if you call yourself fluent in a second language - so it's best to just be humble and avoid calling YOURSELF fluent. I have studied Chinese for 14 or 15 years, I have lived in China, I have worked in China in an all-Chinese speaking office translating Chinese to English, my WIFE is Chinese and I have constant input from a native speaker and I STILL correct people when they say "he's fluent in Chinese" and I STILL say "I am careful about using that word" when someone asks me if I am. True test of fluency: have a blind conversation with a native speaker for an hour - they cannot see you, they do not know they might be introduced to a non-native speaker, and when told later that you were a non-native speaker they register shock and amazement that they really couldn't tell the whole time. That's my measurement. If you can be on the phone with someone for a while, meet them in person and they're shocked you're not, say, Chinese...THEN maybe you can call yourself fluent. But a 1 minute conversation is not enough for that. ;) Anyway I just personally think staying humble is the best policy. Even with English I literally learn new words all the time and I've spoken it my whole life. It's a lifelong process with any language and a native speaker will 99.99999999999999999999999999999999% of the time always have an edge on you.
@@kalevipoeg6916 the blindfold test works only if you have native-like pronunciation and I think someone with an accent (not too heavy, still needs to be understood well) can definitely be fluent and know the language almost perfectly (according to your definition). But then I'd just do a C2 test and that's it... People have many definitions of fluency, the only way to know is ask more in detail or talk with them in the language. But as long as they are at least conversational and have no problem talking about anything spontaneously, I wouldn't get mad if they use the word fluent. As long as the language "flows" effortlessly (and it's not just a few sentences) it can make sense, even if it's not perfect...
We can resume this video in one sentence: don't get obsessed with fluency. Take your time, relax and enjoy the journey when you learn a new language. Great video with lots of useful advice. Thanks!
You don't mean "resume" I can't think of the word but you mean "sum up," or something similar, to "resume" something is to restart something one was doing, like "They resumed the game after the storm passed."
@@YogaBlissDance He's probably thinking of another meaning of "resume", which is "a summary". I still have never seen the word be used as a verb, though.
Brilliant and accurate explanation. If you don't have any real emergency like having to go to that country in 3 months then don't put too much pressure on yourself. 3 months is enough to break the ice and nail the basics, after that, you have your whole Life to improve in that language.
Thank you for the video Luca. I actually attempted to learn Korean in 6 Months (B2 level), but you made me realize that this level is unattainable, which is a good thing. Language learning should never be a time to pressure ourselves, but rather a time to enjoy. It's not about how quickly we learn it, but more about the struggles and hardships which we encounter, like what I am currently going through with Korean. Now, my goal is to get A2 in Korean by the end of June. It definitely won't be an easy task since I don't live in South Korea and I have never learned an Asian language before, but it will be worth it again. Thanks again for the video.
Of course you can reach a B2 level within 6 months, but contrary to what some bs methods tell you, you would have to put like five+ hours into it every day.
@charlenobyle maybe not in Japanese, but if you already speak English and want to learn Spanish for example, of course that would be possible. If you studied the language every day for 5 hours, within six months, you would have accumulated a 900 hours total of studying. For a language like Spanish, that's more than enough to reach a solid B2, if not more. I've done it myself, lol.
@@mikereisert2803 6months for a language like spanish if you nolife it and already have experience with language learning, sure, it's possible. But if you take a language that is just a bit more difficult like French or German, then no, at least a year honestly. For east asian languages like Japanese or Korean, with an intensive 6months the best a top tier student could hope for is A2.
Love the content, Luca! Great question. Now I'll just throw a random joke below. -- Interviewer: How do you explain this 4 year gap on your resume? Me: That’s when I went to Yale. Interviewer: That’s impressive. You are hired. Me: Thanks. I really need this Yob. ---- If you understand that joke, your English is GREAT!
Finally a video about the subject that tackles it realistically, without trying to sell us the possibility of fluency in X amount of time (usually too little) just to gain subs. Great one, Luca!
Thank you for this encouraging but realistic portrayal of how long it really takes to learn a foreign language! I'm learning Jordanian Arabic as a native English speaker with work and a family. What I thought would take me 2 years I now realize will probably take me 4 due to the distance between Arabic and English and the amount of time that I can devote to it regularly. And I shouldn't compare my progress to someone who has 3+ hours to spend working on their language skills every day. This is liberating! Thank you for this helpful dose of realism! 😊
This makes me feel better about my very slow progress in Japanese (years into it). I only have about an hour to devote a day, so of course my progress is slow. Thank you:).
I study Spanish 1-2 hours a day. Gotta say, getting a tutor on Preply was the defining factor for me. Sped up my learning by 10x and will be the way I learn languages from now on. The key for me was to get a very patient teacher who teaches in the target language. Even from the beginning. You also have to like that Any other way isn’t as efficient imo
My definition of fluency is quite similar to Luca’s, but I think of “basic fluency” as B1. Basic fluency is totally achievable depending on the language combination. If you already speak a language that is similar enough for you to get the gist of things before you study the second language, then B1 is doable. For example, going from Spanish to Portuguese. Honestly, I am not a fan of the fluent in… trend. Learning does not have an absolute end. I have been a native speaker of English for 40 years and I still learn stuff. But, I generally agree with all of these ideas.
I speak 5 languages on C2 level and one on B2/C1 level and still studying. The B2 level is French, and have spent a year to get to this point, and am a really fast learner. It took me 8 months of 6-8 hour days, 5 days per week to say I finish B1 with a mock-up DELF test performed by a french professor. I received 67/100, far from perfect. Also, as per your video, I would also define B2 level as 'fluent' however you are still lacking vocabulary, written abilities and you won't understand everything. Let's call B2 baby-fluent, C1 - high school fluent and C2 fully fluent near educated native. So, basically it depends: you might not need higher levels or your own level in your own language is only B1 or B2, so if you reach the same thing in the other language you might think you are fluent, but B1 is maybe only 1/4 of the way and B2 is maybe 1/3. It gets harder as you go. The biggest gap is between B2 and C1 and you can get stuck in this zone for a long time. I wish all a good luck in their studies!
Out of pure interest based on the video topic, how long did it take you to get to a B2 level in the five C2 languages you have? Bravo too!! I am lucky enough to speak 5 but besides my native language, I have 2/3 at a C1 level and 1 at a B1/2. My initial motivation often drove me to B1 within 3-5 months, but as you say, the distance between each level becomes much longer after B1 and I think sometimes people underestimate a B2 level..
hi,😊 i’m working on learning english and knowing my way to acquire easier , that works for me. i wanted to say, i think you have to warm up your motivation because i know that takes so much times for being fluent. i’ve taken an english training for one year and i can say i’ve unfortunately been behind due to the non-seriousness and also the non-follow-up of the training , i’ve been motivated, i’ve been spending my days focus on english (videos,tv shows,podcasts,exercices,…), i passed A2 to B1 and still struggling with speaking skills. that’s how i got drop of motivation. a person has told me, it takes 3 months to get one level. is it true , i know it depends on what kinda person you are, and how you acquire the langue ( easily or harder). -can you tell me, how do you usually acquire your sentences (your own) maybe that can help me, i’m looking for my own way as well so i’m still. -do you go over your vocabularies,sentences? thank you so much for any tips 😊 🌸
The video I wish Luca made 8 years ago. I've watched dozens of amazing videos from Luca. Summarized they say the same thing but this video did such a good job at putting it all together in a way that makes sense to most people.
I completely agree with this. The breach between a B1 and B2 is vast. I got to something considered B1 in French in the pandemic in a period of 3-4 months, but that was because I already knew English (which borrows a lot of words from French), my native language is Spanish, and because I spent *at least* 3 hours everyday, dedicating them entirely on language learning. Of course I continued after that, I do not consider B1 a level where I would feel completely happy with any language in particular.
Yeah. Steven Kauffmann learned Mandarin in a year, but he studied as a full time job in a Chinese speaking area and immersed even outside his formal studies. To learn, all you need is to drown :P
I don't want to be fluent or to be able to speak, i just want to understand conversations in that language within 3 months, do you think it's possible? Pls reply me, I'm loosing my hope
I would tend to say it is impossible for most contexts, but for a person who has a lot of *free time* (thus very intense 90 days), is using *effective methods* and is learning a language of the *same family* (e.g. a Spaniard learning Portuguese), it could be done. The more experienced the learner is, the faster it can go, of course! 🙂
My definition slightly disagrees. For me, B2 is still "conversational" because that's also what describes your actual capabilities: you can converse about different topics but still do a lot of mistakes and regularly have to search for words (getting somewhat stuck), your language isn't really in a flow, thus you are not "fluent". For me, "fluency" starts with C1 when you actually are able to speak without "thinking" as your output just "flows" (even if you still do mistakes). For reference, I have a masters degree in languages (thus I'm aware of the actual definitions of the CEFR levels which most people aren't) and I consider myself fluent in three languages (native + 2 languages at C2), conversational in four (B1-B2), and having basic knowledge in two (A1-A2). If someone asks me how many languages I speak, I make the disclaimer that I consider "speaking" to be able to hold a decent conversation on most non-specialized topics, thus I speak seven (having had conversations in each of them that went on for at least an hour), discounting those were I only have basic knowledge. As for achieving B2 in three months. I'm not 100% sure, but there is ONE RU-vidr called (if I remember correctly) "Language Lords" who's convinced me to have reached a level that might be B2, BUT his learning schedule was super intense and not applicable for 99,9% of the people out there. He's worked 8h per day on his target language, and he had some prior experience. Otherwise, I agree with Luca that it's not really possible to achieve a B2 in three months outside of a language that is super close to your native language.
Hi Luca, native dutchy here. Love your video's they really help me through my personal journey of becoming a polyglot like you :). Although i like the video, i'd like to point out that if you wanted to say that you'd like to 'live somewhere' in dutch. You'd use the verb 'Wonen' in the context of your sentence. So this would make your example sentence that you made more like: 'Ik hoorde dat Amsterdam een fantastische stad is. Ik wil daar wonen'. Hope you appreciate my criticism and don't find me too much of an asshole. But would still like to say i am very impressed by your level of dutch and your pronounciation, just a small mistake of which i am sure a legend like you doesn't make often :)
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Thanks. I started Greek 6 months ago and even studying 3 hours a day I still cant understand native speakers for the most part. I know I need more vocab through for that. In 6 months im starting Finnish. Hoping I will be able to understand them much better by then.
Ottimo video come sempre, Luca! Domanda. Vado a Cipro in vacanza a metà Marzo, e mi piacerebbe diventare abbastanza sciolto in greco per chiedere direzioni, ordinare da mangiare, ecc. So che il greco cipriota è diverso dal greco in uso in Grecia, ma ho letto che i ciprioti imparano quest'ultimo a scuola. Alla luce di quanto dici nel video, e dedicandoci una o due ore al giorno, ho qualche possibilità di raggiungere il livello A2? Se sì, hai consigli sul materiale da usare? Per ora sto usando Duolingo e Clozemaster. Grazie!
Ciao e grazie per la domanda! Beh, in 3 mesi con 2 ore al giorno ci puoi arrivare. Ti consiglio di usare: 1. ASSIMIL greco 2. super Easy Greek (RU-vid Ah, e anche questa serie di podcast con trascrizione: tunein.com/podcasts/Education-Podcasts/Learning-Greek-Podcasts-from-the-Hellenic-American-p1132848/ Sono gratis! 😄 L
The US Foreign Service has done a lot of research on language acquisition. They do have 'hours' to reach a 'level', although the levels are the IRL levels (0-5), and it is worth noting that '3' is "Professional Working Proficiency" which is (roughly) equivalent to C2 on CEFR and 'superior'/'distinguished' on the ACTFL scale. I also notice that Asian languages (at least Chinese and Japanese and Korean) have yet another scale (or scales? I have to admit my ignorance). Note - the IRL level 3 is sometimes a difficult enough test that native speakers may not pass it - remember, it is for diplomats, and there are some vocabulary requirements that most people will not need nor want in their use of language (unless high-level discussions of multilateral trade deals is something you regularly discuss over dinner...) In any case - they have the (average) number of hours (of instruction - there is homework too, time on that is not counted, I don't think) to reach the various IRL levels for languages in different 'categories' (based on difficulty for monolingual Enlgish speakers). A B-2 level can generally be reached in 400-600 hours - typically 20 hours per week, so 20-30 weeks or 5-8 months (except for the most difficult languages - Arabic, Japanese, Korean, etc.) B-1 in say 200-350 hours (10-18 weeks or 2 1/2 to 4 1/2 months). (Note - these are rough estimates of already rough averages based on a conversion from IRL to ACTFL and then from ACTFL to CEFR, so maybe take them with a grain of salt, but I did the best I could with the resources I could find that were publicly available). Your video is good, but you kind of skip over the reading and writing skills (which seem to be ignored in a lot of the 'fluent in 3 months' videos too). And I think those skills are vital to make progress, because there is so much more input and resources available if you can also read the language. You could (and I think you said) make an entire video about 'fluency' and what it might mean, as well as the various dimensions of 'knowing' a language.
Thanks a lot for this, my goal at the moment is A2 by end Feb and leave it at that, but it's suggested to me that perhaps I should at that as on a continuum on my way to B1. I appreciate your metric based approach to what fluency may be.
I think most people who claim is possible to learn very fast, they are actually talking about conversational fluency. Which is fine! I think that's a great goal to have, because being able to understand and talk with native speakers is very rewarding, and it's what most people would like to achieve. Also from that level it's easier to find sustainable long-term ways to improve. Because it get much easier to consume content made for native speakers like series, music, podcasts, books, etc. it gets more fun and much easier to immerse yourself in the language, and then slowly is possible to reach a higher level of fluency.
Great information. What I like best is this idea about language learning becomes more easy when you "master" your first new one, it all builds one upon the other. Thank you, Luca
I sincerely believe this is possible and I am willing to prove it one day.😅 Especially if you're learning language that is similar to languages you already speak. I have never wanted to become fluent so fast. But it really seems like a challenge. 😁 Grazie mille per video, Luca👏🏻
I,m currently learning italian i have zero language experience.i have set myself a realistic goal, if i can get from A1 to B1 in 2 years i will be very happy. I have probably wasted more time trying to find structured resources but hey ho!! I will get there😀
I think the origin of the 'myth' of Fluent in Three months is in part based on Benny Lewis' original blog which used that as a name. Though he himself didn't think of it as something that could be done... but a challenge he tasked himself with to try. Travel to a country with a language he did not know and attempt to learn it well enough in three months. He became very knowledgeable in various languages, and his version of fluency was if he could talk in the language with regular people he interacted with. Sometimes he accomplished it according to his understanding of the qualifiers he set up for the challenge, but not always... Myself, just looking at only one other language other than my birth tongue and I have been working at it for a couple of years. I could say that I am A2, and I am fine with the slower progress I make on learning. I am looking at maybe a year or two more to get to B2 (my main goal), but I am not in a rush. Consistency is the most important part of the learning process I think.
I think that Benny does a great job at encouraging people to get out there and use their target language. There is a lot of merit in what he does. Everyone is different, everyone has different goals, life circumstances, a different learning style and methodology, time to dedicate to language learning, etc. And as you said, consistency is one of the most important factors in language learning. Thanks for sharing!
@@LucaLampariello Yes, it depends on your goals. Benny's method is good to become conversational if you just plan on visiting a country or want to communicate with people in the target language. The downside is that you'll most likely fossilize your mistakes which will make it much harder to get rid off later. I you want to achieve high fluency with mainly "correct" language, I think MattvsJapan's input first (for quite a long time) before starting to speak method is better suited.
I'm an arabian native i can speak english and i set a goal to myself to achieve intermediate 1 in russian at lingq which probably means B1 it sounds logical for me I'm really confused about my english level but i can understand contest in english pretty well For example this video, i got all of what you said sur also translated about 5words such as vastly and concrete
I agree with you that there are people who claim to be at a B2 level but are not even at an A1 level. And if by "fluent" we mean that one can make themselves understood, then one with a few gestures can make themselves understood even without knowing the language. And as a Neapolitan, I would be a hyperpolyglot. In addition, B1 is only the beginning; it is the "tourist" level. To speak a language decently, in my opinion, it takes at least ten times the time it takes to reach B1, and it is essential to really or virtually immerse oneself in the culture where the language is spoken. As you emphasize in many of your videos, the essential point is always the same: "the why", the motivation. Is it worth investing so much time in our short life to learn a language?
If you are in the country of the language and constantly surrounded with people you are consistently conversing with all the time and the language is extremely close to a language you are already fluent in and you are already a polyglot and talented at languages, you can potentially get fluent in an extremely short time, days even. If you are trying to learn from home, with limited time and resources and it's a language totally different from the ones you know, you might not ever reach fluency at all, even if you are a talented polyglot.
Hi Luca! I've been wanting to start studying german for a while now. Whilst my first language is italian, I am also fluent in english (my certified level with the IELTS test is between a C1 and a C2) and I was wondering if i should try to learn german trough italian or german, because I used to be learning it in middle school in italian (like six years ago) but I've totally forgot it and I also know english is a germanic language just like german. What are your thoughts on this?
I have a personal liking for Steve Kaufman but... once I said that, my view is that whatever language he speaks, it comes down to SK speaking different languages to a greater or lesser degree. Luca's case is completely different: when he speaks Spanish he becomes Francisco García, when he speaks French, Marcel Dupont, German, Marcus Weber... and so on and I suppose that's what challenges Luca: he takes enormous pleasure in playing up to 14 different characters, kind of actor playing different roles and hence he speaks at full speed with basically no mistakes nor accent.
Thanks for the kind words! But why compare? Steve is a great guy and a great polyglot and he is sharing wonderful advice on the art and science of language learning, and that's what counts.
Merci Luca. Je suis brésilienne et je crois que je peux atteindre le niveau B1 en spagnol en 3 mois mais je me demande pourquoi les gens veulent apprendre une langue aussi vite? J’aime le processus d’étudier et d’apprendre en plus , apprendre une langue implique aussi d’apprendre les aspects culturels de cette langue ou du pays. So I wanna have fun learning new languages and cultures.
That's because your mother tongue is by far the most similar language to Spanish there is. Yo he estudiado español en la universidad como traductor e intérprete durante 5 años y ahora trabajo como profesor de este idioma en un instituto. Sin haber estudiado francés en mi vida, he sido capaz de entender tu mensaje. There can be no answer to a flawed question. Tell me, can you learn how to play the guitar in 3 months? If you already play 5 other instruments, perhaps. If you have X hours of free time every day to practice it, of course. So, Luca is of course right, however the fact remains that the question is (almost) meaningless.
Certains parce qu'ils n'aiment pas les phases initiales de l'apprentissage d'une langue, donc cherchent à s'en débarrasser aussi vite que possible. D'autres tout simplement parce qu'ils ont une échéance. Par exemple si leur travail ou leurs études les amène à déménager à l'étranger en ne leur laissant que peu de temps pour se préparer.
Salut! ""Je me demande pourquoi les gens veulent apprendre une langue aussi vite? J’aime le processus d’étudier et d’apprendre". Excellent! Je crois que le secret c'est de tomber amoureux du PROCESSUS d'apprentissage. Quand les gens me demandent pourquoi j'apprends toutes ces langues ma réponse est "parce j'adore apprendre". 🥰
It took me 1.5 years to gain a B1 B2 level in french despite my hard work: RU-vid videos Podcasts French news Also have s conversation partner Take classes via zoom No one can learn s new language without putting in lots of work. English native Spanish B2 - C1 French B1 - B2 Portugueses A2
You brought up a good point about the current MEGA exaggerated claims. I remember like 6 years ago when the Benny Lewis claims of Fluent in 3 months seemed absurd to the linguistic community and was a controversial and now you got all these people claiming insane stuff like Fluent in 30 days!!!?! Things have gone bonkers and click bait crap has gotten out of control! That XiaoMa guy has perpetuated a lot of that crap, with 5.4 million followers and him constantly putting out videos claiming to be able to "speak a language" after a week.
Very interesting points and tips. I ‘m trying to learn Korean with Chinese and basic Japanese background. Let’s see how long it will take with busy work and family life.
He estado estudiando español por 14 años y todavía no sé si puedo decir que tengo fluidez o no. Como nos has dicho, todo depende en la definición aceptas. Gracias por este video. Muy útil.
For me it took a long time for the intonation of French to click, after that comprehension of spoken French became much easier, though films are still a challenge to put it mildly. Now I can follow speech, learning is much faster. In three months of intensive study from scratch, I would not have reached B1, and comprehension would be poor. With German on the other hand the words are easier to recognise, as the intonation is stress timed as per English, and the language does not have ‘enchainement’. Yes the grammar is a pain, but being able to hear words makes a big difference. They say that children become fluent when immersed in a language in six months. Of course their vocabulary will be simplified, with few words relating to politics, car mechanics, work and so on. Adults usually have little free time, an hour a day maybe, so that’s more like four years at least to reach fluency, assuming equal ability to a child. And state of mind makes a huge difference. A stressed adult surrounded by work and family chores won’t learn much, a relaxed child playing with friends will soak up the language like a sponge.
I believe you can become fluent or somewhat fluent in a relatively easy language in about a year if you're very dedicated. But three months? It's only possible if you have very low standards of what fluency means, are experienced at language learning, its a close language to your native one, and you spend basically all of your time on it. Especially the first part of low standards to claim "fluency". And so what if it takes longer than three months? Fluency in a year is already fast.
When Luca uploads a new video 🥳 Unless you get very lucky where new language is very very similar to yours, like Ukrainian vs Russia, Spanish vs Portuguese etc, and you can spend like 3 hours per day. Its possible to reach fluency in new language in such short time. But in 99% cases, its just not possible, 3 months is very short time.
Hi lucas I admire you.I have a question I am at B1 almost B2 in spanish ,can I start french only for 30 minutes a day .Please advice .I also apreciate advice from any body with experience
I'm not sure of the distance between the language I'm trying to learn and english but I would guess it's around middle ish different lol I live where it's spoken. Three people I live with are fluent but they don't like to talk to me or other non-speakers in said language. just part of the culture. but I will spend as much time on task as I can. lack of resources is a big issue for me too.. hopefully I can update on this comment that i have broken into fluency sometime in the future 😅
My perfect plan to learn a language within one year fast would be learning as much as I can in 6 months and after that I would spend more 6 months in the country we my target language is spoken. It's not a method approachable to everybody but dreaming doesn't kill
I m not expert in languages,but through my short experience in 3 lannguages, i think if you can spend more than 7hours per day learning (correctly)a new language ,you will have more chance to learn quickly . In other words, studying 240 hours per month is better than studying 240 hours per two month. Because in the first case You memory is strongly focused on one thing, and it can t be distracted by other daily activities.
Luca, thanks for your comments about learning languages. I am Spanish speaker and currently I have been working on reaching C1 level in English. In addition, I learned Brazilian portuguese some years ago, but for some circumstances I abandoned my learning portuguese process despite I reached B2 level. What is your advice to get back to portuguese?
Depending on the language you are learning and a number of other factors (distance between your target language and native language, your background in learning languages, your chances of using the language in real-life etc), I would say that a more realistic time frame to move from A2 to B2 ranges from 12 months for "close languages to 18-24 months for distance languages.
Thank you for this interesting video. Can you share with us you'r step by step methode from scratch to the b2 level? I'm Dutch and learning English for a year. I"m learning generally an hour a day.
I'm Brazilian and I'm having a lot of problems learning Spanish because the words are very similar. I never know if I'm speaking Portuguese or Spanish. Probably ''portunhol''. I applied a lot of input, I can understand almost everything but I can't speak. Do you have some advice ? Thank you
Just speak! Don't worry if it comes out portunhol. I've used "cuchara" in a Portuguese sentence and was understood. I still use some French words in Spanish; in particular, I say "logicial" instead of "software", even though my first language is English, because the English word sounds more foreign to me in Spanish. Or I say "vepecista", because the acronym VPC makes equally good sense in Spanish (vender por correspondencia) as in French.
I've been studying English for 6 years. And I still not satisfied with my current level. Seeing people anxious to learn a language is merely 3 months amuses me. There's no magic tricks. It's a life choice. With life long challenges and pleasures.
Now for the real challenge: is it possible to get to a B1 in 3 months in Arabic if starting at A1-A2, whilst also striving for a B1 in Russian if all you know is the Cyrillic alphabet?
A questo punto sarebbe interessante capire quante ore, in base allo spettro di apprendimento degli studenti, si necessita per arrivare ad essere fluenti. Grazie Luca per il video. Eccezionale, come sempre.
Wish all weebs would watch this video before starting to learn Japanese since they wouldn't end of wasting 3 months only to give up after that but still say they have been learning for year, great video with great advice that few will follow
I have been studying four for three years; one for two and a half and another for a year and a half…I would say I could be spoken fluent in three (Spanish, Portuguese and German) in three months of total submersion. I can read fluently in Spanish, French and Portuguese but am very close in Italian. I think I will be able to read fluently in Russian in 6 more months. Die Deutscher Wortschatz ist sehr schwierig 😂 und ich denke das es schwierig ist als Russische
I feel weird about term 'fluency' or native like fluency. I'm native bilingual, yet I've been living in a different foreign country since I was 17. Only language I'm able to converse in like a grown adult is in my third, non-native language. Am I not fluent in both of my native languages compared to my third non-native one?
I have to say that I found this rather disheartening. A native English speaker, I've been learning Spanish for almost two years now. I would say that I am perhaps just a little beyond the A2 level. I'm particularly disappointed for number of reasons. I learned Dutch to a fairly decent level some years ago. As a result of that I have a much better grasp of grammar concepts than most people. I've put a lot of time and effort into learning Spanish; rarely a day's gone by when I haven't studied Spanish. I am I believe, fairly intelligent and gifted with a good memory. So, I would say that, unless you're in the country where you're target language is spoken and very few people speak your native language OR you're fortunate enough to be be able to attend an intensive 8 hour per day training course plus "homework" for an extended period such as is employed to get diplomats up to speed, attaining B1 fluency in three months is a pipe dream. That is of course unless you're a genius and there aren't many of those about.
I have had the same experience with learning Greek as a Romanian native speaker (fluent in English). I spent 2 long years for reaching A2 level by putting in a lot of effort. However, the 3rd year- in the pandemic- I found a native teacher online with a different method and that improved the speed and increased the pleasure with which I was learning. As you say, any classmate of mine who can spend time with relatives in the native language country or has a spouse who is Greek has a clear advantage compared with the rest. I guess most of the language learners hope to achieve fluency as fast as possible, however for normal learners 4-5 years is the average time horizon needed to get to B1/B2 level, depending on the time invested in learning, plus the factors mentioned in the video. The good news is that with each passing year learning becomes easier and more enjoyable, you immerse yourself in more cultural aspects and have lots of aha moments.
Are you learning on your own? That would be very difficult, I think in order to effectively study on you own, you should learn with an instructor until you reach B1 level.
Only person I heard of that reached B2 in a language in 3 months is Richard Simcott when he learned German. He did 8 hours a day and he is superhuman so us humans need to do 14 hours per day.
My son is 13 and has been studying English for the past 7 years, yet the book claims he should be at A2 by the end of the year - a rather optimistic prediction - his current level and that of his peers is less than A1. IMO the Berkley book series is too difficult and theoretical for their level, and the teacher's scolding has created an emotional block in the boy. Luca, you're one of the world's foremost authorities in language learning and a celebrity, help the Italian school out here! Reaching B1 in three months seems like an extraordinary result to me.
