How Long Does It Take to Learn English? A Realistic Answer

"How long will it take?" is the first question most learners ask. The honest answer is: it depends. But it depends on things you can understand and even control, and you can make a useful estimate.

What changes the answer

Your goal. Ordering food while travelling is much faster than studying at an English-language university.
Your first language. Some languages share many words with English, which makes the first levels easier.
How you practise. Listening, speaking and reading regularly beats long, rare sessions.
Your starting point. Most people know more English than they think.

The levels: A1 to C2

Teachers use the CEFR scale: A1 (beginner), A2 (elementary), B1 (intermediate), B2 (upper-intermediate), C1 (advanced) and C2 (proficient). At B1 you can handle most travel situations and talk about familiar topics. At B2 you can follow complex texts and talk fluently on many subjects. You can find your own level with the free level test.

A rough guide to the hours

Exam bodies such as Cambridge English often give an estimate of around 200 hours of study to move up one level, and they stress that it varies a lot from person to person. Treat it as a rough guide, not a promise. Spread out, that means:

20 minutes a day is about 120 hours in a year.
An hour a day is about 365 hours in a year.

So with a steady 20 minutes a day, one level may take a year and a half or more. With an hour a day it may take about half a year to a year. Small daily habits add up faster than most people expect.

What to do each day

Listen to short British English and type what you hear in dictation.
Learn a few new words by topic in the vocabulary topics.
Follow the lessons of the beginner path if you are at A1.
Say sentences aloud. Speaking only improves if you speak.

Keep going

Progress is not smooth. You will feel stuck, then suddenly understand something that confused you last month. Set a small goal you can keep every day, and measure your level again after a few months.

Find out where you are today. Take the free level test →

Frequently asked

How many hours does it take to move up one English level?

Exam bodies such as Cambridge English often suggest about 200 hours of study per level, but it varies a lot between learners, so use it only as a rough guide.

Is 20 minutes a day enough to learn English?

Yes, if you keep it up. Twenty minutes a day adds up to about 120 hours in a year, and regular short practice works better than rare long sessions.