How Long Does it Take to Learn a Language?

How long does it take to learn a language? It depends on what you want to learn to do with the language and how fluent you want to be. People often say that children pick up languages very easily; however, although children might be able to communicate on a playground or in a classroom, they are not able to read or write complex text or give formal speeches in perfect English. They also don’t have the same responsibilities that adults do. People often have higher expectations of what passes for fluency of adults than they do of children. People forget that adults have study skills that can help them learn a language to help them reach their goals.. Fluency is, in part, a matter of frequent practice over time.

Learning a language is different from speaking it. Most adult Japanese people I know learned English in junior high school, but prefer to use email than talk on the phone. (This also seems to be a trend with young people in the United States, but that is a different matter.) Many Japanese did not have much practice speaking the English language, but can write quite well and can understand much of the written word. In this case, they have learned the English language, but need more speaking practice.

Tests of English proficiency can give instructors a general idea of the ability levels of their student. No one assessment can give a 100% accurate picture of what a student can or cannot do. Our free English assessment includes, grammar, reading, writing, listening, and speaking. We also provide the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) that has more of a focus on business English. Contact us about your goals for learning English and we can help you.