How Long Does It Take To Learn A Language?

If you're wondering – how long does it take to learn a language? – this is for you!

You've probably seen the famous Foreign Service Institute (FSI) difficulty chart floating around the internet. It crams dozens of languages into a handful of difficulty levels, all based on how many classroom hours an English speaker would need.

But here's the thing – that chart assumes we're all starting from the same place, that all we know is English and nothing else. And last time I checked, none of us have time to sit in a classroom for 2,200 hours!

The real question isn't which languages are easy or hard in general terms. It's which languages are easy or hard for you, based on the languages you already speak.

So, I created the StoryLearning Language Difficulty Chart to rank major languages by difficulty and show hidden similarities between connected languages.

I'm going to walk you through all nine tiers, from the easiest to the hardest, so you can plan your next language and know exactly what you're getting into.

By the way, if you prefer watching videos to reading, hit play on the video version of this post at the top of the page. Otherwise keep scrolling to find out – how long does it take to learn a language?

Tier 1: 6 Months

Languages: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Afrikaans, Romanian, German

Tier 1 is where you want to be if you want to learn a language fast.

These languages are super close to English – same alphabet, loads of words you already know, and grammar that doesn't twist your brain into knots. You'll be making sentences in no time, from “I love pizza” to “leave me alone.”

We're talking Romance languages (French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian), Germanic languages (German, Dutch, Afrikaans), and the Nordic family (Swedish, Norwegian, Danish).

The key word here is familiarity. To learn one of these, you're not going to have to learn entirely new concepts. It's all pretty familiar territory.

Pronunciation is usually quite straightforward, with the occasional curveball from languages like French or Danish. And if you take Spanish, for example, you already know a ton of words because of shared roots – words like animal, tropical, chocolate, fantastic. In Spanish, they're virtually identical.

The grammar can get a bit tricky with some languages, especially German, but the rules are usually pretty clear without too much guesswork.

Now, you might be wondering – what about German? In the old FSI chart, German had its own category. But really, it belongs here with the other Germanic languages.

Yes, it has more complicated cases and some quirky grammar, but at its core, words like Wasser (water) and Mutter (mother) are close to English, and sentences go subject-verb-object, just like English. It's trickier than Spanish, but it's still very much in the family.

With these languages, assuming an hour a day of study and a bunch of extra exposure through listening, reading, or watching TV, you can easily reach a solid conversational level in about 6 months. I did this myself in Italian in 3 months, and I learned French in about 6 months while living in Paris.

That experience gave me the confidence to know that a monolingual British kid can learn another language. And that confidence is key. It's why studying with a good method and putting yourself in the right environment matters so much.

If you've never learned a language before, any of these make a perfect starting point.

Tier 2: 12 Months

Languages: Tagalog, Indonesian, Malaysian, Swahili, Irish, Welsh

Tier 2 still uses the same alphabet as English. And this matters, because learning a new script adds a meaningful level of difficulty – it's something your brain has to wrap its head around, and it takes time to get used to. So at first, these languages will feel right at home.

But get ready. Things are about to get weird – in the best way.

In Tagalog, the verb crashes through the front door first and the rest of the sentence scrambles to keep up. You have to say things like “ate I yesterday” and “walked we in the rain.” It's kind of Yoda-esque – there's always a bit of a plot twist in one of these sentences.

Indonesian and Malaysian are incredibly beginner-friendly. There are no verb endings, no tricky tenses, and you say things exactly the way they're spelled. Bahasa Indonesia even shares some words like fantasi (fantasy) or kosmik (cosmic) with English, thanks to Dutch colonisation.

And here's something fun: Indonesian doesn't have plurals. Instead, you just repeat the word. So if anak is “child,” to get “children” you say anak-anak. What's not to love?

Swahili sounds beautiful and the words are easy to say, but it comes with what I'd call a dress code. Every noun belongs to a category based on what kind of thing it is – is it living or nonliving? Then it gets a special prefix or suffix.

The word for “child” begins with an m because it's in the people category. People words start with m. And there's more than one? They start with w. It's a huge feature in African languages.

Then there's Irish and Welsh. Old, beautiful, magical – and the spelling? Let's just say don't trust your instincts. These two will test you, but they've got a loyal fan base for a reason.

In this tier, you'll start speaking quite early on, but the sentence patterns are less predictable, which requires you to rewire your brain a little bit.

With that said, you tend to get used to it quite quickly. These are fun, different languages – and totally learnable in about 12 months.

Tier 3: 18 Months

Languages: Polish, Czech, Slovak, Latvian, Lithuanian, Greek, Icelandic

Tier 3 is where grammar starts to get poetic and a little bit chaotic.

These languages might look familiar – same alphabet, more or less – but grammar-wise, you're now well and truly in the deep end, because this is where cases really take over.

Cases are where you stick extra bits onto a word and suddenly it means something else. Meet the Slavic trio: Polish, Czech, and Slovak. These languages will have you memorising word endings you never knew existed.

Latvian and Lithuanian fly under the radar, but they've got some of the oldest grammar systems in Europe. You'll see words changing in ways your brain has never encountered before.

Icelandic is in this tier too, and it's barely changed since the Vikings used it, which makes it beautiful and epic sounding – but also way harder than the other Nordic languages.

And then there's Greek, the first language on this list with a completely different alphabet. But don't panic – it's one of the easiest scripts to learn. What takes a bit longer is how the verbs change depending on who's speaking, when it happened, and even how polite you want to be.

Here's something that matters: if you already speak Norwegian, Swedish, or Danish, those Viking roots will give you a small head start in Icelandic.

And if you've studied a Romance language, you'll spot a ton of familiar vocabulary in Greek thanks to shared classical roots. This is exactly the kind of connection that the traditional difficulty charts miss.

Progress in Tier 3 can feel slow at first, but you'll get good at spotting patterns and memorising endings eventually. Once it clicks, it's incredibly satisfying – it really is a new world. In 18 months, you could be telling your own short stories in Greek or holding your own in Polish.

Tier 4: 2 Years

Languages: Russian, Bulgarian, Macedonian

Tier 4 turns up the heat. You're still dealing with tricky grammar, but now the script has changed too.

Enter Cyrillic. It looks like Greek after one too many vodkas, but it's actually not hard to learn – you'll get it in about a week. The grammar, however, is less forgiving.

In Russian, the stress – the part of the word you say louder – can move around unpredictably. The problem? They don't write it down. You never know where it is, so you've got to train your ear. Listen to native speakers every day, every single day, and you'll eventually get there.

Oh, and Russian has a serious case of the cases – one word can get six different endings depending on its role in the sentence.

Bulgarian and Macedonian are a little easier than Russian in one way – no cases! But then the verbs come in swinging.

In these languages, when you describe what happened, you also have to indicate how you know it happened. Did you see it? Did you hear about it? Are you just assuming? It's a wild feature that's rare in most languages.

Here's a hidden shortcut: Russian and Polish use different scripts, so there isn't obviously a connection. But they're actually like cousins – the two languages share a lot of vocabulary and the grammar works in similar ways.

So if you know Russian, learning Polish becomes way easier than you'd think. And it works the other way around, too.

Tier 4 makes you work, no doubt about it. This is where languages start hiding clues in plain sight. But 2 years in, your brain will be rewired – and it's worth every moment.

Tier 5: 2.5

Languages: Hungarian, Finnish, Estonian, Turkish, Vietnamese, Azerbaijani

These languages look innocent enough. They use the same alphabet as English, the spelling is clean, and there aren't any strange symbols to learn.

Don't be fooled. The grammar in this group means business. And that's why it's in this tier rather than one before it.

Let's start with the big one: Hungarian. Hungarian grammar is a bit like a word that swallowed an entire sentence and refuses to spit it back out again. It's famous for having 18 different cases – and that's just for one word.

Finnish and Estonian? Same vibe. Long words, no mercy.

Turkish is lovely, but sneaky. One word can grow into an entire sentence if you're not watching it.

And then there's Vietnamese, the wild card. It has a unique rhythm you don't get anywhere else, and it's the last language on this list that uses an alphabet you recognise.

However, it introduces a major new challenge: tones. Every rise, fall, or curve in your voice changes the meaning completely. For English speakers, this is completely unfamiliar and really easy to mess up. Luckily, Vietnamese words are mostly short.

Here's a connection worth knowing: Turkish and Azerbaijani have a huge amount in common – similar words, grammar, and pronunciation. In fact, a speaker of one language can generally understand the other. So if you know one, you've got a massive head start on the other.

Tier 5 languages have lots of rules and take time to crack, but they're logical and regular. You're looking at 2 and a half years at least of consistent study to reach a good level. And of course, if you already know one of these languages, the whole journey gets a lot shorter.

Tier 6: 3 Years

Languages: Farsi, Urdu, Hindi, Georgian, Armenian, Telugu, Mongolian

Tier 6 is where the script walks out, slams the door in your face, and says, “You're on your own, buddy.”

You're not just learning the language anymore – you're learning to read from scratch.

Let's start with Farsi. They write from right to left, and most of the vowels aren't even written down. So when you see a word, you've got to guess how it sounds based on the context or from having heard it before.

Urdu looks similar to Farsi, but it shape-shifts – the letters change depending on where they sit in a word. Start, middle, end? Different shapes every time.

Hindi is the opposite in one sense – it goes left to right, and the alphabet (Devanagari) is beautifully logical. Learn the 47 symbols and you can pronounce anything.

But don't relax too soon. The grammar punches you in the face. You'll need different politeness words, different word endings for masculine and feminine, and you'll even have to flip the order of words in a sentence.

Then we've got the real curveballs: Georgian, Armenian, and Telugu. Each has its own unique script – some round and looping, some tall and vertical. Mongolian even gives you two options, because they also write in Cyrillic.

Tier 6 is where letters get weird, but also wonderful. Grammar is layered, sneaky, and maybe just a little too polite for its own good. Plan for 3 years to be able to read, write, and speak with confidence.

Tier 7: 3.5 Years

Languages: Korean, Hebrew, Thai, Lao, Khmer

Tier 7 languages don't just feel different – they look like they came from another planet.

Korean will give you Hangul. If NASA designed a writing system, it might look a little bit like this. The script is so clever – it was invented quite recently to be easy, and you could genuinely learn it in a day.

But Korean is in Tier 7 for a reason. It has serious politeness levels. You can't just say “thank you” – you have to choose from different ways depending on the person's age, status, and your relationship with them. Get it wrong and you're being rude or weird.

Also, Korean verbs stack: a single long verb train in Korean might take five words to say in English.

Hebrew writes from right to left and skips most of the vowels, and it brings you something entirely new – roots and patterns. Most words start with a three-letter root, and you change the pattern around it to get related words. It's pretty cool once you get the hang of it.

Thai (which I learned in 2 weeks and then forgot!), Lao, and Khmer throw you off in completely different ways. The scripts are long and twisty, and there are no spaces between words, so reading feels like a race through a dense jungle.

You can't brute-force your way through a Tier 7 language. What really helps is rhythm and repetition – watching or reading the same short story again and again until your brain starts spotting the patterns.

At this level, you learn by spending so much time with the language that your brain gets used to it, rather than trying to learn everything in a logical, step-by-step way.

Give it 3 and a half years and you'll blow your own mind.If you're looking for storybooks to help you learn in these languages, I have plenty right here.

Tier 8: 4 Years

Languages: Arabic, Tibetan, Burmese

Tier 8 languages look amazing on paper, sound incredible, and then absolutely steamroll your brain.

Arabic is a grammar jungle. Same writing concept as Hebrew, except the version you write is not the one people speak. Everyone speaks in dialects. When I lived in Cairo, I learned the most useful dialect – Egyptian Arabic – so I know it's absolutely possible.

Here's a fascinating connection: Arabic and Swahili have a huge number of words in common. Back in the day, when Arab traders arrived in East Africa, they used Swahili as a language of trade. Swahili was even first written in the Arabic script.

So if you know Arabic, you can quickly understand a huge number of Swahili words. They're completely different languages with different scripts, but the vocabulary overlap is real.

Tibetan drops you into another dimension. The script is gorgeous, but what you see is not what people say – the pronunciation is wildly unpredictable.

Burmese? That's where the alphabet goes on some kind of excursion and never comes back. Circular script, stacked letters, tones, no spaces between words, and grammar that feels totally alien if you speak English.

These aren't the kind of languages you dip your toe into. You jump in and build the parachute on the way down. But 4 years in, you're not just surviving – you're speaking, reading, and thinking in a stunning language that most people won't even try.

Tier 9: 4.5 Years

Languages: Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, Japanese

If you're willing to climb Everest, you've got the guts to tackle one of these.

Tier 9 is the hardest tier for English speakers – and it earns that title.

Mandarin Chinese doesn't just have tones – it runs on them. There are four, and one syllable can mean completely different things depending on how you say it. One tone slip and you've said “history” instead of “teacher.”

Then there are the characters: you'll need about 2,500 to read fluently, but you don't need thousands to start. They're surprisingly logical and, honestly, kind of fun – at least at the beginning.

Cantonese cranks everything up to eleven with six to nine tones (depending on who you ask) and lightning-fast spoken speed. Even Mandarin speakers struggle to wrap their heads around Cantonese.

And then there's the one that everyone falls in love with – Japanese. Three writing systems, thousands of characters (just like Mandarin, but used differently), and a way of thinking that requires you to become a different person, essentially.

Each sentence feels like it was engineered to confuse you, defined as much by what isn't said as what is. And the cultural element runs deep.

What I've found from learning Arabic, Cantonese, and Japanese myself is that the mindset for these languages is really one of its own. There's a vesting period – a time where you've just got to get used to the language.

You can't force it. You can't study your way through it. You've got to expose yourself to the language for so long that your brain starts to rewire itself. You've got to allow that period to take place, and then the real learning starts.

These languages are legitimately no walk in the park. But they are, without question, the most rewarding. Expect 4 to 5 years of consistent study to begin to feel like you truly speak one of these languages.

The Hidden Shortcut: Connected Languages

Here's something the traditional difficulty charts completely ignore: the language you already know determines how difficult the next language will be. And this is a legitimate cheat code.

Throughout this post, I've dropped hints about how certain languages are secretly connected. Russian and Polish look totally different on paper – different scripts, different-looking words – but they share a ton of vocabulary and their grammar works in similar ways.

Turkish and Azerbaijani are so close that speakers of one can generally understand the other. Arabic and Swahili share hundreds of words from centuries of trade, despite being completely different in almost every other way.

These connections aren't obvious from the outside. But they matter, because they mean that your second (or third, or fourth) language might be much easier than you'd expect – if you choose wisely.

That's exactly why I created the StoryLearning Language Difficulty Chart. It doesn't just rank languages by difficulty. It maps out the hidden connections between them, so you can see the shortcuts available to you based on the languages you already know.

You can download the chart for free – it's part of my StoryLearning Fluency Blueprint. Simply create an account, log in, scroll down to bonuses, and you'll find the chart waiting for you.

FAQ How Long Does It Take To Learn A Language?

How Long Does It Take To Learn A New Language?

So, how long does it take to learn a new language? The honest answer: it depends.

It depends on the language, obviously – a Tier 1 language like Spanish could take about 6 months, while Japanese might take 4 to 5 years.

But it also depends on something most people overlook: what languages you already know, and how those connect to the language you want to learn.

In every case, it takes serious motivation, dedication, and the right method to get fluent. That doesn't change regardless of the tier.

Speaking of method, if you're looking for a fresh approach to language learning where you learn through stories, not rules, then StoryLearning can help. Find out more and claim your free 7-day trial of the course of your choice.

Olly Richards

Creator of the StoryLearning® Method

Olly Richards is a renowned polyglot and language learning expert with over 15 years of experience teaching millions through his innovative StoryLearning® method. He is the creator of StoryLearning, one of the world's largest language learning blogs with 500,000+ monthly readers.

Olly has authored 30+ language learning books and courses, including the bestselling "Short Stories" series published by Teach Yourself.

When not developing new teaching methods, Richards practices what he preaches—he speaks 8 languages fluently and continues learning new ones through his own methodology.