How long does it take to learn Spanish?

When you reach each level

Dreaming Spanish, a course built on listening and reading, measures progress in hours of input. The Foreign Service Institute counts classes and homework for full-time students. Both are estimates.

Know some common words

50 hours

Level 2 of the Dreaming Spanish roadmap, at about 300 known words.

Dreaming Spanish level 2

Follow topics adapted for learners

150 hours

Level 3, at about 1,500 known words.

Dreaming Spanish level 3

Understand someone speaking patiently

300 hours

Level 4, at about 3,000 known words.

Dreaming Spanish level 4

Understand native speakers at normal speed

600 hours

Level 5, at about 5,000 known words.

Dreaming Spanish level 5

Comfortable with daily conversation

1,000 hours

Level 6, at about 7,000 known words.

Dreaming Spanish level 6

Professional working proficiency

1,200 hours

The FSI’s 30 weeks of 23 class hours (690) and 17 hours of self-study (510).

FSI: 690 class hours and 510 of self-study

Use it for all practical purposes

1,500 hours

Level 7, the top of the roadmap, at 12,000 known words or more.

Dreaming Spanish level 7

What makes it faster or slower

• Languages you already know Dreaming Spanish says its hours are for speakers of European languages. Speakers of another Romance language, such as French or Italian, can roughly halve them, and people who know no related language need about twice as many.
• How you study The FSI’s full-time students do 23 hours of class and 17 hours of self-study a week. Input courses count hours of listening and reading instead.
• Ability and experience The FSI says the actual time varies with a learner’s natural ability, earlier language learning and time in the classroom.

Track your Spanish hours

Add Spanish to 10k with sub-activities such as Input, Speaking and Class. Every session adds to your total, a daily goal keeps you going, and 10k milestones at 50, 300 and 1,000 hours line up with Dreaming Spanish levels 2, 4 and 6.

Questions and answers

Is Spanish hard for English speakers?

It is one of the easiest. The FSI puts Spanish in Category I, the languages closest to English, with 30 weeks of training. Japanese, Korean, Arabic and Mandarin get 88 weeks.

Can I learn Spanish in 3 months?

Three months at two hours a day is about 180 hours. That is enough to follow Spanish adapted for learners, which Dreaming Spanish puts at 150 hours, but not to understand native speakers at normal speed, which it puts at 600.

How many hours a day should I study?

Any daily amount adds up, and the table shows how long each pace takes. The FSI’s full-time students put in about 40 hours a week.

Does watching Spanish TV count?

Input courses such as Dreaming Spanish count hours of watching and listening as their main measure. Classroom estimates like the FSI’s count classes and homework.

Sources

1. US Department of State, Foreign Language Training: FSI language learning timelines
2. Dreaming Spanish, progress levels
3. Dreaming, “The OG Immersion Method”, 2021

Related pages

• How long does it take to learn a language?

  Hours for every CEFR level, and how the FSI ranks languages.

• Daily goals

  Set a daily target and watch the progress bar fill as you practice.