How long does it ACTUALLY take to learn a language to fluency?

Seriously, stop asking this question... and ask these questions instead!
30% OFF LINGODA: try.lingoda.com/May_ElysseSpeaks
0:00 A question that I DREAD...
1:01 Learn languages anywhere with Lingoda!
2:45 This question makes no sense
3:12 You're never "done" learning a language.
3:48 Learning isn't linear, it fluctuates.
4:21 X time doesn't equal X progress.
4:55 We weaponize time against ourselves.
5:50 Instead of time, consider EFFORT and CONSISTENCY
6:35 There ARE good time-based questions!
7:11 There is no one number.
7:35 like subscribe yaddayadda
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💌 about me: my name is Elysse, I'm 22 years old from the southern U.S. I've been learning languages for about 8 years, and I speak English (native), Spanish (C2), German (B2/C1), Portuguese (B2), French (B1/B2), American Sign Language (advanced), and Turkish (A1). I'm interested in learning Hebrew, Chinese, Georgian, and maybe Náhuatl as well :)
#polyglot #languagelearning #learngerman

[@Spicy-Raven]

Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that when we were children it took us around 7 years of constant learning and improving to become fluent in English and even after that there were still words we needed to learn later on as we grew, so we need to be kind to ourselves when learning a new language. Span of time doesn't matter, consistency when learning does

[@elyssespeaks]

that’s a beautiful thought i think we should all keep in mind more often :)

[@hamster_ann]

That's very nice of you, you know

[@pixelzebra8440]

And also some people just learn faster than others based on what we do. When I was little I LOVED reading so when I was 4 I was already reading chapter books just because I loved it. That doesn’t mean I knew everything but I got to that point fairly fast. On the other hand I’ve been practicing Spanish since I was like 6 and still am only at about A1 because I studied on and off for a while and only committed to it recently with my Spanish classes. It REALLY depends on many different factors. And yeah it takes many years to learn a language so don’t beat yourself up about it it should be fun lol

[@daniellean5769]

THIS. i had to remind myself yesterday because although I know a lot, I feel like I don't know anything. My goal is c1 and tbh, most middle schoolers may know the language bt you wouldn't put them at a college (or c2) level.

[@Z5Z5Z5]

youre right omg 7 years 😭

[@RedPandas3111]

It all comes down to how much effort you are willing to put in and how resourceful you are in your learning quest

[@elyssespeaks]

yesss and so much more!!

[@rezagrans1296]

@Elysse Speaks Kızımmmm....fazlası ne 🤔🤨🧐 ⚡ ; )

[@calmontes651]

Spanish is my native language but I haven’t lived in a Spanish speaking country in 13 years, and I haven’t lived in my home country in 20 years. After 3 years due to the pandemic I finally visited again my home country and Mexico and there were so many expressions that I didn’t know and I had to ask what they meant even if I had clues from the context, because most of my speaking time over video/phone calls is mostly with my parents or people my generation, and I don’t consume Spanish content because I prefer to watch/read in my target languages. So, yeah, languages are always evolving and you can lose track of new things in your own native language. It’s common to hear among immigrants that they don’t feel confident about their English language skills while at the same time they feel they are losing competence in their own native language.

[@pierreabbat6157]

I live all my life in the USA. Spanish is my third native language, which I didn't learn to speak until I was an adult. Some months ago the word "malvavisco" (marshmallow, in this context meaning the candy) came up in the Sabbath school lesson. Some people at church, for most of whom Spanish is the first language, did not know the word, so I explained the etymology, the taxonomy, and the plant vs. the candy. On the other hand, we just had our first music practice last Friday, and I learned music in English, so there are some terms I don't know in Spanish. I do know "bemol" and "becuadro" though, because my father told me the French words (both parents spoke French but only my mother spoke Spanish).

[@pixelzebra8440]

With my dad whose first language is Spanish he only really talks to my grandfather in Spanish so he forgets how to say something sometimes.

[@pixelzebra8440]

@pierreabbat6157 Omg that would take so much time to learn all the musical terms in a different language I respect you

[@levipierpont]

One reason *I* often google stats on how long it takes to learn a language is because I want to know how much patience to have with it. Of course it’s very logical to say, it depends on how much time you have to work on it. But here’s my very specific case: I’m going to university in one year, and I can take classes in my TL at university to fulfil my language requirement. However, since I’d love to learn it as soon as possible, I’m working incredibly hard learn it now as I work full time and am not taking classes this semester. So, I often wonder, is it possible to get to a point with my TL at which I could comfortably decide to pursue a new one with formal study at university? Anyway, that’s just an explanation of why someone might ask that question without the intention of “beating themselves up” if they don’t achieve something “in time.” At the end of the day, I have a lot of patience with myself and it took me many years to get to my level of proficiency in ASL, so I’m prepared for any stretch of time, really.

[@kenna.-_]

bro gave a whole essay

[@alwaysuseless]

Interesting. TL = target language. ASL = American sign language.

[@hannahfig]

I know you’re just talking hypothetically, but I thought this info could be helpful for people who are asking the time questions

[@morethanyourbasics]

Im curious if you’ve weighed the pros and cons of continuing the language you want to learn in school. Once you graduate most people self study languages because they don’t have the option or money to go back to school. If you see how much you learn on your own taking classes in the same language could give you an academic vs self study approach to compare or if you get yourself to an intermediate level on your own you could advance to something much higher due to the amount of vocabulary and situations you’ll be exposed to. On the other hand, I’m curious as to why you want a third language before mastering a second. It’s pretty common on KZbin but maybe you just want the experience for fun. And in that case classes in another language can maybe inspire you to take a similar approach to the second language but you will have to carve out extra time to dedicate to it. Did you give it much thought? What’s your progress thus far

[@levipierpont]

@@morethanyourbasics so my second language is ASL. I’ve been studying Tagalog for a few months now, even though I haven’t “mastered” ASL because Tagalog is what I have a passion for right now. I’ve made a lot of progress in this first season of hyperfocus, so I’m still not sure what language I’ll take at university. My university does offer Filipino/Tagalog, but I’ve always wanted to learn Spanish. If I’m at a high level of comprehension and conversation in Tagalog (let’s say, B1 or B2) by the time I go, I might take Spanish. Or, I may still take Tagalog since the first two or three semesters will probably be much easier than if I were starting from scratch. Basically, I plan to continue growing my ASL my whole life. I’m learning Tagalog because of Filipino friends, but since I live in the US, I want to learn Spanish at some point.

[@dreamysol]

i love this video. it’s super refreshing and honestly motivating. i stopped learning spanish because i got burnt out with trying to reach a certain level in a specific amount of time. now i want to ease myself back into it by just reminding myself that how people online learned spanish may or may not work for me and by also reminding myself that i’ll always be learning and that i don’t need to be at a certain level and a certain amount of time. i can just enjoy getting back into the language and learning in the way that works for me ❤️

[@brianquinayas2853]

Si lo más importante es disfrutar del proceso y ser constante en el aprendizaje , primero crear un buen nivel de comprensión el hablar bien luego saludos desde colombia 🇨🇴🇨🇴

[@claireabadie3981]

So exciting to see new videos from you!

[@thehybrid210]

Elysse thank you for spending some of your time to make these videos, they're sooo helpful. We always learn a lot from you, I'm learning german and sometimes when I'm not motivated and I watch your videos it gives me this boost that I need to keep going, so I really appreciate them! Greetings from Brazil

[@zahrakarimi7533]

This video actually helped me to not get nervious and critisize my self based on others time standards for language learing. we all have different ways to learn and it doesn't matter how much time it takes.

[@winterrenes1249]

I loved this talk a lot. It's very true that effort is more important than the overall time. Thank you for having this conversation. AND the camera footage looks great! Good investment 🥰

[@ComprehensibleMandarin]

I spent a lot of time reading the old AJATT blog way before I ever learned any languages seriously, & he really emphasized that it takes thousands of hours to reach a high level in a language unrelated to our own. I do feel like having realistic expectations helped me when I started learning Chinese. I have only a limited amount of time to spend, but I am not surprised or disappointed when my progress is slow. I get the sense there are lots of people who consider themselves "bad at learning languages" because they aren't fluent after a couple semesters of classes or 6 months of Duolingo, when in fact they're doing fine & just have no realistic sense of how many hours are required. I also agree that elapsed time is a bad measure - there's a big difference between a professional language learner doing 8+ hours a day for a few months, & a regular person doing an hour a day or less for the same amount of time.

[@austinprince5841]

A few things: first, I love the new camera; I think it is very clear and keeps up the FPS to produce smooth video quality. Second, I think this is the exact answer that every KZbinr or language influencer should say. You can be fluent in a language in 6 months, even if it is a distant language that is completely unrelated to the one you already speak (you have to put in the effort though) or you can learn a language for ten years and still not be "fluent." I love your channel. Keep up the good work :)

[@Eduardosilva-xo9vv]

Wow, I was really having a hard time comparing my journey with the ones of other people. Now I feel way more positive after watching this video. It's a simple thing to think really, after all, everyone is different, still, it's good to be reminded of it

[@elyssespeaks]

i’m glad i could help :D

[@marinasantos1111]

Nice video! Going off on a different.. almost poetic tangent here, if you're not studying for professional or academic need - and because you enjoy the language and culture, then you are studying people too. Studying a language is studying how people will express themselves, you're simply learning the means. There are idioms, old sayings, cultural references, literature, sense of humor, gramatical puns, poetry does knowing that count as fluency? I wonder. So many polyglots talk about their fluency as a language learning process so devoid of feeling, and it's so sad. I'm learning russian and french because I have a russian friend I'd like to talk to in her native language, and because there are french expressions that call to my attention. One day, I'll invest my time in turkish, because I feel closeness to the people, culture and food, and fascination with the language - again, through a friend. I don't want to know everything to pass an exam, because ultimately it is about people, to me. I want to know enough to visit the countries and be confident that I can make a friend and feel a bit more welcomed, and a bit more at home. For some it's this raw process like a game.... it's easier if you try to enjoy the people you're learning about. :)

[@abigailmyers2587]

Me too! It’s all about the people. I’ve been learning Spanish and Russian with French next on my list, and despite knowing so many native Spanish speakers, can’t seem to find anyone who wants to practice with me. It’s frustrating to spend so much time learning without much way to practice- especially Russian, since I don’t know any other learners. I love learning the culture, the words and phrases, but sometimes it feels like the language learning has little purpose when doing it simply for the sake of learning academically.

[@marinasantos1111]

@@abigailmyers2587 exactly. what do profficiency exams mean if you dont even use that language in a way thats meaningful to you? thats what I think!. good luck on ur journey! spanish is really fun

[@peterdrescher4488]

I like the new cam. I'm not sure what's different about it, but you look very clear. 👍

[@elyssespeaks]

hahaha thanks!

[@GeeClef64]

Preach it girl!! Like you mentioned, the question itself appears very innocent, and it usually comes from a place of pure curiosity. However, this question has the potential to make language learners feel bad about themselves, especially if someone (like myself) has spent a lot of time on the dreaded "intermediate plateau". The learning journey becomes a lot more enjoyable after you rid yourself of comparison. Also, the new camera looks amazing! Would you mind sharing what type of camera that is?

[@heidispringmann9239]

I love this! What a great reminder- I was just talking about how long I’ve been learning Spanish. When I realized it was two years, I got really discouraged and even embarrassed. However, when I asked myself how was I really studying during this time…I realized it was only some Duolingo here and there and using the repeated same phrases at work with customers. Here is to a new year of more productive,active learning to us all! Our language paths will never be identical!

[@deutschmitpurple2918]

Thank you for this informative video

[@adampena848]

Thanks for this video I’ve been focused on learning Spanish for over a year. I just started learning Brazilian Portuguese but I’m taking my time with it because I rushed with my Spanish. Mainly because there’s a lot of people that speak to me in Spanish at my job so I was trying to Learn Spanish fast. with Portuguese I’m just enjoying the process so far its been fun.

[@elyssespeaks]

awww that’s so cool! i wish you luck

[@sylvieolsson3537]

omg girl love your hairrrr

[@GabrielaCambuhy]

Great video! One thing people usually forget to put in consideration is what languages you already know, for example, I've been studying Italian and Korean for about 2 months, and since my native language is portuguese, I've been "leveling up" in italian waaay quicker than korean. Both I dedicate the same time per week, but it's not the same progress, and that's normal

[@mikioni]

Excellent video.👍

[@kanatsizkanatli]

The idea of comparing yourself to yourself is a very good suggestion...it's the best thing you can teach a child but unfortunately society is going in the wrong direction in this regard both in the West and East

[@nanasouza9797]

You look absolutely stunning in this new camera!!

[@HomeWorkouts_LS]

I’ve found it more useful for me to look into the estimated hours of studying and number of words at different levels. Seeing that it’s many thousands of words known to get for a B2 level felt much more realistic to me & I felt more mentally prepared👍🏻

[@calmontes651]

One point I haven’t seen addressed in youtube about the time it takes to acquire a language is that people with deep understanding of syntax and grammar of their native language go so much faster when studying another language. The people I’ve seen achieve very high proficiency at rapid speed have a deep conscious understanding of how their native language works. Once you have that, your starting point is so much higher than someone that doesn’t, and from there if you add time and consistency dedicated to the new language the speed of acquisition can be so much faster. Some of the people I know either had very high SAT scores in English or were studying linguistics, or where certified ESL teachers, they were not only quickly conversational; but they were competent using different phrases/structures. Of course they had to put the time like the rest of us i.e Anki, classes, and all the other stuff. Many people end up understanding sintax, grammar and phonetics by studying other languages.

[@giordanohurtado2456]

Te amoooo. Sos la mejor ❤

[@chloemombrey4921]

im 15 and literally only started taking my language journey seriously around 2 months ago . ive been doing spanish for 4 years and i sit my spanish GCSE,s (test )in 4 months but i will probally do it for higher education (a levels ) so ive started to revise it every night in the 2 months ive already improved ALOT and have already learnt more than i need to know for the test iand more , cant stress enough how little school teaches you it helps with the grammer but not so much extra vocab and how to speak and hold a conversation . after 4 years of school learning im only at a A2/B1 level bt we only do 2 hours a week in school anyway but ive seen that outside of school language learning is so much faster aswell as spanish im currently learning russian ("2 months ) and feel like ive already learnt 6 months of school content in that time and actually enjoyed it

[@TrashcanTroubadour]

It’s not really about the years, but about the hours, and where those hours are spent. Another way to look at it is it’s almost like developing friendship: You need proximity, unguarded situations, and spontaneous meetings. All that helps with language learning, but I’d say environment is the single biggest factor. I can’t tell you how much Chinese I learned just from listening to people in my office talking, people on the bus, people at the markets, on the street, etc.

[@quantus5875]

Yep, agreed! Hours is the rough way to answer the time problem (and add a few caveats). The Foreign Service Institute has the answer from mountains (70 years) of empirical data. According to them, an English learner learning a Cat 1 language takes 600-750 hours to reach S-3/R-3 (B2/C1) proficiency. Assumes training is good quality (their numbers are based on their training method). And that you can probably shave maybe up to 100 hours off of that if you are a very experienced language learner and add more hours to that time range is you're inefficient. :-) I always consider environment or immersion as getting hours for free -- that's why immersion works so well -- immersion means you're really racking up more hours.

[@laracosta3571]

Você é ótima! Love from 🇧🇷

[@linxinhe8823]

Thanks for the video! I can't agree more, especially about the three false assumptions. As a traditional Chinese saying puts it, a boxer's fist is always tight and a sing's mouth never rests. Or... practice and persistence make perfect :)

[@mariosouzasilva5250]

Girl... your hair colour is amazing!

[@rezagrans1296]

fakaT Renk etTikleriNi mümkün 😶🔍🦓

[@nendoakuma7451]

Yeah, I’ve been learning and using Mandarin Chinese in my daily life or professionally since 1995 and I still can find beneficial ways to improve. I still like to practice speaking to people about certain types of topics.

[@sheco97]

omg thank you! you spoke out my mind. it piss me off as a learner when I see vidoes talking about how many hours you need to be fluent in a specific langauge. come on! who's gonna count the exact hours when they start learning a languge? how about the random moments when I'm practicing aftet my class ended? while I'm eating or taking a shower or walking and thinking about the langauge and the old lessons that I've already took? how about if you set a timer and you got distracted or you weren't really paying attention to the lesson didn't you waste some time here? how about if you weren't even studying it well? how about if you were doing it wrong and you need a new method? for real don't be obsessed with the hours (in general too) cause you're gonna practice the language for ever.

[@patbreacadh]

Very valid point about time. The questions you quote are often, in my experience, posed by people who resent the fact that for whatever reason their own experience of language learning doesn't equate in a way they can measure with what they think is success. Also you will find a bunch of people, and not necessarily 100% idiots, who just don't get it that a person learns many languages and keeps at it over time... Too bad for them. :)

[@Morgan0912]

Do you have any tips on acquiring vocab without watching native TV/movies, especially in the case of learning German? I’ve never been much of a movie watcher, but short of looking up vocab lists I’m unsure of where to go. Thanks!!

[@melaniegrace7707]

Haven’t watched this yet butttt i love the hair and outfit. It’s like the 70’s meets 2023 Edit: yesss to the part about when you started. I started learning German in 2010 but between breaks and also having no idea what I was doing for a long ass time - I would say I have about 3 years of actual learning experience at this point

[@osonhodeleon]

Eu só fui entender o que é aprender uma língua quando eu comecei a estudar Coreano e Japonês e tive que lidar um um alfabeto totalmente diferente do tradicional romano/latino. Eu diria que se você pegar um idioma e estudá-lo com regularidade, você irá ficar fluente em 3 ou 4 anos.

[@asksyealer]

Factttsss 👏

[@ekaterinap4601]

Good points

[@Erika-pq7ip]

Aghhh thankssss fot this. I hate when people are like SO you're fluent fluent now? Like Ughh just because I'm high intermediate at Spanish for example doesn't mean I'm perfect! It puts pressure on me, on you , on everyone for NO reason 😂

[@ronlugbill1400]

Here is where people get confused on how long it takes to learn a language. They'll say I took 4 years of x language in school and I still can't speak it. Then someone else says they learned to speak a language fluently in only 4 months. The 4 years in school was probably less than 150 hours per year, so less than 600 hours total. And the 4 months that the other person had in an immersion environment was 8 hrs./day for 30 days/ month = 240 hrs. Times 4= 960 hours. So quantitatively, the 4 months of immersion was a lot more. And in the classroom, the quality of learning was a lot lower. Probably little speaking or listening to native speakers, whereas the immersion experience had lots of speaking and listening to native speakers. But when someone says they learned a language in only 4 months, everyone is amazed they could do it that quickly. Conversely, when someone takes 4 years of a language and cannot speak or understand it well, everyone thinks the student or the school is poor. Actually, this is all quite normal given the difference in quality and quantity between the classroom experience and a full-time immersion experience.

[@Tehui1974]

It took me about 3 years to reach fluency (B2) in my target language (Māori). I'm guessing it took me about 1,500 hours (mostly immersion) to get there, averaging about an hour a day. After nearly 5 years, I'm currently at about a C1 level. It's consistency and the compounding effect of doing a little bit every day that counts.

[@DanBanan69]

Getting good at something is rarely about the goal itself, but enjoying the process. The process always happens in the present, so the future isn't important.

[@gganbp]

I will send this video to anyone who asks me this question. It perfectly summarizes my gripes with it

[@adventureswithmadison]

Elysse, you cut your hair!!! You are so pretty how does both long hair and short hair suit you?? I haven't watched the video yet but, love the new hairdo

[@echelonangel98]

Camera - It's very smooth!

[@calebgiovanni9613]

I hope this letter finds you safe and sound. With the recent earthquake in Turkey, I can't help but worry about your safety. The news reports have been devastating and it's hard not to imagine the worst to what might have happened to you.

[@quantus5875]

Understand your view on the time question (and to some extent I totally agree), however some people do want to have a "ballpark" idea of how long it might take. It's actually fairly to easy to answer as long as you apply a few caveats to the answer, which the Foreign Language Service (FSI) has done with over 70 years of empirical data, and that you are ok with a "range". Their data assumes you are a native English speaker and they rate the target language on how hard it it is to learn assuming you're coming from English. From their web site: Category I - Languages usually require around 24-30 weeks or 600-750 class hours to reach S-3/R-3 proficiency (around B2/C1). This group contains languages like French, Spanish, Romanian and Dutch. I'd probably argue that the range might be a little wider -- like maybe 500-850 to reach S-3/R-2 -- you can do better if you are a very experienced language learner and worse if you are an inefficient language learner. But that 600-750 is backed up with extensive data, and it is super useful because it does lend itself to making rough estimates -- let's say you're trying to learn Portuguese ( Cat I) language. At 1 hour every day you should be at S-3/R-3 (B2/C1) after about 2 years. Again, assumes your 1 hour a day is spent efficiently -- but yeah, the FSI numbers are nice -- just to get that rough ballpark range. It's also super useful to know something like 50 or 200 hours is not enough.

[@nikolai3797]

Bro you’re camera looks amazing, it almost looks like you have a filter (also I love your haircut) :)

[@jeanthomas7523]

As an ESL tutor, I often have students ask me about progress in terms of time, and I totally agree with you! The only situation where time should factor into progress is if you're under a deadline for an exam. Outside of that, time can take a hike! Love your thoughts on this :) thanks for sharing, and love the new camera!

[@hardeepchumber]

you don't mind, really, if i can get opportunity to talk or meet with you than i never miss the chance. Because you are so beautiful

[@chadbailey7038]

Привет 🙌🏾. Я изучаю русский язык течение три года. Надеюсь достигать уровень А2/В1 этот год

[@v0r0byov]

Could I correct you?

[@v0r0byov]

В течение трёх лет* Надеюсь достигнуть уровня A2/B1 в этом году*

[@v0r0byov]

I wish you good luck in learning Russian

[@chadbailey7038]

@@v0r0byov спасибо! That was the only part of the comment I wasn’t certain about haha 😅. Thank you! It’s good to know for the future

[@v0r0byov]

@@chadbailey7038 I'm glad to help!

[@wyldcardsam]

I've been "Learning" Spanish for 20+ years and I'm still like a1 or maybe a2 but I don't really do anything outside of listening in public and some TV and music. I have almost 0 conversational skills in the language.

[@polyglotsjourney]

The issue with this question is that it is incomplete...Timeframe for reaching that threshold of fluency in the target language mostly depends on: 1. your current level in the target language: 2. languages you currently speak (how close are they to the target language): 3. yours previous experience with the languages in general (have you ever done it and how do you do it) 4. time to devote in a week/month 5. reliable method (this one ih huge I would say since many KZbinr, even language professors are teaching languages the most ineffective and painful way). There are of course other factors as well, but these represent the foundation for the issue. Therefore, you have to know all these things, so you can answer the question, which I sincerely believe is possible to count...

[@mango11119]

Hi! If I am studying Russian 2hrs per day everyday (missing a day here and there ofc) is that what u would call dedicated? (I use online classes, tutors etc)

[@eliska3714]

I also feel like the camera is smoothing your skin. But to language learning - I always hate when people ask me how long have I been learning German because I don't know what to answer. Do I answer that I started in primary school when I hated it and refused to actively learn anything? Do I say I started when I was in secondary and was 16 years old because I had to learn it? Do I say when I was 18 because that's when I started liking it and started learning it outside of school? What about the 3 years at uni when I spent almost no time on german? It would be easy to say "I started learning German 9 years ago". But that says absolutely nothing about my level or my relationship with the language.

[@user-go6il2tm4b]

As far as i hear, it depends on how similar your native is with and how efforts you put and so on, but obvious thing is that you have to study at least over one years every day or probably two year

[@okay8585]

what font do you use in your thumbnails?

[@CouchPolyglot]

Every one of my friends has had hundreds and hundreds of hours learning English at school and... oopsie, most of them speak English very badly. This is not to shame them, they are awesome people and I don't care about their English skills, but it comes to show that time is not the only factor playing a role. The method used, the motivation and the energy of both the teacher and the learner all play a huge role on how much you actually learn. I guess during highschool for most people the "connection" to the language is missing, it is just a subject you want to pass and not "a magic door to new worlds", which sounds cheesy but totally how I feel about language learning. And something you mentioned I hope more people would understand is that language learning is not linear, the language levels keep fluctuating and it is perfectly normal :)

[@knowitall6180]

I speak 6 languages, 4 of them fluently. I never mention this to other people unless they ask me, because I hate showing off

[@elyssespeaks]

Gahahah same!

[@Dude-ln8pe]

How to overcome the intermediate plateau in English?

[@alwaysuseless]

Here's another how-long-does-it-take question that I think, in retrospect, never made sense. To be specific, consider the German language, Hochdeutsch, to be more precise. German nouns come in 3 genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter. Depending on how you use the noun in a sentence, it will need to be in one of 4 cases: nominative, genitive, accusative, or dative. Finally, the noun will be one of 2 possibilities: singular or plural. Consequently, there are 3x4x2 = 24 possibilities, from masculine, nominative, singular to neuter, dative, plural, which determine what ending the noun will have in a sentence. Trying to speak grammatically correct German, I carried around in my head these 24 possibilities. It felt tedious, but I spoke grammatically correct German, by following a set of rules, of which the 3x8 table was an important part. Of course, educated, native German speakers almost always use the correct endings, and they are not, at least not consciously, carrying around a 3x8 table. When, if ever, was I going to be able to do this? NEVER, seemed to be the answer! (Russian, btw, is far worse.) But halfway through my last visit to Germany, I realized one day that I wasn't thinking about the table at all. I just "forgot" to think about it. And if I hadn't been such a grammar freak, I probably would have reached this point a lot sooner.

[@rezagrans1296]

@alwaysuseless beraber VatsApta çok pratiklar Yapa Bilİriz ; ) hoca efendim Deutscheland frosguietm woher? Wotzu?؟!🦔🐲

[@rezagrans1296]

oiynk🐽

[@calmontes651]

Probably a lot sooner but with less competence. A lot of people speak Spanish but their conjugation is a disaster and their use of subjunctives unnatural. I’m always impressed when a foreigner is actually competent in Spanish and I ask, they always were deeply into understanding how grammar work, recognizing the patterns, repeating the patterns and eventually it became second nature. A Serbian friend does this through reading and he has never lived in a Spanish speaking country. To me it depends on how competent you want to be in a language, most people are just interested in been conversational.

[@rezagrans1296]

@@calmontes651 belKİ benimle vatsAp üzerinde faydalı pratik YApa bilİrmisin؟ ( ; ) 🐻👁️🙈🐵🦓) 👽

[@alwaysuseless]

@@calmontes651 Thanks for the reply. I've always been interested in speaking correctly. Even when I was in elementary school, learning more of my native language, I thought grammar was important. In learning a new language, I think mastering basic grammar is easier than acquiring a large enough vocabulary to have a general conversation, as opposed to just asking for directions or reading a menu.

[@shaielovalleroa6831]

Yeah, it's smoothing your skin Hahahah

[@camlop8635]

It takes 200-400 hours per level in a language roughly speaking

[@A.M.84996]

how do you practice speaking in your target language

[@SeaboltSpeaks]

But what about the people who took 8 years of standard learning and say they learned nothing only to tell me they learned the language in 7 days. I NEED ANSWERS!!! Jokes aside, great video!

[@levipierpont]

I mean, the answer is they didn’t learn it in 7 days. And even if somebody feels like they didn’t learn anything from however many years of formal study, that time can’t be brushed aside.

[@SeaboltSpeaks]

@@levipierpont That was the joke... lol

[@rezagrans1296]

Bu konuda Onların [Elysse Speaks] zihin tarzı haRika✓🙂 MutlakTa (zamankı ilgili) öyle sorular faydalı değil🦏🐘

[@izaacm]

Ok but the hair✅✅✅✅✅

[@rabablemsaibane8538]

Guys someone who can be my friend to improve our speaking skills in English

[@duhachagaar2368]

I wish to learn german but I have no idea where to start . Where shouldI start ?

[@Daisyhatingugolyee]

what i personally use: duolingo + busuu/grammar book(either is fine, busuu works as a free grammar book if you can't afford an actual grammar book) + goethe decks on anki(requires android phone or a pc, not on ios unfortunately) + german readle(daily free stories sorted by level) sorry if the answer was 2 months later! hope that helps

[@dreamermagister8561]

Ye i mean it would depend several factors that would make a generalisation near impossible. If u spend 12 hours a day like a crazy person 7 days a week how long would that take? Madness i telll u.

[@elyssespeaks]

It would take a shorter amount of time than the average person, but still, there's no magic number haha

[@ramygamal996]

It is my point of view. Just you have found your talent someway and this is one of the ways to discover ourselves. I also can speak more languages and somehow I realised I fit in this because no matter how many advices, tips, tricks and more I gave it to the people, I found that they have not the ability

[@Reilly13445]

You remind me of bulls i think it's the rings

[@elyssespeaks]

such an original comment lmfaooo it’s my face not urs so cry abt it 🤒

[@snapeasy4331]

@@elyssespeaks but we have to look at your face

[@PersonOfBook]

Well you can actually quantify effort to learn a language. Like how many hours it takes on average to reach a certain level.

[@hnurtanic]

I really really like your piercings! Çok güzel,sana çok yakışıyor

[@belstar1128]

about 15 to 20 years

[@user-yg4pu7to9f]

This question is like asking how long does it take to finish a Harry Potter Book. Why not just enjoy the book?

[@elyssespeaks]

😹

[@uamdbro]

I mean I get what you're saying, but some people do need to learn languages ASAP for various reasons (job, study, etc.), because they need to be a higher level before they can really start enjoying the process, or just because learning fast is inherently enjoyable for them. Not really something that can be disregarded that casually

[@user-yg4pu7to9f]

@@uamdbro From my experience, those people who are only learning for a job, school, etc, rarely learn and retain the language fluently. They may be able to get around in the language, but rarely do they reach what I call intellectual fluency. That's why it's important to know what level you wish to reach in your target language, because everyone has different goals of what they consider fluency. So that comes back to my point, even if someone tells you that to read a Harry Potter book it takes 8 hours, it doesn't change the fact one person may have 8 hours out of the day to read the book, but the other may have 15 minutes out of the day to read the book, as long as both are consistent in their reading, both will finish the book.

[@leena6097]

😍😍😍😍

[@JoseHernandez-gw9cy]

Is not the camera , u are so pretty

[@margaritap.9459]

Ok, but why is no one talking about money? Because that translates into better resources, more effective learning and even solves a lot of problems with motivation. Because if you do it completely on your own with free or almost free resources only, it's not even comparable with someone taking classes, shopping best programs or having an individual tutor. It's like doing home workouts and comparing your results with someone who's working with a personal trainer.

[@rezagrans1296]

en yüksek/Y başarı ihtimalina için**İclal ile karşılaşTırmamalıyız

[@paulwalther5237]

I think you're right but it's not the answer I was looking for.

[@elyssespeaks]

well that’s the answer you get

[@matiasvargas4779]

Hi, great video and thanks for share, pero en Español no usamos "Todes" ese es un lenguaje que no existe y no es Español. Que un grupo de personas quiera imponerlo no quiere decir que exista y menos en Español. saludos y que estes bien.

[@jsigns5899]

Excellent video 🙌 You've put into words some feelings that have been floating around my head for years now •́⁠ ⁠ ⁠‿⁠ ⁠,⁠•̀

[@catebigalowe4698]

I really love your content Elysse but I'm finding it hard to trust your advice because of all your sponsorships from language learning programs. It seems each video you are promoting a new program that you swear up and down by. It's hard for me to take your advice because it's starting to seem less sincere with the way you work in your sponsorships. I'm glad your making your side hustle but I wish you would tie in your ads in a more transparent and honest way.

[@DiscipulusMundi]

Misinformation? Why not just incorrect information? Why are you implying it's intentional?

[@adriandiaz4624]

The best way to deal with the stress of knowing how many bloody hours it will take is this.... it takes 4ever🤣🤣🤣 just learn a language that you know you'll be using for the rest of your life

[@alrin3884]

Take an attempt to learn the 🇮🇳 Language Malayalam😝

[@AdamYLM]

What camera is this? It really does looks like your face is blurred. When someone asks me how long it will take to learn new language. I tell them, about 2 years to B2 level in languages like French, Spanish, German. And 3 to 4 years for Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic. It all depends on what language it is, and how much time are you spending daily on it.

[@andresleon2293]

3:40 noooo it sounds terrible, I hope my native language spanish never comes to that point, its better to help out these people who feel they dont belong to their body, rather than impulsing their ideas, we aint letting drug addicts et high legally with any drug they want, are we?

[@drinkumbrella]

I want a closer view of your reptile poster

[@ice5892]

todes xDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

[@lucianof84]

Esse negócio de "todes" em espanhol, tá acontecendo o mesmo com o português aqui no Brasil. Mas isso tudo é questão política, tão querendo estragar nosso idioma. Essa galerinha lacradora que vem com esse papo de "todes" comigo, eu já solto logo um "todes teu c*!" 😇

[@waldemarbroniek5081]

Why don't you learn any slavic language ?????

[@todesque]

It took me roughly 3 years of hard effort (2-3 hours per day, 6 days a week) to get to a solid B2 reading level in Russian. Your mileage may vary. Why is that so hard to say?

[@elyssespeaks]

who said it’s hard to say? there’s no point in me giving answers to this because everyone’s different.

[@elyssespeaks]

This comment just tells me you didn’t get the point of what i said at all lmao

[@todesque]

@@elyssespeaks The sneering little ''lmao'' at the end. What a strange tone to take with a subscriber. I mean ex-subscriber.

[@todesque]

​@@user-zb3pz5po7v Imagine asking a friend, ''How long does it take to get good at chess?'' And they reply, ''Well, that’s not a good question because it all depends on a range of factors, so I refuse to answer even though I'm good at chess.'' I think most people would walk away from that conversation with a lower opinion of their friend. ''How long does it take to get good at rock climbing?'' ''How long does it take to get good at photography?'' ''How long does it take to lose 25 pounds?'' Yeah, WE KNOW these things are individual. WE KNOW dozens of different factors are involved. But a rough rule of thumb is possible in some cases. Heck, the FSI somehow came up with rough guidelines. e.g. German: 750 hours. Greek: 1100 hours. Korean: 2200 hours. It's a rough guide, and may not apply to everyone, but it's far far far better to give rough numbers than nothing at all. If a friend of mine was interested in studying Russian, I would feel obligated to tell him it took me 3 years of hard effort to reach B2 in Russian. Having traveled down the road before him, I would even feel a sense of duty to let him know what's ahead, so he knows what to expect. The caginess and evasiveness of some polyglots when it comes to this question is very very unfortunate.

[@PersonOfBook]

​@elyssespeaks Everyone is different, yes, but you can talk in term of average time.

[@Gigusx]

Uhuh, right... So anyway, how long does it ACTUALLY (emphasis on the caps) take to learn a language to fluency? jk, jk

[@luks1423]

Don’t use “Todes” in Spanish. It’s ridiculous.

[@nuck477]

Don’t use “Todes” in Portuguese. It’s ridiculous.

[@dutchessdreamer4543]

This man speaks over 30 languages: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sGnMfI17p8Zof5I

[@Alan-ps8kz]

how old are u nowadays? can you awnser in portuguese?????

[@crish10030]

Don't say "todes" please 😖😖

[@miraetale]

why not?

[@robertgross9580]

You can totally answer this question. It's like asking how long does it take to retire. Yes, some far left work avoidant people may never retire and some people will retire early because they work hard. But in general, it won't take 1 year to retire and it won't take 300 years (if you actually work). The average person who tries retires between 55 and 65. Done.