If you’re reading this post, it’s probably because you dream of being fluent in French one day. Maybe you want to learn French so you can wow at a dinner party, or effortlessly make friends on a terrasse overlooking the Seine. Perhaps you’re looking to sign a business deal, or even relocate and enjoy a quiet life in the south of France. Whatever your motivation for speaking French, at some point or another, it’s likely you’ll find yourself wondering: how long does it take to learn French?

Well, how long is a piece of string?

Frustratingly, how long it takes to learn French is different for everyone. Babies born in France start to babble along quite happily in under a year. Other people may spend years learning French in high school, then maybe picking up a class or two in university, but still have trouble carrying on a conversation. And these days, many people spend years memorizing phrases on language-learning apps without ever managing to create unique sentences. And what about that friend who swears they became fluent after visiting France for two weeks one summer?

In this post, we’ll take a look at how long it really takes for most people to learn French. Realistically, we’ll break down the math to work out how quickly you can proudly announce that you’re fluent in French!

What do we mean when we say “learn French?”

“Learning French” can mean very different things to different people, just like the related question of “how hard is it to learn French?” For some, it might mean knowing enough to be able to order a coffee, while others may only be content when they can catch a movie in a French cinema and understand every nuance. For the purposes of today’s discussion on how long it takes to learn the language, we’ll take “learning French” to mean achieving a B2 level of fluency as understood by the Common European Framework of References (CEFR) for languages.

The CEFR is a widely-recognized framework that describes and assesses language proficiency levels, allowing for a common standard to evaluate language skills. It divides language proficiency into six levels, ranging from A1 (beginner) to C2 (completely proficient).

As you can see, C1 and C2 are what most consider to be native-level fluency. In reality, however, many native speakers of a given language don’t even reach the C2 level of fluency. Even most people’s daily interactions often just hover around the B2 level.

With this in mind, and given that many French learners aren’t looking to write academic dissertations, we’ll take B2 as our standard for fluency. B2 captures most of what the average French learner is really trying to achieve when they say they want to become fluent in French: the ability to join in conversations easily and fluidly, even on fairly complex matters.

So how long does it take to learn French to a B2 level?

Even after narrowing the question down to a clearer goal of French fluency, a quick Google search still reveals a variety of answers. However, when you really crunch the numbers, most experts arrive at similar conclusions.

Many estimate that it takes about 100 hours of study to reach A1, and a further 100 to reach A2. From there, the estimate is an additional 200 hours for B1, and a similar commitment thereafter to reach B2.

This sudden jump in the number of hours needed to progress a level reflects the plateau that many French learners experience once they move out of the beginner stage: the rate of improvement begins to slow.

To sum up these estimates, here are the approximate number of cumulative hours of study a learner will need to speak French at each level of fluency:

Remember, these numbers are how long it would take a complete beginner to reach each level. If you’ve been learning French for some time, it’s worth referring to the table above to estimate your current level of fluency and work out the difference in the number of hours between your current level and your target level. For example, if you think that you’re already at an A2 level, you can estimate that you’ll need somewhere around 300 – 400 hours to attain B2.

Based on the table above, we can expect to see the average French beginner achieve a B2 level of fluency in French in 500 – 650 hours of study. A tall order!

All at once or bit by bit?

By these figures, if you set aside one hour a week to attend a French class, you can expect to go from beginner to B2 in about ten years.

If that sounds a bit depressing, then don’t worry – if you add in an hour of homework and another hour of watching French TV on a Sunday evening, you’ll have fast-tracked your route to fluency to a much more reasonable three years.

This is one of the reasons why regular French practice is such a cornerstone in your route to fluency: whether it’s listening to music, studying grammar, or asking for directions when you’re on holiday, every little bit counts towards your total and pushes you closer to the magic 500 – 650 hour range.

For example, learning fifteen minutes every day would see you achieve fluency four years faster than dedicating one unbroken hour a week. And it’s no surprise that the more time you can dedicate to learning French, the quicker you’ll become fluent!

That’s why immersion tactics (becoming fully immersed in the French language in your day-to-day life, such as by living in the country) are so successful. Reading signage, listening to radio broadcasts, and carrying out everyday interactions add up quickly to total more hours of practice than you’re ever likely to achieve at home.

But don’t feel disheartened if you’re not able to visit France any time soon. As long as you’re making time to regularly practice French where you can, you’ll still see the results of your hard work pay off. In fact, as you can see from the table below, spending even ten minutes more a day learning French can have a dramatic impact on how quickly you can expect to reach that 500-hour threshold where a B2 level of fluency is in sight.

Are there any shortcuts?

Like most things worth doing, learning a language takes time and dedication, and French is no different. That being said, there are certain things you can do that will give you the best chance of success.

The first is to be consistent. We’ve seen the difference that dedicating even ten minutes a day to French can make, but of course, finding ten minutes every day can be easier said than done! By making learning French a part of your routine, you’re much more likely to stick with it. Whether it’s reading a French newspaper on your commute to work or watching a French TV show over dinner, carving out dedicated time to work on your French will help you sound like a local in no time.

Secondly, it’s important not to neglect learning vocabulary and grammar rules, no matter what stage of learning French you’re at. And if the thought of learning complex grammar rules or long vocabulary lists gives you painful flashbacks to boring lessons at school? Then it’s time to check out our other LingoCulture blog posts! We break down difficult grammatical concepts and vocabulary into lighthearted, easy-to-understand lessons that will fast-track you to fluency (without making you feel as if you’re back in the classroom).

Finally, to truly become fluent in French, you’ll want to be able to speak naturally and confidently. For that, finding a good conversation partner is an absolute must. Here at LingoCulture, our teachers are all native-level French speakers who help learners practice their French in a supportive environment. Speaking French can often be the most daunting challenge for learners, so finding a setting where you feel comfortable practicing is crucial to reaching your fluency goals as fast as possible.

Conclusion

So how long does it take to learn French? We’ve just taken a good look at the scientific, mathematical approach, in terms of hours of study, breaking down how long it takes to become fluent in French.

As you might have expected, the more time you can spend practicing French each day, and the more consistent you can be, the sooner you’ll be able to claim fluency on the CEFR scale.

Of course, there’s always room for a disclaimer: it should be remembered that these numbers are just guidelines, and everybody’s experience will be different and unique to them. Because of that, it’s unlikely we’ll ever see an exact number of hours that will fit every person’s journey.

That being said, you can use the ranges of hours that we’ve explored in this post as a guideline for the next time somebody asks you, “how long does it take to learn French?” Now keep up the good work, practicing consistently, and you’ll be speaking fluent French before you know it!