How long does it take to learn Italian? This is a common and frequent question among learners, and if you’re learning Italian or thinking about starting, you would like to know the answer.
Anyone interested in language learning needs to know that unfortunately, there’s no easy way to answer these. 🤷
The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) presents three main levels of fluency (A, B, C), Basic User, Independent User, and Proficient User. Each of them composed of two further levels (1, 2). Each level includes speaking, reading, understanding the written and spoken language.
Learning a language is a complex process that is different for each individual based on several different factors. But let’s face it: even if the learning process is amazing, and every stage of it can be very fulfilling, you want to be fluent in Italian as fast as possible.
Whether it’s for an upcoming vacation in Florence or a business trip, you would like to know more than Basic words when greeting in Italian, however, this condition will be affected by the number of hours you will be allocated to study a new language.
Since almost everyone speaks English, English native speakers don’t really need to learn another language in order to communicate to the world, but wouldn’t you like to travel and communicate with people in their local language?
You will enjoy so much more Italy speaking italian when ordering a pizza, wine and gelato!
Variables that can Influence how much time It takes to learn Italian
There are many ways to learn; some are faster and others are slower. Which is best for you? Well, that depends on a variety of factors including time, money and ability.
There’s no single answer to “How long does it take to learn Italian?” It will depend on factors like:
- How much time can you commit?
- Is it your first foreign language?
- Do you speak any similar languages?
- Are you motivated enough?
- What’s your target level of proficiency?
- Attitude and Motivation
Learning a language that is similar to your native language can save you time when learning the alphabet, pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary.
As a general rule, languages that have similar roots are easier and take less time to learn. If your native language is English, that means that any language with Latin roots will be easier for you to learn, and that includes Italian 😎
Believe it or not, you already know some Italian words even before you start learning them. Due to their common roots, history, and development, almost all European languages share countless words with English.
So, yes, Italian is easy to learn for English speakers, although it takes time to become fluent.
Is Italian easy to learn?
According to the US Foreign Service Language Institute Italian is considered to be one of the easiest languages to learn. (FSI) lists languages into category and Italian is in “Group One” or “Category One” language meaning a student would spend nearly 600 hours to reach basic fluency.
Indeed, it is a lot faster language for monolingual English speakers to learn than for example Russian and Chinese. Russian might take nearly twice as many classroom hours as Italian to reach the same level of fluency.
Under this theory, Category I languages, those most closely related to English and thus learnable in 575 to 600 hours of study:
While the estimates from the FSI may be helpful to an extent, they are also oversimplifications. There are a lot of other factors that influence how long it will take you to learn Italian.
Italian is reportedly one of the easiest languages for English speakers to learn. Italian contains a lot of words that have similar counterparts in English, and while Italian can have some pesky grammar rules, it’s generally less complicated than some others like Polish or German.
but getting down to business: How much time do i need to learn Italian?
Well, this depends on what you mean by “enough”.
The first thing you have to ask yourself is … Do I just want to be able to order your food in Italian or do I want to speak and understand Italian like a native? what level of competence in Italian do you REALLY want to achieve?
As we all know, the CEFR has six levels: beginner, elementary, intermediate, intermediate and advanced, advanced and proficient, and you usually need 80 to 120 hours of lessons, homework, and a personal study plan for each level). The time you need is very relative, depending on your enthusiasm and foreign language ability.
To get a job, say in an office where you’d need to write in Italian, you’d need to be very good, at least be a C1 (the fifth level from the CEFR). You can expect to need between 36 – 60 weeks of lessons to get that far.
Of course, if you just want to able to have a reasonable conversation and understand what most people say to you, that will be achievable in much less time.
Some people learn faster than others, but this does not make people who learn faster become better. We all have different priorities, timing, interests, and learning process
With Dante in Linea, how long will it take me to learn Italian?
At Dante in Linea we value your time, and we know that not all students have the same level requirements and expected time to achieve it, that is why we have designed different study programs where you can achieve a level of Italian from 4 weeks. These programs are graded into intensive, semi-intensive, regular, and private programs.
In an “intensive course”, you will study 7.5 hours a week, that is, 30 hours a month. Which means that you would need between four and eight weeks to complete a level.
In a “semi-intensive course”, the frequency of study is reduced to 4.5 hours per week, that is, 18 hours per month. This means that you will need between 10 and 30 weeks to complete a level.
Now in a regular course, the situation is much more relaxed, since this is a course for those who are not in a hurry to quickly reach the goal. You study 8 hours of Italian per month and it will take between 4 and 8 months to obtain a CEFR level.
Tips that will speed up your learning
Your Approach Italian:
How many hours a day will you spend using Italian? It’s important to balance your time between the four major language skills. Studies have proven that learners who are willing to dedicate an hour a day to language learning–whether that be by studying grammar, memorizing vocabulary, watching a movie, or reading a book–learn significantly faster than those who just attend a weekly class.
Your Attitude
Your attitude also plays a huge role in how fast you learn Italian. If you approach language learning with a positive attitude and see it as a fun and fascinating opportunity to broaden your horizons, you’ll be more open to learning.
Practice the language skills
- Listening: Make sure to listen to Italian outside of your lesson time. Mix it up to make it interesting. Listen to news, podcasts, and YouTube videos. Look for material that interests you
- Speaking: Spend some time getting in some speaking practice. If you are having a hard time finding people to practice speaking with.
- Reading: Be on the lookout for things to read that match your reading level.
- Writing: You’ll also need to practice Italian writing. You will probably have written homework if you’re taking an Italian class.
How Confident And Motivated Are You?
Your level of success depends most of all on your confidence and motivation. Once you start this wonderful process think about your motivation.. what is your ‘why’ to learn Italian? There will be times where just liking the language will not be enough, you will need to have a stronger motivation.
The truth is, when you start learning Italian you will never want to stop, just like a true love story!
So what are you waiting for? Start learning Italian NOW!
