How much language can you learn in one year?
New year is a great time to learn a new language, as it not only ticks off a worthy resolution but it gives you valuable skills to take forward. But the big question is – how much language can you really learn in one year?
Whether in preparation for an overseas business trip, to secure a deal with foreign partners or to maximise your employment potential, learning a language will put you one step ahead in the global community and bring you instant respect and admiration.
By making it your goal to learn or improve a language in 2015, you can track your progress from January to December and see how much you’ve learned over the year. Be honest about the time you can commit each week to your target language and make realistic short-term goals; this is the secret to keeping focused and energised!
So how much language can you expect to learn in one year?
This depends on factors such as:
- Your existing level
- Your learning style
- The amount of time you have
- The amount of self-study you do
- The number of participants in your group
- If you can spend time in a country where the language is spoken
We can offer a general guideline to help you plan your language training. Let’s take the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), which all Cactus courses are designed around, whereby A1 is beginner level and C2 is proficient.
If we take the most extreme case of wanting to progress from beginner level (A1) in January to proficient (C2) by December, you will need 375 hours of 1:1 class time* plus 255 hours of self-study.
That’s a one-hour class every day of the year – but of course, realistically, you’re more likely to study for a couple of hours at a time, and may put it many more hours on a holiday or business trip.
Let’s say you know the basics in a language and want to gain a bit more confidence, but there’s no rush. Transitting from beginner (A1) to elementary (A2) will require 45 hours of 1:1 classes, plus another 30 hours of self-study. If you do two-hours a week you will reach your goal in under six months!
Break it down into days, weeks and months and it’s easy to design a course that complements your learning style, suits your lifestyle and reflects your end goals. Whatever your language learning resolutions, your teacher will sit down with you at the beginning of your course to plan the content and make sure that you end the year on a linguistic high.
Bon nouvel an…feliz año nuevo…guten Rutsch…happy new year!
Cactus Language Training specialises in organising language courses for individuals and groups, having done so since 1999 for clients all over the globe and for diverse needs and budgets. Our expertise in the field of face-to-face tuition is second-to-none. With an extensive network of approved teachers and a strong in-house academic team, we are able to tailor a language course to suit your specific learning needs, anywhere in the world and whenever is convenient to you.