Learn a new language: the hours it takes, and the hours you've missed
Learning a language is a long project, so every week of waiting adds up. This counts the hours you'd have by now, and how far that gets you.
Your numbers
Common answers are filled in. Change the ones you know.
Typical: 150 minutes. Put in yours.
Your own guess. Set it to 0 if you're not sure.
It only changes the order on your statement.
What waiting costs you
130 hours
You'd have about 130 hours of practice by now
That's 17% of the 750 hours you think it needs. At your planned pace, the whole goal takes about 150 weeks from the day you start.
Your small stepDo one 10-minute session today, and put tomorrow's session in your calendar with a time and a place.
How we worked this out
- Gap: 300 minutes planned minus 0 done = 300 minutes a week.
- 300 minutes × 26 weeks ÷ 60 = 130 hours.
- 130 ÷ 750 hours = 17% of your goal.
- How much it matters to you: 7 out of 10. It only changes the order on your statement.
Sources
- Gollwitzer & Sheeran (2006): Writing a simple 'When ___, I will ___' plan makes people noticeably more likely to follow through (a medium-to-large effect across 94 studies).
How it works
The US Foreign Service Institute estimates that languages close to English, like Spanish or French, take about 600 to 750 class hours to learn well. Japanese or Arabic take about 2,200.
We start from 750 hours. Change it to suit your language and how much you already know.
Hours you planned, minus hours you put in, times the weeks you've waited, gives the hours you've missed.
Sources
- Gollwitzer & Sheeran (2006)
- US Foreign Service Institute, via Atlas & Boots (2024): For English speakers in full-time classes. Your own starting point, and the languages you already know, change it a lot.
Questions people ask
Does this apply to me if English isn't my first language?
Only roughly. The estimates are for English speakers in full-time classes. Languages close to one you already know will come faster.
Is a little every day better than a lot at once?
For most people, short regular practice is easier to keep up. Pick a time and a place you'll use every day.
Putting off more than one thing?
Pick up to five and get your Delay Statement: what to do first, what can wait, and one small step for today.
Want a nudge to act on it?
The app turns what you're putting off into a short list for each day: your Top 3 and one small step at a time. It's free.
We show what waiting costs on your own plans. We never tell you what to buy or invest in. Rules and averages change, so check the official pages before you plan anything.