How long to to learn Polish? In hours?

Hi there, I have a curious question regarding how long you think it would take in hours to be "fluent" in Polish? The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) say about 1100 hours or so however I think this is a very low amount of time if you are the reach C2 level. Maybe I am wrong and this is correct. I do know that it only an average and that there are a lot of variables involved.

I have been learning Polish for about 1 month and I am very much enjoying it. I would like going by the framework the CEFR have set to reach B2 level in the future. I do not have a time frame in mind as to how fast I would like to learn the language because like I said I just really enjoy learning it.

So my question is if I study daily for 2 to 3 hours a day how long you would think you could reach a B2 level. I know that 2 to 3 hours a day may seem a long time for some but I have fallen in love with Polish and I very much want to spend 2 to 3 hours a day learning.

It is extremely nice to meet you all, thank you.

@JiuJitsu
I heard someone say 4 days.

4 days? you're crazy! 5 at least.

2 to 3 hours a day? I am sceptical to that. Repetitio est mater studiorum, so it is not the time per day which matters most, but how much of that is going to be there in your memory after time passes by since I don't expect you to learn Polish for ever. Besides, there is this problem if you have learned things correctly so far. What are you going to achieve: listening, speaking, reading, writing or all of them?

LOL @ 4 days. I agree it is probably 5 or maybe 6 lol.

Serious though what you think lol?

@Ziemowit

Thanks for the reply, I have been learning about 2 to 3 hours a day for the last month or so. I do split the time up for example an hour before work, then an hour after work then finally an hour in bed. Within those 2 to 3 hours a day to be honest I spend 30 minutes going over what I learned the day before after two days of going over it I seem to remember it ok. Remembering for me has not been an issue yet but I am fully aware the more I learn the less I will remember. I would like to be able to speak to my friend who is Polish and lives in Poland (so at some point I would like to be able to speak with my friend about things we speak about in English). In the future I would also like to be able to possible read books or newspapers in Polish.

I have only started learning a month or so so in the future I may need to adjust the time the more complex it gets but at this moment in time what I am learning seems to be sticking.

thank you again for reply any other advice would be great.

I forgot to add that I also listen to Polish music and watch Polish tv whenever I have any down-time or I am in the Gym etc etc. Basically I try my best to fill the day with as mush Polish language as I can. I don't concentrate on the music or tv as much sometimes but I do learn a lot about rhythm and also helps with pronunciation etc. I hope it may go into my subconscious.

The method you apply seems to be very close to the one they teach foreign languages in the secret services of some countries. People there learn the language for several hours a day (7 to 8 perhaps), day after day, but I have forgotten how much time it takes them to speak it fluently. It may be several months to one year as far as I can remember. Anyway, intensity is the clue to their success or so believe their superiors in the secret service. I read an article on that somewhere some years ago, but can't remember where it was. If a secret service does that, it should be valid, after all they are not the people ready to recklessly waste time on anything.

Why not try to test some of your Polish in the section "Po polsku" of the forum?

@Ziemowit

Thank you for the reply. I don't learn the language for that amount of time because I am in a rush to learn it. I just thoroughly enjoy learning it. It has become a passion more than anything. So instead of getting excited about watching a football (soccer) match like a lot of people do, I get excited after a long day at work to get home and learn even more Polish than I knew before. I understand what you are saying about the secret service learning that way that it must be a good thing because like you said they are not too keen on wasting precious time. I however couldn't fit 6 - 8 hours of learning in on any given day.

I very well might do that, I haven't really looked over the forum in general I have only ever observed the Language section. Thank you again.

@JiuJitsu
I have no idea. I'm Polish so I'm basically learning it the whole life :)

I think that's a how long is a piece of string question to be honest. A lot will depend on you. As a new learner, you are understandably keen, but it takes time and dedication to keep the level of study up that you are currently doing. I have been learning for several years now and I would not say that I am anywhere near fluent. What you have to understand is that reading and writing in Polish is relatively easy, speaking Polish with other people is a lot harder.


I think this is the best attitude to have. It is not important how long it takes so long as you are enjoying learning. You may pick up the language faster as some people are naturally gifted at languages, but it will still be a lot of hard work regardless.


Yes, it's important to keep going over what you have previously learned. It is surprising how much you can forget if you don't do this.


Skype. If you can speak to native speakers, the easier it will be for you. Books and other resources will only take you so far, if you can talk to native speakers, it will be a great help.


About a year usually, although that includes time spent in the country of the language being learned. I have a friend who works for GCHQ in Cheltenham, she speaks 6 languages fluently. It took her 6 months to become fluent in Slovak, a language she said was easy to learn. Sickening!


True, but the people they hire are naturally gifted at languages , it doesn't mean to say that everyone will be that successful at learning, but I do agree that total immersion in a language including spending time in the country, would be the best way to learn.


There is a wealth of information in the Language forum. If you have a specific question, you can be sure that someone else has probably asked it too, so check out the threads. Best of luck in your learning!

BTW, are you currently learning from specific books?

well... according to FSI one needs to study Polish language for 1100 hours (44 weeks) to be somehow efficient- but no way to the C levels. B1 is achievable however. do you live in Poland or not? either way, try to immerse yourself in the language- change your mobile phone's language to Polish, do the same with the laptop/desktop/tablet/whatever. it really makes you pick the lingo up much quicker.

@Chemikiem

Thank you for your advice. I have around ten or so books in Polish, some of them are just simple phrasebooks, some of them are on verbs and some of them are on Grammar. The Grammar book amazon.co.uk/Polish-Comprehensive-Grammar-Routledge-Grammars/dp/0415475414/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1486296494&sr=8-2&keywords=polish+grammar I have flicked through it but it is far to advanced for me right now but I flick through it from time to time to check out bits and pieces that I do know. I also have Uczmy sie Polskiego which is very basic but has some positives. I also have Pimsleur 1-30 and Michel Thomas Foundation & Advanced for when I am in the car or in the Gym. I also switch this up sometimes by watching Polish TV and listening to Polish Music...right now I am listening to Marek Grechuta because I find I can hear what he says very clearly. Oh I also use Duolingo from time to time just for a little fun. I don't really follow a "set" structure to my learning I kind of go between multiple sources, I am not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing? Maybe somebody can give me some advice about using multiple things at the same time?

@RubasznyRumcajs

Thank you for your reply, I will surely be doing that...great idead:)
---
Sorry I forgot to say that I don't live in Poland. I do have one Native Polish friend here in Dublin and I also have a Native Polish who moved back to Poland five or so years ago.

I haven't got that particular book, but it is for advanced learners. It will come in useful in the future for you :-)
I recommend ' Polish in 4 weeks' by M Kowalska. There is loads of information in it, and it will give you a good grounding in basic grammar. It was the first book that I studied when I started learning. You can get it via Amazon. There is also a Polish in 4 weeks Level 2 book if you get on with the first one. BTW, it will probably take far longer than 4 weeks to get through it, it covers a lot of material!

I also have 301 Polish Verbs by Klara Janecki. This is more of a reference book but it has been very helpful for me. You can also get this through Amazon.

I won't recommend any Intermediate books yet ;)


I don't think I would say good or bad, go with whatever suits you. What works for one person may not work for another, although I would say don't overload yourself and try to run before you can walk. Make sure you fully understand something before moving onto something else. When I started learning I was told to watch Polish cartoons, but it wasn't helpful for me, I found kiddies' voices too high pitched for me to fully understand what was being said, although I know that from reading the forum others have found this helpful. Listening to Polish being spoken will definitely help with pronunciation though. I sometimes used to watch a Polish programme on true life court cases, which I got slightly addicted to, but for the life of me I can't remember which channel it was on, or the name of the programme. I'll ask friends and post it here if no-one else can remember, seeing as though you have access to Polish TV.


I did this a lot, still do in fact, although I'm not sure how much it has helped!

One more thing to remember although it might seem obvious, NEVER fall into the trap of thinking that you can translate Polish to English directly, or vice versa, and also try not to rely on sources such as Google Translate. I have found it to be wrong more often than it's right.

@Chemikiem

Thanks for the reply. I too have the 301 verbs book...I will tell you what I have exactly now...

-Polish TV (I like watching the "soaps" on TVP and TVP Seriale among other things)
-Polish Music (right now its Marek Grechuta & Republika)
-301 Polish Verbs (Like you have)
-Polish A Comprehensive Grammar (as in the link above)
-Polish for Dummies (which is quite good surprisingly)
-VISUAL Polish-English Bilingual Dictionary (which I find good to just flick through when having a coffee)
-Oxford Polish -English Dictionary (obviously)
-Polish Verbs & Essentials of Grammar by Oscar E. Swan (which is very good for me at the just starting out stage of Grammar)
-BBC Polish Phrase Book & Dictionary
-Berlitz Polish Phrase Book & Dictionary
-Lonely Planet Phrase Book & Dictionary
-DK Polish Phrase Book & Dictionary
-Let's Learn Polish 1
-Pimsleur 1-30
-Michel Thomas Foundation & Advanced

Yeah thats about it. I will have a look at "Polish in 4 weeks" in more detail, I did see it when purchasing the book I mentioned however as you said the title did put me off buying it but I did buy Polish for Dummies lol but I wasn't so much of a dummy to think you could learn Polish in 4 weeks. I now know that the title is misleading to some extent so I will look into purchasing it.

I also couldn't watch the cartoons due to the high voices but like I said above I like watching the soaps and Polish tv...I am not too keen on the dubbed stuff though...I like to see how they say things with their expressions as well.

Thanks again for replying

@Chemikiem

Yeah thanks for the advice I don't do that however. Like learning I try to use different sources. So "if" I try to use google translate I will translate from English to Polish then Polish to English. I will then use Poltran etc to see if it makes any sense. If all else fails I can just ask my Polish friend:)

You have any alternatives to google translate other than Poltran?

It's not easy. I'm Polish living in Canada now 29 years and left Poland when I was 7 years old. I'm relearning the language as I'm planning on returning to Poland. I have an elementary foundation to build on and have always spoken to my immediate in Polish. I literally gave up reading and writing in Polish when I moved here. If you have Zero, I mean only know a few words in Polish than you have a looonngg road ahead of you to be fluent. I'd need a full 1-2 years of full immersion to become fluent speaking in Polish. Professional writing and reading maybe more.

Wow, quite a few resources already!


Yep, I've watched quite a bit on that channel too. Pretty sure it's that one which has the real life courtroom programme I was talking about.


Well it worked for me! It's not impossible that you could read it in 4 weeks, but there is such a lot of material covered that you would need to go over it at length to make sure you've understood everything. Also, the first few chapters are not that difficult to grasp, but beware, because it does get harder!


I don't use any. I have a good English-Polish dictionary, and that's about it. In the past I've asked questions on the Language forum when I've got stuck, or asked friends.

In learning ANY foreign/second language, time is the last thing to worry about, if the goal is a serious acquisition of that language!
If the goal is to take some free crash course in order to visit a country over a prescribed period of time and then return home, there are a bazillion so-called "classes" you can take.

Polish is a language, as I've said here many times, which requires truly monastic focus, concentration, and above all, patience, in order to master properly:-)

Even with Rosetta, Berlitz, Pimsleur, to be frank, you're probably wasting your time!

Yep, it's definitely taught me patience!


Don't be so negative Lyzko! Yes, it's a difficult language to learn, but it's perfectly possible to learn it to a high standard if one really wants to. Fluency though is another matter, the OP will really need lots of contact with native speakers and ideally to live/stay in Poland for an extended period of time, to achieve this.

@Chemikiem

Thank you for all your help and advice my friend.

@Lyzko

I am in no rush to learn the language as I look at it I know I will still be learning it until the day I die. Like anything it takes a long time and patience to see the fruits of your labor. In your opinion what is the best way of learning Polish? Even though I started the topic asking about how long...I am well aware that time does not matter. What matters is being patient and consistent. One step at a time. Thank you for your thoughts and criticisms.

@Chemikiem

I am well aware that being in contact with Native Speakers is a must. I have my first meeting face to face with a Native Speaker on Thursday. I will also be going to Poland in July to visit my friend for one month. I also have another Polish friend that I see daily who I ask questions to from time to time. Thanks again for the response.

Wasn't it "Sędzia Anna Maria Wesołowska" by any chance?

You're very welcome.


Very true, if you are anything like me, at times you will end up feeling like screaming in frustration when something doesn't sink in, but you just have to keep plugging away at it. If you can learn something new every day, even a year from now, when it's possible you might not have the enthusiasm you have at the moment, it is something.


Good luck, I hope it goes well!


This is exactly the boost to studying at home you need, hope this chance will improve your language skills. Don't be afraid to ask for things in shops in Polish, even if you make mistakes, it's the best way to learn.

@Chemikiem

Thank You once more for all your help and advice, I really appreciate it. Take Care.

That sounds very familiar, but I'm sure it wasn't always the same judge on the programme.

@Chemikiem
It has to be this then:
teleman.pl/seriale/Sad-Rodzinny

That's the one! Just watched a clip on Youtube to check!

@Chemikiem
:D

@Chemnikiem, I'm scarcely being negative, merely realistic in as far as fluency in Polish is certainly possible, only not the way Jiu Jitsu means or believes it can be achieved:-)

I'm not knocking language learning software programs per se, merely advising caution as to one's expectations.
Recently checked out Rosetta Stone's Intermediate Polish program, and to be brutally honest, had I wished to improve a language I was just learning (in this case Polish), I'd have been stumped at to what the speakers were saying to each other! Luckily, I caught most everything without closed captions or translation of the CD dialogues, but I do recall that the examples given were not transparent.

Then tried beginning Greek, a language which I don't know AT ALL, and Rosetta kept me guessing so much I finally gave up:-)

But again, it all depends purely on one's study goals! If basic CONVERSATIONAL "fluency" in daily life situations is the only thing required, the Rosetta might well be fine. Grammatical depth and understanding of case endings, counting quirks, aspectual usage and the like, I'd be damned if any run-of-the-mill CD-Rom course can be effective.

Speaking here solely from my experience and so don't wish to rain on Jiu Jitsu's parade!

Sixty hours intensive was enough for me to get the basics when I first came to Poland. I went to a course 5 days a week for four hours per day so twenty hours a week for three weeks. That kind of 'unlocked' the language for me and gave me enough to communicate on a basic phrasebook level.

@JiuJitsu, to assess your present fluency, it might be a good idea to ask yourself, would you be able to go to the bank and carry out making a deposit and withdrawal, paying a bill by bank transfer etc. Could you telephone a garage and describe a problem you're having with your car eg the engine is making a rattling sound when it's in second gear. That's the kind of thing you need. Prosaic I know but that's the language of everyday life. I have a phrasebook which contains the gem 'what are the main social problems in this town?' Now if somebody is at the phrasebook level of Polish, how in God's name would they understand the answer to that question!