How Long Does it Take to Become Conversational in Spanish?

In this post: Wondering how long it takes to become conversational in Spanish? Learn how to optimize your Spanish learning methods and feel fluent faster.

How long does it take to become conversational in Spanish? I get this question a lot!

And you may have even heard of a magic number of hours it takes to learn Spanish fluently. But before I reveal that number (and what I think about it), I have an exercise for you.

First, think for a minute about your favorite hobby. Ready? Now, think all the way back to when you started. Was finding that satisfying sense of mastery and enjoyment only about the time you put in? 

Or did it also come down to technique, passion, falling in love with the process, and making a few (hundred) mistakes on the way? Learning Spanish is similar.

Here’s another common question adult learners ask me: "Can I learn Spanish in a year or two?” The short answer is ‘yes’ but not without some focus and dedication.

You’ll probably read elsewhere that it takes 600 hours to learn fluent Spanish. But what does that mean exactly?

To put that into more relatable terms for adults with busy lives, that could look like:

• Studying Spanish for 6 hours a week, 1 hour a day, would take about 2 years to reach 600 hours. 

• Cut that time in half to 30 minutes a day, 6 days a week, and it will take you about 4 years.

• Double that time to two hours a day with a complete immersion program, and it will take you about a year. (This is what I did, by the way). 

But, even then, that doesn’t always reflect your ability to speak the language, especially if you’ve mostly focused those 600 hours on more passive skills like reading and listening. 

In today’s post, you’ll learn what really determines how long it takes to become conversational in Spanish.  This way, you’ll come away with a clear picture of how long it will realistically take you to learn Spanish best on your expectations schedule and learning style.  And you can start taking charge of your Spanish learning to accelerate the process in a fulfilling and realistic way.

While reading this post, consider these questions:

• In what situations would you love to be able to communicate better in Spanish? 

• What would you love to be able to understand or enjoy in Spanish? Podcasts, news, books, films…jokes?

• How much time can you devote to your Spanish practice each week?

• Do you feel your Spanish learning habits are intentional? Effective?

How long until you’re conversational in Spanish? There's no one-size-fits-all answer.

When you’re working towards a more conversational level of Spanish, a lot is riding on you: your learning style and preferences, your background with Spanish and language learning in general, and your attitudes toward learning.  

All of these experiences and attitudes make up your language learning profile--and they mean the time it takes you to learn Spanish will also be unique. 

Speaking from personal experience of learning Spanish as an adult and watching several students go from beginner to conversational, I can tell you that it can take anywhere from 10 months to two years to speak confidently in familiar situations. 

Now, that doesn’t mean that you’ll be speaking error-free Spanish. That means that, with dedicated practice, at some point between 10 months and 2 years, you will be able to understand Spanish speakers well enough to comprehend what they’re saying quickly and then articulate what you want to say back to them in a timely (and mostly correct) manner.

For many of us, at the beginning, holding a conversation can be as short as 30 seconds, but that gradually grows the more you practice.

This language-learning reality differs significantly from what some online platforms tell you. So I hope you’ll forget a few of those unhelpful claims. Such as?

Learn Spanish in 90 Days?! 

There are a lot of programs out there selling you on “Learn Spanish in 90 Days!” Or “Be conversationally fluent by the end of the month!” Well, I’m here to tell you that that's a bunch of hogwash. 

In all my years of studying Spanish, I have never met someone who was conversationally fluent in 3 months, much less in 30 days! And if those people exist, then I’m here to tell you that they are the anomaly (and I can guarantee you that they aren’t speaking very correct Spanish, just parroting a few phrases memorized by heart).

Remember, for us normal people with full-time lives outside of learning Spanish, it will take us closer to 10 months to two years to reach a confident Spanish-speaking level. But hey, in our native language, it takes us close to 3 years to string more than 3-5 words together. 

So we’re doing pretty well in our second language by cutting that time in half! 

But you see, we humans are impatient creatures. We want everything, like yesterday. 

Learning a second language takes dedication - hours of study and practice time - which often doesn’t translate into tangible results at first. That pushes many people just to give up.

So don’t let that happen to you. Instead, let’s go about this the smart way. 

Here are some questions to ask yourself about how long it will take you to learn Spanish.

What are your attitudes about learning Spanish fluently?

While you can’t change everything about the kind of learner you are and the speed at which you’ll learn Spanish, your attitudes are under your control--and they play an important role in predicting the time it will take for you to become conversational. 

Take a moment and think about your views on learning Spanish as an adult.

Do you think you’re just not good at learning Spanish? Or does a little part of you believe you can’t reach a fluent level of Spanish as an adult? 

If so, read this post about how effective adults can be in learning Spanish and my post about a famous Mexican-American singer who reached fluency in Spanish as an adult.

Approaching your learning with the right mindset is an essential first step that will determine how long you can become conversational in Spanish.

What’s your personality?

After years of working with many language learners, I think conversational confidence depends a lot on your personality, too. 

If you’re naturally quiet and introverted, chances are, it’s going to take you longer to open your mouth and start speaking in Spanish because you want it to be perfect. 

Introverts can also be emotionally scarred after having embarrassing moments in Spanish, and it may cause them to coil back up in their shell for weeks before they come back out again. 

Whereas extroverts will have no problem saying whatever comes to mind early on in their Spanish journey, not caring much about whether it’s correct or not.

What’s your gender?

I hate to bring up the gender card here, but it’s true. Men often get more opportunities to speak in their second language than women do. 

If you’re traveling with a male friend or partner, they will usually be approached more by other Spanish-speaking men - at least in Latin America. Why? Well, it’s a cultural thing (and a machismo thing, but we’ll leave that for another day). 

Women also have to exercise more caution in striking up random conversations with people while traveling. 

All of this is to say that men often get more opportunities for conversation practice than women. 

So, ladies, what can you do about this? If you’re traveling with a male partner, be more assertive. Offer to call the taxi, check you both in at the hotel, give the taxi driver instructions, and so on. 

What topics do you want to feel conversational and confident discussing?

A lot of conversational confidence comes from speaking about topics you’ve discussed before. These typically center around likes and dislikes, work, family, travel, and food. 

But, throw in more sophisticated topics like finance, politics, and global warming, and many students realize that they’ve got a lot of holes in their vocabulary. This tends to be the gap between an A2 speaking level and a high B1/low B2 level. 

Many Spanish learners are perfectly happy at the A2 level and never go much beyond that. 

Some learners crave a more sophisticated level of speaking and vocabulary, which requires more studying and practice. 

But, you see, both of these could be considered “conversationally fluent,” therein lies the conundrum of not being able to truly measure Spanish conversational fluency.

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How long it takes you to become conversational in Spanish will also depend on your learning strategies and materials.

Luckily, it’s not just about who you are. You can make smart decisions about the study strategies and materials you select and speed up the process of becoming conversational Spanish. 

Here are a few tried and tested strategies from my experience learning Spanish as an adult.

Start with one dialect of Spanish.

Do you want to speak the Spanish they use in Spain, Mexico, or another Latin American country? Choose the materials you’ll study (and your teacher) accordingly.

Match materials and teaching style to your needs. 

Are you busy?  Then, select ready-made, high-quality materials you can pick up and use efficiently.  What’s your dominant learning style?  

Do you have interests that can help you supercharge your learning and stay motivated? Follow them by all means. 

Learn to track your progress.

Ever been on a long flight or road trip? They can feel endless without milestones. 

Knowing your progress in Spanish works the same way: it sets expectations, guides your pace, and helps you adjust your strategy.

Here are some ways to track your progress:

• Use a course tracker. Many learning materials and courses have tracking tools to help you visualize your progress. I know how helpful those are, so I created my ALAS Basic Spanish Course Series on a platform that has one built in. For self-study materials and books, you can also make your own checklist.

• Take a level test like DELE. It shows you your 'mileage,' keeps you motivated, and helps you gauge your skill level.

• Master self-assessment. Knowing your current level of Spanish and spotting changes gives you a timeline toward fluency.

• Lastly, track habits to maintain motivation. This is especially true if you're new to learning. Whether it’s daily 15-minute study sessions, watching Spanish Netflix for 30 minutes, or reading in Spanish, pick a habit and write it down or cross it off your list every time you practice it.

Find creative ways to immerse yourself in Spanish.

Taking advantage of informal language learning outside of regular, structured, and more academic practice can also affect how fast you learn Spanish.

Is Spanish all around you? Do you hear people speaking it regularly? 

If not, how can you change that?

There are opportunities all around you to immerse yourself in Spanish - especially if you live in the U.S.

Turn on Spanish radio or a Spanish-language podcast, join a book club, or take a stroll at a local farmer’s market and tune into conversations. 

Exposure to Spanish in informal settings (outside your official study materials) is a key factor determining the time it takes to become conversational in Spanish. 

Look for ways to immerse yourself in Spanish at home--especially if you hope to see progress in shorter periods.

This brings me to another significant predictor of how long it will take you to become conversational in Spanish. 

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How long will it take to learn Spanish?  Last but not least, it depends on your expectations.

The time it takes you to learn Spanish depends on the level of Spanish you want to reach.  

Before you even start to think about the level you hope to achieve, ask yourself this:

What do you want Spanish to look like in your life?

So many people set themselves vague and unreachable goals like:

“I want to finally be fluent in Spanish.”

But they don’t stop to consider what that means--to them.

As an adult learning Spanish, you get to choose your milestones. 

And your best bet is to make those realistic, relevant, specific, and meaningful to your life and interests. 

What are realistic, specific, and meaningful expectations for your Spanish?

Here are some examples from adults learning Spanish whom I’ve worked with in the past:

• “I’d like to be able to ask for assistance in finding ingredients at the local Mexico grocery store and not have the clerk switch to English because they couldn’t understand me.”

• “I want to be able to help Spanish speakers in my community fill out voter registration forms for the upcoming election.”

• “I’d like to be able to explore a more local neighborhood in Mexico City, like Coyoácan, with the confidence that I can communicate in most situations, like asking for directions and buying things from local vendors.”

And if you want to take charge of how long it will take you to learn Spanish?

Don’t forget the power of reaching one small milestone after another.  

Using incremental milestones will help you stay motivated in your Spanish learning--and make the time it takes to reach more significant milestones fly by.

So, for example, if your significant milestone is ordering food in Spanish at a restaurant, set yourself a smaller milestone first. For example:

• Start by just understanding your friends when they’re ordering. 

• Another milestone can be naming the dish you’re ordering and por favor--instead of using complete sentences at first. 

• Finally, you can set yourself the milestone of being able to chat with the server, get their opinion--and order politely.

When setting milestones for your Spanish learning, consider this interesting fact:

Hitting a high intermediate level in Spanish is like getting a lifetime membership to the Spanish-speaking community. 

Once you reach this level, the core language skills you gain here are yours to keep. 

That means that even if you take a break from your Spanish learning program for a while, you won’t lose the foundations. 

At this level, when you pick up your Spanish practice again, you may feel a bit rusty at first, but you’ll be able to communicate for the rest of your life.  

What does that look like in terms of your real-life milestones? Maybe you want to…

• Actively participate in discussions on topics you're familiar with, sharing your opinions, and responding to others,

• Handle most everyday situations you'd encounter while traveling in Spanish-speaking countries, whether you’re asking for directions or ordering at a restaurant,

• Genuinely understand articles about current events and culture, for example. And not just ‘easy reading.’

• Watch films and series in Spanish and enjoy them--without English subtitles. 

Whatever the Spanish-speaking milestones in your life, I hope you’ll find a way to join the club of people who can and will be communicating in Spanish for a lifetime.

Takeaways:

Whatever milestones you dream up on the road to becoming conversational in Spanish, remember this:

Each adult learning Spanish will follow a different path or end up at the same destination. 

To some extent, the path you take will depend on how far you’ve already come in Spanish and your language learning style and background.

Regardless of where you begin, learning a language is more like traveling across the country than down the block, and for most adults, it’s a question of learning over years--not weeks. 

So, I hope today you come away with realistic expectations about how long it will take you to learn to speak Spanish the way you want to.  

But more importantly, I hope you come away from today’s post with the understanding that the time it takes to feel at ease in conversations in Spanish is something you can influence. 

And that you leave today with the knowledge you need to seek out the most effective learning materials and create incredible, authentic, and active learning experiences for yourself. 

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