how long does it take to become fluent in spanish?
How long does it take to become fluent in spanish?
7 Answers
For some, like me, forever...or maybe even never. I can hold a conversation with almost anyone and can understand almost everything after living in Mexico for four years completely immersed in the language. Still I have grammar troubles, vocabulary troubles, etc. I sincerely doubt I will ever be fluent.
But I don't care about fluency. I can live very comfortably in a 100% Spanish speaking environment without fluency.
The key, I think, is talking and listening. The more the better. Even though I am back in the US I spend more than 10 hours a week speaking via Skype with native speakers. I listen almost exclusively to Spanish music, I watch Spanish language videos on youtube and to the dismay of my family I speak Spanish at home and then repeat it in English. They are getting Spanish lessons that they don't want. Too bad. I need to keep thinking in Spanish, even though it is not grammatically correct perfect Spanish.
Hope this can help you estimate how soon you can become fluent in Spanish.
A young man asked Aesop how long it will take him to get to the town where he is headed. Aesop said: "go!" He thought the old man did not get what he was asking. Then he tried again. Aesop again said: "go!!" Seeing the young man was confused and thought that he might be offended, Aesop said, "only if you showed me how fast you can walk, so I can tell you how soon you will get there."
I would say it depends on you commitment to learning, and the circumstances. You can aquire basic communication skills in a year or less. But to be an advanced student, even if you are in an immersion situation, is going to take years.
39 years, 4 months, 18 days, 16 hours, 8 mins and 42 seconds as of this post. 
That's approximate. I don't know how long this post will take. I liked Gringojrf's answer.
Seriously now, I think it took about a year. I made a concious effort to not speak English (my native) language except when I had to. I tried to not read anything in English as much as was possible and listened to VOA on short-wave radio. I would pester my Spanish teacher before class and after class. I would ambush her before school. I lived close to my school and knew her car. I would wait by her car after school with my notes. She always answered my questions, but I sensed that she was trying to avoid me after a while. I caused an argument between her and my English teacher because I made my book reports (for English class) in English about Spanish books (Cervantes, Unamundo, García Lorca, etc.). My English teacher had never read them, so she didn't know that the reports were on the "up and up". I got a bad grade, but my Spanish teach stood up for me, saying that they were excellent book reports. I ended up with a low A in English.
My only problem was vocabulary. A dictionary solved that. I knew my verb conjugations and all that.
My Spanish teacher's daughter started teaching Spanish at "my school" years later. I started talking to her classes as an invited guest from time to time. I still do, but not as often. I remember her telling me, when I first introduced myself, "So you're the guy who always asked questions that my mom couldn't answer."
Anyway, that's my story.
Every person is different. Usually years. Two, three, five.
double post
So it could take a long time.
