How long does it take to learn English?
There is a published answer, it is approximate on purpose, and it is more useful than any of the round numbers.
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“How long does it take?” has no answer without a destination attached, which is why the honest version is stated per level rather than in total. Cambridge English publishes rough guided learning hours for each CEFR level — the classroom-and-homework time a typical learner needs to reach it.
The published figures, approximately
B2 about 500–600 h · C1 about 700–800 h · C2 about 1,000–1,200 h
They are cumulative, and the gaps widen. Getting from nothing to A2 is roughly the same amount of work as getting from B1 to B2 — which is why the middle of the journey feels so much slower than the start.
What that is in months
At fifteen minutes a day, B1 is several years away. At an hour a day it is roughly a year. The figures are a budget, not a promise, and they assume the hours are guided — practice with feedback, not time spent near English.
Why your mileage genuinely varies
A first language close to English, previous experience of learning any second language, and daily exposure outside study all move the number substantially. So does the quality of the hour: fifteen focused minutes are worth more than an hour with a video playing.
Frequently asked
How many hours to reach B2 in English? Cambridge English's published guidance puts B2 at roughly 500 to 600 cumulative guided learning hours. The figure is deliberately a range: first language, prior study and daily exposure all change it.
Can I learn English in three months? You can make very visible progress in three months, and you can reach a usable A2 from zero at an hour a day. Fluency is a different order of magnitude — the published hours for C1 are near eight hundred.
Is it faster with a teacher? The published figures assume guided hours, which is the point. What a teacher supplies is feedback, and feedback is what separates practice from exposure.