The fastest way to learn English is to spend most of your study time on English you can mostly understand. That kind of English is called comprehensible input. What you read and listen to should change as you improve, so the plan below shows what to do at each level and how to split an hour of study.
What to Do at Each Level
Find the level that sounds like you. Its bar shows how to spend an hour of study.
- Level 1
I'm just starting out or know only a few words.
Read and listen 35 min. Review 15 min. Speak 10 min.
Play beginner stories from Easy Stories in English with the transcript open, and listen to each one twice. Review the words you saved, then say a few lines out loud.
- Level 2
I can handle simple exchanges.
Read and listen 40 min. Review 10 min. Speak 10 min.
Read world news on News in Levels, starting with its stories for readers who know up to 1,000 words, and look up only the words that stop you. Listen to ELLLO's speakers from around the world, and start short talks with a tutor or a friend.
- Level 3
I follow conversations on familiar topics.
Read and listen 40 min. Review 5 min. Speak 15 min.
Read Breaking News English, which has news lessons in seven levels, at a level where you know almost every word. Watch Easy English street interviews with the English subtitles on, and talk about what you read for longer.
- Level 4
I understand most content but miss some nuance.
Read and watch 45 min. Review 5 min. Speak 10 min.
Watch an English series on Netflix or YouTube with English subtitles, one episode a week. Listen to a podcast for intermediate learners, such as English Learning for Curious Minds.
- Level 5
I read complex topics but rare words slow me down.
Read and watch 50 min. Speak 10 min.
Listen to BBC World Service radio at full speed, and read articles and books about things you like. Look up only the words that block the story.
- Level 6
I read at near-native level.
Read and watch 50 min. Speak 10 min.
Read English novels and newspapers, and talk about them, for their own sake.
Move up a level when your lessons start to feel easy, and move back down if you lose the thread by the third line.
How Long Does It Take to Learn English?
English takes about 700 to 800 hours of lessons and supervised study to reach C1, an advanced level, from complete beginner, according to Cambridge English. Cambridge says each level of the CEFR scale, from A1 up to C2, takes about 200 more hours. Here are its figures for learners of English:
| CEFR level | Cambridge English exam | Hours from complete beginner |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | Starters and Movers, for young learners | 90 to 100 |
| A2 | A2 Key | 180 to 200 |
| B1 | B1 Preliminary | 350 to 400 |
| B2 | B2 First | 500 to 600 |
| C1 | C1 Advanced | 700 to 800 |
| C2 | C2 Proficiency | 1,000 to 1,200 |
Here is how long A2, B2 and C1 take at different amounts of study a week, using the top of each Cambridge range:
| Study per week | Cambridge A2 (200 hours) | Cambridge B2 (600 hours) | Cambridge C1 (800 hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3½ hours | About 13 months | About 3¼ years | About 4⅓ years |
| 7 hours | About 6½ months | About 20 months | About 2¼ years |
| 14 hours | About 3 months | About 10 months | About 13 months |
| 28 hours | About 7 weeks | About 5 months | About 6½ months |
These are lesson hours, so treat them as a rough guide. Time you spend understanding English on your own counts too.
What Slows Learners Down
- Reading Without AudioThe same English letters can sound different, as in “though”, “through” and “tough”. Read with audio so you hear each new word.
- Phrasal Verbs From a List“Get up”, “get over” and “get by” each mean something different. A list gives you no sentence to remember them by.
- Content Far Too HardA show at full speed where you know one word in five teaches you very little.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which English app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning English, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Our English app comparison covers courses, tutors and speaking apps too.
Can I learn English in three months?
You can learn enough English to order food and talk about your day. At 14 hours a week, three months is about 180 hours, which falls inside Cambridge English's estimate of 180 to 200 hours to reach A2. Cambridge counts from complete beginner, so English you learned at school puts you further along.
How much should I study English each week?
Aim for three to five hours a week of English you understand, in sessions of at least 15 to 30 minutes. A longer session lets you get lost in a story, which teaches more than five minutes a day, and steady time each week matters more than a daily streak. Our post on deep sessions over daily streaks explains why.
Is English hard to learn?
How hard it feels depends on you. Cambridge English says the languages you have learned before, your age, how much you study and how much English you meet outside lessons all change how long it takes. A regular English verb has only four forms, such as walk, walks, walked and walking, so most of the time goes into words and phrases, which you pick up fastest from English you understand.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
