How long does learning Polish take?
In all cases, learning Polish is a long-term effort. However – the exact length of your journey depends on a few factors. The average learning time varies from 480 to 2200 hours. But from the following article, you’ll learn what will make you lean towards one of that values.
Your native language
Languages are divided into families based on their similarities. So, the closer your native language is related to Polish, the faster you’ll learn. Let’s use the “family” term literally. Among Slavic languages, Polish has two “brothers” – Czech and Slovak. Those are the other Western Slavic languages. They have so many things in common that they are mutually comprehensible. If you’re a speaker of them – you’ll be a Polish language sprinter!
More distant “cousins” are Eastern Slavic languages. Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarussian share some things with Polish. However, they are not mutually comprehensible with their Western cousin. But being Eastern Slav will still be a huge boost for your learning.
Southern Slavic languages – Serbian, Slovenian, Bosnian, Croatian, and Macedonian are even more distant but still can be of some help.
Let’s go even further. Indo-European languages share some very basic concepts and some vocabulary. Speaking one of those will still be helpful. But what if you hail from a country where completely other languages are spoken?
The fewer similarities, the longer it will take for you to learn Polish. It does not mean you cannot do this. It means only that you will need a few more months to accomplish the goals.
That’s why in Polish Dream language school our courses are held in origin-based groups. During your course, you will learn with the people who speak your language and its relatives. This way all of you will be able to maintain a similar pace and receive individual approach from your lector.
Your Polish language course will benefit from your engagement
In Polish Dream school semester with clearly set goals lasts for 15 weeks. So, during each of them, you will acquire skills. But if you take some additional effort outside your class (for example – watching Polish movies), you can expect better results at the same time.
The other mean through which you could boost your learning is total immersion. It means that you will expose yourself to Polish in all possible ways. You’ll watch Polish news, read Polish newspapers, and even change the language on your phone. You’ll learn a lot of vocabulary and phrases in a very short time.
Your individual possibilities
You are a person. You have your own life, hobbies, issues, and potential for doing things. Those factors are indirectly connected to learning Polish. If you’re tired from work and/or taking care of your children – it will affect your learning pace, attention span in a class, etc.
You can also be gifted. Polish will be child’s play for you, because of your natural potential. Or the contrary – learning languages is not what you’re best at. It does not disqualify you, but inherent issues will require more time. You may also need a more individualized teaching strategy. At Polish Dream language school, we offer 1:1 classes, which can also be held online if you wish.
To sum up – learning Polish is affected by many factors, which cannot be controlled. Keep in mind that everything is possible if you plan wisely and do not give up!