Article by Oana Iosifidis
Romanian is an easy language.
But, for somebody who has contact with it for the first time, it might seem hard. One of the questions that most people ask, as they start this journey is: How long will it take to learn?
Romanian is a Category I language. This means it is easy to learn for native English speakers. If you come from a Latin country, it might be even easier.
FSI (Foreign Service Institute) estimates that it will take up to 580 hours or 23 weeks of study to reach Romanian fluency.
23 weeks? Oh, my god! This is about 5 months.
But, if you think about it, it is not such a long time.
This period may vary, though, from person to person. A lot, I would say.
Depending on the time you allocate, on your motivation, on whether you have somebody to talk to in Romanian or not. And on several other factors.
There are 3 things that can make a significant difference in your progress:
Motivation
Motivation is the main ingredient, in whatever we decide to do in our life. So, if you have a reason for learning Romanian, if you have in mind at least one aspect of your life that will improve once you speak Romanian, the learning process will become easy and fun.
So, think now… why would you like to learn Romanian? Maybe you want to travel to this beautiful country? Maybe you work in Romania or plan to relocate, and you want to experience life as a local? Whatever you reason is, write it on a piece of paper, find a photo that best expresses the joy you will experiment once you speak Romanian and …. Have fun learning!
Personal study and practice
No matter how great your teacher or course is, the success is in your hands. The more time you will allocate to study and practice, the faster you will learn. My advice is to allocate a certain interval every week, and stick to it. Make your homework, read a bit, listen to something in Romanian.
And practice. Whether you read your lessons out loud, talk to somebody or just write some simple sentences in Romanian, all these small steps will get you closer to your destination. Or maybe you like Romanian music. Play some songs and have fun with it!
Patience
Give yourself time. Adjust your expectations. It is a process, and, while it might seem hard at first, while you might feel you have a long road ahead, sooner than you think, you will just feel like, suddenly, things start to make sense.
So, have patience, study, do the practice, and expect miracles!
In conclusion, the answer to the question: “How long does it take to learn Romanian?” is not so simple and general. It is very subjective and different from person to person.
Since you read until here, I am sure you have a strong motivation, you want to learn and you are ready to start on this path. Leave us a comment below and tell us if we can help you.
If you found this useful, feel free to navigate our site for more resources. You will find words and phrases for specific situations and interesting information about this beautiful country, its places and traditions.