The internet is full of big promises, and you have probably seen the ads. They say things like "Learn Spanish in 30 days!" or "Speak French like a native in a weekend!" These claims sound exciting, but they are just not true. Learning a new language takes real time, and trying to rush usually makes people want to quit.

If you want to use a language in real life, your first big goal is the A2 level. But how long does it actually take to get there?

We looked at the science to find out how long it takes to reach A2. This guide shows what this level feels like in daily life, and we will help you get there without burning out.

Is an A2 language level fluent, and what can you actually do with it?

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is a scale that measures how well you speak. It goes from A1 for beginners up to C2 for masters.

The CEFR calls the A2 level a "Waystage" or "Basic User" level (Council of Europe, 2020). At A2, you can handle simple, everyday tasks. You can order food at a restaurant, ask for directions, buy a train ticket, or talk about your family.

But let us be honest: A2 is definitely not fluent.

You will still make plenty of grammar mistakes at this stage. You will struggle to find the right words, so you will need the other person to speak slowly and help you out. You cannot use A2 to work in an office or talk about deep, complex topics.

To see what this looks like in real life, watch this official speaking test:

As you can see in the Cambridge English A2 Speaking Test, the speakers pause quite a bit. They use simple sentences and make clear mistakes, but they still manage to get their point across. That is the beauty of A2 because it is not perfect, but it is highly useful.

How long does it take to reach A2 in Spanish, French, German, Russian, and Japanese?

How long does it actually take to reach this level? The honest answer is that it depends on the language you choose.

The US Foreign Service Institute (FSI) trains government workers to speak other languages. They group languages into categories based on how hard they are for English speakers to learn (FSI Foreign Language Training, n.d.). We can use these groups to guess how many hours you need to study to reach A2 (FSI Language Difficulty Rankings, n.d.).

Let us look at five popular languages:

  • Spanish: Spanish is one of the easiest languages for English speakers to learn. The grammar is simple, and many words look like English words. You need about 100 to 150 hours of study to reach A2. If you study for 30 minutes every day, you can get there in 6 to 10 months.
  • French: French is also close to English, but the spelling and pronunciation can be tricky. You will need about 120 to 150 hours of study, which means about 8 to 10 months of daily practice.
  • German: German is related to English, but the grammar is much harder. You have to learn three word genders and four noun cases, which are rules for how words change in a sentence. You will need about 150 to 200 hours. You can use free tools like Deutsche Welle's Nicos Weg or the Easy German A2 Playlist to help you. Expect to spend about 10 to 12 months of daily study.
  • Russian: Russian uses a different alphabet called Cyrillic and has very hard grammar rules. You will need about 250 to 300 hours of study, which means about a year and a half of daily work.
  • Japanese: Japanese is one of the hardest languages for English speakers. It has three different writing systems and a completely different sentence order. You will need at least 350 to 400 hours to reach A2, which takes about 2 years of daily study.

Why the A2 embarrassment phase happens and how to survive it

When you reach the A2 level, you will likely hit a wall. We call this the "embarrassment phase" because speaking can feel very awkward.

At A1, you only know a few words, so nobody expects you to say much. But at A2, you know enough words to want to talk, but you still do not have the grammar to say exactly what you mean. This gap between what you want to say and what you can actually say makes many people feel nervous.

Researchers call this "Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety" (Horwitz et al., 1986). This worry gets worse when you try to have real conversations because you are afraid of making mistakes. How do you get past this awkward phase? The secret is to stop trying to be perfect and focus on having fun instead.

Studies show that enjoying the language helps you learn much faster than worry holds you back (Dewaele & Alfawzan, 2018). When you have fun, your brain relaxes, and you actually speak better (Dewaele & MacIntyre, 2014).

You can find this joy by using easy, low-stress tools. Try listening to slow, friendly podcasts like Coffee Break Spanish. You can also watch foreign TV shows on Lingopie with double subtitles to build your listening skills without any pressure.

Another great option is to use tools like HearSay. HearSay lets you practise speaking in a private, safe space. You can call the WhatsApp voice agent to practise a realistic conversation. Since no real human is watching or judging you, you can make mistakes and build your confidence at your own pace.

Micro-habits for busy people to build active speaking skills

Most busy people do not have hours to sit with a textbook. If you want to reach A2, you need tiny daily habits that fit into your normal schedule. A great 20-minute daily routine focuses on active speaking instead of just listening.

To do this, you can use a method called shadowing. Shadowing means listening to a native speaker and repeating what they say right after them, like an echo.

This practice trains your mouth muscles and your brain to make the right sounds quickly (Kadota, 2019). It helps you speak more naturally so you do not have to stop and think about every word (Hamada, 2019).

Here is a simple 20-minute daily routine you can try:

  • Minutes 1–10: Listening. Listen to a good audio lesson while you walk the dog or make coffee. You can use free audio courses like Language Transfer or books with side-by-side translations like the Assimil With Ease Series.
  • Minutes 11–20: Speaking. Practise speaking what you just heard. You can use a tool like Speechling to get free feedback on your pronunciation from real coaches.

You can also use HearSay. The lessons come right to your WhatsApp as 10-minute voice notes. You can listen on your way to work, and then call the voice agent back to practise the conversation live. It is a hands-free way to build real speaking habits without staring at a screen.

Conclusion

Reaching the A2 level takes time, but it is a great milestone. It is the moment you start using the language for real-world tasks. Do not worry about being perfect. Just focus on building a small, daily habit that you actually enjoy.

Ready to start speaking? Build a daily habit and practise speaking without any pressure by creating your custom course with HearSay today. Or, if you are ready to jump straight in, get started with HearSay now.

References

Council of Europe. (2020). Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment — Companion volume. Council of Europe Publishing. https://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages/

Dewaele, J.-M., & Alfawzan, M. (2018). Does the effect of enjoyment outweigh that of anxiety in foreign language performance? Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 8(1), 21-45. https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2018.8.1.2

Dewaele, J.-M., & MacIntyre, P. (2014). The two faces of Janus? Anxiety and enjoyment in the foreign language classroom. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 4(2), 237-274. https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2014.4.2.5

Foreign Service Institute. (n.d.). Foreign Language Training. U.S. Department of State. https://www.state.gov/foreign-service-institute/foreign-language-training/

Hamada, Y. (2019). Shadowing: What Is It? How to Use It? Where Will It Go? RELC Journal, 50(3), 493-514. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688218771380

Horwitz, E. K., Horwitz, M. B., & Cope, J. (1986). Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety. The Modern Language Journal, 70(2), 125-132. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.1986.tb05256.x

Kadota, S. (2019). Shadowing as a Practice in Second Language Acquisition: Connecting Inputs and Outputs. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351049108