| The first thing everybody wants to know when | | | | means you will be able to express abstract ideas |
| beginning to learn Spanish is how long it will take. | | | | and communicate in a manner consistent with an |
| Of course, the answer depends on what exactly | | | | educated, professional adult. It does NOT mean |
| you mean by the term "learn Spanish". Do you | | | | that you will possess a native-level fluency as only |
| mean native-level fluency? Functionally | | | | prolonged study in a Spanish-speaking country is |
| conversant? Somewhere in between? The time | | | | likely to yield such results. That said, a functional |
| required to reach a near-native fluency is different | | | | fluency is more than adequate to live and work in |
| for everybody and is hard to measure, but there | | | | a Spanish-speaking country while you polish off |
| are rules of thumb on how long it usually takes to | | | | your Spanish skills at leisure. |
| reach a level adequate for all but the most | | | | The Foreign Service Institute (FSI), the branch of |
| specialized of professional and social situations. | | | | the US government responsible for teaching |
| Conventional wisdom holds that it takes between | | | | languages to US diplomats , allocates 6 months to |
| 250 to 350 hours of dedicated study to reach a | | | | the task of teaching Spanish to a new diplomat. |
| functional fluency in the Spanish language. This | | | | |