# How long does it take to learn Esperanto?

Source: https://esperantopedia.org/learn/how-long/
Language: en
Updated: 2026-10-11

> No modern study has measured it. Old experiments suggest Esperanto takes several times less study than other languages; 150 hours is a rough estimate.

There is no precise answer: we know of no modern study that has followed adult learners of Esperanto to a standard level. The figures that exist all point the same way: **Esperanto needs several times less study than a national language** for a similar result. The most quoted estimate is about **150 hours** for a level that takes French speakers 1,000–2,000 hours in Italian, English or German. Treat such numbers as rough orders of magnitude, not promises.

## What the studies and estimates say

| Source | Year | Who was studied | Finding | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward Thorndike, Columbia University, for the International Auxiliary Language Association | 1925–1931 | Students in the US | After 20 hours, Esperanto was understood better than French, German, Italian or Spanish after 100 hours | Known mainly through summaries |
| István Szerdahelyi, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest | 1962–1963 | Hungarian secondary-school classes | Share of the course goal reached: Russian 30%, German 40%, English 60%, Esperanto 130% | Reported through secondary sources |
| Norman Williams, Egerton Park school, England | 1965 | Secondary pupils | Esperanto "six times easier" than French or German | One school |
| University of Paderborn, as usually quoted | not given | French-speaking students, level not specified | 2,000 hours of German = 1,500 of English = 1,000 of Italian = 150 of Esperanto | Original data hard to find; not published in a peer-reviewed journal |
| Esperanto-USA | 2010 or earlier | – | At most a quarter of the time needed for other languages | Advocacy organisation |
| Karen Roehr-Brackin and Angela Tellier, *Language Problems and Language Planning* (review of English classroom studies) | 2018 | English primary pupils aged 6–12, 2006–2016 | Esperanto was easier to learn than French for novice child learners | No measurable gain in language awareness |

Reviews of these experiments warn that many had **unclear goals, brief or anecdotal reports and weak methods**. Their results were nonetheless consistently favourable. The best recent evidence, a 2018 review of English classroom studies from 2006–2016, confirms that Esperanto is easier for beginners, but it tested children, not adults.

## A comparison with other languages

The US Foreign Service Institute (FSI) does not rate Esperanto. For the easiest group of languages for English speakers – Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, Swedish and others – it plans **24–30 weeks, or 552–690 class hours**, to reach general professional proficiency (level 3 on the ILR scale) in speaking and reading. Students also do about 17 hours of self-study a week.

If Esperanto takes a quarter of that time, as Esperanto-USA suggests, the same level would need roughly **140–170 class hours** (our calculation). That is close to the Paderborn figure of 150 hours. Two weak estimates that agree are still weak, so read this as "months, not years" rather than an exact target.

## What does that mean in practice?

| Daily study | 150 hours takes about |
|---|---|
| 15 minutes | 20 months |
| 30 minutes | 10 months |
| 1 hour | 5 months |
| 2 hours | 2.5 months |

The first results come much sooner. Free beginner courses cover the core grammar in about 12 lessons. Our [Saluton course](https://esperantopedia.org/learn/course/) has 12 lessons of 30–45 minutes, about 6 to 9 hours in total; by the end you can introduce yourself, talk about your family, work and hobbies, and read a 200-word letter. Esperanto12 calls itself "Learn Esperanto in 12 Hours". Understanding fast speech and speaking without pauses takes far longer, as in any language.

## What makes it faster or slower?

- **Your first language.** Most Esperanto roots come from Romance and Germanic languages. One analysis found 89% of roots recognisably related to English words (Williams, 1965). Speakers of Chinese, Japanese or Arabic start with fewer familiar words.
- **Other languages you know.** It is generally accepted that every language you learn makes the next one easier.
- **Regular practice.** Short, regular sessions usually work better than rare long ones. Spaced-repetition flashcards help with vocabulary.
- **Speaking early.** Conversation exposes gaps that apps hide. See [How to learn Esperanto](https://esperantopedia.org/learn/how-to-learn/) for ways to practise.
- **The hard parts.** The accusative ending *-n*, the [table of correlatives](https://esperantopedia.org/grammar/correlatives/) and choosing the right [suffixes](https://esperantopedia.org/grammar/suffixes/) take time to master.

## Levels and official exams (CEFR)

Esperanto has official exams based on the **Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR)**, called *KER* in Esperanto. The Universal Esperanto Association (UEA) has run them since **December 2008**, first together with the state language-exam centre ORIGO in Budapest and on its own since July 2021. Earlier, the main exams were the ILEI–UEA exams, run with ILEI, the International League of Esperanto Teachers.

| Level | Meaning | KER exam |
|---|---|---|
| A1–A2 | Beginner: everyday phrases, simple exchanges | No exam; use a self-assessment test |
| B1 | Independent: handle travel, talk about familiar topics | Yes |
| B2 | Independent: give and defend opinions, follow most talks | Yes |
| C1 | Proficient: discuss abstract topics fluently | Yes |
| C2 | Mastery | Yes, since August 2022 |

Each exam has a written and an oral part, and the pass mark is 60% at every level. Online exams started in June 2022. By December 2025, more than 90 exam sessions had been held in 33 countries, **2,888 candidates** had passed, and participants had come from 84 countries.

## Common questions

### Can I learn Esperanto in a month?

A month of daily study is enough to finish a beginner course such as our [Saluton course](https://esperantopedia.org/learn/course/), which covers the basic grammar and about 300 words in 12 lessons. Holding a relaxed conversation usually takes longer, because listening and speaking grow only with practice.

### Is Esperanto really easier than Spanish or French?

For beginners, yes: a 2018 review of studies with English schoolchildren found Esperanto easier to learn than French. Larger claims, such as "ten times easier", come from older studies with weak methods.

### How long does it take to become fluent in Esperanto?

The most quoted figure is about 150 hours for a level comparable to 1,000–2,000 hours in a national language. At an hour a day, that is about five months – a rough guide, not a measured average.

### Is there an official Esperanto certificate?

Yes. UEA's KER exams at levels B1, B2, C1 and C2 follow the Common European Framework of Reference. They can be taken at events or online.

### How many words do I need?

In everyday Esperanto sentences, the 500 most common words make up 72% of all words and the 1,000 most common make up 78% ([1,000 most common words](https://esperantopedia.org/learn/common-words/)). Courses based on the Zagreb method teach about 500 of the most frequent morphemes (roots and affixes); Esperanto12, which uses the method, says this is enough to follow simple conversations.

## Sources

- [Wikipedia: Paderborn method (history, Williams 1965, Roehr-Brackin and Tellier)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paderborn_method)
- [Wikipedia: Esperanto – Third-language acquisition and Education](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esperanto#Education)
- [Wikipédia (French): Valeur propédeutique de l'espéranto (Thorndike, Szerdahelyi)](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valeur_prop%C3%A9deutique_de_l%27esp%C3%A9ranto)
- [Wikipédia (French): Enseignement de l'espéranto (Paderborn hours)](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enseignement_de_l%27esp%C3%A9ranto)
- [Roehr-Brackin, K. and Tellier, A. (2018). Esperanto as a tool in classroom foreign language learning in England](http://repository.essex.ac.uk/24243/)
- [U.S. Department of State: Foreign Language Training (FSI)](https://www.state.gov/national-foreign-affairs-training-center/foreign-language-training)
- [edukado.net: UEA-KER exams](https://edukado.net/ekzamenoj/ker)
- [edukado.net: Description of the KER exams](https://edukado.net/ekzamenoj/ker/priskribo)
- [Esperanto12: Learn Esperanto in 12 Hours](https://esperanto12.net/en/)
- [Esperantopedia: 1000 most common Esperanto words](/downloads/esperanto-1000-common-words.csv) (Tatoeba, counted on 8 October 2026)