How do you set realistic goals in language learning?

[BlauGras]

Hi everyone,

I am new to language learning and aim to go from 0 to B1 in German this year. My native language is English, and German is my first foreign language. On the 17th of March, it will mark a month since I started to learn German, putting in 1 hour a day minimum, up to around 2.5 hours a day on many days. Before this, I spent lots of time watching videos and browsing forums and subreddits on language learning before jumping into Assimil (which I am almost halfway through). My stretch goal for 2023 is to take the London centre's B1 German exam in December.

However, how do I assess whether my goals related to language learning are realistic? Some people mention this site: https://autolingual.com/study-time-calculator/ or even go off the CEFR learning hours as a rough guide. But is there a consensus on how long the average learner can go up a level or is it highly variable?

The purpose of this thread is to see how people go about setting realistic language learning goals.

[rdearman]

It is highly variable, it can be effected by motivation, intelligence, prior knowledge such as native language grammar knowledge, etc, etc,

Although it is very hard, I would probably set a goal based on the number of hours studied, rather than anything else. And study shouldn't mean watching TV or listening to radio, although those must also be done.

The FSI estimate for an upper B1 to low B2 is 750 hours of classroom study and I would add the same again in "homework" like watching TV, reading books, listening to the radio. If you are planning to take the test in December, this gives you 267 days, so 2.8 hours of study time per day with 2.8 hours of homework. So round it up to 6 hours per day.

So I would say you're probably not going to make it with only one or two hours per day. Although, I am not counting the hours you've already invested, so you could deduct those off the estimate.

[Picaboo]

It is highly variable
I would probably set a goal based on the number of hours studied.

In the end that's all you can do, because that's all you can control.

Overall, it sounds like you are going about things the right way. Stretch goals like taking the test in December with a time limit are very beneficial for some people, but too me they can be destructive, if I work hard and don't seem to be getting there fast enough. It can put on too much pressure and make me feel terrible about myself.

Personally, I am more of an Atomic Habits kind of guy. Work on building good routines, imagine the type of person you will be when you get there. But don't have a deadline. Have fun and enjoy the process confident that it will get you there in the end.

[BlauGras]

It is highly variable, it can be effected by motivation, intelligence, prior knowledge such as native language grammar knowledge, etc, etc,

Although it is very hard, I would probably set a goal based on the number of hours studied, rather than anything else. And study shouldn't mean watching TV or listening to radio, although those must also be done.

The FSI estimate for an upper B1 to low B2 is 750 hours of classroom study and I would add the same again in "homework" like watching TV, reading books, listening to the radio. If you are planning to take the test in December, this gives you 267 days, so 2.8 hours of study time per day with 2.8 hours of homework. So round it up to 6 hours per day.

So I would say you're probably not going to make it with only one or two hours per day. Although, I am not counting the hours you've already invested, so you could deduct those off the estimate.

Excellent, thanks for the reply. I think I may have vastly underestimated the hours it will take me to reach the B1 goal, as the rough figure I had in mind was 700-1000 hours. Worst-case scenario, I'd like to reach a solid A2 level. Most of my days have been on the upper end of the 2.5 hours; however, for work, I'll be commuting on the train for 2 hours, which guarantees 2 hours minimum. I am keeping my language log updated and will see how things go.

It is highly variable
I would probably set a goal based on the number of hours studied.

In the end that's all you can do, because that's all you can control.

Overall, it sounds like you are going about things the right way. Stretch goals like taking the test in December with a time limit are very beneficial for some people, but too me they can be destructive, if I work hard and don't seem to be getting there fast enough. It can put on too much pressure and make me feel terrible about myself.

Personally, I am more of an Atomic Habits kind of guy. Work on building good routines, imagine the type of person you will be when you get there. But don't have a deadline. Have fun and enjoy the process confident that it will get you there in the end.

Deadlines, like exams, keep me motivated, but I won't be discouraged if I fail to meet them. It's my first time learning a language, and I am only in my early 20's. So based on probability, I'll likely be alive for many years to come, so I am not too worried. However, I want to move to Germany in the next 2-3 years, so that would be more of a hard deadline.

[rdearman]

Deadlines, like exams, keep me motivated,

I love deadlines, I like the whooshing sound they make as they go by.

[Irena]

Excellent, thanks for the reply. I think I may have vastly underestimated the hours it will take me to reach the B1 goal, as the rough figure I had in mind was 700-1000 hours. Worst-case scenario, I'd like to reach a solid A2 level. Most of my days have been on the upper end of the 2.5 hours; however, for work, I'll be commuting on the train for 2 hours, which guarantees 2 hours minimum. I am keeping my language log updated and will see how things go.

700-1000 hours should be plenty for B1, assuming you're not wasting time on useless activities, and you find a way to practice all four skills. An experienced learner should be able to make it to B2 in that amount of time, but since this is your first language, B1 may be more realistic.