I’m curious to know if these courses can teach fluency in a particular language and how long the courses take on average. I’m starting Spanish and see there are 8 sections. What is an average length of time it would take to complete this course? I realize this answer varies greatly based on the individual, but I’d like to hear from someone who has finished it. How long did it take and how much time did you spend on it daily? Thanks!
One way to guestimate how long a course will take is to add up the number of items to be learned.
For example: Memrise’s course goal setting feature says 1500 points = 5 minutes, 6000 points = 15 minutes, and 20000 points = 45 minutes. Learning 15 new words earns you about 6000 points, so if 6000 points = 15 minutes, than learning 15 words takes about 15 minutes. A course (or series of courses) with 1500 words would take you 1500 minutes, or 100 days at 15 minutes per day.
However, this estimate only counts the learning time, not the reviewing time. In the beginning, you might spend 5 minutes or less per day reviewing, but once you’ve learned more items, you might need 15-30 minutes per day to keep up with the reviews. If you only want to spend 15 minutes per day, plan on it taking you 6 months or more to complete our hypothetical course. If you consistently spend 45-60 minutes per day, you could do it in a month or two.
Also, if you already know Italian or Portuguese, learning Spanish will take you less time than if you only speak English. Likewise, if you were to learn a completely unrelated language, especially one with an unfamiliar alphabet, you’d probably want to double, triple, or even quadruple the estimate.
About Fluency: Memrise is the best resource I’ve found for learning and remembering vocabulary, but vocab is only one part of language learning. Memrise should not be your only language-learning tool. You’ll need something that gives you more information about grammar, you’ll need practice listening and understanding, and you’ll need practice speaking.
Thank you for the information!