How much time do I need to spend learning Hindi?

Hindi, has been strongly influenced by Sanskrit. Its standard form is based on the Khari Boli dialect, found to the north and east of Delhi. Braj Bhasha, which was an important literary medium from the 15th to the 19th century, is often treated as a dialect of Hindi, as are Awadhi, Bagheli, Bhojpuri, Bundeli, Chhattisgarhi, Garhwali, Haryanawi, Kanauji, Kumayuni, Magahi, and Marwari. However, these so-called dialects of Hindi are more accurately described as regional languages of the “Hindi zone” or “belt,” an area that approximates the region of northern India, south through the state of Madhya Pradesh. 

We all live in a time when things move at breakneck speed. There are so many things to do and so little time to do them in, and in the midst of it all, we are all aiming to do things quickly and flawlessly. Persistence, on the other hand, is the key to learning a language!

According to the US Foreign Service Institute (FSI), it would take 1100 classroom hours to learn enough Hindi to understand a level equivalent to B2/C1. That means you’ll be able to communicate fluently in Hindi in a year to a year and a half. These figures apply to a dedicated Hindi student learning Hindi while in India, but even for an experienced, motivated language learner studying for an hour a day, six days a week, living in a non-Hindi-speaking country struggling to find an environment to practise regularly, it would most likely take longer. It is important to note that this time estimate does not take into account the possibility of external factors influencing your study schedules, such as your work schedule, including how much time you commit each day, your attitude, your conviction, your reason to learn, the environment around you, your cognitive abilities, grasping capabilities, the support you enjoy with regard to the internet, people, resources, and if you’ve had any previous experience, responsibilities you are shouldering, availability of a tutor, and what types of methods you are using to learn, and much more.  

Well, we can say that learning Hindi takes 18 months of complete dedication. The first few months teach you the fundamentals of Hindi, which you can expand on by learning to read, speak, and write in Hindi. However, most people do not stop there because they want to be able to communicate fluently.

This means that you  “can interact with a level of fluency and spontaneity that allows for regular interaction with native speakers without strain for either party.” Now, if you’re just learning Hindi as a hobby or for an upcoming trip, it’s not that difficult to learn in a short amount of time.

However, if you are learning Hindi for business, job, or educational purposes, you must master the language in addition to speaking fluently. So it will take much longer than 10 months to achieve full fluency. Also, it may take longer than a year and a half to two years, or even five years or forever, and this is entirely dependent on you. The duration would be extended due to a lack of practice, not working hard enough to learn, working fewer hours, or a lack of dedication! What you choose is entirely up to you.

So, ultimately it all comes down to your own ability to grasp and understand because while it might sound intensive, it’s all worth it. To the best of my knowledge, there is no set time for learning Hindi or any other language fluently because it is entirely dependent on the person learning the language.

Yes, there are numerous courses available on the internet to help you learn the Hindi language; some may promise that you can do it in 6 months, others a year, and still others two years. To improve your Hindi skills, ask yourself a few basic questions about fluency and the amount of time you can devote to learning Hindi. If you want to advance your skill level, you should allow yourself to engage in dedicated learning to reach meaningful conversations right from the start. If you only want to learn Hindi for travel, you may be able to learn it faster; however, if you want to teach Hindi, your learning will be much longer and more rigorous.

Depending on why you’re learning Hindi, a learner can progress from zero to conversational fluency in as little as two months, and a student can progress from intermediate to advanced level proficiency in less than a year! If you need to communicate with others, you should prioritise speaking and find the most effective and efficient way to get as much speaking practice as possible. Hindi is not a simple language to learn for foreign language natives. It is also much easier to achieve fluency than you might have imagined if you have any prior knowledge of any Indian Language or Sanskrit.

You must aim to grow your Hindi vocabulary without fail. Once you’ve mastered the Hindi vocabulary, you’ll be much more familiar with the spelling, pronunciation, and meanings of words, among other things, making Hindi one of the easiest languages for native English speakers to begin speaking from day one. Hindi pronunciation can be difficult at first, and there are many silent letters, as in English. Depending on gender, nouns can be pronounced differently.

Here are few tips that can help you learn Hindi faster

• Immerse yourself in Hindi.
• Enjoy Bollywood movies and numbers 
• Start your day with speaking Hindi and end it by speaking the same language. 
• Speak Hindi, think Hindi and live Hindi. 
• If you find people speaking Hindi, talk to them. Listen to them. 
• If you pay close attention you can learn new words, a better understanding of the language. 
• Practise. There’s no escape from it! 

Hindi is an Indo-Aryan language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family. Hindi, written in the Devanagari script, is one of the two official languages of the Government of India, along with the English language. It is an official language in 9 States and 3 Union Territories and an additional official language in 3 other States. Hindi is also one of the 22 scheduled languages of the Republic of India. In India, Hindi is spoken as a first language by nearly 425 million people and as a second language by some 120 million more. Significant Hindi speech communities are also found in South Africa, Mauritius, Bangladesh, Yemen, and Uganda.  

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