How many words do French speakers use? It is estimated that you have to learn 5000 words to be fluent in French. Be selective and learn the 5000 most used words in French!
Some linguists believe that 800 words are enough to hold a basic conversation. However, your vocabulary should be over 8,000 words if you want to speak a language as well as a native speaker.
There are several studies that claim that the 1000 most common English words help you understand 75% of common communication. However, there are many ways how to speak the most common vocab in English and we will …
Native French Speakers
Many native speakers themselves will not scratch the surface of the massive 100,000-word count! Typically, native speakers themselves only know about 15,000 – 20,000 words! Our live dictionary at Newsdle knows more than a native speaker, clocking in at 23,000 words!
Indeed, the English language has inherited many words from French — 7000 to be accurate — and you probably use some of them on a daily basis.
C1 – Effective Operational Proficiency (or advanced)
Can express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions.
It is estimated that you have to learn 5000 words to be fluent in French. Be selective and learn the 5000 most used words in French! Think about it. Some words are more valuable than others.
How long does it take to speak French fluently? A relatively easy language like French should take about 480 hours of study to reach basic fluency, according to data collected by The U.S. Foreign Service Institute (FSI).
The amount of time it takes to learn French depends on many different factors. However, if we had to give a general estimate, we would say that it usually takes around 6 to 12 months to reach a basic level of proficiency (with regular studies!), and 1 to 2 years of consistent work to become fluent.
In fact, it's estimated that you need to know around 5,000 words to be fluent in French, although native speakers will often know up to 30,000!
1000 words can seem like a lot, but it's only 2–4 pages on average. People use Microsoft Word or Google Docs for all sorts of academic and business projects. The word counter in Microsoft Word shows how many words per page there are.
An advanced speaker of a language is also categorized as fluent. Fluency means you've reached 10,000+ words and have reached the highest level of mastering a language without being a native speaker.
The number of words to learn to speak a language really depends on your purpose. Remember that 300 to 600 words may be enough to travel, but at least 1,000 words are necessary for a conversation. The most important thing is not knowing how many words you need to speak a language, but which words to know.
Level B2: Basic Fluency
Reaching B2 is generally considered by most people as having basic fluency. You'll have a working vocabulary of around 4000 words.
In our research, we looked at 15 million questions over a period of six months, and we found that a user typically learns a word after 51 seconds of study, or about 9 question attempts. At this rate, a person will learn 1,000 new words in just under 15 hours of study.
French is a Category I language, so it's relatively easy to learn for native English speakers. It will take approximately 580 hours or 23 weeks of study to reach complete French fluency.
Here is an estimate: 3-6 months. This is for people who speak similar-ish languages like English and who spend hours studying every day (probably 3+ hours per day) 1 year.
Three months is a short amount of time, but it's more than enough time to learn the basics of a new language. If you're dedicated to learning French, you can easily achieve your goal in just a few months. The key is to create a study plan and stick to it. Start by finding a good French textbook or online course.
Regardless of your definition of fluency, you'll need to practice the language if you want to master it. If you want a short answer, yes, you can become fluent in French in one year (or even less), especially if you follow the 10 steps included in the next section.
With the right approach and a bit of dedication, you can learn French in as little as two months. Here are some tips to help you along the way: To start, make sure you're on a schedule. Set aside time each day to study and set yourself up for success by organizing your materials and setting priorities.
Level A1 Discover the language: 90 hours/6 weeks. Level A2 Coping with everyday situations: 135 hours/9 weeks. Level B1 Managing everyday situations: 135 hours/9 weeks.
Those who know 1,000 to 3,000 words can carry on everyday conversations. Knowing 4,000 to 10,000 words makes people advanced language users while knowing more than 10,000 words puts them at the fluent or native-speaker levels.