Many aspiring students long to know the estimated duration of their Hindi learning—and this makes perfect sense! Without a well-defined deadline, one could easily derail from the language learning path. It would be like traveling to an undisclosed destination with no idea of when you would reach it.
If you’re like most aspiring Hindi language learners, you probably have this important question on your mind: How long does it take to learn Hindi?
In this article, we will…
- …give you an outline of how long it takes to reach each level of Hindi.
- …offer you some tips on how to learn Hindi fast.
- …provide you with some motivational facts to keep you going strong.
It’s natural to be curious, and you might also be wondering how difficult it is to learn the Hindi language. You can check out the following article to discover the hardest (and easiest) parts of the language: Is Hindi Hard to Learn? Our Verdict.
Now, are you ready to unpack the topic at hand?
Cracking the Hindi Learning Code
Table of Contents
- Why Should You Know How Long it Takes to Learn Hindi?
- How Long Does it Take to Achieve Beginner Level?
- How Long Does it Take to Achieve Intermediate Level?
- How Long Does it Take to Achieve Advanced Level?
- Motivational Facts
- How to Use HindiPod101.com to the Fullest
1. Why Should You Know How Long it Takes to Learn Hindi?
It’s important to get a fair idea of how long it will take to learn Hindi because this will help you set a realistic language learning goal and develop a suitable strategy. Once you have an approximate duration in mind, you’re ready to assign the required time and energy in a balanced manner. This way, you can work toward your goals without feeling crushed!
Before moving forward, we’d like to remind you that, according to the ILTS TLP Hindi proficiency test, there are three levels of Hindi proficiency: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Each level requires a different time commitment from the student. Read on to learn more about what each level looks like and how to reach them effectively.
2. How Long Does it Take to Achieve Beginner Level?
The answer to this question depends on a number of factors, such as your study methods and how much time you spend actively learning.
If you’re consistently in touch with native speakers, watch Hindi movies and shows, and listen to Hindi podcasts every day, then you’ll be able to pick up the basics within 3-4 months.
Clueless where to begin? Our blog is a great place to get ideas! See our posts on:
As a beginner, it’s a good idea to start by learning the Devanagari script used for reading and writing, some popular Hindi greetings, and common Hindi words that are used on a daily basis. Once you have a solid foundation in those areas, slowly begin to focus on the pronunciation, diacritics, and conjugations, as these are quite unique and crucial to the Hindi language.
Practicing with the Native Friends
Here are a few simple Hindi words and phrases for beginners:
- नमस्ते। (NamaSTe.) = “Hello.”
- कैसी हैं आप? (kaiSii hain aap?) = “How are you?” [to a female]
- कैसे हैं आप? (kaiSe hain aap?) = “How are you?” [to a male]
- मैं ठीक हूँ। (main thiik huun.) = “I am fine.”
- धन्यवाद। (DHaNyavaaD.) = “Thank you.”
- आपका नाम क्या है? (aapakaa Naam kyaa hai?) = “What is your name?”
- मेरा नाम ___ है। (meraa Naam ___ hai.) = “My name is ____.”
Although it normally takes one a few months to master the key Hindi phrases, you don’t have to wait that long! How, you ask? By working on your reading skills and listening skills right away, you can increase your pace and pick up the basics faster than other people.
Having the Right Strategy is Important!
Helpful Links
There’s a lot of ground to cover at this stage of your Hindi learning! To give you a headstart on the basic phrases you should know, HindiPod101.com has comprehensive lessons on the following topics:
We also provide our students with spaced repetition flashcards. Reviewing them once in a while is a wonderful way to easily memorize new words and retain them for longer.
In addition to picking up new vocabulary, you should focus on learning the basic rules of Hindi grammar and syntax. For example, did you know that Hindi uses a different sentence structure than English does? Hindi is an SOV language, while English is an SVO language.
Each of our beginner lessons features a dialogue by native speakers, a vocabulary list of relevant words and phrases, and lesson notes to summarize the main points. You can also download a PDF of the lesson transcript to keep it handy! We recommend you start with our Absolute Beginner Pathway, which covers everything you should know before pressing onward toward the intermediate level.
3. How Long Does it Take to Achieve Intermediate Level?
According to the U.S. Foreign Service Institute (FSI), English speakers can reach an intermediate level of Hindi in 3 months, given that they study consistently for an hour each day. But if you wish to take your Hindi learning more lightly and at a slower pace, 6-8 months could do the job!
Once you achieve this level, you’ll be able to…
- …have fluent informal conversations.
- …pronounce unfamiliar sounds correctly.
- …follow Hindi conjugation rules in a flawless manner.
Daily Speaking is the Key!
Helpful Links
The journey from beginner to intermediate is long, with lots of progress made along the way. Wondering how to learn Hindi effectively at this point? HindiPod101.com has you covered!
As mentioned, you should be able to hold informal conversations at this level. This includes things like…
Pronunciation is another huge factor at this point. Did you know that many of the sounds in Hindi are completely new to English speakers? The good news is that, within 6 months, most students are ready to flaunt their improved pronunciation skills!
Before you reach the intermediate level, you should also be quite familiar with the different parts of speech in Hindi:
4. How Long Does it Take to Achieve Advanced Level?
You’ve made a ton of progress by now, but there’s still a ways to go. How long does it take to learn Hindi fluently? For most learners, this process takes about 1100 hours (or about 3 years) of consistent study—but the payoff is worth it!
Once you reach the advanced level, you’ll be able to make formal conversation and understand many different colloquial expressions. You’ll be more than capable of using Hindi in a variety of day-to-day situations!
Helpful Links
Reaching the advanced level means that you not only know the language, but that you understand how to apply it in the context of Indian culture. This means having a good working knowledge of…
- …gender rules and conjugations.
- …various tenses.
- …Indian etiquette.
- …local idioms and proverbs.
- …untranslatable words.
- …slang terms.
Think Beyond the Books
5. Motivational Facts
Learning the Hindi language isn’t easy, but there are plenty of reasons to stick with it anyway. Here are some motivational facts to keep you going strong!
- Not everyone in India speaks Hindi correctly. India is a land of several languages and countless dialects. It’s possible to meet Indian people who know not a single word of Hindi.
At the same time, there are those who speak (or are trying to learn) Hindi as a second or third language. Their mother tongue is likely an Indian regional language such as Telugu, Tamil, or Kannada, and English is their second language.
So, chillax if you’re still a beginner at Hindi; you can find many Indians who have less command over Hindi than you do!
- Having an accent is acceptable. Indian people are quite supportive when it comes to foreigners having an accent or struggling with the right pronunciation. If it’s any consolation, there are some local folks who have an accent in English as well as in Hindi. And we’re totally okay with that!
- It gets better and easier with time. The more time you spend learning and practicing Hindi, the more fluent you’ll get at it. If you enjoy watching movies and listening to songs, use those hobbies to learn Hindi. Pick any artist or movie genre of your choice in Hindi and focus on the words and pronunciation.
Running out of time? Plug in your earphones while you work out, do the dishes, or walk to that nearby park. Daily activities like these are golden opportunities to learn Hindi. You can use the time to listen to simple Hindi podcasts, songs, or the daily news.
- How quickly you learn depends a lot on your background and mother tongue. What if you’re not a native English speaker? Hindi shares a lot of sounds with and has loanwords from languages like Russian, Arabic, Persian, and even French. Language learners from those particular countries have an edge when it comes to unfamiliar sounds in Hindi.
- We use lots of English words in daily spoken Hindi. To give you just a sample, you’ll find the following words used in the Hindi language: “bus” / “train” / “hospital” / “nurse” / “doctor” / “time” / “bread” / “coffee” / “computer.” This is quite helpful because you can easily bank upon these English words to communicate, even if you don’t know the Hindi words for them.
- We speak as we write. There’s no hidden pronunciation rules or guesswork. Unlike English, where the pronunciation of a given letter or letter combination varies greatly from one word to another, Hindi is predictable and straightforward. You can’t explain why “rough” cannot be spoken as “plough,” or “cut” as “put”? Well, you don’t have to struggle with these inexplicable rules in Hindi. The phonetics-based Devanagari script used in Hindi makes sure that each word is spoken exactly as it’s written.
6. How to Use HindiPod101.com to the Fullest
If you’ve decided to learn Hindi, HindiPod101.com is ready to offer you the best online study materials to make your journey that much smoother.
Did you know that there are 15 ways to study Hindi free at HindiPod101.com! No? Then features like our Grammar Bank are sure to sweep you off your feet. Just type in any keyword/topic you wish to study, and the Grammar Bank will display the whole list of related lessons.
