How long does it take an adult to learn English?
The amount of time it takes an adult to learn English varies from person to person and depends on such factors as the individuals’s age, educational bacground, level of literacy in the native language, and opportunities to interact with native English speakers. However, it is generally accepted that it takes from 5-7 years to go from not knowing any English at all to being able to accomplish most communication tasks including academic tasks (Collier, 1989). Research done for the Mainstream English Language Training (MELT) project (1985) indicates that it would take from 500-1000 hours of instruction for an adult who is literate in her native language, but has had no prior English instruction, to reach a level where she can satisfy her basic needs, survive on the job, and have limited social interation in English.
