r/French • u/Efficient_Agent3400 • 2d ago

Study advice How long to get a B2?

Hello to eyeryone. I’ve always wanted to study French, to be able to travel, read and study. I decided to pick it up in January: I’ve studied from a book called Instant Francese for a month and an half more intensively and then, less intensively, from the same book until now (I’m at more than half). I’ve been hearing some French podcasts with subtitles, one hour a week in total. At first I only studied for myself, but now I understood I will need a B2 certification for October, so I think that, considering the time to take the exam, I’ll have to learn it by September. Starting from now, how much do you guys think I should study (daily or weekly) for this goal? Do you have any advice on the methods? I’d rather not use Duolingo or, if possible, apps. I think I haven’t a bad pronunciation and, even if they’re simplified for new learners to understand, I can understand those podcasts more than I thought I would (putting in 1.25x the velocity). I’m Italian so words are similiar most of the times. So, what do you think? Thank you a lot guys, I’m not even sure if this is the right subreddit to ask this. Thanks 😊🙏

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u/OutlawsOfTheMarsh C1 (DALF) Canada 2d ago

For a solid b2? Within 10 months? Treat french like your full time job.

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u/Elegant-Passion2199 1d ago

They might be able to do it in less since their native language is Italian. But they will have to practice 2-3 hrs a day. 

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u/Efficient_Agent3400 1d ago

😅 I will, thank you

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u/maitre_des_serpents C1 1d ago

https://www.afscv.org/blog/how-long-does-it-take-to-learn-french/

According to this page, on average one needs 500-600 hours of study to get to B2 level.

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u/SignificantCricket B2 1d ago

That is for English speakers, not native speakers of another Romance language like Italian. It is going to be less for OP.

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u/Efficient_Agent3400 1d ago

Even if I’m italian and not starting from 0? I’m not super advanced but I can speak a bit and understand some.

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u/SignificantCricket B2 1d ago

The exams are only a few times a year, so check when the next round are being held in your country. If you need DELF, your deadline to reach that standard is really in the summer, not in October. Certificates are not issued as soon as you have done the exam. It takes a few weeks. TCF may be a bit less demanding, so worth a look if it is accepted for the course/job that you need the certificate for.

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u/Efficient_Agent3400 1d ago

Alright thank you a lot 😊