Learn English Fast

Why learn English fast? Benefits and outcomes

Want to learn English fast? There are lots of good reasons to learn English on an accelerated timeline, and many people make it work.

For example, you might be

• Going on a trip to an English-speaking place

• Applying to schools that require a certain level of English

• Looking to advance in your career

• In need of English skills in your daily life

In all these cases, improving your English would come with huge benefits.

Whatever your reason, making a concentrated effort to learn instead of picking away at it slowly can be a very effective way to ensure you actually make progress toward your English goals. When you learn English quickly, you’re less likely to get stuck or lose interest.

That said, you should keep your goals realistic. Your ability to level up will depend on your current and target English level, resources and study tools, any deadlines, and how much time you can dedicate daily to studying. 

On average, it takes hundreds of hours to learn a language. The table below shows the estimated time it takes to reach each level of fluency.

How long does it take to speak English fluently?

Daily 45-minute practice plan

You might be wondering how to learn English fast. And that all comes down to a little math and dedication.

Using the chart above, figure out approximately how many hours of study you need to get to your target CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) level in English. Choose a deadline, then figure out how many hours a week you need to study to get there.

Pro Tip: If you’d rather put this process on autopilot, while Busuu’s basic level is always free, Busuu’s Premium levels offer Study Plans, so you can input your goals, set a schedule and get reminders that take you straight to the right lesson or review for every study session!

What follows are two sample English learning routines for you to learn English at home as quickly as possible.

Study Plan 1: The career or quality-of-life improver

Current level: Upper A1

Goal level: B2

Hours of study needed: 400-500, spread around a work or school schedule

Timeline: 1 year

Sample English study plan 1

Studying 8 hours and 40 minutes per week adds up to 450 hours in a year, right on target. This really shows how short daily English practice can add up. 

You’d want to create a plan to split your study time between the following topics:

• Vocabulary

• Grammar

• Writing

• Speaking

• Reading

• Listening

• Pronunciation

• Fluency and slang

For example, a day of short study sessions might look like the following:

Morning: Vocabulary & listening

Time: 15–20 minutes

Tasks: Review 15–20 words. Listen to a short clip and note key phrases.

Afternoon: Speaking practice

Time: 15–20 minutes 

Tasks: Complete 1–2 guided conversations or AI-chat sessions. Record and review them.

Evening: Reading & review

Time: 15–20 minutes

Tasks: Read a short article or story and note new phrases. Briefly review the day’s material.

The longer blocks of study time in your plan might include Friday nights actively watching English shows or movies, while Sunday afternoon might be dedicated to vocabulary and grammar review, focusing on areas you’re struggling with.

Next, let’s say you are moving to an English speaking country and have time to treat studying like a full time job to make as much progress as possible before the move. Here’s what your study plan might look like.

Study plan 2: The big life change

Current level: No English

Goal level: C1

Hours of study needed: 700-800

Timeline: 5 months

Sample English study plan 2

This would total 40 hours per week, or 800 hours in five months (so you could take weekends off if you were satisfied with 700 hours of study).

This is the sort of schedule diplomats and consulate workers might need to keep before an assignment, so it is doable, but it can be quite a challenge. That’s what it takes to truly learn English fast! 

If you’re thinking about an intense study schedule like this, you’ll want to create a clear plan and be sure to change up your methods of study. For example, you’ll want to include times where you engage with English language media, social learning like English practice groups or a tutor, plus formal lessons (whether online, like Busuu, or in a physical classroom).

Tools and resources

On that note, how you decide to learn will make a huge difference in the speed and ease of your progress learning English.

Free materials & community

Fortunately, there are tons of great resources for every level and budget. While many learners choose paid language courses, it is entirely possible to learn English for free online.

Here are a few of our favorite free resources for learning:

• Social media

• YouTube

• Podcasts

• Books (check your local library or find public domain classics online)

• AI

• Film & TV

• Study groups, practice buddies and language exchanges

• Local English-language events

• Busuu, of course!

Measure progress and adapt

Making a plan to learn English isn’t enough – you also need to keep adjusting it as you go.

Set milestones, track weekly metrics and adjust the plan every two weeks based on your results.

Milestones and metrics

First, you’ll need to set milestones and create metrics to track your learning so you know whether you’re on target or not. 

Simply aiming for a CEFR level doesn’t give you the detail you need. Instead, break down milestones and skillsets into much smaller, attainable goals.

For example, you could create metrics to track your

• Vocabulary growth and retention

• Grammar skills

• Listening and reading comprehension by level

• Self-assessed speaking confidence

• Word recall and practical fluency in conversations

Plan adjustment framework

Once you have set specific, measurable and attainable goals for yourself, you just have to keep on track and then find time every week or few weeks (depending on how aggressive your learning schedule is) to check your progress.

You can use this data to

• Identify learning plateaus and decide to mix up how you’re learning for a bit

• Decide to increase difficulty if you’re moving faster than expected or learning a topic you find easy

• Switch or add resources if you aren’t meeting your goals

• Adjust your goals to fit what’s doable for you

Remember that everyone learns and progresses differently. What’s easy for one person might be the hardest part for another person. The rhythms of learning mean that for everyone, sometimes things are fun and easy, and sometimes they’re headache-inducing. Just stay at it as best you can and soon you’ll see progress again.

In short? The number one thing you need to learn English fast is dedication to stick to it when times get tough. 

And, of course, a great lesson plan designed by experts to be effective and efficient wouldn’t hurt.

Common pitfalls & signals of real fluency

Now you know about the how and the why of learning English quickly, but it’s worth talking about the downsides of making an ambitious learning plan. 

The most common issues English learners face when trying to learn quickly include:

• Burnout 

• Struggling with learning plateaus

• Loss or lack of motivation

• Over-reliance on passive input

• Over-reliance on any one resource or resource type

• Avoidance of topics they find challenging (lopsided progress)

• Missed progress (when milestones and metrics aren't tracked)

Combatting these issues might mean

• Taking breaks and days off when necessary

• Mixing up how and what you’re learning

• Finding ways to make learning fun again

• Reminding yourself why you started and imagining the benefits of a future where you’re more fluent in English (like school admission or success, career advancement, an easy travel experience, or being able to communicate with English speakers)

• Buckling down and working on the hard stuff to make progress

• Trying out different systems, apps, activities, media or teachers to find what works for you

• Spending time checking to see how far you’ve really come