Is it actually possible to learn a new language in just three weeks using language apps? The short answer: yes, according to an independent study conducted by researchers at the City University of New York and the University of South Carolina.

The longer, more nuanced answer: it obviously depends on how you define the goalposts for “learning a new language.”

No language apps, shortcuts or hacks in the world can replace years of careful, dedicated study and real-world immersion. But if what you’re looking to do is get off the ground running at a conversational level, we’ve got the perfect cheat code to get you there in just a couple of weeks. The thing is, it’s not really a cheat code: it’s just good linguistic science.

How Much Of A Language Can You Learn In Three Weeks?

An independent study conducted by researchers at the City University of New York and the University of South Carolina found that novice users with no knowledge of Spanish needed about 15 hours of study with Babbel over a two-month period to cover the requirements of one beginner’s college semester.

We followed up on this research with a test for our own employees. As it turned out, three weeks was ample time to start speaking a new language, despite the fact that none of the participants was an expert learner, and most of them had busy schedules (you know, normal people stuff).

So what makes Babbel so effective? Well, for one, its courses were developed with the input of more than 100 language experts. But above all, is Babbel’s expertly curated language-learning ecosystem, which offers self-study lessons, instructor-led live classes, grammar guides, a selection of podcasts and a variety of other language learning content, including cultural insights and an online magazine loaded with content.

Tips To Learn A Language In Three Weeks

If you spend your three weeks barely looking at the language, of course you’ll learn less than someone who throws themself into the task. Here are a few tips to make the most of your first three weeks on Babbel.

1. Practice Daily: Dedicate at least 30 minutes each day to practice. Consistency is key, so make it a non-negotiable part of your routine.
2. Focus on Conversations: Use Babbel’s conversation-focused lessons to build practical speaking skills. Practice dialogues and repeat phrases to enhance your pronunciation and fluency.
3. Set Specific Goals: Break your learning into achievable goals, such as mastering a certain number of vocabulary words or completing a specific number of lessons each week.
4. Use the Review Features: Take advantage of Babbel’s review sessions to reinforce what you’ve learned. Regularly revisiting previous lessons — a strategy called “spaced repetition” — helps solidify your memory.
5. Try Out Other Features: You can follow the main learning path on Babbel (which we’ll talk about in the next section) for the first three weeks, but don’t neglect everything else Babbel has to offer. Try playing a reading a magazine article, or checking out Babbel’s Guided Conversations to mix up your learning.

How to Become Fluent In Spanish In Three Weeks

Let’s take Spanish as an example, though no matter what language you choose you’ll be able to achieve similar progress in three weeks. And let’s say you start with the Spanish Newcomer units, and only have time to do one lesson a day. The lessons are short and easily digestible, so each one should only take you approximately 5 to 10 minutes. 

First, in just three weeks you’ll have set of relevant vocabulary covering a range of topics, including how to greet someone and how to introduce yourself. You’ll be able to remember it all, too, because you’ll hear it spoken by native speakers, as well as integrated into useful sentences and matched with images.

Next, you’ll get some basic grammar knowledge, explained in an easy way for someone with no linguistic knowledge, including:

• Pronouns
• Grammatical gender
• The verb “to be” (ser) and “to speak” (hablar)
• Making negative sentences

And lastly, there are lots of pronunciation tips, guiding you through the Spanish alphabet letter by letter to make sure you’re ready to say any words that comes your way.

All of that with just 5 to 10 minutes a day! If you decided to double that, you would be able to complete the entire first level on Babbel, learning how to order food, ask for directions and talk about your profession. And if you’re even more committed, you can go further, all while making sure to review what you’ve already learned.

Keep Learning A New Language!

Three weeks is a great start, but even the most expert polyglot won’t master a language in only 21 days. It may be enough to get you through a vacation in a place with lots of English speakers, but if you want to feel really confident, you should keep going. Depending on which language you’re learning, Babbel has lessons on the self-study app reaching all the way to C1 (the highest speaking level on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).