The Immersion Roadmap
Calculate your path to fluency. Based on FSI benchmarks and 1000s of hours of data.
Plan your learning path
Select your language and goals to see your timeline.
Beginner (No Knowledge)
N1 (Advanced/Fluency)
Standard listening. Slower acquisition.
By Dec 31, 2026, you'll have immersed for 546 hrs at this pace.
* Average Lengths: YT (10m) • TV (24m) • Podcast (45m) • Film (100m) • Book (300m)
Based on FSI data. "Active" mode assumes 1.4x efficiency (Nation, 2004).
The Science of Persistence
How we calculate your roadmap
Our estimates are derived from 70+ years of US State Department data and peer-reviewed research on vocabulary acquisition.
FSI Proficiency Baselines
The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) categorizes languages by difficulty for English speakers. Reaching "Professional Working Proficiency" (S-3/R-3, equivalent to CEFR C1, JLPT N1, or HSK 6) requires:
- Category I (Spanish, French): ~600-750 hours
- Category IV (Russian, Thai): ~1,100 hours
- Category V (Japanese, Arabic): ~2,200 hours
The 1:1 Study Ratio
FSI estimates reflect intensive classroom time. Peer research indicates that for self-directed learners, every hour of instruction requires at least one hour of independent immersion to achieve mastery. We multiply classroom baselines by 2 to provide a realistic timeframe for solo immersion.
RWL Efficiency Boost
Research by Paul Nation (2013) on Reading-While-Listening (RWL) shows that combining text with audio significantly accelerates word retention. Our "Active" mode applies a 1.4x multiplier to reflect the superior efficiency of simultaneous input over passive listening alone.
Comprehensible Input (i+1)
The roadmap assumes you are consuming "Comprehensible Input"—material where you understand ~90-95% of the context. This "i+1" state (Krashen) ensures that the time spent results in actual acquisition rather than just noise.