How long would you have to stay before you would learn some of the language

[Hedonologist]

Assuming you were only going on a short break, you probably wouldn't learn more than a few essential phrases needed to get by. But how long would you have to be staying in a country before you decided to make a serious effort at learning the language beforehand?

[LindaKay]

If I was going to be staying somewhere for several months, I would probably want to learn more than the essential phrases. If I was staying for six months or more, I would probably want to be at least somewhat fluent.

I guess it depends on what you are going to be doing while you're there, though. I mean, are you going to be in a touristy area where lots of people speak English/your native language? If so, you might be fine even longer without learning the actual language.

[LivetoErr]

Even if you're only going on a short break, knowing a little bit of the language helps. It's far more polite to, at least, say please and thank you in the language of the country you are visiting. At least, the locals know you're trying.

I'll have lived in Mexico for four years this coming August. My Spanish is far from fluent but I can get by. I can get what I need and understand directions. For me, it isn't enough and I'm doing what I can to master the language. However, we speak English at home and, more often than not, local people speak English to us. Once someone says something to me in English it's like my brain can't function in Spanish. I automatically speak English back. That doesn't help, at all, when you're trying to learn the language.

I think how long you have to stay before you learn the language depends on how much you're actually speaking it. Immersion is the best way to learn but you have to immerse yourself. My family keeps saying we're going to start talking to each other in Spanish but, we never do. If you're like us, and only speaking Spanish occasionally, you never learn more than the basic stuff. If you're immersing yourself, you'll learn more than some of the language fast.

[Denis Hard]

If you are visiting a country as a tourist just once and probably have no intention of going back again, then you only need to learn the basics. Only the stuff that can enable you to ask someone for directions [if you're lost], a few pleasantries and I guess that would be all for a start. If you'll be staying longer, you can always start with that then expand you knowledge of the language on location.

[Daimashin]

A couple of days can net you some basic words if you are really into learning the language. If you want to learn the language in more detail, it can take from a few weeks to a few months depending on your intelligence. If you're talking about being an expert and really fluent at it, my guess is about a year with a lot of practice.

[delusional]

I think it really depends on the language and the dialect the locals speak. I have been to countries where I could understand some sentences because of the other languages I know. But I have also been to countries where I couldn't even understand a single word.

I think only listening to a language will never get you to a level where you can build up a conversation.

[Peninha]

That depends a lot, for example on the involvement you would have with the locals and the effort you would put in, but I'd say that in a couple of weeks you could pick up basic sentences if you were really putting in the effort.

[Aishe]

For me it depends if I know I'm staying or not. In Korea I was only there for 2 weeks but made sure to know basic conversation, just enough to get around in. If I was going to be there for a longer period of time say more than 2 months I think I'd have made a bigger effort to learn.

[fredkawig]

I can adapt easily and be able to pick up the language instantaneously. About a month or a few months , I believe I can understand a few of the words that people would be talking about. Specially when I ask questions such as "what does that mean?", I would remember it easily.

[diprod]

Depends on the language of the country. I think it would take me years to really learn Mandarin. For some language though like German, I think I would give myself a month or two.