A burning question language learners often ask is: “How many languages can I speak fluently at once?” The aim of course is to learn more languages without losing parts of the languages you have learnt already. The answer to this question may help guide you in the language you want to learn next, particularly if you are close to your limit of languages. People often seek to measure the number of languages that they can speak fluently against other people. It is important to know what fluency means in this context however, as this will also impact the answer to your question.

Although there may be a limit to how many languages can be learnt to a level of fluency, there are a variety of factors that dictate what this limit could be and would vary from person to person. It is important to note that having the ability to speak a language is not the same as having fluency in the language.

The main factor limiting the number of languages that can be learnt to fluency is time and energy. The average person would do well to learn between three and six languages fluently. If you were able to dedicate your whole life to learning languages, you may be able to learn many more, though your fluency in each language may reduce as more languages are learnt.

Ziad Fazah currently holds the world record for the most amount of languages at 59 languages. There are other language speakers across the world who have been reported to know as many as 78 languages and dialects.

What Limits The Number Of Languages That Can Be Learnt?

Some of the constraints that you will face when learning languages will likely be time, energy, motivation, and resources. All of these are able to be managed to some degree. You will be able to look up famous polyglots – people who know more than 5 languages – or a hyperpolyglot – someone who speaks more than 6 languages.

Polyglots are people who can speak a certain amount of languages fluently, but the number of languages they need to speak will vary depending on the situation. You also notice that the emphasis here is on speaking, and presumably by default listening, fluently rather than on reading and writing.

Without a strong motivation and the discipline for learning new languages, while still maintaining current ones, it will be difficult to reach the maximum amount of languages you could learn.

Keep in mind that learning new languages will become easier over time, as you learn how you learn best. You will also start to pick up grammar and new vocabulary easier as you will be able to connect this to already learnt concepts from other languages. You will still find new languages tricky though, particularly if there is a new alphabet to master or unfamiliar sentence structures that you have not previously seen.

The more similar the languages, the easier you will be able to pick them up and start your journey to becoming a polyglot.

The question becomes why do you want to know multiple languages? Is it because you find languages enjoyable to learn? Are more languages better; is it strictly for professional development or to be able to travel rather than for personal enjoyment? If you could speak in even 10 languages, how regularly will you use them, or is the number of languages you know simply for bragging rights?

I would recommend focusing on the reason you are learning languages rather than the number of languages you can speak.

If you focus on the number of languages that you learn rather than the reason you are learning them, you may find that at some stage you’re not enjoying what you’re doing and lose motivation.

Language learning is a marathon and not a sprint, and you will need the motivation to be able to push through to the end.

What Does It Mean To Be Fluent?

This question can easily take us down the rabbit hole of asking what being fluent actually means because it can mean different things for different people. For example, there are legal, medical, and scientific words that I do not know in English. Does that mean I’m not fluent in English? I would say no because not knowing how to define “scintillating” or “metatarsal” does not mean that I communicate at a dinner table conversation with my friends and family.

There will always be words that you do not know in any language you learn, even your own, but this doesn’t mean you’re not fluent.

The definition of “fluent” is the ability to express oneself easily and articulately. This means that by definition, you do not need to know the whole language to be fluent. If you can talk to your friends and family in everyday conversations without any issues, you’re fluent!

When learning a language, set goals for what you are seeking to achieve. Is it to read or listen to particular novels or movies? Perhaps it’s to travel the world and speak in other languages, or to meet new people. The words you will need to know will vary depending on your goals.

Be sure to measure your success at language learning by your own goals and not by the goals that other people have.