How much of the local language do you actually need before you arrive?

Arrived with almost none. Survived fine on English initially, but felt genuinely limited socially for the first stretch — that was the real cost, not the practical stuff.

Learned enough to be polite and order food before arriving, the rest came on the ground over time.

Great thread. One thing worth flagging: some countries tie residency or later citizenship to a language certificate at a specific level, and both the level and the accepted test vary by country and change over time. Rather than trust a number from a forum (mine included), check the Citizenship and Visa sections of your country guide — they flag when a language cert is actually part of the path.

As an older learner, I wish I’d started properly before arriving specifically — motivation dropped sharply once daily life got busy and the free time evaporated.

Specifically for study programs like OP’s — does the programme itself usually require a certain level, separate from daily-life needs?