[dirkdeman]

This question is impossible to answer. There is a difference between learning and mastering. Learning is quick ('hello world' will takeless than a minute), while mastering depends on which language you're using, how fast you learn and how much time you devote.

Maybe you're just beginning with programming and you want a timeframe how long it will take you to be able to code something decent? My advice is not to stress too much about the 'how long'. Just begin building stuff, start easy in the beginning. Tackle problems as you encounter them, and constantly wonder 'how did they do this?' when you're using an app/website/whatever. Curiosity is a great teacher.

As for myself, I started coding (HTML, CSS, PHP) 7 years ago. Within a few months I was able to write a half-decent web app, but if I look back on the stuff I made back then it makes me want to cry, it's that bad... I got a lot better since, but I wouldn't say I've mastered it yet. Good luck!