Well, I''ve been programming for about 8 years or so. I know BASIC, Pascal, C, and C++. Pretty standard, eh? How long did it take *me*? Well, 8 years. =) I stayed with BASIC a lot longer than I should have. I learned C about 4 years ago in no more than 2 weeks, I''d say (it took me a bit longer to understand pointers fully). I learned Pascal in a few days over that Summer. Then the next Fall I learned C++ in a few weeks.

How long does it take to learn how to program? Well, as long as it takes for you to learn common programming language things like flow control, structure, data handling, etc. For most people, it really doesn''t take too long. Just the desire, dedication, resources, and time. Picking up new languages once you have one down takes no time at all.

Writing games are a great way to learn languages. =)

I guess it really depends on your background. Learning a language is completely different than learning how to program. Once you know how to program, you can pick up a new language rather quickly.

What can be more time consuming, however, is if the language uses a new paradigm. For example, a C programmer can pick up C++ in just a couple days, but some converted C programmers have been programming C++ for years still can''t truly program object oriented.

There are three different things to learn...

1. How to program.
2. The syntax of a language.
3. The way the language is intended to be used.

Each of these varies depending on your experience and the paradigm you are used to. I know this isn''t the answer you were looking for, but it''s more realistic than "two weeks."

let''s see...
I started programming in 1997. It was a crash course in computer studies major in business(three~four months!)
That was where I came into contact with Pascal and FoxPro(of which i absolutely detest FoxPro).
Actually, if it were just learning programming languages at that time, I would be nowhere as good as I am now. They had another module that taught the basics of programming, along with the two languages I learnt.

Then, I went on to C and C++, touched on Java, VB(can i mention scripting? HTML, JS, CSS, DHTML )

It was not until 1999 that I can consider myself an intermediate. What make me feel this way? When I notice I know a good bit more than my classmates? Ask them if they read the books Code Complete, Design Patterns, or ever know how to use C++ exceptions/templates.
It is perhaps the urge to know that driven me into a reading cranz(I read a lot more than those).

Most likely you would have asked if I made any game. Sadly, I only made one, and it was a tetris clone recently.
Why? That''s because, as many more would have said, starting small is better. Even though I read the book Large Scale C++ Software Engineering, reading and using is an entirely differnet matter. Besides, I beleive I still do not have enough experience under my belt

I am going to start on PONG as my next game, perhaps a weird sequence some might have noticed.
A key reason is that when I finished my tetris, I notice some parts of the codes are not what I would have ideally wanted. That told me that I had better start smaller.
Perhaps I really should make it a practice to design a lot more detail system on paper before I code...