This study examined the relationship between time spent on reading and reading comprehension in a second language (L2). Eighty-one French-speaking learners of English, from beginners to advanced, were tested for reading comprehension in French and in English as well as for English grammar and vocabulary competence. Low-proficiency learners showed low, non-significant correlations between time spent on reading English and English reading comprehension, while correlations for high-proficiency learners were moderate and significant. The results suggest that if L2 reading is used to enhancing L2 reading development, it may not serve that purpose effectively for beginning and intermediate learners, whose working memory is still taxed by word decoding processes.