How hard is it to learn a language from scratch as an adult?

[BlancoNino]

I really think I should learn spanish. How hard will it be?

 

[tweakmm]

It all depends on the person.

 

[BlancoNino]

Originally posted by: tweakmm
It all depends on the person.

A very dedicated and capable person.

 

[Chaotic42]

Originally posted by: BlancoNino
I really think I should learn spanish. How hard will it be?

With your name, I figured you were some white guy with a Spanish/Latino family. Spanish is pretty easy to learn. I can read it well enough to get by, but I can't speak it well. It does, however, sound like ass when spoken.

 

[SVT Cobra]

Es mas facil de engles, eso es verdad. Siempre quiero saber si los discos compactos de aprender engles fueran bueno.

 

[JEDI]

Originally posted by: BlancoNino
I really think I should learn spanish. How hard will it be?

hard if dont practice everyday. ie: imersed in it

move to spain

 

[SSSnail]

Get a girlfriend that is fluent in[insert language of choice here].

 

[jadinolf]

Originally posted by: SVT Cobra
Es mas facil de engles, eso es verdad. Siempre quiero saber si los discos compactos de aprender engles fueran bueno.

I wish I could speak Swahili.

 

[Cable God]

Rosetta Stone is worth every cent in my book. I have used it and know lots of people who have that say the same thing.

 

[Fenixgoon]

some people don't have problems at all picking up languages, so you may find it easier than others.

 

[SVT Cobra]

Originally posted by: jadinolf

Originally posted by: SVT Cobra
Es mas facil de engles, eso es verdad. Siempre quiero saber si los discos compactos de aprender engles fueran bueno.

I wish I could speak Swahili.

Lo siento but my spanish might be a little off after all these years.

 

[jemcam]

I found it easier to learn spanish as an adult than when I was in high school. I don't know, maybe it was because I wanted to learn it and it wasn't just for a grade.

If immigrants can learn my language when they come here, and some of them are real dumbasses, I want to at least learn enough to converse or have basic communication when I go to a spanish speaking country. I love Costa Rica and will be returning sometime soon.

 

[FeuerFrei]

My sister learned Japanese when she was 26 without prior exposure. Her husband had to visit Japan when working for Boeing so she would study it with him.
Can't tell you how hard it was.

 

[Strk]

It depends on how much exposure you get to the language. If you just study in a classroom, you will forever suck, but if you are able to use it regularly (I.e. if you will get to speak it regularly, or even hear it spoken regularly), it will eventually work quite well.

 

[tk149]

Nearly impossible if you're 38 and trying to learn Chinese with almost no prior experience.

A year and a half of lessons and I still have a hard time understanding individual words, nevermind comprehending sentences.

But Spanish is a heckuva lot easier than Chinese.

Oddly, my Chinese tutor is learning Spanish.

 

[Unmoosical]

It'll be rather hard. Obviously it depends on how committed you are but that aside there are diminishing returns to how well you can learn a new language after puberty. One of the reasons we're stupid here in the US for teaching second languages in high school.

Spanish is one of the easiest languages for native English speakers to learn. As said before it depends on how much exposure you get to the language but as far as being able to actually hear the difference between some sounds it depends on how much exposure to hearing other languages you've had as a child. An example in German would be the difference between "o" and "ö." It's harder for an adult to hear the difference between the different sounds.

That said, it's still possible to learn a new language at an older age. When I was in high school I started learning German from a teacher that had her first German class in college.

 

[Colt45]

I wish I learned more as a child, because even when you do become fluent, you still sound like a tool.

 

[SagaLore]

Originally posted by: SSSnail
Get a girlfriend that is fluent in [fellatio].

Its a beautiful language.

 

[f4phantom2500]

Easiest way would be to go to a Spanish-speaking country for awhile, or just surround yourself in people who speak Spanish if you can. I live in Texas, so it wouldn't be too hard for me; you know if you live in an area where it'd be easy to find a lot of them.

 

[magomago]

Originally posted by: tk149
Nearly impossible if you're 38 and trying to learn Chinese with almost no prior experience.

A year and a half of lessons and I still have a hard time understanding individual words, nevermind comprehending sentences.

But Spanish is a heckuva lot easier than Chinese.

Oddly, my Chinese tutor is learning Spanish.

zomg i feel for you! there was a lady in my first year class who was well into her 60s...and she had a HORRRIBLE time just trying to grasp it~ she did english and french fluently but couldn't make of the sounds for chinese

w000t for being young

too bad unless we have exposure before we are 11 or so, its just expotentially harder to learn anything