Is it hard/nearly impossible for an adult to learn a 2nd language?

[BlackVelvetElvis]

True or False.
I'm in my second semester of Spanish at the age of 38. I hear alot about this and wonder if it's true or if it's a defeatist attitude.
Has anyone done this?

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

1. I was 22 when I learned German .

Not for college , when I was actually living in Germany .

[JimmyJazz]

2. I learned Russian as an adult

[madison2000]

3. I think its easier to learn a language before the age of 15

because of something called the "language acquisition device" that has to do with language and the brain.

I did not learn any language at that young age, and have learned both French and German as an adult. You can absolutely learn Spanish as an adult. But not without studying. A child might be able to pick it up without applying themselves to study if they were in an environment where it was spoken.

[Maple]

4. Adults learn

far more easily than kids do. For one thing, you want to be there. For another, you have year's of experience and other achievements behind you.

And for another, you don't waste time throwing spitballs. :D

[Fleshdancer]

5. No, but living in the country where the language is spoken is easier

I don't know if anyone can become 100% fluent with just a textbook and a few hours of class each week, but I don't think there's anything an adult "can't" learn. :shrug:

[BlackVelvetElvis]

6. That's what I think too.

I'm studying hard and enjoying it!

[caledesi]

7. From what I have read, the best time to introduce a second

language is from 2-5 years.

Go figure.

[AlienGirl]

8. Depends on the person!

Interrobang picks up languages really quickly, and she's (theoretically) an adult. :P

Tucker

[candy]

9. Of course you can learn the language--

Only young children will do it without an accent.Adults will always have an accent.

Who cares? We all love accents.

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

10. I speak German without an accent .

[all.of.me]

11. i am 51 and learning italian!

i was great with languages in middle school and high school, so i already knew HOW to learn a language. now it's just a matter of learning the words and conjugations of the verbs. italian is a lot like spanish, though, and i have a friend in italy to speak with. i'm not finding it that hard, really!

[Behind the Aegis]

12. Generally

It is easier for children to learn a language because they don't worry about grammar, etc. IF you had language training as a child/adolescent, then it is less difficult. There is also a group of us that can learn language very easily. But, if you are enjoying it, then it won't be too tough for you. !Buena suerte!

[Ellen Forradalom]

13. Pure bullshit

I learned French and Hungarian as an adult, and am working on Hebrew. Those attitudes come from a day when experts believed the brain was born with a fixed number of cells and that it stopped growing at five years of age. Nowadays they are discovering all kinds of new things about the brain's capacity to grow, learn, and regenerate.

Learning a language is hard at any age. While it's true that very little children are wired to do it, it still takes a long time and a lot of persistence. Adopting the attitude of little children towards learning language may help you a lot--talk all the time, don't be concerned about making "mistakes," and listen to everything.

[Kali]

14. Great advice

"Adopting the attitude of little children towards learning language may help you a lot--talk all the time, don't be concerned about making "mistakes," and listen to everything."


And nothing beats immersion and HAVING to do it.