Learning a Second/thrid/fourth language

English We started with English in school when I was nine. Other than that I studied German for 3 years in high school, but I really don't know that. Other than that I've tried Spanish and Dutch, but I really don't have the patience. It takes too much time.

Now I'm using Duolingo to learn Norwegian. That's easier. Swedish and Norwegian are rather similar, and we get a lot of Norwegian tourists here. You hear Norwegian very often. But I want to really learn and I think Duolingo is a fun way to learn. I've tried German there too, also rather easy, but that's because I have the basics already. I tried Finnish too, but that was really hard, because it was a completely new language - and a weird one too.

Besides Duolingo I listen to Norwegian pod casts, and watch the Norwegian news. Also, my cousin bought me a couple of Norwegian magazines, and I have borrowed Norwegian books at the library. It's another kind of challenge to learn a language that's really similar to your own. Lots of so called "false friends", i.e. in Swedish the word "rolig" means fun, but in Norwegian it means calm.

But I'd say it was easier to learn when you where young. Now my brain is gone [see my signature!]

 

I usually try to pick up some of the language when I travel to non-English speaking parts of the world. So, at least hello, how are you, basic counting and easy phrases etc. I took Spanish in school and was pretty good at it. I could probably get by in a Spanish speaking country but I've been thinking about getting back to practicing it since it has been a long time and I've forgotten so much.
I signed up for an in-person Italian class last year and ended up dropping out because, honestly, it seemed like too much homework every week. Also, I thought Italian would be easier since I already know some Spanish and it was a little but I also kept getting Italian and Spanish all mixed up in my mind. I learned a smattering of Swedish with my son a couple years ago with DuoLingo and I think I'd probably stick with something like that going forward. It's definitely harder to learn now that I'm older.

 

Is anyone else learning an another language? Yes

What language? German and Portuguese

Any tips for learning another language?
I like Duolingo. I’ve also heard reading books in the language help.

Do you find it easier to learn as an adult or do you wish you learned as a child? I wish I’d learned as a child. I learned German in high school and it was easier then than it is now with Duolingo. My old brain is tired already.

 

I'm not currently learning another language, but I had 4 years of high school Spanish, plus an additional semester in college, and have gotten to practice it a bit over the years, first living in southern California, and more recently working in a school. When I started working with some Spanish speaking students a couple of years ago, after not having used any beyond like what Dora The Explorer (cartoon character) would talk about when my kids watched that show 20 years ago, I was amazed how much vocabulary came back to me.

It is definitely harder to learn a language as an adult! I learned about that in my psychology classes.

I think the best way is immersion. I remember in my first Spanish class, we always started with him just giving us directions for several minutes, from "Stand up" to "Touch your nose," and we learned by doing.

 

I'm Greek, and started learning English in 2nd grade. I learned German in school for 5 years and absolutely hated it. Then I learned Italian, that I adore, and then for a couple of years I had to take a Spanish class, but didn't like it. Now I'm learning French with Duolingo since September, I like it a lot better than Spanish, and I think I've made great progress considering the limilations of learning through an app; hopefully I'll take an in-person course next (school) year.
My only tip if you use Duolingo is to write everything down!

 

Is anyone else learning an another language?
Not at the moment but I want to. The last time I learnt a new language was back in my first year of high school when it was compulsory - I took french but didn't remember anything from it.
What language?
Wanting to learn New Zealand Sign Language. Eventually I'll enrol in a night class to do so.
Any tips for learning another language?
Make sure it's a language you'll actually use so you don't become too rusty and forget it all. Also immerse yourself into any learning or conversational opportunities that you can using that language - it's the best way to retain the learning (practice) rather than just straight theoretical learning.
Do you find it easier to learn as an adult or do you wish you learned as a child?
There's pros & cons to each I'd say. If I was to be immersed into the language all of the time then absolutely easier to learn as a child but for me I only learnt a language because I had to. In terms of learning a new language as an adult, I think it's probably easier for me as it's something I actually want to learn.

 

I haven't really tried hard to learn another language - I did take five years of German in junior high/high school but I was just trying to pass the classes, not actually trying to learn.
I listened to a podcast about people who learn languages and what the most successful learners do is force themselves into conversation, even before they think they are ready. Forcing yourself to speak is what really speeds the process along.

 

Is anyone else learning an another language?
What language?
Not Currently, but I had 4 years of HS Spanish. I still know bits and pieces and practiced with my youngest through his 3 years of it. I can pick out words and phrases, and I know how to say "where's the bathroom"
I also know some ASL and took a class to learn more of it a few years ago.

Any tips for learning another language?
No tips at all. I know my son and my granddaughter both have used Duolingo some.

Do you find it easier to learn as an adult or do you wish you learned as a child?
Much easier as a child.

 

I had two years of French in high school, so pretty limited on that. I'd love to learn more and then be able to use it on a trip to France! My memory is awful these days though, so I'm not sure how well I would be able to learn and retain language skills unless it was used constantly.

I also too 2 semesters of German to try to learn some before a trip to Germany, but then 9/11 happened and our trip was canceled. I was AWFUL at German!

 

Is anyone else learning an another language? Not currently. I took French in first grade, then 2 years in high school. I picked up a bit of German when my former husband was stationed in Germany, but that was nearly 50 years ago. I've pretty much lost all I knew ... except the beginning of the first dialog in my French book ... Bonjour Jeanne, comment va tu? Tres Bien, merci? Et tu? Hmmmm ... not sure of the spelling, LOL!!! (Good morning Jeanne, how are you? Very good, thank you. And you?)

What language?

Any tips for learning another language? I've always thought the best way would to be dropped in that country and learn by immersion.

Do you find it easier to learn as an adult or do you wish you learned as a child? Definitely easier when younger.

 

Nope, not learning another language. These days with my hearing issues I probably would have a lot of problems communicating in another language even if I knew one. I have a hard time understanding people with an accent at times.

The reason I have no desire to even learn another language goes all the way back to 9th grade in school. That would be 55 years ago when I was forced by my mother to take Latin. I wanted to take French but she said no. She said I needed to take Latin for 2 years then I could take either French (if they still had it since it was new that year) or Spanish my last 2 years. First year Latin wasn't that bad but the second year... horrible. That turned me off of taking any more language classes.

 

LOL ... I wanted to take Latin in high school, but my parents made me take French which I barely passed. I think I would have done MUCH better in Latin as it was mostly written vs. spoken, while spoken was emphasized in French. A lot of my struggle was understanding spoken French ... according to my teacher I just didn't hear it.

 

We're going to S Korea this summer, so I started Duolingo in for Korean but it starts with the alphabet. Not sure I have the patience for that. They really need just a conversational option.

 

I was born in Germany but left when I was 4 years old, so even though German is regarded as my mother tongue, I think of English as my first language. The I speak, read and understand Afrikaans and before our trip last year to Germany I am using Duolingo and brushing up on the German again.

 

I started with English and French in school.
As I lived and worked in Spain for 10 years, I naturally had to learn Spanish. That went very quickly on site because I hardly had any contact with Germans there. As Spanish and Italian have a lot in common, I can also communicate in this language.

 

It's been years, but I took a few linguistics classes in undergrad. There is a pretty finite period of time in childhood where you can even differentiate between some of the sounds that vary between languages (example: the r and l sounds in English, don't always translate to every other language, etc). Learning before age 7 is the most ideal, but it's also much easier between 8-12 and it just gets progressively harder as you age. Once you're multilingual, it seems to be easier to pick up additional languages too. I've always found foreign language difficult! I didn't realize this until adulthood, but the way I process language is not typical. I even have to sometimes use subtitles when watching shows where the actors have thick accents. I always feel so embarrassed when I have to ask colleagues to repeat themselves several times when everyone can obviously understand them and it's just a "Sheri" issue!

Good luck Kari, I hope you find a way that makes it go smoothly! It definitely helps if you're surrounded by people that are speaking the language.

 

I am learning Spanish rn. It is my sixth. Always wanted to, love the expressiveness of it, so giving it a go with Duolingo. I feel like I should scrap a page about my languages, so thanks for the inspiration Kari. And good luck with your new adventure and learning. Stick with it, you will get there I am sure. My grandmother who was uneducated, and worked since she was 12, decided to learn Arabic when she was 42, just so that she could read Koran in the "original" as she had heard too many sermons (?) that made her think that they were all stemming from the same source but differed too much, and she was a truth seeker. She succeeded because no matter how hard that was, she was motivated, and you are motivated by love, what can be stronger?! So the best of luck, dear. You will get there.

 

I use the Babbel app when traveling to another country. It is fun to do a few lessons and learn a few words and phrases but I forget shortly after getting home b/c I don't practice.