how many years it took for you to learn english??????
By abj163
@abj163 (1037)
India
August 10, 2010 3:12am CST
this may be a strange question for the mylotters whos original language is english.....but my original language is not english ....my mother tounge or original language is marathi language....it took 5 years for me to learn english.....i learned it in school....from 5 th grade to 10 th grade...and still the tense of english is very hard for me.....i never understood that.....but i think now i am able to talk with anybody in english....but i cant pronounce the words properly as like people in us and uk do.....but i have a subject named 'communication skills'....in this subject i am learning english pronounciations ....i am happy with that my university is doing well in that...
so this question is specially for the mylotters whos mother tounge is not english
how many years it took for you to learn english........????
happy mylotting
4 people like this
35 responses
@arvik_the_first (97)
• India
10 Aug 10
Well mate I started learning right from KG and I dont really know when I could start speaking English fluently. By the way were you in a marathi medium school coz you said you started learning English from 5th grade?
1 person likes this
@xeroeight (1060)
• Philippines
10 Aug 10
honestly I can't remember when I learned English maybe I learned it in the anime I have watch and movies I have seen.
But now I can write English but I still can't talk with someone using English I don't know why I can't talk to people in English.
Unlike when I am talking to people online and here in mylot I always use English Do you know anything that can help my situation?
1 person likes this
@sharadagrawal278 (183)
• India
10 Aug 10
Well dear for that i would suggest you two things :
1. Read english books and that also loudly so that not only your vocabulary will increase but also your pronunciation will improve and try to take help of dictionaries for correct pronunciation, maybe oxford or chambers would do and its softwares are also available (tell me if u need).
2. Try to talk with people without thinking of what they will think when they listen you. Start with ur family members or friends. And after-all ur reading books will improve ur English.
Now to the discussion:
I learned ENGLISH in not a specified time since from young i have been studieng in ICSE board which works on English a Lot. After studying from ICSE board i can say for sure that i can talk with any foreiner in English comfortably.
1 person likes this
@Theresaaiza (10487)
• Australia
10 Aug 10
Hi abj, you're doing really great!
I am a Filipino so my mother tongue is not english as well. But here in the Philippines, we are a bit more fluent compared to the rest of our Asian neighbors that's because according to our history, we were once run by the Americans after the Spaniards and the Japanese. Aside from that, English is really part of our curriculum as early as Kindergarten. Children are around 5 or 6 yrs old when they enter kindergarten.
So yes, it's been 21 years of learning and using English. And everyday is another learning experience.
1 person likes this
@p3ks626 (6538)
• Philippines
10 Aug 10
I am 27 years old now and until now I am still improving on my English skills. It doesnt mean that I am a teacher and that I teach English would make me an expert in English. I just have to continue learning and learning is a lifetime process.
1 person likes this
@lady_di1210 (263)
• Philippines
10 Aug 10
hey there abj,
I'm from the philippines and my vernacular dialect is cebuano... I started learning english since I was four, but I understood english since I was a preschooler at the age of 3. I used to have an American friend during my preschool days as she was my classmate. I was pretty shy and timid so I can hardly remember if I was able to speak english very well at that time. Fortunately, english is the secondary language here in the Philippines. So learning english is never a hassle at all..
As for my communication skills, I don't think I'm that fluent and eloquent... Coz I don't get to talk in English a lot.. What I usually do is read english books and magazines, and watch english films.. I bet ya.. that helps a lot.. ^_~
1 person likes this
@6precious102 (4043)
• United States
15 Aug 10
I admire those of you who are disciplined enough to learn another language. My mother tongue is American English, and I have to admit that I'm glad so many people speak that language, particularly since I'm not gifted in language learning.
@paula27661 (15811)
• Australia
12 Aug 10
My original language is Italian and I came to Australia when I was ten years old. I couldn’t speak any English at all when I first arrived and I was placed in a normal class in sixth grade. It was tough but I learnt the language in three months; it was a matter of survival really because I couldn’t understand anything that was being said to me. What helped me learn English so quickly was the fact that I was ten years old and as a child I was able to retain new information easily and the fact that I lived in an English speaking country. Children’s brains are like sponges, they absorb so much at a much faster rate than adults.
@abj163 (1037)
• India
12 Aug 10
your story is really awesome.......
its very difficult to understand english without have knowledge of it.....
the advantage was you was a kid when you got migrated to australia ....
thats why you learned it very fast....
have a nice day
happy mylotting
1 person likes this
@vjsinduja (1031)
• Sri Lanka
10 Aug 10
Well, for me as well, my mother tongue is not English but Tamil. I come from the country Sri Lanka. Since my first grade I was sent to an International school which conducted Edexcel syllabus and the students have to speak in English.. So I had no problem in English... The only thing is that, I am not creative enough. Apart from that, I don't have any problems in spellings, writing grammatically, pronunciations or speaking properly...As you have mentioned u find the 'tenses' section hard in English.. I am willing to send u my project work to u.
I followed a teacher training course, where I had to submit a project. My project was on English Grammar and I got A grade... so I can send u that. If u can provide ur email id, I can email u the project work I did.
@myswirlyagelessmind (379)
• Philippines
10 Aug 10
My parents got me started early since my country was under American rule for some time and people here speak it often. It was never like having to really go to school to learn the language. All the grammatical rules were established in my person by the time I was eight so I guess two to three years into formal schooling.
@amarendra123 (230)
• India
10 Aug 10
like you.i have also taken nearly 5 years to learn english.but i am not perfect in english.i am still learning
1 person likes this
@vhings_88 (294)
• Philippines
10 Aug 10
Here in our country, English is not our primary language but I consider it as secondary since English is thought in school since the very first time you go to pre-school. All subject that were introduced in the school are all English aside from one, which is written in our dialect language.
Though, I'm not good at English at all but I can talk, write and understand English in average level. Most of us here do especially those who finished school.
@vhings_88 (294)
• Philippines
10 Aug 10
I mean taught, not thought...haha that's what I'm saying..Too hard for us to learn English.. It's really hard to learn it if our language isn't native English.
@devijay78 (1573)
• India
14 Aug 10
Hi. Since I studied in a convent, I am fluent in english, tamil and telugu. My daughter speaks english too apart from her mother tongue, which is telugu and the local language. So she knows three languages right now. She will be learning hindi soon. It is not very difficult to learn a new language. Practice is the key.
Moreover, start thinking in english. Watch english news channels or other channels where english is used a lot and listen how they frame their sentences and learn. Read the newpaper and learn new words. You will improve in a few months. All the best.
@playwright82 (167)
• United States
12 Aug 10
I was born in the United States so this question does not really apply to me. I just wanted to say that I have noticed that those that learn English as a second language have better grammar than those who were born in the US. Although Americans spend 13 years studying their native tongue, they don't care if they can speak properly or not. While your grammar is not yet perfect in writing (I know my grammar is not perfect either), it is better than many of the papers I have helped to correct in my college. Your spelling is also very good. I wanted to congratulate you on doing so well after 5 years of learning a very complicated language.
@Hellenli (25)
• China
12 Aug 10
Hi,boy, I learn Engilish about 6 years. from 7 grade to 9 grade, and also 3 years in college. How can you practice oral English so good, can you tell me the keys? I think my English is just so so, but the foreigners say "your English is very good". I'm eager to study more about English, and now I'm working as an translator. I've been to Egypt, Thai and your country, India. I want to improve my English and take a high level English also. Would you please tell me the method?
@CTHanum (8234)
• Malaysia
12 Aug 10
i have learned it since standard 1 and i still want improve my english better.i'm not good in grammar, still having troubles about the tense and all that and limit vocabulary.everyday i will try to learn such a new thing and words to improve my engish.i really hope to master it soon. 
@mauie0918 (337)
• Philippines
11 Aug 10
I know there are many Filipinos in mylot. In the Philippines especially in the Cordillera region, children are trained by mothers to speak in English at an early stage. Even our old folks did not finish their schooling they can speak fluently in English. Maybe it's the nature here.
Well I learned my English maybe when I was 2 or 3 years old. My mother taught me how and of course it grows rapidly with the influence of the environment.
@Clickenecash (285)
• Philippines
12 Aug 10
Yeah, here in the Philippines, an English subject is a requirement in the curriculum. From the early years in our kindergarten to our first years in college we still have english related subjects. I guess this is because of the American rule after the spaniards.
@sjaswon (635)
• Jamaica
12 Aug 10
I learned an English when I am little kid. At time, I went to school. The teacher taught me how to write an English. That She loved it.
I went to other school. The other teacher taught me confusion. Because they were different. They thought I am high, but I am not.
Later, I pick up a English book. I myself was learning it.
