how hard is it to learn a new language?

I speak four languages including my native language. I learnt most of them when i was young, so i do not really remember how hard it was to develop and learn language. BUt in order to learn new language, i think the most important aspect is the environment. I really like learning new languages and their cultures. What about you??

It is hard to learn a new language, but not so hard as people think, I learned speak English as my second language and I am leaning speak German, English was not easy to learn in the begin, but after a wale, it gets easy, and the languages you learn after becomes easier, because you already know what is needed to you to learn a new language.

This all depends on how quickly we can catch on to something. for some people learning new languages comes easy. they don't even need to think about it. for others, it is a struggle. if learning a new language has too much difficulty, some people will give up.

At the age of 37, i admit that it is hard already. And i agree with you that kids are better to learn new language than us. Probably because there minds are still not occupied unlike with adults and they have the capabilities to retain those words on their minds.

no not easy for me. I've been struggling with my English and I wonder about people who can speak this language not their own, fluently. This is the only other language I have some education on, but I do not do well on it still. The more I get older the less motivated I am because I am always struggling because of many other reasons. I find your English to be well-written to my standard and you sound like a native speaker to me. So I added you earlier for that reason. Thoughts about this topic, I read earlier that we acquire language by the right brain. Correct me if I am wrong with this info. children do that when they first learn their own or another language. Then environment helps. That is, American children are exposed to English, and Chinese children exposed to their own language, and they both learn their own easily without much effort or attending courses. But if we did not have that early exposure, it's harder to learn a language as we grow old. We find that we are conscious and processing other information in our brain like focusing on the grammar or on what to say, than learning how to speak the language. (probably because of lack of an environment to correct you or to interact with you, or to train your ear to the language) Unlike in a child, she/he is spontaneous as they receive and retain language skills without much pain or hassles. So they ,like native speaker, speak spontaneously.they don't have to think how to say something so that it will come out correctly. Compare that with a struggling foreigner.

tried to learn spanish, but i did it half-hearrtedly. I think it's a matter of exposing yourself to the language and the culture, then you learn it more easily

I think there's truth to this. Children are gifted with good communications skills. I noticed this with my children. Adults may find it hard to communicate with another person if they don't speak a common language but it's different with children, even if they don't understand a word of what the other is saying, they seem to get along very well. Give them a few weeks and they will start they will start to speak the different language.

I don't thing so that learning a new language is impossible, but yes it is little bit difficult to learn a new language, and we cannot speak as fluent as the native people, and also agree that child will every thing what we teach them at their developmental years.

I find that it is almost impossible to learn a lamaguage. Even before i was a teenager, i could just never get to grips with languages. I find it difficult to learn the grammar, and the new words and stuff like that.

Not too hard but also not easily. learn language need some special character of person' quality, such as be patient ,good at communicate. memory level is not that much important. but it depend on which kind of language you learn such as you are european to learn Asian is not easily. another important is you must be able to keep interesting and keep confidence on this language. try your best to find a surrounding feeling to talk. every language need whose special mood on thought, if you find this mood it will rather easily to learn.

In fact any language learning rising is very difficult, if you learn is not easy , english we have learned so many years, now still look like that. now I learn is Arabic, think grammar is very professional complicated and difficult to use chinese think to understand, words bad back, broken the easily forget,because the tadople wen .So be repeated back, to the person's endurance is a big test.

With factor of demography, territory, age, interest and perseverance, the level of difficulty will be determined. It is not always the same for any other language. Learning language which are mostly "close-similar" can be easily done but if it is totally different then you need patient.. and a lot of it. If you are learning a new language without apparent reason or interest, I think it is just a waste of time to learn... And if you want to speed-track your language adoption to a new language? There will always be a language school around... In cities specially those tourist spot locations I believe, you can find it easily to have a special tutorial class....

Yeah, you are right, it become very difficult when you cross a certain age limit to learn a new language. In my case, I know four different local languages, I can speak them fluently, but all these languages I leaned before, 16 years of age. I was shifted to another area of my country who speak a totally different language at the age of 10 and in few months I was able to speak that language, then again in the same years, my language at school was different so I leaned that too, then at college my books were in English so I found my self familiar with that too. But now I am in a different country, totally different language, I have spent more than one year but still I am unable to learn the language, the reason may be we are using English for our communication. But I found my other fellows fluent and easy for them to learn the new language. So I came to know it depends on ability and most important you willingness towards learning the new language... God Bless You...

well.maybe its just you start schooling again..every word has a meaning like a subject with its own description..