In my country, Slovenia, learning a second language (english) in school starts in primary school, at the age of 8! So by the time the children finish primary school and proceed to high school, they are already proficient English speakers, ready to tackle a new language! That is why you get to learn a third language in high school. Depending on your school, you can pick from a variety of languages, most common ones being Italian, French, German and Spanish. My school also offered Russian. If you decide to go to University, you can take classes and learn a new language! Since universities are state funded, you don't have to pay a dime for it, which is amazing! I learned Italian in high school, for 4 years. Sadly, my teacher wasn't the best and I quite frankly didn't like the lessons, so I didn't study hard. It's a shame, really, since I can only mumble a sentence or two before running out of words I know.