When did you start to learn a second language?

[cbintz]

I was raised in a small, private school and we started learning Spanish in 7th grade, it was just part of the curriculum and we had to learn it weather we wanted to or not (I did). It was nice preparation for high school, were two years of a foreign language were required for graduation.

However, I know that in some schools these days they start teaching kids foreign languages when they are younger because they can absorb so much more. Or, maybe you grew up in a bilingual home and heard two languages from little on.

Some of my friends whom went to different elementary schools than I did had the ability to choose what language they wanted to learn starting in the primary grades. Although I think Spanish is a good language to learn, I wonder what it would be like had I learned French or German at a young age.

[Jeroen030]

Since I live in a country with 3 official languages Dutch and French being the main ones, I already had French classes starting from 3th or 4th grade.

English classes started from 9th grade and German classes were only mandatory in 10th grade but with the option to continue all the way to 12th grade.

Spanish was the only other language you could learn at my school and that was fully optional (I never took it)

[cbintz]

Since I live in a country with 3 official languages Dutch and French being the main ones, I already had French classes starting from 3th or 4th grade.

English classes started from 9th grade and German classes were only mandatory in 10th grade but with the option to continue all the way to 12th grade.

Wow, that's neat that you were surrounded by so many languages, what country was that in? I've heard that if you speak two or more languages fluently you sometimes think in two languages too, did that ever happen to you? I wish I would have had the exposure to all those languages like you did. Which one is your favorite to use?

[Jeroen030]

Wow, that's neat that you were surrounded by so many languages, what country was that in? I've heard that if you speak two or more languages fluently you sometimes think in two languages too, did that ever happen to you? I wish I would have had the exposure to all those languages like you did. Which one is your favorite to use?

I live in Belgium

I don't actually know in what language I think, but it probably depends on the situation I'm in, so I guess I think in the language I need at that moment.

I'm not that into languages, I'm a science-guy, but I think English is my favorite, just because almost everyone on the planet will understand you in English.

But Dutch (Flemish actually) does have some nice expressions you just don't find in other languages, so I guess I like that as well 

[cefmac]

I'm from Scotland, so we were introduced to Gaelic and taught it in school from about the age of four. It was never very useful though, nobody really had any interest in what the teacher was saying, and to this day, I still think it was rather pointless. However, when I was nine, our Gaelic lessons were replaced with French, which was much better. I continued with French all the way through high school (so I studied it for about eight years in total), and I'm so glad I started at a young age because I have a very good grasp of the language now.

[Elienc]

Wow, that's neat that you were surrounded by so many languages, what country was that in? I've heard that if you speak two or more languages fluently you sometimes think in two languages too, did that ever happen to you? I wish I would have had the exposure to all those languages like you did. Which one is your favorite to use?

I'm from Belgium too, Dutch-speaking as Jeroen is. I do recognize his story, got French at age 9 or 10, English at 13 or something and German for the three last years of high school. I think mainly in Dutch or in images actually, but indeed, when reading English course books or taking a class in English (I mean any subject, courses given in English) or talking to English people, I sometimes think in English, take notes in English etc. Same sort of applies to French, but that takes some more time: after working in a trilingual office during internship, my English and French were jumbling and tumbling around, over, under eacht other  Having such a chance to practice is great though, my French-speaking colleague wanted to practice Dutch and I wanted to practice French, so we spoke each others language and corrected the other when necessary.

Dutch is of course my favorite, as it is my mothertongue. I sometimes mix in some English if there's a nice way of expressing things, not present in Dutch.

[Brad]

I was around 5 years old when I was introduced to my second language and 15 when I started my third. I wans to learn at least 5 in my lifetime.

[Czarownica]

When I was five or so I started reading my aunt's English textbooks and playing video games in English I think it was the beginning of my adventure with foreign languages. We also had some basic English classes in kindergarden.

At the age of seven I started elementary school and then they started teaching me German.

[Medza]

When I was five or so I started reading my aunt's English textbooks and playing video games in English I think it was the beginning of my adventure with foreign languages. We also had some basic English classes in kindergarden.

At the age of seven I started elementary school and then they started teaching me German.

It was quite the same for me with video games, at the time I didn't even realise that I was learning English but I was quickly picking up bits of vocabulary all the time. But my formal education began in primary school like for most people.

[TomekaB]

I started learning a second language when I was in 9th grade. A new world opened up to me. I continued by studies in college. I later earned by certificate for medical and legal translation. I have been translating for the 8 years and it is a great living.

[Amatenshi]

It started in 5th grade, my first year of private school. I thought it was pretty cool that we had a Spanish class, because I didn't have one previously. Sadly, our teacher was a smoker who didn't show up for half the classes. Needless to say, she didn't teach the next year. I still found myself to be a vocabulary demon when she popped in videos or had us do the book exercises. The next year, we had a proper teacher, and I picked it right up. When I started high school, I was one of the three 9th graders in a Spanish II class consisting mostly of 10th graders. I guess my middle school Spanish teachers did a really good job teaching me. On top of that, I always enjoyed Spanish class. I should probably revisit the language when I have less on my plate, because it pays to know Spanish in some parts of the US.

[pcgamer]

I leaned both my first and second language since my childhood. So they both are like first languages to me. I can't say as to which one is my first and which one is my second language since Angika is our local language, but Hindi is our national language. So, Angika should be my first language, right? No, no one speaks Angika anymore, so I am more adept in Hindi than Angika.

I think, I should call English as my second language

[NatureSun]

English isn't my native language, and it's mandatory here to learn English in school so I'd been studying it since pretty much when I started my school.

It's actually good that we have this here since I believe it's really important for everyone to atleast know basic English to get by in the world in today's day and age.

[maria del pino]

When i was in school i refused to listen to my english professor  cause the whole english thing looked boring to me at that time. But two years after leaving school i totally fell in love with this language thanks to American culture, their beautiful ( to my ears ) accent and of course HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, i loved this sitcom and still, and i spent so much time watching episodes and trying to repeat to myself what they were saying to memorize it in my brain and i dont know at some point i learned a medium english level and i was so proud of myself. But know for reasons i dont wanna say, well i'm not at my best so i'm trying  to re-catch all the information i used to had in my brain. And is going to be a long road to it but i will try to make my best for this.

[pojokers]

I started learning my second language at the start of middle school. In New York everyone was required to take a language class and out of Spanish, French and German I decided on Spanish. It's a fun language and it's what got me in love with the culture. I'm looking forward to learning different languages though.

[Gregor]

I started to learn French at the age of 9 at a school in Africa, not "French" Africa. This meant that when I moved to Ireland when I was 14 I was streets ahead of everyone else who began to learn French at 13. That had obvious advantages but also meant that I was considered somewhat odd and a bit of a teacher's pet. Furthermore everyone wanted to sit beside me in French class and copy my answers in tests!

[altrouge]

I guess I learned my second language even before I started going to school. I live in Ireland but my mother is not from here, so she is bilingual. Whenever we take holidays in her home country, people can speak English, but of course they would prefer using their primary language even if English was also an official language there. I had to learn to sort of fit in.

However learning a language I really wanted to learn started in Secondary School. I chose Spanish. In my previous secondary school languages were not offered but when I transferred to a new one there was a choice of German, Spanish, and French. Everyone already started from first year and I transferred on senior year so I was pretty much behind everyone else. I chose Spanish not only because it interests me, but also because I knew that I would be able to pick it up in only two school years. I'd have to say that it was a fun experience and even if I graduated now, I still hope on maintaining and improving my Spanish. I'm still not fluent mainly because I have no one to talk to, so I've had no practice.

[deyvion]

In Sweden I belive the students are introduced to English from first or second grade. English is today a compulsary subject, and the students get to choose a third language around grade six or seven. (I am not completely sure about the grades since the Swedish curriculum has changed since I graduated six years ago.)

I, however, had a desire to learn English beyond the levels taught at school already at the age 9, so I watched a lot of TV and started reading books in English.

[LauraM]

I am from the U.S. and so I grew up with English as my native language.  I was interested in studying Spanish -- I could have picked German or French -- and I started in high school.  I studied all four years of high school.  I also did a lot of my learning on my own, by watching Spanish language television, listening to the radio and reading newspapers and books in the language. 

[wannalurnspanish]

I started learning Spanish in 8th grade, when it was required for school. I originally wanted to take French, by my mom convinced me Spanish was easier, so I went with that. I'm glad I did. I love the language, and took it all the way up through high school. Now it's just a matter of finding time to learn. 5+ years and I'm still not fluent. That's pretty sad.

[kitkat0124]

I started learning my second language (English) when I was in grade one. In our country, English is included in our curriculum so you will learn English at a very young age. It is very helpful because most people around the world are using it as their second language.

[A0130]

I began to learn Spanish my freshman year of high school. I am a college junior now, and I still study Spanish.

[Topcho]

Well before I started school, my grandfather often spoke to me in Russian and read me Russian fairy tales so I picked many words - and very little grammar, lol! So in first grade my parents let me pick a class - drawing, Russian, English, or Math as a main subject and I chose Russian. So from 1st to 7th grade we were having 5 classes of Russian per week and 1 of English (but teachers kept coming in going, so not much was learnt of that English).

[SpiralArchitect]

As someone whose first language is Hindi, I started learning my 2nd language at a very young age. I think I was in Kindergarten when they started teaching us English. Must have been around 4-5 years old.

Started learning Sanskrit when I was in class 5th or 6th. This was the third language I started learning.

[Alfonso]

I was bi-lingual very early in my life. By the age of 6 I could speak good English and Tagalog. Now I'm striving to learn my 3rd language, Spanish.