How old were you when you started learning a new language?

[Trellum]

Hello everyone!  I know there are a lot people out there who started learning a new language at a very early age, some people started learning a bit late.  I'd like to know at what age you started to learn a new language, I'd also like to know the reason and which language you were trying to learn.  It'd be nice if you could also tell me if your attempt to learn said language was successful or not.

To answer my own question, I was 16 years old when I started learning a new language.  I started learning english on my own, I used yahoo! chat for that, I remember I liked to sit and just look at the things people over there used to write (main chatroom).  After that I decided the next best step would be to try using what I had already learnt by getting some pen pals. 

It took me around 6 months until I could hold a decent conversation with someone in english   It took me years to polish it, and even now I feel I still have a lot to work on. 

This leaves me with the question... how old were you when you started learning a new language?

[Beverly]

I started learning English when I was in grade 5 but quit shortly after because I was discouraged by all the older students in the class who have learnt so far ahead of me. I picked it up again when I was in 7th grade until I finished high school. While I was learning,I was tutoring as well so it helped me learn the language even faster because I had to practice it a lot longer than I needed to. I had to learn the language because I was failing at school. Got a big fat F and my parents weren't happy about it.

For my second Chinese dialect,I don't even remember. I just started being taught by my cousin because she couldn't speak my Chinese dialect.By the time I hit 12,I could speak it fluently. 

[Trellum]

Wow, that's amazing   You started learning enlgish so young!  You must have an incredible willpower, because not many 12 year olds can speak english fluently!  When I was that age I couldn't understand a word of that language, and sometimes that frustrated me a little.  Over here most high school students can't speak enlgish fluent, our educative system is failing us :/  I actually never had english when I was going to the elementary/junior/ high school!

I had some when I was going to the junior high, but everything I learnt there was: ''I'm from Cholula!''.  LOL.  Very bad!  Things don't improve once you go to high school... it seems the students spend 3 full years stuck with the verb ''to be''.

[evapfromm]

I picked up English within a year of moving to America from Germany. I was around 10 years old. I absorbed the language so quickly by being immersed in it- chatting online, reading books, talking to strangers. I read, speak and understand it better than my native German tongue now. I am always impressed by people who are teenagers or adults, and are able to learn another language.

[queenbecka]

I spoke Ukrainian and English up until I was 3 or 4.

I remember having conversations with my grandparent's friends in fluent Ukrainian with no issues in understanding them. I spent almost everyday with my grandparents while my parents worked.

When I started Pre-K, I stopped spending so much at my grandparents and only saw them once a week for dinner. I completely forgot the entire Ukrainian language. I didn't start learn another language again (Spanish) until I was 10 and I wasn't actually learning because I didn't pay attention.

I started trying to learn Ukrainian again when I was 22.

[ashwinr1]

In India are all our subjects are taught in English and we start off at a really young age, as young as 4 or 5 years old. By the time we are 10 or 12 years old, we become quiet fluent in English!

[kitkat0124]

I started learning English, since I started studying. I was 6 at that time. It is included in our curriculum. I'm very thankful because I was able to learn at a very young age. Now that I'm older I can use it in pursuing my chosen career. I can work to foreign country without too much difficulty adjusting because of the language barrier.

[SpiralArchitect]

In India are all our subjects are taught in English and we start off at a really young age, as young as 4 or 5 years old. By the time we are 10 or 12 years old, we become quiet fluent in English!

The level of fluency depends on the region though. In Hindi speaking areas, I don't think there are many students who are fluent in English before they are 15-16. Even then the level of fluency is questionable. Southern India is for some reason a lot more conducive to English for some reason.

[leahcim132]

When I was about 3 years old, I started to learn Japanese. My dad was Japanese and he would teach me time to time... making me watch Japanese cartoons and stuff . It was a pretty fun time of my life.

[nkaujntses]

My family and I immigrated to the US when I was almost 3 years old. Hmong is my native language. In the US, my parents didn't speak a word of English, so I started learning English when I started preschool. It was hard.

I remember we had an activity in class where the students took off our shoes and put in the middle of the class. Then, one by one, each student would go into the pile of shoes and put on their shoes. As I'm watching my classmates take their shoes one by one, I saw a girl take my sneakers and put them on. I though, "Oh, my! She took my shoes! What am I going to do?" When my turn came, I just stood there. The teacher asked me what was wrong. I didn't know what to say! I pointed to my shoes on the feet of my classmate. My teachers asked if those were mine. I nodded. She asked the girl to take them off and get her own shoes. I was so relieved!

Getting off topic a bit there. I took French for 4 years in high school. It has been a while since I've used it, but I believe I've retained a bit of French.

[Dame6089]

Technically, I started learning Spanish in 8th grade. I honestly can't say that it started sinking in until I was in college though. My Spanish speaking improved tenfold after only 3 years of Spanish classes. The previous 5 years of Spanish were borderline useless.

[TABL]

In 5th grade we started learning a language.  We learned some of Spanish, French and German and then were able to pick which one we liked best.  I took Spanish up until grade 12. 

[LauraM]

I first started learning Spanish when I was around 15 or so; I was in 10th grade in high school in the U.S.  Foreign language was optional and I was glad for the opportunity. 

Classroom study was very helpful for the basics of vocabulary and grammar, but I was motivated to do a lot of self-study and immersion to the extent that I could, as I did not have a chance in those days to visit or spend time in a Spanish speaking country.  I did a lot of reading on my own, and I also listened to radio and watched TV in Spanish as much as possible. 

It was later in college that I had more of an opportunity to delve into the language, with literature courses as well as living in the Spanish language dorm for a year.  I was fluent by this time, but over the years I did not maintain it.  I have a lot of relearning to do!

[rgaz83]

My mom has been trying to teach me (some) Spanish since before I can remember. Unfortunately, she's not exactly fluent in it and I'm still struggling to learn it myself. It doesn't help that I have difficulty staying focused on the challenge.

[marmunmrhundun]

I was about 12 when I first started learning a new language. It was definitely when I was in Middle School I will never forget those days. It wasn't near as hard as it is now to learn different languages.