anyone here learned a 2nd language as an adult?

[Deleted]

When I was married to my X I tried very very hard to learn Croatian. I did a CD that I listened to in my car over and over again and tried to use it with is family but I never got very far. It was my first experience with a Slavic language and was just so hard compared to the others I've learned.

[pantsparty]

I am learning French. Slowly. I got a Pimsleur course and am going through that first. It's an audio course and you're not even supposed to look up the words (I usually do it when I'm driving, so I can't anyway). It is very slow going and I'm learning at a rudimentary level, of course, but I'm sticking with it.

One of my H's co-workers has a Rosetta Stone course and he gave me 1 and 2 for French. I will start doing that once I finish the Pimsleur course.

I don't ever expect I'll be fluent, but I'd like to have enough knowledge to at least get by and not feel like a MERICAN if we ever go to France, LOL.

[ProfessorArtNerd]

I've promised myself I'd learn French now that Lucy's in school. I get free classes at the community college where I teach, better start using them right? I'll let you know how it goes lol

[elenetxu]

After majoring in Spanish, the only way I got fluent was living in Spain and having to communicate with DH and his family.

[Deleted]

I'm learning Mandarin (speaking and learning to write characters). I take private lessons 2x a week and use a textbook and workbook. The workbook is very helpful for actually making the lessons stick. I don't ever expect to be fluent, but I would like to be conversational.
DH also created sheets for us to practice writing characters that include all the characters from the textbook and are designed so that you can study using the english word, the pinyin word, or the the character to study (fold over different sides of sheet to cover answers). He's crafty.
It definitely helps that I use Mandarin every day.
I've heard Rosetta stone is not great for learning Mandarin because of the nuances of the language and the different tones, but for other languages I think it can be a good resource, but I'm not sure how far it will get you if you've already had the language courses in school.
I'd also love to relearn Spanish. I hope you can figure out a way that works for you.

[woodenshoes]

When I first moved to the Netherlands to live with my now H (I was 27 then) I used Dutch Rosetta Stone 1 + 2 and got a good basis. It wasn't until I started taking an integration course and then later a private one-on-one class that my Dutch really flourished. Those courses combined with a Dutch H, in-laws, neighbors, colleagues, and nearly five years of living here have taken me far. Writing is still difficult but my reading, speaking, and understanding spoken Dutch have come a long way.

It's definitely possible and opens new worlds to you! I was really inspired to be able to communicate with my elderly neighbors who were teenagers during WWII but don't speak any English. Being able to hear their first-hand accounts in their native language has been one of the many pay-offs for all the effort it took to learn Dutch.

I don't think anyone ever regrets learning a second language.

[Jalapeñomel]

I'm trying, but it's incredibly difficult for me (and I am immersed in the language).

[Deleted]

No but I want to. A friend of mine just purchased Rosetta Stone for Spanish and has good things to say so far but she's only about a month in.

[dulcemariamar]

I was able to learn Spanish but I was living on a farm in the middle of nowhere in Argentina and Nobody there really spoke English. It was kind of a sink or swim situation.

I have to learn French now but I have been kind of lazy about the whole thing.

[lightbulbsun]

I recently took an Italian class at a community college. It was pretty cool, but I don't think the levels go up high enough to become fluent. You could check it out, though. There's probably a lot more available for Spanish.

[Jalapeñomel]

I would not recommend Rosetta Stone. I would take a course at a CC or get a different program (there are good ones out there).

[lola]

My H is learning Spanish and as soon as he conquers that he's up for German. YAY for a PhD.

I'm working on re-learning my Spanish. I had a pretty good grasp on it in high school (lol!) but am trying to relearn it now. I work with a lot of Spanish speakers and they're trying to teach me. I'm a slow learner, I think.

[LeggsBenedict]

I took a year of sign language (and picked it up quickly) and four years of german (and picked it up not so quickly.) I am far from fluent in either.

H grew up speaking two languages and I think it has really helped him pick up the additional 2 or 3 he is learning right now.