How easy is it to learn a new language if you are truly committed to it?

CHOPTALK · Dec 15, 2015

I'm talking about being able to speak the language good enough to have a top level conversation with someone .
Not just good enough to understand what someone is saying in another language but to really be able to have an educated conversation with someone without them having a hard time understanding you

wilbur · Dec 15, 2015

CHOPTALK said:
I'm talking about being able to speak the language good enough to have a top level conversation with someone .
Not just good enough to understand what someone is saying in another language but to really be able to have an educated conversation with someone without them having a hard time understanding you

What?

MotorMouth · Dec 15, 2015

CHOPTALK said:
I'm talking about being able to speak the language good enough to have a top level conversation with someone .
Not just good enough to understand what someone is saying in another language but to really be able to have an educated conversation with someone without them having a hard time understanding you

So how long have you been working on your English communication?

Otherwise Id say bout 350 days.

barman · Dec 15, 2015

CHOPTALK said:
I'm talking about being able to speak the language good enough to have a top level conversation with someone .
Not just good enough to understand what someone is saying in another language but to really be able to have an educated conversation with someone without them having a hard time understanding you

People with English as a first language can become relatively fluent in most Latin-based languages with approximately 200 hours of committed study.

Confidently engaging in extended conversation with a native of the target language would occur immediately and expand with more immersion.

Either deliberately inserting yourself into a (for example) Spanish speaking workplace/social community in combination with watching a steady diet of Spanish language programming would further exercise your brain into being able to "think" in Spanish. At that point you are fully engaged with the second language and there is virtually no mental translation taking place

barman · Dec 15, 2015

Now if you just tring undersand sirtin posters at rx, it easier than that most people........imo....lol

DELSOL · Dec 15, 2015

It will take you 6 months to master Spanish Grammar.
Had that down Sophmore year in college.
Spain for entire Junior year locked in fluency back in 1993.
1993-2015 picking up new vocabulary and expressions.

Best thing I ever did and opened many doors.

GL

KingofNicotine · Dec 15, 2015

I tried to do this one time. I took Rosetta Stone German but didn't commit to it. My goal was to prove to people here in Miami that don't learn English that you can learn another language if you commit to it.

barman · Dec 15, 2015

KingofNicotine said:
I tried to do this one time. I took Rosetta Stone German but didn't commit to it. My goal was to prove to people here in Miami that don't learn English that you can learn another language if you commit to it.

Interesting how you put that.

I think many of us occasionally want to 'prove' something with our behavior in hopes of impressing other people. In your anecdote, the desire to impress on others the proof that it is possible to learn a second language.

But it's usually futile because the target person(s) don't need our proof. They are already surrounded by endless proofs. All that matters is if They themselves want to do it.

Realizing this can be liberating because now we no longer feel inclined to prove anything to anyone but ourselves. And once we learn we can in fact accomplish whatever we desire, we get so busy having fun with our own desires that we no longer spend much time thinking about what others are choosing to do or not do

CHOPTALK · Dec 15, 2015

Good stuff Barman on that last post .

I have found that to be true with several things I've done in life.
The motivation starts by wanting to impress someone other then yourself but by the time you are half through the journey the motivation shifts to yourself.

That has happened to me several times