How difficult does it become to learn another language the older you get?

Question

I'm 21 and I want to learn spanish. Does it become more difficult to learn another language the older you get?

• I am over 50 and i think it depends on your language-lerning history. If you had learnt any foreign language before and you use a foreign language regularly, it will be not so hard to start studying a new one, even if you are not that young anymore. - judithsz Sep 2, 2009

Answer 1

While it is much easier for a very young child to learn a new language (My ex girlfriend's sister-in-law has children who only spoke Spanish until they moved to the US in 8 months ago, and they are nearly fluent), it doesn't mean you cannot learn a language later in life. While my family is Mexican American, we moved away from California and our family when I was very young, and all I really had was a rudimentary background in Spanish because of this. But then last year, I was tired of not understanding Spanish, and having people assume I know Spanish, and also seeing so many people at my place of work (hospital) who only speak Spanish in need of help, I took private lessons, and I'm very far in my studies. Its all about how much you put into it though. My instructor has students who have been with her for much longer than I have been, yet they don't put in the practice and effort outside of class, and they are still beginner students. The key to obtaining the language is trying to immerse yourself in it as much as possible. I'm always speaking with people in Spanish, last girlfriend only spoke Spanish, I watch tv and movies in Spanish, and I'm always reading and studying Spanish. Even if you don't understand Spanish well at this point, you need to be around it and hear it consistently to develop an ear for the language. Soon you will be picking up small words, then soon you'll be able to differentiate word to word and intonation of the voice, and as you build vocab you will understand more. A lot of it is also pattern finding and experimenting with words and phrases.

You will run into walls of difficulty from time to time as well, but you just have to relax, and continue with your pursuit. Eventually you will get around these roadblocks, and continue excelling. It is a definite challenge to take on a language, but its well worth it in the end. Not only do you learn a new language, but you also learn a lot about English in the process. You also build skills to learn other languages as well, particularly other Latin based languages like Italian and French.

Answer 2

I started learning Greek at age 40, then started back into Spanish again at age 49, after having a couple of years in high school.

I don't really think age has that much to do with it.

Answer 3

Children only find it easier to immitate new sounds because their inner ear is very flexible. N. Chomsky suggested the existence of so-called "language acquisition device" in our brains, responsible for learning new words and structure (which theory he later gave up). Anyway, if you have an ear for music, immitating new sounds won't be much of a problem. As for remembering new words and phrases, it's all a matter of practice and motivation. And if you find the technique which works for you, you'll defninitely enjoy learning.

Answer 4

I am sixty two and came to live in Bogota Colombia 15 months ago. I had no spanish skills before I got here. I will not say that learning to communicate has been easy, nor do I think I retain things as readily as I did 40 years ago. However, I have learned a great deal and can understand and speak enough to get the tasks of daily life taken care of,to enjoy it and feel comfortable in my environment. I wish I had started at 21 instead of 61. I was quite frustrated for the first 9 months, however, I persisted and at about 9 months I began to see that I was understanding much of what was being said around me and I could contribute to a conversation and not feel totally out of it. Since that time I have noticed that the pace of my learning has increased and I am able to say more each day (sometimes not completely correctly). It took time for my brain to get use the structure and I still struggle with pronounciation. I am really glad that I was not trying to learn this in a place where I didn´t get to hear it all around me. I hope we get to China next, that will be a real challenge.

Answer 5

I started learning spanish after retirement at 65 and I am now 73, my written spanish and grammer is not too bad and although I can get by I am not very good on the street, I can speak but have difficulty understanding people when they speak to me wheras my son in his forties admits that I know more about spanish grammer than him but he is absolutely fluent on the street with absolutely no problems communicating, he is an english teacher here in spain but he has learnt all his spanish on the street he has spanish friends and teaches to mostly spanish people.Anyway you are never too old to learn as long as you enjoy and dedicate yourself to what it is you are learning I am learning spanish in my seventies and up to about a year ago I had never been on a computor so I am learning that as well. regards Ken..

• You are truly an inspiration! Keep up the good work. - Nicole-B Sep 2, 2009
• Thanks for your encouragement Nicole. - kenwilliams Sep 2, 2009

Answer 6

Ken said:

...you are never too old to learn as long as you enjoy and dedicate yourself to what it is you are learning...

I agree!

I'm 43 and just started learning Spanish last year, and my understanding, reading, and writing increases every day. I am only beginning to speak with an online tutor but that going well too.

I say learning another language is a fun way to spend your time and serves as a connection with other interesting cultures and people.

• Marianne, you also have to keep up with your English. "but that IS going well too", hehe. - Eddy Sep 2, 2009
• Plus the fact, a woman giving away her age, unheard of. - Eddy Sep 2, 2009
• a woman giving away her age, unheard of, tse, tse, tse, i dont know what you are talking about, I got my age on my page;-) - Heidita Sep 2, 2009

Answer 7

I agree with Greg, I think that's just an excuse people use. I think the older you are the more good it does your mind and mental health to take on new, positive challenges.

Answer 8

It's mostly a question of perseverence and maybe some natural ability to work with language. But, I'd say a five year old with frequent contact with a foreign language has a good chance to pick it up quicker than you... because they are still learning their first language as well and their brains are adjusted to the same style of learning language. (This is probably the only point that decreases, as you become more used to using English and don't habitually expand your daily vocabulary, etc.)

Answer 9

You cant teach an old dog new tricks . Its like falling off a bicycle . Your never too old to learn . These are sayings that should be thrown to the garbage , but still eexist because they apply to life as we know it . To answer your question , there is a cut off point , but at what age it happens I dont know , I would guess it depends on the individual that its applied to ,I chose to learn spanish because t am surronded by spanish speakers in my neighborhood .but I beleive it would have been easier to retain what I learned when i was younger .

Answer 10

I once read you generally learn more in the first seven years of your life than in the next seventy, providing you live to seventy seven of course. I firmly believe that as you get older, your short term memory diminishes and that is what makes retaining information more difficult. I try to read as much Spanish as possible. When I see a new word I look it up. By the time I have reached the end of the page it is gone. The trick as you get older, is to transfer the information from short term to long term memory. Once there it is easier to recall. I can still remember mathematical and electrical equations I learnt at the age of sixteen.

Answer 11

At 21, I would imagine that you are at your peak of learning - think of university students. Having said that, some people are better at languages than others and pick up a new language faster than most. The more effort you put into it and the more exposure you have, the quicker you will learn. Perseverance is the key. I am in my 50's and find that I am not as good at retaining new information as I used to be, but repetition certainly helps. I am not afraid of making mistakes and greatly appreciate it when I am corrected, although remembering the correct way of saying things sometimes requires a bit of effort!

Answer 12

It is easier to learn the basics of language as you get older, but more difficult to learn the nuances. In addition, it is much more difficult to acquire a 'native accent' as you get older.

The idea of BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills) and CALP (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency) is that as one is learning a new language they can use what they know from a previously known language (usually their native language(s)) and build off of the similarities in words, sentence structure, grammar, syntax, etc.

Answer 13

A centurian on the morning show says she learned Spanish at age 80 so it's never too late.

Answer 14

Different people have different abilities but the ability to learn a language definitely diminishes with age.

The simple fact is that if at the age of 62 your are a very good language learner then at the age of 32 you would have been an excellent language learner and at the age of 12 you would have been an exceptional language learner.

Answer 15

I am sixty two and came to live in Bogota Colombia 15 months ago.

Abuelita!!! It is so good to see you and Calvo around, we hope you like the new forum, people have not changed

As far as I know abuelita started to learn Spanish with us on this forum and seeeeeee? Age has nothing to do with it.