How hard is it to learn a second language as an adult? I am trying to learn Norwegian, for fun, and have become discouraged.

Question

How hard is it to learn a second language as an adult? I am trying to learn Norwegian, for fun, and have become discouraged.

4 Answers

Answer Question

Answer 1

Noah Green answered

My dad is relatively fluent in Spanish and is currently learning Chinese for the sake of the work he does. Norwegian is certainly one of the more difficult languages to learn as an adult. I'd recommend learning German before you learn Norweigan. After all, Norweigan is a North Germanic language. That would give you a steady base for your learning, as well as make the process much easier. If you're financially stable and have the money to spare, I'd recommend investing in Rosetta Stone. I've heard great things about it. This is the program the U.S. Military uses this for languistics training.

Answer 2

According to the US Foreign Service Institute, it will take a native speaker of English, already fluent in a second language, some 600 hours of class (that's 24 weeks minimum) to get fluent in an easy language such as Norwegian.

the only sizable language that can be learned significantly faster is Esperanto

Answer 3

Good on you for deciding to pick up another language but don't despair! Of course science would say that it is easier to pick up another language as a young child when your mind is like a sponge but just because you are a bit older doesn't mean you are 'past it' so to speak.

The key to learning any language is the 3 Ps: Perseverance, Patience and Practice. You are not going to become awsome in a short space of time (unfortunately) but a time will come when, with a bit of patience, it will all click and you will see just how proficient you are in Norwegian.

My answer is to find a method that works for you - audio (including recording your own voice), flashcards, vocab lists, putting phrases to music whatever - and be methodical about it. Constantly review vocab you have learnt and try and practice it - do a bit each day: 5 minutes is better than 0. You may not be in Norway now but a good alternative is to immerse yourself in the language via films, TV and (the most effective in my opinion) Radio. These are also a good marker for measuring your progress as you will gradually be able to understand more and more.

It will be a challenge but don't let the 'oh that's a hard language' talk discourage you. I'm currently learning Chinese, and after 6 months, the 'click' happened for me. Keep at it and good luck! :)

Answer 4

I have had those moments, when watching a film I understand what the people are saying and that was a huge encouragement.