Hi,
I'm from Japan. We learn English as a second lanugae for at least six years. Three years at junior high, another three at high school. And yet, so meny Japanese are still struglling with this language as you know.
The question I have in my mind is: how long do you learn Englsih at school in your own countries? And how well people can speak Englsih afterward?
I'd love to compare length and outcome.
As a native speaker of English, I can safely say you never stop learning new words and new rules. English is an incredibly complex language, and with the popularity of the internet, the language (as well as other languages as well) continue to evolve. I honestly think one will never be "done" learning English. There are many different things to learn as the basics, but like anyone learning a second language, time exposed and how hard you work will have a lot to do with how easily you learn it. Japanese and English are VERY different languages, and as someone who is learning Japanese as their second language, learning the basics has been an interesting ride.
I agree with you Shino!
There are some northern European countries like Holland where English is not the native language yet is taught so well that pretty much everyone can speak perfect English by the time they are adults. I think all countries should copy whatever it is that they are doing! :D
I'm from Russia. We learn English as a second language for at least seven years. But it is in vain. Most of us can not speak English. I am too.
Difficult to answer! We have a complicated education system in Germany. The short answer is "six years at least, but typically longer".
We have not one education system but sixteen because it's a sub-federal responsibility. We have three kinds of secondary school, Some people have had a bit of English already in primary school and some haven't (I think it's very common now or possibly universal, but I did not yet have English in our junior/elementary school equivalent). I've enjoyed nine years of English education at school, which I think is a typical timespan.
The real-world performance at adult age depends a lot on the additional exposure I would think... after school, or parallel to it. Reading books brought me forward a lot. I started with Harry Potter, and that was because the originals came out before the translations :) It was important for me to know whether Harry gets Cho! The English lessons focused on high culture, which is boring. I'd have preferred either something more entertaining, or something more practical (writing business e-mails and such).
As an American who grew up in the midwest, typically you start learning a secondary language at the highschool level (15-16 years old).
