I really think it will depend heavily on the target language and the first language of the learner, how different they are, as to whether the language will come easily or not. In fact there are many factors, one must also consider whether the person has a really strong foundation in grammar and vocabulary in his native language. I picked up a lot of Japanese living there, despite the fact that I was not actively studying it. Living in a place where the target language is spoken helps immensely, as Peter said. I also think it matters whether the person loves/likes the language he is studying; it can slow down the learning process if he dislikes it. For me, French came easily, Japanese was slower, and now I am studying Turkish, but it's too early to tell how it will be for me.
I do not know. I am learning English and I am surrounded with the language every single day. I work for a company where English is the official company language. Also I am having chats on italki.com (I like chatting); watching different movies a documentaries (I love movies and documentaries); watching different videos on YouTube (I find a lot of what I like there); listening to English songs (I love music), reading different articles (I like to read about different subjects). Simply put, I do everything I love/like in English, if it is possible. That way it has somehow become part of my daily life. That is the reason I do not feel I put to much effort into it. I just enjoy it my way. Where does it lead? Where will I end up? ...I have no clue.
It's not difficult if you are passionate about learning it. I'd like to share somehting with you:
I am a math/science person. Computer languages are easy, but other language are a challenge.
French didnt come easily to me at all. I tried it when I was 21 and already gave up
Now I m learning korean :). It's not easy but I think I can do it ^_^
