Can You Learn Two Languages At the Same Time?

Brainscape ^ | Oct 2018 | Kaitlin Goodrich

[P.O.E.]

We’ve been listening to Polish Christmas carols (Koledy) for decades - I’m just now getting the hang of them.

[Freedom56v2]

Thank you! I will check this out :)

[CondoleezzaProtege]

Sorry I meant: is it ideal for adults to learn two languages at once without confusing and mixing the two, or having a hard time, or being mediocre at both rather than mastering one?

its different from organically acquiring languages as kids...

[CondoleezzaProtege]

In my experience with learning three romance languages, they need to be dissimilar. Otherwise, the stronger of the most similar ones will tend to “erase” the weaker one.

Hence the evolution of my "Spanjuguese" and "Portañol"..

Can you please elaborate what you mean by this?

[dinodino]

I still don’t understand the question. What do you mean by ideal? Adults learn multiple languages all the time. This is easy for some (like myself), and difficult for others.

[Albion Wilde]

Hence the evolution of my "Spanjuguese" and "Portañol"..

I think he means he mixes up Spanish and Portuguese. I have that problem with Italian and Spanish.

[Albion Wilde]

“It’s like those French have a different word for everything!”

I was so jealous the first time I traveled to France, and the little kids were speaking it better than me after 3 yrs of H.S. and more in college! ... LOL

[minnesota_bound]

Oui, nein!

[Pelham]

“There are a lot of parallels between Spanish and French”

It’s sometimes called “Latin”. Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres..

[SunkenCiv]

I haven't finished learning English yet. Thanks CondoleezzaProtege.

[bert]

Oui Amigo.......Parley vou Espanole?

[CondoleezzaProtege]

haha nice! :)

[null and void]

Yes! Young children learn multiple languages with ease.

That's why we don't teach foreign languages until high school!

(The point of the American education system is to give children a life long loathing of learning.)

[vannrox]

It’s been over fifteen years of studying Chinese, and my dog still speaks it better than I do. Ugh!

There are a host of other factors involved.

[Republic_Venom]

Most people in Asia learn 2-3 languages at a very early age (preK). I could program in Assembler, C++, Java, ADA, and COBOL. Could move from one set of code to another seamlessly. Language should not be any different.

[x]

In my experience with learning three romance languages, they need to be dissimilar. Otherwise, the stronger of the most similar ones will tend to “erase” the weaker one.

If you learn Spanish, you can pick up a passive knowledge of Portuguese as you go.

But if you really try to learn Portuguese as well as Spanish, you could run into trouble.

Learning Spanish and Latin at the same time might work. The languages are close enough - yet far apart enough - and Spanish will help you with the genders in Latin.