Anyone gained fluency in a second language?

[holland3r]

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If so how did you do it and how long did it take? I want to move to Miami, but it's necessary to know Spanish to get a job. I've had a lot of classes in highschool, and plan on taking classes in college this next year, but I'm no where near fluencey....Realistically what is it going to take?

[/ QUOTE ] living in japan for almost 9 months now, going to school for 5 hours a day and have a job

I'm no where even near fluency.

If you want true fluency, about 15 years. To simply get very good and understand all of tv, about.. maybe 2-3 years if you study.

But it's different depending on the hardness of the language

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Bah, I think I'm fluent in Japanese just from watching anime. Domo, Kilillan-san.

[Barretboy]

O-tearai wa doku desu ka?

[Jay Riall]

Yah, I've been told Japanese takes absolutely ages for English speaking people to learn. I imagine any Latin-based language is not going to take particularly long to learn (comparitively obv).

[tarheeljks]

i took chinese in college and am "techincally fluent", but in the sort of way that a 10-12 year is fluent in english.

as jay said romance languages are much easier to learn. i haven't taken spanish in 3 years, but i'm more fluent in it than chinese just b/c it was easier to learn

[theblitz]

Been in Israel now for 25 years and am fluent in Hebrew.
However, I cheated a bit cos we lived here for 3 years when I was a kid (age 3 to 6) and then I learned here for 2 years when I was 18-20.
So, all together I have spent 30 out of my 48 years living here.
Maybe English is now my second language?

[its_just_me]

i speak the international language of love baby