So how long did it take to learn your 'new' language?

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Hi all, just wondering how long it took you guys to learn your new adopted language when you moved overseas- that is if you needed to learn one! We're planning a move to France in the next 18-24 months and I've recently begun lessons (although I had equivalent of GCSE level french from years ago) but am finding it really hard going. Am worried that I won't be able to communicate with my DD's teachers, gps, let alone evntually make friends!

So, when did you begin to feel like your were confident and comfortable with your new language and what did you do to help you learn?

Hmm, well, I've been living in Poland for nearly 19 years and I would have said I felt comfortable and fairly good at Polish (which I learned from scratch after getting here) after about a year, but people I haven't seen for a couple of years still tell me my Polish is much better now than when they last saw me, so I guess its a neverending process

I spent nearly every weekend with a non-English-speaking family in the country at first, and had 2 lessons in the week for about a term to get to grips with the basics of the grammar. But back then I was young free and single then so I had time...

I've been living in France for 2 years (GCSE French) and am still not completely confident and comfortable.

However....I can manage. I can communicate with people, make myself understood at the doctors and socialise.

It's much easier when you're actually there and having to use the langauge Watching TV, listening to the radio and reading in French helps but there's no subsitute for speaking, whatever your level, to feel comfortable. I know I don't speak enough but I'm very shy. If I spoke more I'd probably be more comfortable.

I live 90% in English though - DH and I speak English together, a lot of our friends here are either completely anglophone or mix the languages (most of them are DH's colleagues and English is necessary in his job) or understand enough English that if I need to I can revert/slip in an English word .

I've been living in a Romanian speaking country for nearly 3 years and it's definitely still a work in progress - but I came here knowing absolutely nothing and have only had 20 lessons at the start (I live out in the countryside so no chance of any more). But I'm perfectly fine in most situations, I just sometimes need people to re-word things for me so I understand. Being in the countryside there are very few English speakers so I've basically had to get on and do it which has definitely been helpful. Also DC (5 and 3) spur me on by correcting my grammar/pronunciation .

We moved to a French / Dutch area 2 years ago, although French is the dominant language. I arrived with a French degree from a long time back, this did not mean my spoken French was brilliant. The children now speak more fluent French than me, after 2 years in French school.

We made the conscious decision to send our children to local schools, even though we are very priviledged to have the option of expensive international schools in English paid by the employer, we wanted our children to belong to their community. I signed them up for plenty of clubs in French straightaway.

In the first few months, I was still very nervous about speaking, I barely spoke to our children´s teachers. Funnily though, I thought one teacher really stood out with the attention she gave her little charges and one day we got talking, she is now one of my best friends and we talk nearly every day and even her parents have become de facto grandparents to our children. It´s done wonders for my French, having to speak it constantly.

It really really helps if you can make friends with a native speaker, even offer them English lessons as an exchange.

As for communicating with teachers and doctors, hopefully there will be another parent at school who speaks English, jsut ask the school, or perhaps one teacher if not your class teacher can translate. Our children´s school has many parents who speak no French, the head or teachers know the parents well enough that they know which parents can translate. It works great in our children´s school.

I've been in Holland almost a year and can understand a fair bit of Dutch but speaking it is tough! My tongue and brain have a dodgy satellite linkup and I end up looking a fool and getting blank stares before they sigh and talk to me in perfect English.

Ooh Natation, where are you? I am in a Flemish gemeente, but one where lots of English is spoken.

I did two years of Flemish when I first arrived, but found it hard going and I am just not gutteral enough; I will always sound English. I should redo the second year to get a better grade really.

We´re in Brussels. Our children´s school used to be Dutch language, over the last 50 years it first added French classes, then about 10 years ago, the last Dutch class moved out to join another school and now about 80% speak French (not counting the high non French / Dutch speaking population).

Ik spreek geen beejte Nederlands, but I do try hard, the problem is hardly anyone speaks Dutch where we live. Our eldest daughter loves doing Nederlands and has scored 100% all year at school, her accent in perfect unlike mine, I can see her becoming trilingual with ease and I must get her adopted grandad to stop speaking French with her and start speaking his native Leuvense Vlaams.

OOh, I was wondering precisely the same thing. We are considering a move to France for 6 months-1 year, and a large part of the reason is for the children to learn decent (if not perfectly fluent) French (my husband's family is French, but he hasn't managed to speak to them in French at all consistently, so they understand a very little, but don't speak it).

I don't think we can assume that even after a year, they will have fluent enough French to keep it going for the rest of their lives, even if they do go go French schools whilst we're there. My husband says, yes, they will definitely. I don't want this to become a reason to stay longer than I have signed up for (basically six months), so would welcome any advice.

I've been in germany for 17 months and find life gets easier every day. Lessons really help as does throwing yourself into local life!! Its hard but in the first year you need to hear as much of the language as poss and try to minimise english!! We dont have English tv and only have 1 other English speaking friend here altho dh and i speak english to each other at home - think my german would have improved quicker if we only spoke german at home but that would feel so strange to us and would have felt a bit false!!

I think it is a challenge to learn a new language as an adult but i love it most of the time!! Feel like my brain is getting a good work out every day!!

I doubt a child in any country for 6 months would remember much on return to somewhere where another language is spoken, unless they have regular exposure to the language you are trying to preserve. The younger the child is, the quicker the child learns, but also the quicker they forget too.

My friend´s 2 year old did not see me for 3 weeks, after being with me for 2 days a week over the last year. When I was with him again last week, I was a bit gutted he would not speak back to me in English, after such a short break, it took another day and a few hours for him to adjust back into English.

about a year to understand it well and speak it fluently albeit not brilliantly probably but so that it was not something I needed to think about anymore IYSWIM. Think you'll be fine with some Frnech already under your belt.

Hello again!

Thanks to everyone who has repsonded- I feel much better now !! Our DD is only 16months now so I have no worries about her learning the language as she will be starting school there from scratch. I guess I will keep going with the lessons for now and then once we're living in france, jump into local life as most people have recommended. Thanks!

Perfect timing for moving, your daughter will be just the right age in September 2012 to go into the first od 3 classes of nursery school / école maternelle, "petite section".

Our youngest daughter started at exactly the same age in the same equivalent Belgian class. It took her from the September to December before I knew her comprehension was fine, then until April before she spoke enough French to be near fluent and indistinguishable from her French only speaking class mates. She did however have the advantage of staying at least once a week with my French speaking friend, her "maman 2" as we call her, this exclusive French environment I´m certain gave her huge confidence to speak and speak loudly in French - she is now "chef de la classe", acts like it´s her the institutrice and I´m sure that is going to be her vocation i life. So if your daughter´s dad starts speaking French at home and she goes to a French school, she should be fluent from about 6 months, then she can help you communicate.

Sorry for the hijack guys.

Wrinklyraisin, we moved to Utrecht from the UK on Wednesday and we are finding it much tougher than we thought.

I was told to take lessons once dd started at school, as everyone speaks perfect English, but we are spending a lot of time around children as dd is 6, so we are struggling and dd is finding it hard going! I keep getting very blank stares, do you have any rapid survival tips?

I just spent the afternoon in Utrecht wandering around hungover aimlessly

It is tough, the first few weeks, but it does get easier! It's a difficult language to tune your brain into, and if your DD is surrounded by young Dutch children most of them won't have been taught much English yet. Contact the American Womens Club and see what expat family groups/activities they offer in Utrecht/Amsterdam (they are less than 30 mins apart on the train) and also look on expatica.com for other expat families in Utrecht. See if there is a family with a child in your DD's school class who are willing to take you under their wing?

I've found that most Dutchies will speak English to you in Amsterdam but in other cities they seem a bit less ready to do so, no idea why. I can't speak much Dutch but I do understand a fair bit and can respond yes (say "yar") or no (say "nay") please (say "ashooblift") and thanks (say "dankyouval") lol.

I'm off to the USA next weekend for 5 weeks but when I am back I would be more than happy to meet up with you guys so you can speak English and moan about the lack of choice in Dutch supermarkets, the price of beer, the bicycles everywhere, etc

Wrinkly that would be fab!!! I am still slightly confused by the supermarkets, but am LOVING Crusli, it has made up for all ills!

Hope to see or speak to you soon!

I am still learning, having lived in Poland for almost 2.5 years on and off.

I made an effort when I arrived but DS distracted me :)
Because I only spent time with Polish people who don't speak English (except DH obviously) I understood a lot but struggled to put sentences together.

I think it just takes a while and don't be afraid to make mistakes :)

abeautifulbutterfly- Did you give me your email address before? I have lost the thread

Ive been in Italy for 5 years and still not great, my kids are perfect
Speaking is no longer the problem its reading and writing.

As someone says its always a work in progress

I've been in France for 4.5 years and my French is still awful! I can talk to ds' teachers, chat to neighbours, etc, but it's very limited. I had lessons for the first couple of years but nothing stuck (I blame the 2 pregnancies ). Since ds has been at school though my French has come on hugely as I have to speak it. I didn't do French at school so I came here with nothing and I'm not a natural linguist so it's an on-going mission but I'm getting there slowly.