How easy was it for you (non-native) speakers to pick up English?

[Queequeg]

Jacob argued in a post a few days back that getting English as a Danish-speaker was inherently easy, and that once you get an ear for it it's relatively easy to understand even without formal education.  I found this difficult to believe, given that I have some difficulty in understanding just about all the Danish I've ever heard even with a reasonably deep linguistic background. 

How about romance-language speakers? 

[The Brain]

Even Danes find it hard to learn Danish. Not a joke.

I find English almost impossible to understand. And trying to express myself is a nightmare.

[DGuller]

I found it very easy to speak language flawlessly.

[Eddie Teach]

I found it very easy to speak language flawlessly.

So what happened?

[Admiral Yi]

I learned English when I was around 3 so I don't count.

[Queequeg]

Even Danes find it hard to learn Danish. Not a joke.

I find English almost impossible to understand. And trying to express myself is a nightmare.

So would Swedish be easier?  Icelandic sounds prmeval to English ears. 

[The Brain]

Even Danes find it hard to learn Danish. Not a joke.

I find English almost impossible to understand. And trying to express myself is a nightmare.

So would Swedish be easier?  Icelandic sounds prmeval to English ears.

Easier to learn? My guess is yes. Easier for a Swede to learn English? My guess is no.

[Jacob]

I learned English when I was around 3 so I don't count.

How did you manage to get an econ degree without basic numeracy?

[Admiral Yi]

  Are you trying to make Boner's ruff joke look good in comparison?

[Jacob]

  Are you trying to make Boner's ruff joke look good in comparison?

You're the one who said you don't count...

[Eddie Teach]

Katmai lost all his fingers to frostbite, so he doesn't count either.

[Monoriu]

All I did was to prepare for the exam.  I did a listening session once a week.  Wrote an essay once a week.  Spoke English in front of the class once a week.  Did 2-3 written tests once a week.  This went on for 5 years. 

I still don't think I've picked up English. 

[katmai]

It came Naturally to me.

[Josquius]

All I did was to prepare for the exam.  I did a listening session once a week.  Wrote an essay once a week.  Spoke English in front of the class once a week.  Did 2-3 written tests once a week.  This went on for 5 years.

I still don't think I've picked up English. 

Sounds like what almost every kid in Japan does.
Yet you know English. They don't.
Do you think English's status as a very common/official language in HK helped you out?

Jacob argued in a post a few days back that getting English as a Danish-speaker was inherently easy, and that once you get an ear for it it's relatively easy to understand even without formal education.  I found this difficult to believe, given that I have some difficulty in understanding just about all the Danish I've ever heard even with a reasonably deep linguistic background. 

How about romance-language speakers? 

I could believe it. Swedish and Dutch are pretty easy to get a grasp of once you've established the basics. Its just where it goes off into advanced Germanic vocabulary that it becomes tough.
Plus in the case of English its something you have to do. Unlike Swedish and Dutch where using the language is the challenge, not avoiding it.


I am really jealous of people from north europe who speak English as a second language. Its like they got a free foreign language. 
When I was at school studying French it always remained something theoretical and abstract. It might as well have been Latin. It had no relevance in life whatsoever. English in the world however....

[PDH]

Understand much English, I speak goodly. Hello Joe, what do you know?

(hopefully MB will get the reference)