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

[Brazen]

Brazen, you said in Brussels that I have kind of an American accent? It may have gotten worse, because people who I meet for the first time occasionally ask me how long I've lived in the U.S. 

[Zanza]

Brazen, you said in Brussels that I have kind of an American accent? It may have gotten worse, because people who I meet for the first time occasionally ask me how long I've lived in the U.S. 

My accent on the other hand would be perfect for playing a German officer in a WW2 movie.   

[Queequeg]

Can someone tempban Siege please?

[Admiral Yi]

Can someone tempban Siege please?

That's silly.

[derspiess]

Can someone tempban Siege please?

That's silly.

I think a few hours in the drunk tank wouldn't hurt.

[katmai]

Can someone tempban Siege please?

only if we tempban you too.

[dps]

Can someone tempban Siege please?

That's silly.

I think a few hours in the drunk tank wouldn't hurt.

Assuming that he's not just trolling, I think his liver might permaban him before too long.

[Caliga]

uhhh yeah.  I drink fairly often given all the free booze around here, but I can't think of the last time I've actually been drunk.  It's probably been at least 10 years.

[DGuller]

Actually, those who drink a lot and don't get drunk have a lot more to fear for their liver.  Siege will probably die from a drunken accident when he leaves his can of Coors Light open, and the fumes fill the room, but his liver would still be in a very good condition.

[Monoriu]

I get drunk very easily.  Half a glass of champagne will do it.  My problem is that I am not exactly sure if this feeling really is what people call getting drunk. 

[Admiral Yi]

Have you ever made out with an ugly girl?

[Monoriu]

Have you ever made out with an ugly girl?

Me?  No.

[Queequeg]

I get drunk extremely easy, but can still drink a good deal.  It's confusing.  I'm pretty giddily happy when I'm drunk, and drink so infrequently that whenever I drink drunkeness is pretty much inevitable. 

[clandestino]

Well, about the original question, it was fairly easy to pick English. Had some basic introduction in elementary scholl (4th grade) with some cartoon videos and songs, than in the 5th grade started regular English classes in school. A few years later it developed with the necessity to understand computer games. This was the main reason, since I was old enough when the cable tv boomed in Portugal to watch Cartoon Network for example.

I believe my accent is fairly decent (towards American) and I can read some stuff in original language (couldn't get past Moby Dick's first couple of pages though). My written English is kind of poor since it's almost 10 years since I needed to write regularly for classes and I never bothered to learn proper grammar since my grades were good enough.

As for Portuguese in general, I believe it's fairly easy to get a decent understanding of English, since we don't do dubbing of English based TV or movies (except for some animated movies and even then there's the original and the dubbed versions in cinemas), because we listen to English music more than Portuguese when compared with our Romance cousins and if you live in Lisbon or Algarve, English kind of is needed in regular conversation almost every week.