So i am an estonian immigrant in Finland.
I am studying the finnish language, but what i have heard i will be studying it only for a year and then im at school like anyone else.

Do you think a year is enough time for learning a language?
I know estonian and finnish have some words in common, but there a lot of words that are different.

Have you ever learned another language?
How long did it took you?/How long have you studied it?



We also learn swedish. That means im learning the following languages: estonian,english,swedish,finnish...and in my estonian school we studied russian, but i don't remember a lot of it.

MrHappy1344 : Learning a language takes more time depending on how much you're putting into learning the language. I myself know that your not going to really know a new language unless you're dedicated to it. Right now, I'm learning French in school, and Japanese at home. My Japanese isn't as good as my French, but I haven't put in nearly as much time into learning Japanese. For the most part, it could take a year or two in general to get a good understanding of the language you're learning.

I hope I helped you to some degree!

i love to learn a language it's very easy if i focused and read all dictionary books

Well, seeing as you are living in the country, and that you already speak many other languages, you should be able to pick up Finnish fairly quickly!

There are varying degrees of 'knowing' a language, but if you practice it every day with the locals, you should be able to speak it quite well in a year.

Just try to speak it as often and as much as you can, and spend time with those who have it mastered, and you'll be fine.

I am 11, and can talk dutch and english fluently. good at arabic and learning german. Learning languages is not hard at all.  It's really easy in my opinion. It takes about 10 months to learn a language, well I spoke english fluently at age 8 by myself and no school in a year or so. So you should be able to do it easily

MrHappy1344 :   It depends on what language you take. French wasn't really difficult, only a year. Arabic took me 2 years. My Arabic isn't as good as my French. I started studying English in Grade 3 even though I knew it long ago . I easily learnt English. Usually, it takes at least one-two years to learn a language. But hey, it depends on the quality of the language. Like what Light Knight said, you should communicate with others those who speaks French for example, and you'll be okay.

MrHappy1344 : Since you're Estonian, you shouldn't have a hard time learning Finnish. Finnish is pretty similar to Estonian. It might be a little harder for you to learn Swedish, but either way it won't take very long to get the hang of it. I'm learning Japanese on my own right now, and it'll end up taking me a while before I get even close to fluent. Godspeed!

Learning a new language can take a long time. I took French class in school and even then I didn't really master it so it can take a very long time like I said.

Learning new languages is completely dependent upon the student, the materials, and who's teaching it.  However, it seems like a lot of people here feel you can learn it quickly and I'd trust their expertise over mine.

I personally have a lot of difficulty learning them due to timing and lack of practice.  I've tried learning both Spanish and sign language, but my usage of them is elementary.  Like Light Knight suggested however, I think practicing it with native speakers is -certainly- the best approach.  There are just too many things programs, classes, and books can't / won't teach you.

If you learned to speak english, you will learn to speak finnish if you are estonian. It is easier. Or so they say. Opettele, ei ole vaikeeta.

Um, it takes a really long time to learn a language as you get older. Because of this, children are learning languages such as Spanish in schools, while their minds are still "fresh".

Singelli : Just like you said, it is "completely dependent upon the student, the materials, and who's teaching it".

I feel with tools such as Google Translate, translation might get a lot much easier. It isn't perfect, but it will still make sense.

I depends on a lot of factors

- Do you live in an area when your target language is spoken widely? Are there native speakers of the language in your area? For example, trying to learn Mandarin in places like North Dakota can prove to be challenging as the Chinese population and occasions to speak the language are very slim compared to, say, Seattle or San Francisco. On the other hand, learning English, unless your country is hostile towards the US, is very easy. Anglo-Saxon media (TV, movies, games, music...) is even more widely accessible thanks to modern telecoms.

- Is the teacher good? In high school, my English teachers were usually native speakers of the language so they could really help us with pronunciation and grammar. They had all sorts of activities that help us further our understanding of the language.

- Is there a possibility to live in a country where the language is spoken? I'm not talking about tourism; I'm talking about actually settling down for some time in order to interact with locals.

- How motivated are you? If I put my heart into it, I would certainly be as fluent in Spanish as I am in English or French. Unfortunately, interaction with my Spanish-speaking in laws aren't that common so I don't get the same motivation.