Asminha

True!! I agree!!
However, it wouldn't be enough if I say for example that I've been learning english for 5 years!! What matters is how often I tried to make benifit of what I learned!
Practice is very important!
Note that if you feel comfortable with writing, that doesn't mean that you can be fluent while speaking!

MikeL

I spent 5 years learning French at high school almost entirely through the old grammar-translation method. When I got to university I could do wonderful prose translations and conjuguate any verb in any tense (ne m'en serais-je pas allé(e), ne t'en serais-tu pas allé(e)...) but was quite incapable of understanding a simple spoken sentence. Aural ability is still my weakest point. However, the old-fashioned approach is superb for inculcating an understanding of the structures of a language.

Androc

Hello Aiias,

what is your native langage?

Androc