Is it possible to learn multiple languages at once?

Question

I am interested in learning Arabic, Spanish and Korean. I have already started studying Arabic and would like to begin studying Spanish as well. These languages seem to be very different so I don't think I would get them mixed up. Do you think this is counter-productive?

Answer 1

i am learning french, spanish and portuguese, all quite similar but i don't get mixed up, actually it helps my language, so go for it if you have the oportunity!

Answer 2

Yes, and having the languages quite different actually helps - you won't confuse one for the other. The summer after I graduated high school, I went to the local college summer session and signed up for intensive German and French. The "intensive" means you get a full college year's worth in one summer. I had French class for 2 hours, 10 min a day, followed by German for 2 hrs, 10 min, five days a week.

Actually taught by same professor. His parents were from Alsace area and spoke both German and French as a matter of course.

The downside of what you are considering is the script. The ones I tried were all in the Roman alphabet - even the old-style German type was recognizable as Roman. Two of the three you are looking at do not use that. Just learning the Arabic alphabet alone might not be too tough, but throw in the left-to-right, and it gets tougher. For Korean, just learning Hangkul looks like enough challenge in itself. Three languages in three different scripts may be just too much.

Answer 3

Yeah they can. Just like Charles Dickens used to say in 'Hard Times': 'children are empty vases to be filled with knowledge'. At such a tender age anything is possible. Just be sure you and your partner know your way around these languages you are trying to get them to learn. Let's say you wanted them to learn French, but both you or your partner know nothing (or you know the language that well to be considered fluent) about it, then it's a lost cause, because children need real live interaction to learn the language properly.

Answer 4

It all depends on what type of person you are. Growing up, I learned Korean (my parents are Korean) and English at the same time, but at the moment my English is better. In High School, I learned ASL and Japanese (at different times) while I was taking Spanish. I guess one can say it's possible if he is willing to try.

Answer 5

Everything is possible. Once you beliebe in yourself. Concentrate on your studies, and you'll be surprise. Me i'm trying to learn spanish too. I speak english and French already. If you want a software; try Rosettastone.
Good luck my friend

Answer 6

It requires discipline, but it's not much harder than learning one. You need to find time, though. 15 minutes each per day is probably best. I am successfully learning Norwegian, German, Icelandic, Swedish, and Old Norse, and trying Dutch and Latin. They can be pretty complicated to differentiate, but if you learn the grammar rules it will fit into place.

Answer 7

to answer your question, think about this...in school you probably learned two languages at one time....example i live in enlish speaking country so we learned english as a mandatory, then i took spanish as an elective. thus, i was learning more than one language at one time. you can do it. just focus on the one at a time as you are "in the zone"

Answer 8

of course it is possible.i have been learning three different languages at the same time for 8 years

Answer 9

I think it could be more difficult only in this case if these languages were very similar. But they are not.

Answer 10

if you find an effective way let me know..i would love to learn korean..korean men are hott!