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I started to learn English when I was in 3rd grade - elementary school. It wasn't mandatory, but my parents pushed me.
Second language became mandatory on high school. Apart from learning English, also German language is very popular. Many german companies are running their branches in my country.
English: always compulsory
French/German: one of these is second language in secondary school.
Latin/Greek: compulsory 2 years before university for the students who take humanity and not science.
In the UK it's a choice of either French, German or Spanish. Most do French, although it's kind of a waste of time learning a language for most since barely anyone in the UK has any reason to speak a foreign language and so everything you learn is completely forgotten. I guess we're lucky in a way, that English is the default international language, but it's bad in a way that it makes us lazy about learning other languages. It's hard to learn even if you move to a foreign speaking country as most people want to speak English to you.
English: always compulsory
French/German: one of these is second language in secondary school.
Latin/Greek: compulsory 2 years before university for the students who take humanity and not science.
And depending on where you live, the local language can be compulsory as well.
Location: God's Gift to Mankind for flying anything
5,921 posts, read 13,880,940 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Marmel
The Dutch speak good English anyway, why is it necessary to start it so early (at the age of 5)?
Just because other people *think* the Dutch speak very good English,
it is not *the* reason why English Language Training is important in The Netherlands.
It is important because you have to able to become fluent in the grammar of a foreign language.
Else you do sound silly often ...
I have *heard* (no proof) that English was voted as the second language in the Area of Amsterdam ... ???
Location: Segovia, central Spain, 1230 m asl, Csb Mediterranean with strong continental influence, 40º43 N
3,094 posts, read 3,585,899 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Marmel
The Dutch speak good English anyway, why is it necessary to start it so early (at the age of 5)?
The earlier you start, the easier it is to reach an advanced level.
Since ten years ago, kindergarten for children earlier than five-years-old are becoming popular here in Spain. In fact, most of them received education in both Spanish and English, then they must move onto the compulsory schools where English is enforced as the second language as well, and finally they can learn either French or German later in secondary school.
Anyway, I hope Spain as a whole will improve in foreign languages a lot by the well-trained next, younger generations, as they do in The Netherlands or elsewhere in northern Europe since many years ago.
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