I know this is a bit of a necro-bump, but Today I Found Out just released a video answering exactly this question:
https://inv.nadeko.net/watch?v=ipDdWx67H9M
spoiler
Apparently, adults are better at learning languages than kids.
this post was submitted on 18 Oct 2023
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Asklemmy
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Necro- away, sweet Bowser. This is the shit I love to hear about ๐ค
If I'm over 25, is it still too late
Just stop. I don't mean to be one of those people but you apparently have no idea how young 25 is. People have started over, gone to school, completely changed careers, moved to new countries, and yes: learned different languages in their 70's+. It's not too late for them, and it's not even close to too late for you.
Children seem to have the easiest time learning a new language, but the rest of us can as well! The key is immersion. If you can converse with a native-speaker every day, you'll probably have the most success, but whatever you do, be consistent!
Brain plasticity, window of opportunity, it's all babble. You can learn new languages just fine as you age; the matter here is how much time you spend using the language.
The reason why adults perform generally worse than kids learning languages is mostly motivational, and not spending enough time with the language. But as an adult you got access to a bunch of resources that kids wouldn't, such as a decent grasp of grammar on theoretical grounds, that you can (and should) use to your advantage.
Note however that watching sitcoms will likely not be enough to get any decent grasp of any language. (Otherwise I'd be speaking Japanese, given the amount of anime that I watch.) You'll need proficiency on four levels: hearing, speaking, reading, writing.
It's never too late to learn a language. However, French is one hell of a step coming from English.
French is my main language and even if I've been speaking it for close to 40 years now, I still learn language exceptions and rules today.
Still, I'd give it a go if I were you, learning something new is always fun. Enjoy!
It's never too late to learn a language but it's a bit of an uphill battle, and you're not going to learn it by just watching shows. You need to practice regularly and understand the grammar and sentence structure. You also have to speak it with other people to get feedback, you can't only learn to listen.
No and no. It's not too late, and just watching sitcons won't teach you enough to start speaking. But if you just start actual studying and practicing you can learn it just fine. Watching TV can be used to practice listening, but on it's own it's not enough unless you're a wonderkid.
Irrelevant: French is a waste of time.