What are the statistics of people in their late twenties being able to fluently learn a second language?

Question

I'm dating a guy who is a native Mexican Spanish speaker and I'd like to take advantage of that to learn Spanish. I have obtained Rosetta Stone and I'm wondering: by studying a few hours a week and having access to a native speaker, will I'll be able to learn Spanish well enough to converse with his family within a year or two?

Answer 1

Sure, I think so. I'm sure Rosetta Stone is a fine program, but I would suggest spending a lot of time around those who speak Spanish, perhaps him and his family? It's easier to pick up casual/everyday sayings, often used slang, and colloquialisms that way. I know my fair share of languages and I've found that remembering phrases is much easier than memorizing every little word and trying to put the sentence together in my head.

Answer 2

I don't know about the statistics, but I taught myself Russian in my thirties, and it's a much harder language than Spanish. Spanish is relatively easy, so I think you should do just fine. If you work at it, you should be able to communicate with his family.