3 Answers

I think it depends upon the person. My sister is no teenager and she went to college to learn Italian and French.

Digger hit it right on.It's a matter of exposure. My two & half year old granddaughter can count to 10 in Spanish.Just from watching Dora the Explorer. I have been trying Spanish & Italian for years but never get the chance to use them.It's all about practice,like anything else.:)

The opportunity to practice an additional language is by far a more important factor than one's age. While children seem to absorb new languages easier than adults, they too will lose any acquired fluency very quickly if they cease to be exposed to it.

In Canada, many anglophones residing in predominantly English-speaking regions enroll their children in French immersion schools where French is taught exclusively. Yet, after years of such schooling, the vast majority of these students can't order a restaurant meal from a French menu. Why ?  Because once they leave the classroom, the kids speak English with their friends, and at home with their uni-lingual parents.

I happen to speak 3 languages fluently but that's only because I happen to be fortunate to be able to use them on a regular basis.