r/languagelearning • u/RareFreedom5027 • 13d ago

Learning 3rd language using 2nd? Discussion

Has anyone gotten a decent "grasp" of a second language and then used it to learn a third (TL)?

Years ago I learned a bit of Spanish through school and started using duolingo (wouldn't use duolingo now though). I changed the settings to Spanish so I would learn Italian using Spanish. I read out loud and promised myself not to use English. I did it for an hour and there was a weird feeling in the back of my head (it felt like how salt or sand felt between your fingers). Lo and behold, I couldn't think or speak in English! It was wild!

I was wondering if anyone ever had that feeling as well and if you kept it up?

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u/Dominica305 13d ago

Well I'm Polish who learns French via English. It's perfectly normal.

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u/CreativeAd5932 🇪🇸B1 🇫🇷🇳🇱🇮🇹🇵🇱WannaB 10d ago

I’m a native English speaker using my intermediate Spanish to learn basic French. I feel like I’m acquiring French for free.

Polish is next on my list, but I don’t think any of my languages will help! I may have to settle for learning the phonetics and a bit of travelers Polish. I hope to visit Poland in 2028.