It is embarrassing how most people in continental Europe are fluent in English, but the English-language television is definitely a factor in your favour. I think there's also a cultural difference -- here it is often considered uncool to learn languages for some reason, whereas in many European countries it is completely the norm to be fluent in several non-native languages. I once worked with a Finnish lady who spoke six languages fluently; her English was lightly accented but otherwise close to perfect.
I learned French and German at school for five years apiece, but in neither case can I speak the language at all any more. (I can read French a little.) There are occasional French subtitled films but German is even less easy to come by. I don't know what language I'd learn now if I had a choice to start again as a child. Spanish perhaps? Chinese would probably be a good bet, population wise, but much harder for an English speaker.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2014-10-04 06:44 pm (UTC)I learned French and German at school for five years apiece, but in neither case can I speak the language at all any more. (I can read French a little.) There are occasional French subtitled films but German is even less easy to come by. I don't know what language I'd learn now if I had a choice to start again as a child. Spanish perhaps? Chinese would probably be a good bet, population wise, but much harder for an English speaker.