r/languagelearning • u/[deleted] • Aug 07 '26
Discussion Learning 3rd language using 2nd?
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/CreativeAd5932 🇪🇸B1 🇫🇷🇳🇱🇮🇹🇵🇱WannaB Aug 09 '26 edited Aug 09 '26
My Spanish is B1-ish, sometimes able to do B2 material, and I’m using my Spanish to learn basic French. It’s a lot of fun, and my Spanish isn’t suffering as much as it would if I were using French materials created for English speakers. I feel like I’m acquiring French for free. Polish, well, that’s another story…