Adults can learn new languages to fluency. The limiting factor is usually not ability — it is method and quantity of practice. Most formal language education is inefficient: too much grammar instruction, too little exposure to the actual language.
Comprehensible input
Linguist Stephen Krashen's comprehensible input hypothesis is the most robust finding in language acquisition research: we acquire language primarily through massive exposure to content we understand (roughly 70-80% of which we can follow). This means reading and listening to things just above your current level — graded readers, podcasts for learners, simplified news — is more effective than studying grammar rules.
Spaced repetition
Vocabulary is most efficiently learned using spaced repetition software (Anki is free and widely used): flashcards shown to you at increasing intervals just as you are about to forget them. This exploits the spacing effect — one of the most robust findings in memory research. Learning 20 new words per day using Anki is sustainable and produces vocabulary rapidly.
Speaking from day one
Waiting until you "feel ready" to speak prevents fluency. Speaking errors are necessary feedback. Italki and similar platforms allow you to book conversations with native speakers for a few euros per session. Ten minutes of conversation practice per day will accelerate progress more than hours of passive study.
Time and consistency
The Foreign Service Institute estimates that European languages take English speakers 600-750 hours of study to reach professional working proficiency. That sounds like a lot — but at 30 minutes daily, you can reach conversational fluency in roughly 3-4 years. The variable you can control is consistency, not speed.
