Just how hard is it to learn a second language?

I know that many comrades here are not native english speakers, so I'd like to pose the question - how difficult was it to learn english? Did it take a long time? Did you have to immerse yourself in the language?

I've been wanting to learn a secondary language for a while now, but my friend (who's not a native english speaker but is known for hyperbole) keeps telling me that wasting money on lessons is pointless, and that you can only learn a language properly by going to the country of said language.

Is this true? Is living in a foreign country the only real way to sufficiently learn a language, with lessons being worthless? Although I have enough to pay for a course in the language here, I certainly can't afford travelling internationally (albeit staying anywhere!).

If any comrades could share their experiences, clarify my fears and/or give some advice, please do.

Yes, your friend is being a bit hyperbolic. If we're talking fluency, you do need interaction with fluent speakers. That doesn't mean you need to go live somewhere. Lessons can be useful, but one class is enough to get started, in my experience. Most heavy lifting is vocab acquisition.

I think "immersion" is overrated. Or at least, immersion in the sense of thinking you'll just absorb it automatically. It doesn't work that way; even some expats get away with picking up almost nothing for years.

It basically comes down to how much effort you put in. Labor theory of value and all that.

Here's good site on the subject (seems the forum is down right now)

A lot depends on what language you plan to learn. For me, being and English native speaker and learning Polish which has completely different grammar was a nightmare. Learning vocabulary was a breeze in comparison with understanding and then incorporating into my speech the grammar of Polish.

That said, once I got a handle on Polish, learning other Slavic languages like Russian or Ukrainian was a breeze!

I regard classes as very important. Living in a country will give you a feel for the language and allow you to passively assimilate parts but I always needed a teacher to put things into order in my head. That said, a lot can be learned yourself at home learning vocab, drilling grammar exercises, watching something on Youtube, it all helps.

Another good option is to find a language partner online, there a loads of websites which will help you do this (live mocha is one). With a language partner normally you teach one hour of your native language in return for one hour tuition from them. Of course, if you live in a big city there is always the possibility to meet in person, but normally I do it via Skype or email.

A lot depends on what language you plan to learn. For me, being and English native speaker and learning Polish which has completely different grammar was a nightmare. Learning vocabulary was a breeze in comparison with understanding and then incorporating into my speech the grammar of Polish.

Yes it depends, but only in case if you wish to learn any language as fast as possible. But to be realistic, it is possible to learn any language, because the difficulty will depend on the language-family that you come from.

Since English language is part of Germanic-family, you will find it easier to learn German, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish or Danish etc. comparing to other languages. The same language-family will have more similar grammar to one another.

Once you learn one language of a particular language-family, you will be able to easier learn the other languages that are related.

But learning even only related languages, also improves your skills of learning, so don't be afraid for challenges.

Remember that learning a language is same way as for a baby, start to learn to speak in it, learn phrases, sounds, try to make something. And to check if you are correct on your grammar, learn practice a bit grammar, so meet a native speaker from that language (online or in real life). Language learning needs to be creative, you need to use it as often as you can (at least once a day), watch a movie with English subtitles or try to read article and then > try to translate some words > write them down on a flashcard > take the flashcard with you so you can have a look on the words time to time.

I am learning my 4th language now, and I have went through courses and a lot depends on the teachers as well. And from what I have learned that courses take only small part of learning, but they help.

''Remember - first came the language and then the grammar''

Some languages are hard and some aren't. Like RedBaltico said, Germanic languages will be the easiest for you. The Germanic Languages are German, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Dutch, Afrikaans, Frisian, Icelandic, and Faroese.
Scots is almost the exact same as English. I actually couldn't learn it was too similar to English, and I kept replacing Scots words with English words. Here's a paragraph taken from Omniglot.com:

The Scots Leid Associe wis foondit in 1972 an ettles tae fordle Scots in leeteratur, drama, the media, eddication an in ilka day uiss. Akis Scots wis ance the state langage o Scotland, it's a vailid pairt o wir heirskip an the associe taks tent tae the fact that it shoud can tak its steid as a langage o Scotland, alang wi Gaelic an Inglis.

Even with no knowledge of Scots, you can probably understand this. For comparison, here's Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Frisian, which is also extremely closely related to English:

Alle minsken wurde frij en gelyk yn weardigens en rjochten berne. Hja hawwe ferstân en gewisse meikrigen en hearre har foar inoar oer yn in geast fan bruorskip te hâlden en te dragen.

And a translation:

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Another closely related language to English is French, because the Normans invaded England in the early Middle Ages. Generally, French gave English fancier counterparts to many English words. For example, people instead of folk, debut instead of beginning, and bourgeois instead of fancy. French is my second best language, after English.