>>One of my hobbies is learning Spanish (been doing it almost half of my life). So I frequent many on-line Spanish blogs, read Spanish newspapers, watch news (on Spanish TV, my favorite). And then – on Yahoo – I get this add (attached). I am, of course, afraid to even click on this ad, but wonder, what would appear? That is, what would they try to sell me?
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>As far as I know the "linguistic trick" they are advertising would always be some kind of language resource that promises you to be able to "Speak" a new language in less than 10 days.
>Of course after purchasing that book or course you would find out that although you can speak a few words in that new language after 10 days, you are absolutely incapable of building real good sentences and partake in even the simplest conversation in that foreign language, and you would probably understand less than 1% of that language. But they haven't exactly defined what they understand with the word "Speak", so they haven't really lied to you.
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>On that note, I find it always amazing that visitors from the US really know only one language and don't even try to learn a new language. Learning a new language broadens your mind and helps you to understand foreign cultures, so I would really encourage that especially for the young people to do as long as they are in school. It does take at least three years to be able to do some good conversation, and almost 10 years to become as fluent as your mother language.

I would say even more than 10 years to become as fluent as you are in your native language. Of course, mileage varies.