The best age to learn a second language. New research suggests that our capacity to learn a language diminishes gradually over our lives. Monika Schmid. Monday 08 February 2016 14:27 GMT.

Children as young as four years old learn to read and write in some countries, while elsewhere they don't start until seven. What's the best formula for lasting success?

Instead, the results suggest that after the age of 18 people will still learn quickly but may not achieve the same proficiency of native speakers. “It's possible that there's a biological change.