I took Japanese for 3 years in high school in the US. When I watch Japanese tv shows or music, I do not understand most of what they are saying. Is Japanese taught in American schools too basic or is Japanese a really difficult language to be fluent in?
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No...nobody can understand the language they've had three high school years of, when watching TV in that language. It doesn't matter if it's Spanish or French or Japanese. Three years of high school study is barely enough for you to read a bit, or have a basic conversation with a cooperative interlocutor. It's not enough to understand a conversation between two natives, which is basically what you're listening to on TV.
Ogres are like Onions
I don’t speak it, but I do know it is the fastest spoken language in the world. So I would bet that has something to do with it.