As an adult it's really hard to pick up a language to be conversational. I tried, it's alot of dedication.
Then I went to Mexico, no one understood me. I guess I have an accent or issues with pronunciation. If I did ask a question, I didn't understand the answer. Everyone just spoke English.
While being polite, lots of people will think of you as a retarded child.
If you travel to Mexico for instance, the difference is staggering between someone with a command of Spanish and someone that speaks English only.