Modern foreign languages are taught and learned in primary and secondary education in England. However, how to teach and learn them seems to be unfamiliar and misunderstood sometimes. In this paper, I describe the realities of foreign language learning in England compared with other European Union (EU) countries and Japan. To identify how pupils are learning foreign languages at school, I carried out a survey and found that the subject pupils had good motivations to learn foreign languages. Based upon these data, I discuss how foreign languages are taught and learned in England as well as in Japan. Finally, I suggest that Japanese pupils should have a lot more opportunities to learn foreign languages other than just English
