This study is prompted by the recent economic situation in Europe, calling for special attention to the relationship between family economic problems and the well-being of adolescents. It seeks to shed more light on the experiencing of financial concerns in adolescents who face the challenge of the foreign language learning process in the context of formal education. The participants of the empirical research were 609 stu-dents from 23 randomly selected classes of the six secondary grammar schools in Opole, southwest Poland. The results prove that financial strain and worries are negatively related to achievement in the field of foreign language learning. However, the social nature of language learning, as well as the students’ personality profi les, attachment patterns or perception of social support in adolescence also play a role.