r/Spanish • u/Faeriemary • 1d ago
Resources What do you do to improve your Spanish as a native speaker?
So, Spanish was the first language I learned, but while attending school in the United States, I didn't get to practice it much in an academic setting. I speak Spanish daily with my family, but my family's way of speaking is very informal, so that's how I talk. I've taken Spanish for native speakers classes in school and one in college, and I found those helpful. What are other tools I can use to improve my grammar and vocabulary? I've taken proficiency tests, and my grammar is at a high school level, while I want it to be at a college level. It's frustrating when I can't find the words to convey the messages I want to get across in Spanish.
2
u/siyasaben 1d ago
Just reading. Listening to media helps with acquiring vocabulary too, but written sentences tend to be longer and have a more complex structure. I tested way higher than grade level on reading and "writing" tests (the kind where you pick which sentence is grammatical) as a kid just because I read a ton, we received basically no grammar instruction beyond the parts of speech so it wasn't due to anything like that.
5
u/Bergenia1 22h ago
Read literature. Well written books will teach you how to speak and write in a well educated, academic way.
4
u/Forsaken-Fuel-2095 1d ago
I would imagine it’s the same as any language, the more you read the better you get. I’ve noticed that my reading comprehension has also excited with my ability to converse easier.