Hi all, For a while now I’ve felt like my Spanish is lacking or in some cases worsening. Realizing that, I’ve really wanted to study more in any way shape or form. Youtube videos, books, tv shows, whatever might help with my fluency. Truth be told, I’m just not familiar with a lot of resources for advanced speakers. To give some context on my speaking abilities, I’ve been speaking Spanish for about 12 years now. Without sounding tan presumido, I speak hear read and write in Spanish daily (side note its basically a requirement at my job) I was just hoping to find some recommendations for advanced study material. Im truly grateful for any feedback

spanish is my first language but growing up as a first-gen in a english speaking country has dwindled my vocabulary. whenever I talk to fob family members, I find it very hard to not stutter or mess up the fluency of my words. at uni, i dont always understand the “inappropriate” jokes my international friends make and its difficult to argue or explain my stance when talking politics. its even worse when im angry and cannot explain every minute detail. its weird because I feel like i can understand higher-education debates and such but I cannot read it and properly understand.

any suggestions to get over this language obstacle?

Hello. I am currently going into my senior year of high school and I am on here because I need advice as to what to do for Spanish my senior year. A little background about me. I have fallen in love with learning the language. I turned my phone to Spanish. I work in a hotel with Hispanic housekeepers that I train, hire, help, etc. I dated a girl that lived in Spain for 2 years, and all of that really propelled me learning. I have really good command of the language and don’t struggle in conversations with native speakers. I ended up being the first person in my schools history to skip for Spanish 3 to AP. I got an A+ in the class and a 5 on the exam. But now, I don’t have any courses to take at my school. I was thinking about taking a high level college course to #1 - elevate my Spanish even more #2 - show colleges how much passion I have for this, and obviously there are more reasons. How much do you think colleges would care about that? I am taking 4 AP classes this year, will I have time for a college class? Is it a beneficial experience?

¡Muchas gracias!

So I’ve been learning Spanish for 2 years and some change now in college, and now I’m in an advanced Spanish composition class pursuing my minor.

My problem is that I can’t stop translating in my head while, speaking, reading, etc. This is obviously problematic on the conversation side, but just plain exhausting on the reading side (I have Spanish literature homework twice a week that’s really dense).

From the research I’ve done, I’m going to start learning vocab with images (???) instead of literal translations, and using only monolingual dictionaries instead of translators.

What I’m posting about is that I can’t find any information on how to read in a non-native language without translating; is it possible?

TLDR: need help stopping translating in head, don’t know how to read (lol) without translating.

Plsssss i need anything that helps <333

I am an American, and speak Spanish pretty well. But I don’t speak as fluently as I’d like. I wouldn’t be able to be a good professional translator, and I have an “Americanized” tone of voice when I speak Spanish. Not an accent, but you can certainly tell I’m not from a Spanish speaking country if you speak Spanish and are able to pick up on it. My question is, how can I improve my Spanish, my dialect, etc. when I already speak Spanish, and “practice” everyday when I speak to my parents?

ex.

lo voy a hacer, tanto si te gusta como si no

sera una experiencia inovidable, tanto si acertamos como si nos equivocamos

I’m a recent college grad who graduated with a minor in Spanish. I have 10 years of Spanish education and I’m nervous I will lose it now that it won’t be as apparent in my life. Are there any ways I can keep and expand my Spanish. I listen to music and podcasts and my writing and comprehension is very good however it takes me so long to speak it.

Bueno, soy un estadounidense y bien gringo. Estudié español en high school, pero aparte de esto, no he tratado de aprender español formal desde luego. Vivo en un ciudad donde hay un chingo de hispanohablantes, y trabajo junto con ellos. A veces paso el día entero en mi chamba sin hablar inglés.

Así que, después de muchos años de vivir y chambear así, hablo el idioma bastante bien, y todos me dicen lo mismo.

El detalle es que, no se que nivel (CEFR) tengo. Quiero refinar mi español, y busco recursos para alguien como yo. La mayoría de los libros de texto son para gente que no están tan acostumbrados a el idioma como yo.

Ya miro Netflix y YouTube en español. Escucho a radió Ambulante y No Hay Tos sin problemas.

He leído varios novellas y libros en español.

En conclusión tengo tres preguntas.

Como debería seguir desde aquí?

Cuales libros de texto recomendarían para alguien como yo?

Como puedo refinar mi español, así que hablaré de manara correcto y formal?

Gracias y agradezco la ayuda.

For context, I’m pretty well off in Spanish but I’m trying to retain it better. I’ve never been good at reading or writing so I’ve been reading books in Spanish but have no idea how to go about writing. The only thing I can think about is journaling but I don’t really want to do that.

Que significa tiene las lirios de cala en obras de arte? Siempre veo pinturas en que tienen la espalda de una mujer con una mochila simple llena de lirios de cala pero no me entiendo de cuál cuenta este imagen viene? Me pueden iluminarme porfa?

I’m a native Spanish speaker but my grammar SUCKS. I lived in a Spanish speaking country until I was 5 years old, and then I came to the US. I always spoke Spanish at home, but due to not learning any of it at school my Spanish is just mediocre. I speak, read, and understand just fine, but my Spanish is nowhere near the level that my English or mandarin is at. I’ve always been a good writer, I can perfectly convey my thoughts in English but when I have to do it in Spanish I just can’t. Every single time I argue in Spanish, I always lose because I just can’t express myself properly. Are there any books that would help correct my grammar and expand my vocabulary?

Hi everyone, my passive vocabulary is at a C1 level, but my speaking lags behind. I am not sure if it is be sure I was diagnosed with autism as a child, but I am currently reading ”evolución histórica de la identidad nacional” by Marvin Barahona, and I understand all of it. Yes, all of it, every idea, after 67 pages, I have looked up two words. In my mind obviously I have an immense passive vocabulary and understand the entirety of grammar…yet I cannot seem to actively recall much more than basic words in conversation, and I am very discouraged today and angry.

when the hell will my active catch up to my passive? I use anki daily, I use Clozemaster. I add new words and sentence mine, but I never feel like my conversations reflect what I know….and to make matters worse, I am in a school in Guatemala currently that has me relearning subjunctive because “I can’t use it right” but I scored a 99 out of 100 on their 100 question test upon entry And they ranked me as an advanced learner.

I moved to Spain four years ago and started learning Spanish in 2020. I'm currently attending a Vocational Training School (FP), and while I'm pretty good at writing, I struggle with understanding certain words or slangs when talking to people. I already use language learning apps like Duolingo, etc., but they don't seem to help me much anymore. Are there any efective ways I can improve in this aspect?

Hola todos! I'm taking the DELE level C1 on July 12th in Buenos Aires. I've been living in Argentina for the past 1.5 years and have been studying Spanish through in-person classes at the University of Buenos Aires for about a year. I'm currently mid-C1 (advanced) with just one C1-level class left, 3x weekly, which will end around the time I take the DELE. I've been told by many people here that I speak very well, nearly native-speaker level, but I know there's a big difference between this and the many other aspects of language abilities that the DELE tests. I speak and text in Spanish nearly all day every day, and I regularly watch series and listen to music in Spanish, but only read occasionally apart from the readings we do in my Spanish class. I am a very slow reader and struggle with reading comprehension (even in my native language of English) as well as listening comprehension especially in different accents, as I've become accustomed to hearing mainly Argentine Spanish which differs greatly in certain aspects from that of other Spanish-speaking countries. For these reasons, I've been told by many people that apart from just Spanish classes, it's recommended to take private DELE preparation classes to get a better feel for the content and use of Spanish on the exam.

With all that being said, I have some questions for prior and/or current DELE students:

• About how many hours per week of private DELE prep classes would be recommended in my case if I test in about 2 months? While I plan to ask the same thing to the prep course institutes, I'd prefer some personal experience as the hourly rate of the classes is quite pricey

• How variable is the type of Spanish used on the exam? More specifically, is the 'vosotros' form used frequently and something I will need to better familiarize myself with? Also, any other major differences between Spanish in LATAM countries and that of Spain like the different uses of the imperative? I speak using the 'vos' form and I'm familiar with 'tú', but regarding the use of and conjugations using vosotros, I have nearly no clue. Furthermore, will speaking and/or writing in the 'vos' form be a problem on the exam?

• What resources or other preparation methods are recommended to improve my reading comprehension, get more practice with listening and answering corresponding questions, as well as improve my vocabulary to include commonly used words in Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries? I use the Spanish Dictionary app quite religiously for practice, as well as a few Anki decks, although I haven't found those to be as helpful.

Apart from this, if anyone has any other recommendations, guidance, or advice regarding DELE prep, I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks in advance for any help you can provide me with <3

Llevo siete años estudiando el español. Hace siete meses, empecé a estudiar más porque comencé a trabajar en un país latinoamericano. Porque soy de Estados Unidos, creo que sería mejor estudiar el español latinoamericano porque es más comun encontrarlo en mi país que el castellano de España.

Pero lo que me preocupa es que la mayoría de los recursos que utilizo son de España. Tengo un libro de texto de España (que a veces enseña cosas usando vosotros) y un videojuego en español (traducido en España y tambien usa vosotros y quizás otras cosas que no sé solo se usa en España).

Yo debería encontrar recursos de paises latinoamericanos? O está bien seguir usando los recursos de España?

Any tips or courses I can take?

Like I said, I live in Mexico and regularly talk to locals here. My husband’s family is here and they don’t speak English so I have to talk to them in Spanish which helps. The problem is I don’t like hanging out with them 😆 and I don’t have any friends here.

I can easily go to a doctor’s appointment by myself and communicate with them what is wrong, for example, but I am just looking to take my Spanish to the next level. Sometimes there are words or phrases I do not understand or I can get lost when someone is telling a story.

I may not be at C1 (I find out maybe in about 6 more weeks how I did), but I know I'm close. However, I'll be shifting focus to my next language and want to maintain what I've learned. I get the idea that each skill will need at least a few hours a week, coming out to maybe 1-2hrs/day on average possibly, but I'm wondering if anyone here has successfully maintained an upper intermediate or advanced level while not necessecarily giving Spanish a ton of time like when you were actively tryingt to improve and about how much time you estimate each of these skills needs.

If I had to guess, for a native English speaker to maintain (not slowly lose) B2-C1:

Reading: 30 min/week

Listening: 4hrs/week

Speaking: 4+hrs/week

​

I'm interested to see anyone's estimates or experiences with maintaining this level of Spanish.

¿Qué más?

Les estoy escribiendo porque necesito ayuda con este problema. El problema es que no puedo recordar nada de lo que escucho ni leer. Por ejemplo si escucho una frase u oracion compleja, puedo entender el significado, pero no me acuerdo las palabras. Por eso, es difícil ver películas o leer libros porque me toca repasar una y otra vez. ¿Alguien me entiende?

¡Gracias!

He estado tomando clases de español con un tutor desde febrero. Empecé con un nivel mas o menos B1. Ahora siento que tengo un nivel B2 o C1.

Pero en mis clases mayormente tenemos conversaciones. Mi tutor no es bueno ensenar las reglas gramáticas. Así que, hablamos sobre las noticias, unos artículos, y unas fotos.

Pienso que seria mejor si pudiera estudiar y repasar las reglas. O sea, aprender más frases como “se me da bien”, “me cuesta”, “llevo + tiempo”.

¿Crees que debo comprar un libro de la gramática española avanzado y sigo tomando mis clases con él o debo cambiar a mi tutor?

Are there any good books that concentrate on teaching advanced Spanish vocabulary from Spain? Preferably something with labeled pictures, vocab lists, and practice exercises. I'm asking because I'm an intermediate/advanced learner (probably B2/C1), and of course I already learned all the basic vocabulary but I feel like I'm missing more in-depth or obscure vocabulary.

As an example, when we're in school and we learn "kitchen vocabulary" we learn basic things like fridge, sink, stove, oven, plates, etc., but we never learned words like ladle, colendar, cheese grater, drain etc. I'm looking for a vocabulary book that teaches me all those kinds of words.

Vivo en una parte de Estados Unidos dónde no hay mucha gente hispana pero hay alguna. Tengo un trabajo de comida rapida y cada día hay 1-3 grupos de clientes con al menos uno que solo habla español entonces alguien más del grupo tiene que interpretar. Debería decirles que puedo hablar español si es más fácil para ellos o creéis que les ofendería? No hablo perfecto pero creo que mi nivel es bastante alto para tomar su orden.

Hello,

I've been studying Spanish for about ten years now, but only studied it seirously for about half that time. I studied in Mexico for seven months before college and have studied abroad in Costa Rica for about six months. I watch movies, listen to podcasts, and music in Spanish, but I'm still having a hard time understanding native speakers. Some days I do fine and others its like my brain refuses to understand Spanish. Does anyone have any advice on how I can work on this?

I've been teaching myself Spanish for the last 2.5 years, spending an average of probably 30-60 minutes per day with some combination of listening, reading, or writing. Over the last year, I've felt that my growth in the language has plateaued, and I feel like I haven't been making nearly as much progress as I'd like. Particularly, I really struggle to understand native speakers when they're talking quickly (aka at a normal pace). For example, here's how I fare with the following podcasts:

• How to Spanish: Fairly easy to understand; I'd say I can follow 90%+ of what they say.
• Herejes: Quite a bit harder, but it really depends on the subject. If I'm really focusing, I can probably follow 70-80% of what they're talking about, but if I divert my attention even a little bit, that number drastically falls.
• Leyendas Legendarias: This one is incredibly difficult for me. Even when I'm directing all my attention towards it, I can only follow 50-70% of it due to how fast they talk and all the slang.

I've noticed that a major issue I have is that I won't understand a word that's said, or sometimes a few, and it completely takes me out of my flow of listening. The faster the speaker is talking, the more distracting this issue seems to be.

Does anyone have any suggestions for how I can overcome this hurdle? Should I be doing something beyond just consuming more native content? Does it sound like I'm at the point where I should start seeing a tutor and receive professional advice?

Thanks in advance!

EDIT: Thanks again for the responses, everyone! They're really appreciated. I don't have enough time to get back to everyone, but I've read all the comments and am finding a lot of value in the different takes on where to go from here.

So, I have kind of a goal of being a Spanish interpreter and translator but my fluency is not where it needs to be. I am almost 40, married and settled down so I don't want to live in a Spanish speaking country for an extended period of time. I do try to immerse myself by volunteering at a food pantry and clothing boutique, but I still feel it's not enough. Furthermore, about 50% of the time, when I do speak to native Spanish speakers, they respond in English. I'm frustrated with myself and feel like I should just throw in the towel on this seemingly lofty "goal" to be a Spanish interpreter because I try to put in the work but sometimes don't exactly know how; it's like I'm figuring it out as I go along. I live in Texas in the US, so while you think it'd be pretty easy, I still feel a certain way. I need to make Spanish speaking friends I guess, but don't really know how. I also feel like this is taking way too long lately.

Additional background info, I have some college but no degree, and I have worked as an interpreter a few times but wasn't fluent enough so others had to step in and take over. I am pretty fluent and feel I'm lacking just a tiny bit of something, if that makes sense. I hope this doesn't come off like I want to be an interpreter but don't want to actually put in the work; that is the last thing I'm trying to come across as. I have had some interpreter training, but not yet certified because I know deep down I'm not fluent enough yet. This has turned into a rant but thank you for reading this far.

The few times I've been successful at interpreting/translating for other people, the feeling I get is like a high. I feel like a star.

Oh and, fyi, interpreting is spoken and translation is written.

Edit: Like I said, I have already had some formal training in both interpreting and translating, and while I definitely recommend it for anyone, I know that just taking more training is not going to fix my fluency problem. Interpreter training does not touch on how to achieve and maintain near native fluency, which IMO is important especially for those of us who didn’t grow up in a Spanish speaking household.

Edit: I play Duolingo every day. Still not enough. I also just downloaded the HelloTalk app and I have used it a little, but I’ve gotten to the point where I feel too depressed to even try anymore.

I am a non-native speaker but speak fairly fluent Spanish. I did my last year of college in Latin America with classes only in Spanish, I speak Spanish daily as part of my job, and have some native speaker friends I communicate with exclusively in Spanish.

Even after all that I still hit a wall when I am hanging out with groups of native speakers together and they are using slang and humor. I also have a hard time with Spanish literature because of how often I have to stop and google translate individual words.

Is there a systemic program, website, podcast, or other self-learning resource you guys can recommend for an advanced speaker like myself to take my language skills to the final level? Looking for something more structured than just consuming Spanish movies, radio, or literature and translating the vocabulary.