How to get fluent in Spanish?

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Are we ready to tackle the million dollar question? I think so!

DISCLAIMER: Let’s get the bad news out of the way first. As of August 2023, there’s no magic pill to learn a language, let alone get fluent.

Language tutors get this question asked all the time by their students, and reasonably expected to provide a definitive answer. Hey Mati, your’re the teacher.

However, I don’t feel it’s the type of question that should be outsourced. At least not straight away.

The thing is, if you expect someone to answer the question before you answer it yourself, you’re on the wrong path to fluency. Given that you’re a fluent speaker of your native language and fluency refers to the same type of compound skills irrespective of the specific language you’re learning: How do you become fluent?

Let’s skip the ‘baby magic’ part and try to answer the question from the standpoint of an adult learner. What would you recommend a student of your language to get fluent?

Well, you may say, we would first have to come to a definition of fluency.

Here it is:

Fluency means having enough language flexibility to express yourself effectively in a conversation. To be understdood and not get stuck in the frustration of not knowing how to say what you want to say.

Certainly, language learning is continuous, and as learners gain more experience and exposure, their fluency can evolve and improve. But this is the starting point.

So, again, how do you become fluent?

Only by immersing yourself in the language?
Only by speaking with native speakers of your target language?
Only by doing a lot of grammar practice and drills?

You’ll probably agree it’s undoubtedly a tough nut to crack.

Add to the inherent complexity of the question the traditional view of a teacher.

You see, there’s this basic idea that teaching works like this:

Person A → Person B

Person A, who has information, passes it on to Person B, who knows little or less than Person A. Person B hopes that Person A will be able to teach them all there’s to learn to eventually become a fluent speaker.

This model might hold true for other things, but language learning does not follow such straightforward path.

Anyway, I’m not doing this to tell you there’s nothing you can do to achieve fluency or dodge the question. I do want to share you my thoughts.

I feel there’s a difference if the person asking the question is an elementary student or a more intermediate learner, and have come up with two different pieces of advice for each case.

Please, follow me this way.

Elementary students

For beginners or those just getting the hang of Spanish, I recommend keeping fluency as the ultimate goal, but not to make it your next stop. It’s crucial to remember that fluency primarily involves knowing how to use the language flexibly enough to feel comfortable, so you can’t expect fluency without a bare minimum.

This is where language learning proves to be less fun than the student anticipated. Patience and persistance are not optional to attain success!

Some beginner students don’t feel overwhelmed when exposed to their target language through Natural Input, and have faith (never let go faith, amigos) in themselves being able to gradually make sense of it, but most feel unprepared to do it or frustrated when they do it. Encouraging these type of students to embrace natural input is often a difficult task, as they’re usually students that have a learning style anchored in traditional teaching.

Natural input is the difficult type of ‘first try it for yourself without bias and then decide’ strategy, but one that should not be so frowned upon is the Authentic Interaction Strategy I presented on a previous post. In short, It involves brainstorming the many everyday phrases you need to get by, and do things like talk about yourself, find about others, or react to questions or information focusing on chunks rather than on smaller parts of speech.

This gives you a shortcut to fluency in simple steps available to anyone willing to give it a try.

However, students sometimes think of it like cheating, or something like that. If that feeling taker over, then GAME OVER.

Intermediate students

Now, if the student has hit the intermediate plateau and doesn’t know where to go next, I’d first check how they’ve gotten where they are now. There’s a high chance that they know more than they can put down to use. Often, learners who find themselves in this situation possess more knowledge than they realize but may struggle to apply it effectively. Many learners seeking out help to reach fluency are people that didn’t plan their journey in the most convenient way, i.e, they thought they had to focus on grammar and data before tackling the nasty fluency challenge.

There are, however, cases where the person wants to go beyond their current conversational skills, And when it comes to this part, the most simple and most effective way is:

a) immersing yourself in Spanish and
b) having as many conversations in Spanish with a native speaker as you possibly can.

The conversation partner need not necessarily be a tutor but should have the ability to correct mistakes, provide constructive feedback on pronunciation and areas for improvement, and introduce common phrases and expressions not commonly found in formal resources.

Paths to explore toward fluency from your home

Although immersing yourself in a Spanish speaking country is unparalled, you don’t even need to leave your home to start making progress. You can try one or several of this suggested routes:

  1. Practice Regularly: Consistency is key. Practice Spanish regularly, even if it’s just for a few minutes every day. Regular practice helps reinforce what you’ve learned and keeps the language fresh in your mind.
  2. Language Learning Apps: Use language learning apps like Busuu (my favorite), Duolingo or others available. These apps offer gamified learning experiences with interactive exercises and regular challenges to keep you engaged.
  3. Virtual Language Exchange: Join language exchange platforms like Tandem or Hello Talk where you can connect with native Spanish speakers who want to learn your native language.
  4. Online Tutors: Hire an online Spanish tutor or join virtual group classes. Tutors can provide personalized instruction, feedback, and conversation practice to accelerate your language skills.
  5. Online Language Forums: Participate in online Spanish language forums (I like Reddit’s Spanish) and social media groups where learners and native speakers interact. Engaging in discussions and asking questions can improve your understanding and fluency.
  6. Consistent Practice: Dedicate a fixed amount of time each day to practice Spanish. Whether it’s 15 minutes or an hour, regular practice is crucial for language retention and improvement.
  7. Language Challenges: Set specific language learning goals and challenges for yourself. For example, aim to watch a Spanish movie without subtitles, write a short story entirely in Spanish, or hold a conversation with a native speaker for 10 minutes.
  8. Flashcards and Vocabulary Apps: Use flashcard apps like Anki or Quizlet to reinforce vocabulary and review new words regularly. Remember to always learn new words in context.
  9. YouTube Language Lessons: Access free Spanish language lessons on YouTube. Many educators and language schools offer excellent resources for language learners.

I wrote an article that resonates with this one: The role of grammar, your tutor and input in all this mess. Make sure to check it out, as it expands on some ideas I exposed here.

Thanks for reading and happy Spanish learning,

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