How to be fluent
I am having a problem with speaking the language in my class.I have no problem with the grammar nor my accent but for some reason I get all the tenses mixed up once I have to speak. Any pointers?
6 Answers
Transcribe a novel from Spanish to Spanish. Look up for the words that you don't understand in the dictionary (ideally the Spanish-Spanish one) and then read out loud, while recording yourself, paragraphs by paragraphs. Listen to the recording noting for mistakes in pronunciation and metrics etc, repeat the paragraph until more or less satisfied. Then continue with another paragraph.
That's the only way I know of getting to be fluent at writing and speaking.
I think this is quite common and natural with beginners of any language. I have similar problems. My reading and writing skills are improving but I still find speaking very difficult. I attribute this to the fact that when reading and writing we actually have the time to think things through. When speaking, its like the brain needs to cut all the corners and take a direct route to the mouth lol. It's as though there is no time to go through the same thought process channels as reading and writing.
I am told - and I'm sure it is true - that practise, practise, practise improves this skill.
Good luck and welcome to the forum.
Try writing a song. Thats what I've been trying to do. It's super challenging, and my lyrics and very bad. BUT it's helping me get around the tenses, and because it's something I repeat to myself and I know what I'm trying to say, it's really helping with tenses (especially futuro, imperfecto, subjuntivo, y condiciónal)
Práctica, práctica, práctica, y práctica más...
I've heard it makes perfect.
I think that to be fluent you just need a lot of practice. It's like to play an instrument, you can learn where you have to press to get Do, Re or Mi, but you need to practice a lot to become fluent
Continue speaking the language. Nothing can take the place of practicing to hone your speaking skills.
