Can anyone give me tips on getting over the fear of speaking Spanish?
Well I am very new on this WONDERFUL website, but I still have tons of fear of speaking the little Spanish I have learned. Of course i have learned over 100 words but i get shy/ timid to even think about showing off what i have even just learned.I would like to say that i have had a Spanish class, (Will be taking another one second semester) but even then i was just to afraid to speak the language. HUUUH ! :( please some one with an answer, or with the same problem please tell me what to do about it. (BTW im only thirteen) ~Ny-Ny99
5 Answers
Hi! I totally have the same problem as you! I have been taking Spanish for 3 years now but I still sometimes get afraid of speaking! What has been helping me is before I go to bed I give myself a topic (like what I did yesterday) and just have a conversation with myself for a bit. There is absolutely no pressure in talking with yourself, and sometimes, at least for me, just hearing myself speak gives me more confidence to speak in front of other people. Also, if you find people who are about the same spanish level as you it can be way less scary to have a conversation (although you won't know if you are saying things correctly or not). Hope that helps and if you need a partner to practice with just send me a PM! (p.s. I'm only 15)
-Kimberly 
I agree wholeheartedly with the idea of having practice conversations with yourself....I do it all the time when I'm out on trail with my horse and no one is around to hear me, but if they did they would think I'm talking to him.
After that, put a big smile on your face and throw yourself out there with gay abandon. The vast majority of native speakers don't consider it an imposition to practice (and, at times, butcher) their language. And, if you get stuck, you just throw in a "Como se dice......" and you'll get unstuck.
It really is alot of fun, and you'll get a chance to talk to folks who you otherwise would not have gotten a chance to interact with.
Just chatter away!!!
Hello Ny-Ny and Welcome to the SpanishDict forum
I can understand your fear of practising speaking Spanish but I think you are worrying needlessly. Most people are afraid of speaking a new language because they are worried about or afraid of making mistakes and looking silly or even feeling stupid.The majority of Spanish speaking natives I have met are friendly people who make many allowances for non-native people making loads of mistakes.
Your fear is common and understandable but you shouldn't allow yourself to be held captive by it since it is through the process of making mistakes that we all learn! 
Native Spanish speaking people do not expect you to be able to speak without making mistakes and you only need to be able to communicate the heart of any message. Communication is about getting your message across as clearly as possible and this will depend on your current level of ability
If you were desparate for some water you could simply say ''Quiero agua, por favor'' or even more simply ''Agua, por favor'' or even point to a bottle of water in a shop and say por favor
Finally, I would advise you to start by practising saying some very simple Spanish words and using them as soon as possible and as often as you can. This will help you to remember them. For exanple:
Hola = Hello
Me llamo ......Ny-Ny = My name is Ny-Ny
(you can say your real name instead of course it's just that we don't know it!)
Vivo en .....= I live in ...... just say the name of your country in English if you do not know the Spanish word for it.
You will find that as you use these simple words and phrases and other words that you learn Spanish speakers will respond to you positively and you will start to feel good about what you can do and this will encourage you to learn and speak more words. Success is a good foundation for more success!
I would also encourage you to start listening to Paralee's Spanish video lessons starting from lesson 1 She teaches you the basics in the first lesson and encourages you to copy what she says this will give you some idea of how to pronounce the words. Here is a link to lesson 1
I hope this helps
Walk up to a cute guy and start talking Spanish.
Hi Ny - welcome to SD
