Holding a conversation in Spanish.
How many of us are comfortable holding a conversation of, let's say three' or five or ten minutes, on a random subject entirely in Spanish. That means being able to form sentences in real time and being able to understand, again in real time, the other persons sentences.
If you can and unless you are at a very advanced level then I bet there are grammatical errors in your side of the conversation and quite possibly in the other person's side as well.
I know I make grammar errors in English as well as in Spanish. I have a Master's degree, and that does not prevent me from speaking poor English every now and then. So I think you have to assume that Spanish speakers make the same level of grammar errors in their native tongue as we do in ours.
So let's take a poll. Are you comfortable speaking to a native speaker in your non-native tongue?
20 Answers
When I began taking Spanish, I got discouraged so quickly with the grammar part of it that I wanted to quit. I had a friend from Nicaragua that finally told me to ignore the grammar lessons and just start speaking with the vocab. that I had already learned. She said the grammar rules were just going to confuse me further and to just start speaking it.
She came here from her country about 15 years ago. She knew no English and now she speaks better English than most people here in the U.S. Seriously!
When I asked her about it, she said she just started speaking the words she knew and continued to learn by hearing everyone speak in English.
I know grammar is important and you should learn it, but for me, not in the beginning. It reminds me too that when you are a child still at home, you learn to speak this way. When you are old enough to go to school, you begin to learn grammar. So, my moral of the story is, just start speaking. It has helped me tremendously. Just my two cents.
I guess I'm the first responder. No. I can't think fast enough to do that. By the time I form what I want to say, someone else has taken the conversation in a different direction. 
A lot of good answers and suggestions.
I have been living in Costa Rica for about 5 years so I do not have much of an option but to speak Spanish. I came here without knowing Spanish and at first I would break out the dictionary and write down what I knew I would need to ask that day, it was bad and I pointed a lot. I had some friends where I used to live that spoke English fairly well and we helped each other. I was comfortable talking in Spanish after about a year, it was closer to Spanglish but when English is off the table what else can you do. Now I am much better and talk with everyone, many total strangers while waiting for the bus or in line in stores. I even get complimented on my Spanish but I know I have bad grammer, lack vocabulary at times and struggle with verbs beyond the present and past tenses. I never took Spanish classes and am learning purely by immersion. So I am learning on as needed basis to communicate. SD helps a lot not so much by getting answers to questions but by practicing answering questions and the games.
I am good enough at Spanish to learn it without using English at all. I am always asking questions and many correct me when I make mistakes. With my wife we talk in Spanish the majority of the time but she likes to practice English also.
For those that are taking Spanish classes don't feel they are good enough to converse, don't worry about it and just do it. It is better to do it and make mistakes than to keep waiting until you think you're good enough not to make mistakes, you will be waiting forever.
Hopefully my story will help some feel more comfortable about trying to join conversations. This is how I learned Spanish, never in the classroom only by conversing.
Pura vida. 
I'm the same as Margherite. I try too hard to get the sentence just right, and by then it's too late. I'm still new to this (started at SD in February this year) so my vocabulary isn't large enough to even be able to put together sentences without a translator. Not surprising, since the consensus is that it takes about two years to get near being fluent. Time will tell. Thanks for asking, Gringo. Ask me again in 2015.
I find that I can carry on a coversation with my ESL students if I don't think too much about it. I know I make errors, but I usually get my message across. Many of the sudents I work with only have a few years of formal education, so many times their use of formal grammar is even worse than mine.
I think Gringo is right - if you try to be 100% accurate, you will not be able to keep up in a conversation. Practice will make you better, but probably not perfect. The important thing is just to talk without translating from English. If you start your thought in Spanish, you won't have to go through the translation step. It is a difficult goal, but necessary if you want to be conversational.
I have a job where I do a lot of talking. In my native language I understand nuances and know what word I wish to use. My vocabulary in Spanish is quite good, but I get held back by pauses because I cannot express myself exactly as I wish [when I know it is better to just say something] and in the agony of the moment forgetting a verb conjugation [my Spanish is good enough to know I need a particular verb] I know I must make more effort to make the verbs instinctive and enjoy conversations without worrying. Some years ago I went to a social event at a friend's Spanish class She was a beginner. I chatted to the mother of one of the teachers, a charming lady called Doris who was Chilean. She was wonderful and encouraging [and could not speak English] I would find it difficult to join in with a group chat [but I would try]
Not only the vocabulary....think about it. - chileno
Many people get tongue-tied trying to get everything right and by the time they can form a thought the conversation has moved on. The spoken language, any language, moves at an extremely rapid pace compared to the written language.
By the time you think about: words, tense of verb, matching, gender, adjective placement, subjunctive, etc. You are lost. You are better off keeping your sentences very simple and perhaps wrong but getting them out there. Because of the speed of conversation much can be inferred by the context so a lot of these errors that people allow to stop them from talking would not even get noticed or commented on. Then with time and experience, you can start to "clean up" all of your mistakes and improve your grammar.
Two of my favorite pet peeves are preterite v. imperfect and subjunctive. If you are writing then I agree they are much more important but in the spoken language the context will almost always clarify if it was a one time event or an on-going one, a completed action or an on-going one. If not you can ask for immediate clarification. Also it is much easier in conversation to tell if something should be subjunctive or indicative. Tone of voice and context will help alot.
This is why I say stop worrying about the grammar. Learn a lot of vocabulary, learn the basic conjugation rules, especially the irregulars. Then don't worry if you use the wrong tense. If someone does not understand from the context they will ask you. Also, don't be afraid to use the infinitive if the conjugation does not pop into your head immediately.
Yes you will need to clean all of these "mistakes" up. But with time and conversational experience it will start to just happen little by little. But first you have to start talking and making lots of mistakes.
I hereby award to each of you the right to make one million mistakes. Don't be afraid to use them.
I find that people are amazed and pleased when you try to speak their language. I think my Spanish needs lots of work yet I get compliments almost daily on my Spanish. You are you own worst critic. Get over it.
How is that for a rant.
@gringojrf:
I know I make grammar errors in English as well as in Spanish. I have a Master's degree, and that does not prevent me from speaking poor English every now and then. So I think you have to assume that Spanish speakers make the same level of grammar errors in their native tongue as we do in ours.
Excellent assumptions! Not many people think of that, What's more most people assume that because it is coming from a native, he or she must speak grammatically correct, hence they insist in talk only to natives, unaware of the real capabilities of the native. In their mind, they think that by talking to a native they are also going to recognize good speech etc...
:-D
gringo, I really would like to talk with you on Skype. Try to make time, and forget what other members might say about my repetitiveness.
@Jhan, as far as "guessing what people around you are saying", be careful, because you might think that you get the gist of it, when in fact can be totally the opposite. OK?
Hello I am just beginner so I have really a barrier now to speak comfortable as my vocabulary is weak I can see after completing 12 lessons I can guess a lot what people around me are talking about. however when I decide to tell something it takes me long to complete simple sentence as I need to think about word and grammar! Uff too much at the same time. But I believe it is like driving a car, I will be soon good I decided to join conversation classes. 6 hours a week with a group of people should make me from crawling to slow walking I believe If this method will work I will come back to you to say so... Maybe somebody else will use this idea. I love this webside I think it is a pleasure to study Spanish with almost alive teacher and interactive flashcards and getting points makes you motivated. However to activate speaking I think group of people will be usefull!
You all are so right. You need to talk, talk and talk even more. Talk in order to communicate. Actively seek situations in which you need to talk. It’s important to have an attitude of being willing to take risks-of taking the risk of pushing what you put into practice to a level little more than you are comfortable. This is the zone of proximal development (in education-of Vygotsky). It’s not important how much time you have studied-it’s more important how much you have practiced what you know. If you should try to think in Spanish depends on if it helps you or not and it will help you when you are ready for it. Learning how to speak relies on resorting to all the resources you have when you speak, as well as asking questions, reflecting, studying-as these activities support each other. As you know language skills (reading, writing, vocabulary, listening, speaking) are definitely connected-but do not develop at exactly the same level. Being able to speak accurately using grammar you know in the moment of conversation takes a lot of speaking and listening practice. The more you have fun, relax and have an open mind when you talk and study, the more you will learn as well. In language learning theory this refers to the “affective filter”. Your desire to have meaningful communication should be more than your desire to speak perfectly. I’m repeating what you all have all already said-obviously you are all successful language learners. These are my observations as a student of Spanish and as a teacher of English as a second language to immigrants who need to use the language as soon as possible.
Acertaron ustedes. Hay que hablar, hablar y hablar aún más. Hablar para comunicarse. No esperes hasta que la oportunidad le llegue-hay que buscar a propósito situaciones en las cuales tengas que hablar con otros-y mucho. La actitud de tomar riesgos es necesario para aprender hablar- de tomar el riesgo de estirar el uso de lo que sabes algo más allá de lo cómodo-esta es la zona del desarrollo (en la pedagología – de Vygotsky). No importa la cantidad de tiempo que haya estudiado uno, lo que importa más es la cantidad de tiempo uno se haya puesto en práctica lo que sabe. Lo de intentar pensar en español depende de ti- si te ayuda o no y te ayudaria cuando estás listo. El arte de conversar se basa en hablar-recurriendo a todo los recursos que tengas, hacer muchas preguntas, reflejar, estudiar- porqué estas actividades se fomentan. Ya saben que las destrezas del lenguaje (leer, escribir, el vocabulario, escuchar y hablar) están conectados pero no desarrollan al mismo nivel Mantengo conversaciones en español casi cada día, e igualmente diariamente cometo errores. Tu deseo de comunicarse tiene que ser más grande de lo de hablar perfectamente. Estoy repitiendo lo que ya han dicho ustedes. Es obvio que ustedes han tenido éxito en su aprendizaje. Éstas son mis observaciones como estudiante de español y de ser maestra de inglés a inmigrantes-que tienen que usar inglés lo más pronto posible.
My big revalation when I was in Costa Rica earlier this year was that I needed a lot of work in the speaking department. I noticed that my problem was what Margherite already noted: my thinking was too slow for the speed of conversation. I also had/have "perfectionist block" (that is, when one stops talking to find that right word instead of just moving on).
I have had five to ten minute (and longer) conversations in spanish, but I cannot really say that I am "comfortable" just yet. I still have a lot of work ahead of me.
I can definitely not hold a conversation in Spanish. I have been studying Spanish for two years, but I didn't live in an area where I could hear Spanish spoken, so although I feel I know quite a bit, it's not the same as actually using it.
Now I'm living in a Spanish speaking country, so I hear Spanish everyday. I was never sure whether grammar was something to focus on intensely, and now I think grammar is important, of course, but now that I am surrounded by Spanish speakers, I realize that they really just want you to try. They're certainly not going to analyze your grammar. It's a great feeling when you realize you've communicated successfully in Spanish, regardless of whether or not your grammar was perfect. When I've spoken Spanish to the people here, and they've understood me, I just want to celebrate!
So let's take a poll. Are you comfortable speaking to a native speaker in your non-native tongue?
Absolutely. I know I make mistakes, it's no big deal. It gets tougher when we get on subjects I don't have the vocabulary for, but you can't acquire the vocabulary if you don't start having the conversations.
People don't care that you make mistakes, they just like to talk. Don't over think it people, just get out there and go for it. The more you talk the more you learn, and the more you learn, the easier it gets. Asi de facil.
Now go forth and speak Spanish. Or English. (smile)
The only time that I have ever had a near conversation in Spanish was with Sandy
and a few others years ago on Skype. The other day I was having a conversation
in Italian with a waiter , afterwards he asked me why i spoke half in Spanish
and half in Italian , I was not aware that I had done , so I can now bugger-up
two languages in one hit , that a hard act to follow , but I shall try .
Thank you for this post Gringojrf, you were always good value.
Hey Gringo, Heh, heh, This is good stuff. I remember when we did this on Skype together as a team for almost a year and we did make a lot of progress. I've lost a lot, but I'm trying to get it back. The thing to do is just to give it a try and not to worry about it. Find some people you are comfortable with. Use language exchanges and set up appointments. Then, just have a conversation. Do half of it in English and half in Spanish. Most people want to be corrected, so it's good to write the corrections on the Skype board so they can see them afterwards. So do what you can to start speaking Spanish. If we wait until we are perfect, we will never get there. It would be like a child not speaking until they knew vocabulary and grammar perfectly. It just doesn't work that way. It's little steps and it's time to begin. .
