Help! Stuck in the basics.
I feel like I am at a point where I have a LOT of vocabulary, but I struggle trying to use it. I even have a brother to practice with who is fluent in spanish, but I just can't seem to learn to converse. Any suggestions?
7 Answers
What exactly are you doing to learn Spanish? If all you are doing is acquiring vocabulary then that is not enough.
If you're not already doing it, I recommend listening to podcasts. You'll learn how to have conversations in addition to vocabulary. Listen to at least one of these podcasts a day and you'll notice a huge improvement in your Spanish.
Here are couple of free sites that you'll find useful:
Talk to your brother as much as you can for as long as you can.Listen to your brother as much as you can for as long as you can. Love thy brother.
@theroadisnarrow
As a beginner, you're exactly where you should be.
Learning Spanish is a long term process. Don't expect to be able to have long conversations in the beginning. That's how it starts, you memorize a few phrases and responses and as you continue to learn and practice you memorize more and more. You're more of a parrot at this stage as opposed to having actual conversations.
Eventually you memorize enough phrases and responses to start having true and somewhat longer conversations. And as you learn/study, you should be speaking to someone, it's a cycle:
Study -- This helps you build the foundation to be able to have conversations
Speak -- This reveals what you truly know and what you don't know. Take note of the things you don't know and/or need more practice with. This will point out what you need to start studying or continue to study. You will also learn more Spanish by talking to people.
It's a never ending circle...study..speak..study. You do this until you become proficient speaker. And if you're serious, it will be a never ending process.
Remember, learning Spanish is a process. You have to keep studying and keep attempting to have conversations no matter how short or difficult they are. The more you do it, the better you get it. I think of it like this" Every new word or phrase I learn and every conversation I have puts me that much closer to my goal of fluency. So that's what I do, learn as much as can and talk as much as I can.
And I'm not sure what you mean when you say you get bored with practice, but try to put your Spanish to practical use in your life. Don't just do grammar exercises or read textbooks, use your Spanish for a purpose. Try reading jokes or short and simple kids books, put your cell phone in Spanish, etc. Give Spanish a purpose in your life. Watch TV shows or YouTube clips. You have to do something with the Spanish you learn.
Anyway, I hope what I said makes sense. Suerte!
You already received some really good answers, so I will just say what you are going through is completely normal. Everyone feels stuck at times... It happens to me a lot. =)
Just keep trying, even if you have to talk to yourself. =D
I know some tongue twisters websites that could practice your ability to pronounce syllables so that newly learnt phrases are not as difficult to remember. Try http://www.uebersetzung.at/twister/es.htm if that helps (although some phrases will be difficult), and for a real challenge, try making some sort of board game or song to help you remember what you've learnt so far.
I have a project assigned in my Spanish class, and I am working on a board game with some friends. I've learnt so much more about other Hispanic countries along with some phrases by doing this.
Hope this helped 
Thanks for the info on Podcasts... I will have to check those out too! However, just like theroadisnarrow, I feel stuck too. I know what it is, I don't have the chance to practice speaking Spanish, other than repeating the phrases and words I'm learning, when I'm alone. The few times I've had the opportunity to try to speak with a person who is fluent in Spanish, I freeze up! I feel like a deer caught in the headlights... or stage fright or something like that! I don't know how to get beyond this problem.
Thanks for the response rodneyp. I have been learning phrases hoping to be able to use them, but when I use a phrase I have memorized I am not able to continue with the conversation. I get stuck. I have tried listening to a couple pod casts, but I am bored with practice. I need a challenge, but trying to use what I have just seems like driving a car without wheels.
