Hola
Hola,
Me llamo Michelle. Vivo en España y quiero mejorar mi español.
I seem to get bogged down by the grammar so much so I can´t get my words out and spend too much time trying to think what has been said to me. Anyone have the same problem? Anyone got any tips for overcoming this?
Muchas gracias
M
4 Answers
Hi Michelle, do have a look at the great vocabulary lists. They not only indicate the vocabulary but fixed sentences, grammar stuff like use of gerund and infinitive...
i was having the EXACT same problem.
what you should do is TALK TALK TALK in spanish.
the more you practice the better you get.
dont be shy, and just talk with whomever you can at all possible times.
it will get your mind thinking faster && in spanish.
great luck!
Tip: Take a grammatical point that you want to improve on, so some drills, and try to complete the exercises as accurate as you can. Then chose a topic that interests you, where using this grammatical theme makes sense, and talk about it for a while (better with a native, but alone otherwise), but concentrate more on what you are saying than the mistakes. Try not to worry about mistakes at this point: just express what you wanted to say as clear as you can, regardless of the grammar. If you record this, you can review it later and improve on the mistakes, but you need to allow yourself to use the language even if you make mistakes; otherwise it will take you forever to speak it fluently. If you find it hard to keep talking while making mistakes, try with a drink... or two. 
I have the same problem with trying to "pick up on" every detail of what a speaker has said, and then I miss the main point. The "Better at Listening" exercises on the BBC Languages website emphasize listening for key points, but it's not so easy to put into practice.
You are so lucky to live in Spain, you will make progress really fast! I'm jealous! 
