Don't Try to Think in Spanish - Do This Instead

Most learners have the goal of thinking in Spanish. But if we think of our native language, we don’t exactly “think” in it while speaking. We think more in ideas than individual words or mental sentences. Learn how to apply this to your Spanish to speak more fluently.
Want more listening practice? Watch this - Spanish Listening Practice: 5 Podcasts IDEAL for Upper Beginners
• Spanish Listening Prac...
What to improve your Spanish with me? Here are a couple ways I can help:
🗣 Pronunciation workshop - Build Confident Spanish Pronunciation in 5 minutes a day: breakthroughspanish.com/offer...
💻 Join the Saturday Spanish Newsletter - one concrete tip, exercise or idea every Saturday to help you speak confident Spanish faster: breakthroughspanish.com/subsc...
If you liked this video, click the like button to help other Spanish learners find it too :)
Got something to share with me (feedback or video requests)? Go here: forms.gle/fEdXD8V8VavzeZzr5
More at breakthroughspanish.com

[@BreakthroughSpanish]

When you go to say something in Spanish, how often do you start with the English phrase first, then translate in your head? How often does a Spanish phrase just come to you? Btw, if you liked this video, you might enjoy my newsletter - Saturday Spanish. You get one concrete tip, exercise or idea every Saturday to help you build more confident Spanish: breakthroughspanish.com/subscribe

[@aseeyahrhinesmith1413]

I often wondered about this when I hear someone "fluent" in speaking Spanish. They just seem to keep talking and giving examples of what they are trying to say. Now I understand why.....they are trying to convey the meaning not the specific words. Very helpful!!!!!

[@walvisligoria4036]

Soy hablante nativo de español pero tus videos me ayudan a practicar el listening en ingles😆

[@longnamenocansayy]

i got it!!! we don't think in english. we "think" in emotion and express that emotion with english words. tengo hambre. i'm hungry. it all starts in the same place. now i know why i'm not thinking in spanish. i'm learning the words, in my bedroom, nice dry and completely bored. those are the emotions i am associating with the spanish words. i'm just so sure you gave me a leg up. thank you.

[@IAMYOURGRANDFATHER.]

Yes! That breaks it up, so thinking in Spanish doesn’t really happen. Like how thinking in English doesn’t really happen.

[@user-zm9ct4vg3u]

This is a really great video. Sometimes, when I get stuck with my "level," I watch this and realize it doesn't matter. Communication is about finding a way. Eventually, you find the way that works best. Perfection is the enemy of functional.

[@BreakthroughSpanish]

Very true. That makes me happy to hear, thank you for sharing.

[@legendary8838]

That’s my problem I don’t want to sound like a beginner so I always end up speaking in Spanglish to push what I want to say

[@emersonlopezaguirre1654]

Let's do something Sr . I gonna teach you Spanish and you tech me English. I'm native speaker, I have the same problem with English

[@flar33]

​@@emersonlopezaguirre1654hey, are you still learning English? If so I can help you with English and you can help me with spanish?

[@Donna-vh5ym]

​@@emersonlopezaguirre1654// Me encantaría ayudarte a aprender inglés.

[@angelr.4622]

@@emersonlopezaguirre1654too late for lessons? Would love to learn more Spanish from you if possible

[@hamstertrail5437]

The ideas you share about simplifying and using less words to express and idea sounds similar to the technique used by people who struggle with stuttering. This was really useful. Thank you.

[@drwayne_carter9115]

So true. I noticed that phrases that i use a lot just pop out of mouth without me having to think/translate. Thats when i know its permanently learned.

[@theonly_competitor_of_me_is_me]

0:25 i just said hola 😂😂

[@cosnyaxtros1821]

Un consejo, si hay una palabra que acaba en voccal y otra comienza por otra vocal intentar pronunciarlas juntas. Esa fluidez es sinónimo de una mejora compresión posterior.

[@marykatecundiff4477]

I just found your page and it’s been the most helpful advice/videos/teachings that I’ve found in my two years of learning Spanish. It’s like your videos touch on every pain point I’ve experienced. They make me not feel so alone in my language journey. 😅 mil graciasssss

[@DJLiftOFF]

This makes a lot of sense, thanks!!

[@stuartspinner2655]

Great video! After many years of struggling to speak Spanish effectively, I noticed six months ago exactly what you describe. I was constantly getting stuck because I was trying to translate English words and idioms that I didn't know. I've been able to make real progress by working on noticing when this happens and focusing on the simple, underlying ideas -- the same strategy that you recommend. In retrospect, this is probably just what people mean by "thinking in Spanish" but that phrase by itself isn't useful. Your description in the video on the other hand is concrete and very practical, and I think will really help many people. Thanks.

[@ArtrenceWhite]

Keep it up and never stop and never give up Try to do your best

[@wildlifeheather]

You are an incredible teacher! Your videos are really making a difference for my fluency! TY!❤

[@greatbigreddog]

Oh my gosh, did I ever need to hear this!! THANK YOU!! Whew... everything just got easier. 😅

[@strangestofplaces]

Thank you!

[@RobCLynch]

Very good video and a useful concept. I ask friends to ask me yo say something in spanish and i hardly ever say what theyve asked. Instead i say something that means the same thing, using the spanish that i do know, and they cant speak soanish anyhow, so i cant be wrong.

[@Sandra-ne5cd]

Thank you again, you really understand the learning journey and communicate tips so brilliantly. Super helpful- great channel.

[@BreakthroughSpanish]

Thanks Sandra!

[@robinredondo9427]

Very helpful ❤

[@JuanMoreno-wo5yb]

Good ideas. Thanks

[@jimmccarley9609]

Good stuff Connor, I am pretty comfortable, and can talk seamlessly most of the time, but always looking to improve. I will sign up for the news letter. Thanks, Jim

[@BreakthroughSpanish]

thanks Jim! hope you enjoy the newsletter

[@JBMusic3]

This is a really interesting idea and video, really helpful and useful. Thank you :)

[@dbjamdown]

THANK YOU

[@RudyTinoco]

I struggle with this. Great tips! Thanks!

[@BreakthroughSpanish]

Glad it was helpful!

[@flatlandsherpa]

Excellent advice !

[@learningtogether35]

the idea of thinking in the targuet language is to stop translating in your head, just use what you have, exactly as you said :) It is helpful having hypotetical conversation with yourself, like...if you hear about something or whatched a movie, whatever, and then think how a conversation about that topic could be... just be careful where you are cuz people migth think you're a bit crazy

[@kaumingo]

Great advice.

[@ThatLightDan]

Very helpful.

[@pf4773]

superb tips, thanks, ive subscribed

[@franceshall7127]

As always i have learned a lot thank you so much ,,,,,,,,gracias a ti 😍😍

[@BreakthroughSpanish]

Thanks Chele!

[@FrankKimono744]

I call that bypassing words you don't know by using other simpler words you know to express something. It is better to say something not precisely what you mean rather than to get totally stuck. We should strive to think in another language to be more spontaneous and have constant practice in our heads. It also exposes our gaps in vocabulary so we know what we need to learn. And I think that you cannot automatically express ideas streight away. You need to train that process first so it becomes automatic later.

[@ArtrenceWhite]

I love your videos

[@kcorpora1]

When you get to a certain level you start to understand what you cannot directly stranslate. Telling your friend, Let's call it a day! I would just use (dejar) command 1st person plural. dejemos! terminar/acabar el día...

[@leonearl1903]

These are good points and really get to the essence of what is otherwise quite vague advice! To add my personal angle, I found that repeating the same conversation in taxis, about where I come from and what I study, with some room for improvisation and responses, was pretty much what flipped the switch for me. In covering familiar territory, I was able to keep my ideas simple and cement my knowledge. I'm curious about your opinion of using spanglish to maintain flow in conversation. Would you say it's detrimental/beneficial to learning?

[@BreakthroughSpanish]

Thank you! I had a similar experience - repetitive conversations helped me build confidence in certain areas and have the feeling of words coming out more fluently, even if I didn’t speak all that well yet. Re: Spanglish, I would try to avoid it as a Spanish learner. Otherwise I think it’d be too easy to reach for the English word/idiom anytime is convenient, which doesn’t help you communicate in most of the Spanish speaking world outside the US. To me a better solution to keeping conversations going is to just explain your way around things. Not always easy, but better in the long run in my opinion

[@antoniocope5877]

Lo dejiste bien.

[@aparicioarguinarena4483]

thinking first in your mother tongue is something every learner does. eventually, when you have reached a determinate level of the language you are learning, translating in your head all the time is something you stop doing. however it takes time, but I think it's something which all of us have gone through. Btw, my first language is Spanish.

[@bkstroh]

I agree that trying to translate phrases on the spot isn't productive. That's a multi step process, you have to conjure up all the right words, determine the structure/grammar of the sentence and then finally speak it. Focus on learning the language as a whole and don't focus so much on just memorizing words and phrases. Pay attention and practice the rhythm in which they speak. Keep it simple to start, learn to say as much as you can with the smallest vocabulary possible. The rest will come as you learn. You could memorize every word and still not be able to speak spanish!

[@whybecuzimme]

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@Dozidotes]

I really appreciate your approach. It helps me stress less about speaking Spanish while I'm trying to learn the grammer. Thanks!

[@rayp4986]

We do the same thing in English when we have trouble expressing ourselves. Not sure why this isn’t so natural when learning a new language

[@kcorpora1]

It is natural when learning another language because you cannot say what you do not know so you have to find other words to express. I call it substituting. If you cannot say directly, say it another way which sometimes may take on more words but you get your point across. Example: Maria will take charge. Marie se hará cargo de la situación. Ok you don't know hacerse cargo. So you just say: Maria será la jefa de la situación

[@jefferyenogieru28]

Summary 1. 7:02 Focus on the overarching idea or gist, not the individual words. 2. 7:14 Immerse and surround yourself with Spanish content. This way it becomes naturally ingrained. 3. 7:36 Focus less on grammar in conversations. Don’t second guess or over analyze what is being said and allow conversations to flow naturally.

[@6et6stude]

Funny, i said Hola

[@KatherineBrasby-me8xx]

It took forever to create a account

[@NoaNoir]

Palabras individuales tienen menos importancia que pensamientos completos.

[@B89Stranger]

He’s cute 😍🤤

[@KatherineBrasby-me8xx]

Please say something to me

[@sashakartus3435]

Thinking in Spanish will come naturally when you will be talking to them and than when you will think about the situation with them you will talking to Spanish with them in your mind.

[@OzkAltBldgCo-bv8tt]

Language games Babadum Lingo play

[@random269]

Converting spanish to perfect English, does not help be learn spanish grammar.

[@ericzohar1345]

Ya .. doesn't sound polite to me.. at all So Can I have , Is a no no Bring me.. really ? For me ..? I'm francophone and you cannot say those phrases How about May I have ? Or Could I have ?

[@KatherineBrasby-me8xx]

@Sandra3 please talk to me