How I Became Fluent in Spanish Studying On My Own

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[@QrooSpanish]

Join the Qroo Crew for More Content www.skool.com/qroo Want to thank me? Buy me a coffee www.buymeacoffee.com/qroo

[@wincoffin7985]

Best thing about learning Spanish back in my 20's (I'm 70 now) was learning how to learn a language. So maybe I can offer another technique (in addition to your excellent video suggestions) for intermediate to "advanced" students: It's a really good goal to be able to hear and understand Spanish, and later to speak it, WITHOUT any translation going on. To achieve this, I started READING Spanish -- from magazines, newspapers, whatever I could get my hands on, then reading FAST. Without even trying to understand every little thing. No time for translating in my head -- just read at breakneck speed, almost skimming. After a while, yes, the meaning begins to sink in, with greater and greater clarity! It's a great exercise. Equally valuable: do a similar thing when listening. I try to listen to really fast-delivered news reports or sports commentators. It can sound like total gibberish at first, but a few words get in. Then sometimes a whole sentence or thought pops clearly in. And at times, after more practice, a whole paragraph or more! It's amazing how well it can happen -- but does depend on a certain basic vocabulary, etc -- so it's great as you mature in your journey. The other way, speaking, isn't so easy -- but it does come from lots of practice, and lots of applying the above technique which helps indirectly. The trick with speaking, I find, is again, to avoid translating -- but to think in CONCEPTS, not sentences. A particular CONCEPT is often approached differently in Spanish than in English, often in a more explicit and wordy way. If you're having trouble expressing your idea going down one path (one that resembles the English approach most likely), try instead going down a different path that gets to the same goal, your CONCEPT. Hope that helps in some way. 😊

[@marionharley287]

Great advice…..it’s all about knowing where to divide one’s interest all to learn to speak Spanish fluently. Isn’t it a beautiful language?

[@TradeGodMon]

Thanks I needed this

[@bernardbarbour]

Super great idea. I will apply reading more. Been living here in Bogota for over a year and it's coming along. I have been practicing duo lingo, it has helped. I listen to a lot of radio, watch a lot of movies in Spanish with english subtitles, but reading a news paper i need to brush up on. Thanks for the tips.

[@rougaroi178]

@@bernardbarbour You should start watching them in the Spanish subtitles instead, because with the English, your mind is just going to focus on what it already knows and the Spanish in the program becomes background noise.

[@garyfrancis6193]

Mucho gracias senor. I do that with Korean.

[@robertgillies9382]

Being married to a Panamanian girl for ten years who never spoke one word of English to me caused me to become fluent in Spanish. I never studied Spanish but living in a home where only Spanish is spoken gradually caused me to become fluent. At the present time most of my friends can't speak English. I live in Panama.

[@IamTeddy100]

🇵🇦🇵🇦🇵🇦

[@divatee9705]

I learned a lot of Spanish in Panama, especially the slang. It's been years since I left. I live in Houston, and I don't get to practice much 😢

[@MeijerBoy]

Im not even gonna ask how the fuck you pulled a person that speaks spanish without speaking spanish yourself you most be gorgeous or some shit cause what

[@friedchicken892]

@@divatee9705Go on tandem, i talki and find a partner!

[@ruthiewilder468]

How long did it take?

[@mamaahu]

When I was studying Spanish in Guatemala, my teacher explained that “El español es el idioma de los sueños. El inglés es el idioma de los negocios. (Spanish is the language of dreams. English is the language of business) That is why we use the subjunctive most of the time, because, “who can say for sure?” I loved this distinction and why I love the language and people so much. We could be more dreamy and they could use some certainty! Thank you for this great video!

[@QrooSpanish]

Thanls for sharing that. I like that comparison. :)

[@mickeencrua]

"Subjective"?

[@mamaahu]

@@mickeencrua Thanks . I’ll change it now. Love me an eagle-eyed copy editor!

[@gnolan4281]

Remember that the language of Shakespeare and Dickens are shining and enduring examples of a language that in its essence lends itself to poetry and dreams.

[@YoelMonsalve]

Yeah, Spanish has more than one way to say the same thing, some of them are very subtle, other are more direct (I'm a native speaker).

[@mediamannaman]

I'm 65. I took 3 years of Spanish in high school, and minored in it in college. I totally agree with you! I learned from a book, and I applied what I learned EVERY CHANCE I got, even talking to myself in Spanish and thinking in Spanish when there were no native speakers available to speak with. Understanding the grammar rules is key to speaking (and understanding) well. It is a foundation that will speed up the learning curve as you practice and use this beautiful language.

[@Jaang29]

hola, que buenos escuchar que s un beautiful language, saludos desde Miami, Fl, where r u from ?

[@mediamannaman]

@@Jaang29 Vivo en el centro de Texas, así que tengo la oportunidad de practicar de vez en cuando.

[@AndreHarrisIi-zb8tx]

how did u start to think in spanish? i am currently learning it

[@mediamannaman]

@@AndreHarrisIi-zb8tx You just choose to think in Spanish. You might say to someone, “Good night. I’m going to bed.” But in your mind you think, “Buenas noches. Hmmm. Let’s see. Yo voy a cama. Is that right?” Nowadays you have the luxury of having a translation app on your mobile phone so you look it up. “Wait. It says, ‘Me voy a la cama.’ OK, I wonder why it says ‘Me voy,’ or why I have to say ‘la’ before cama. I’ll have to ask about that at my next Spanish class.” It’s a choice, and a discipline, that you instill in your own mind.

[@Dubai892JK]

@@mediamannaman hi, could you please explain the difference between saying, voy a cama or me voy a cama... You started the topic and placed a nice common doubt between new Spanish learners and didn't really clear the doubt...

[@MaryDeanDotCom]

Great lesson! What worked for me was memorizing “dialogos” from textbooks, as though I were an actor who had to memorize lines for a TV show. I repeated them faster and faster until they were ingrained, just like an actor does. (A voice recorder is great for getting feedback on your accent, too.) Once you have a single dialog memorized, your brain will AUTOMATICALLY start substituting phrases as needed. “Qué pasó en la esquina?” becomes “Qué pasó en la fiesta? en el carro? en Nashville?” …. “Con tanto tráfico, ya no me gusta manejar” becomes, “Con tantos enfermos, ya no me gusta tomar el bus,” etc. This works MUCH faster than trying to build sentences brick by brick, and you start to SOUND fluent right from the start.

[@QrooSpanish]

That's a good technique.

[@33Jenesis]

I read a lot of beach reads after I moved to USA, zeroing in on dialogues. I also recited newspaper articles and read a whole lot of different magazines. It took me 7 years to converse in English without pause or formulating. It was quite magical because one day I simply opened my mouth to let English come out. It took 7 years of constant absorption to make me an English speaker.

[@McDonaldsDude]

That's how I did it. I would read Wikipedia Spanish articles faster and faster and voice record myself.

[@RocioRomanG]

If someone want to keep a conversation with me in Spanish, told me...

[@RocioRomanG]

I learning English now

[@Mary-S11]

It’s funny because I’m a native Spanish speaker and I love watching videos like this.😀 I think it’s because I’ve been learning English for many years and watching this kind of content just gives me more motivation and tips to improve my English. In the end the learning method is basically the same.😊

[@CynthiaWinward]

This is the first video of yours I have watched and wow….it’s like you read my mind and knew my exact frustrations with Spanish (after working on it for early 3 years). Thank you! Also, my dad was a deputy sheriff in Southern California in the 70s and he used his (fluent) Spanish a lot. I loved hearing his stories!

[@damondominique]

with every new show on netflix, hbo max, etc. being available in multiple languages, immersion has never been easier y'all

[@QrooSpanish]

That's true.

[@flatlandsherpa]

This is absolute gold. I find myself locking up whenever I try to say anything because I am trying to form the entire sentence in my head before speaking. It’s been very discouraging. This technique look like just what I need. Thank you Qroo!

[@QrooSpanish]

I'm glad to hear that you found it useful. I am certainly familiar with that feeling of discouragement when it comes to learning a language. Maybe this little tip is just what you need to push through that. :)

[@laughterontheroad5034]

So happy to see this! I am self teaching with your help and this is exactly the system I realize I have started in my brain. More please 😊

[@MD-ok2oo]

This is great, clear advice from a pragmatic person and not too over academic like some other vids on KZbin. This is a compliment. Thanks man

[@katikat1913]

Omg, I've been stuck in learning Spanish and this answers to all of my questions. Keep making videos Sir! I will support you all the way!!

[@yannababi]

Super useful video! You have inspired me to restart my conversational Spanish journey! Thank you and please continue these videos!

[@donnalofton7988]

That was outstanding! Wow, I'm so impressed by your tenacity in learning Spanish for yourself AND by the way you shared the "traincar" idea and spoke about the indicative and subjunctive moods. I took six years of Spanish in school (many years ago) and wondered why I still struggled to speak the language effectively. Now I'm dying to watch more of your videos.

[@Lovejuvae]

This is my first video of yours and initially I didn’t know what to expect but your perspective is very refreshing and I’m excited to apply it & continue my Spanish journey!!

[@CaptainButtCheeks]

This is the single-most informative take on the the process of learning a language and the reality of conversational usage that I have come across on the platform thus-far, thank you so much for this. Really helped to reorient myself and get my feet under me. Way less overwhelmed 10/10

[@keithnisbet]

I have to say that your lessons/videos are the most succinct and helpful explanations of Spanish language learning that I have come across. I'm at 10 months of daily duolingo, and while a good beginning, I am struggling in exactly the areas you discussed here. A couple of light bulbs went on today. Thank you. I also appreciate your calm reasonably paced delivery. ❤

[@brandyhenderson]

Out of all of the videos I’ve watched over the course of 10+ years, this was by far the most helpful of them all. I feel like I’ve been in this stuck / peak-progression status and no longer making any progress with this, but you just gave me the renewed hope I was needing. Thank you so much for your time and effort!

[@ppw8716]

This is awesome. First time on your channel and you’ve reignited my desire to try learning Spanish again. I’ve tried several times. Hopefully, I, too can become fluent someday. Thank you for these tips.

[@BOULDERGEEK]

Another awesome one, Paul. I just realized that I have been watching you for more than a year. We are now in Ecuador, evaluating living for several months. We have some downtime with medical care, so we can take some time to bump up the Spanish. This will help immensely. Combining these hints with our classroom instruction. Ciao, y hasta luego!

[@Gardengal79]

Thank you so much for helping me. I'm a stay at home mom of 5 that simply wanted to start learning Spanish on my own. I thought it would be useful to know. Since then, I've fallen in love with the language, the culture, the people and their kindness. This is my second year of learning, and I want to reach fluency the way you describe in this video. Grateful for your channel. Thank you!

[@walkerskii]

Yes please do another video of practice stringing together sentences thank you this is fantastic!

[@taketoohtani6202]

One of the best or most practical lessons I have listened to. Thank you for your presentation.

[@louandbarb]

I am so happy your video popped up on my feed. I have been attempting to learn Spanish via Duolingo and am enjoying it, but need some extra help. Thank you so much for making these videos, Paul. I will be working through them.

[@getsugatenshou1879]

you're a lot better than those spanish teachers in school. the way you explain everything and your tips are really effective.

[@WhiteoutMonster]

Oh man oh man. I REALLY like the idea of using pieces of sentences or sayings versus singular words. Now, I am studying with Duolingo, and I'm getting to the point I can almost read and understand the words in Spanish as fast as I can translate them, so I'm almost to the point of not needing to translate, just understanding the Spanish, but I'm definitely gonna be checking out more from your channel. Considering I just learned something on my drive to work from you, I'm willing to bet your channel is a gold mine. Saludos!

[@jeffonken4769]

Es la primera vez que me encuentro con tus videos. Me alegro de haberlo hecho. Aprecio tu estructura y explicas muy bien las cosas. Gracias. Planeo escuchar y ver muchos más de tus videos. Recientemente compré el libro que mencionas. ¡Excelente!

[@caro1591]

Superb video. I only discovered your channel a couple of weeks ago and it’s brilliant. I accept that we all learn in different ways and I , like you, find it really helpful to have the grammar rules and know I would really struggle to learn a language without them. I love your tips for building sentences and I really appreciate the diverse vocabulary that you use in your videos. My problem (and I don’t really think it’s a problem) is that I really love your channel (Mexican Spanish) , the place I get to practice Spanish is in Europe and I have nearly finished my second novel by Isabel Allende, who I assume uses Chilean Spanish - I love her work so much that I have just bought another….but hey, I get to see the subjunctive being used numerous times on every page. Thank you so much for the great videos.

[@garrymoore2468]

Thanks Paul, I started watching your animated learn videos. In my sixties and small town Alberta Canada, not a lot of chance to "speak" with someone. I about fell off the chair when you said 1.5-2 years to be fluent. Appreciate your lessons, the tips, everything. Keep making them please.

[@crimsonbear9582]

Paul, I continue to really get a lot out of your videos and I'm very happy that you have begun focusing on your Spanish videos again. I love your approach to learning and using Spanish in a very focused way that allows one to "supercharge" their learning at the advanced beginner / early intermediate level. Really appreciate you doing this to help others behind you in the Spanish language journey.

[@QrooSpanish]

Thanks. I took a break from making Spanish videos for awhile to focus on my main channel (Qroo Paul & Linda) and to travel. I enjoy helping others and sharing what has worked for me on my own journey to learn Spanish.

[@gabrielsoria8935]

Great content!! Really good at breaking it down and explaining why. Thank you!

[@apolloinvegas]

Wow! May I just say, this is one of the best videos I've seen on learning Spanish. I agree 100% with what you said. I've been living in Colombia for a year, studying and practicing and speaking with locals every day, and I still am not even close to conversational. I've watched tons of KZbin videos. The best I've found so far are Notiloca, Pro Spanish, Destinos, Mimic Method, and Language Transfer. I also use old school Pimsleur. But your methodology just "clicked" with me. It totally makes sense. Thank you for sharing your experience. You have a new fan and I will be watching more of your content.

[@Mexitplans]

Wow! The information in this video and the editing with the multicolor indications for the words are phenomenal.

[@QrooSpanish]

Thank you so much.

[@jennyg5426]

“Do I have to do it?” Si. Cracked me up.

[@khamzaliev3881]

Hey! I'm setting up a small community group for Spanish learners, if you are into it if you'd like to join just respond to this message and I'll leave my whatsapp so we can contact!

[@miriamspandereta]

Great tips ! I really appreciate the phrases & word combinations (chunks) and would love to learn some more of those.

[@sloaneandres5291]

Just found this channel. I am IMPRESSED! This guy's teaching skills are awesome.

[@divingsteve]

Thanks for this excellent, introductory yet advanced, lesson. I plan to share it with my Mexican tutor. My path towards fluency continues, but I see numerous parallels between your path and mine. You referred to the subjunctive as a blueprint; I use skeleton. Please do more of your conversational breakdowns. Keep 'em coming.

[@TheSPACEDIEVEST1]

That’s right about fluency. Thanks for your service.

[@carolinesposto2946]

Thank you. This video is excellent. You are so smart and so able to explain things in a way that will make people want to listen. So many people who think they speak a language only think they're speaking it. They don't know what they don't know.

[@12romeo53]

Great video Qroo, thank you! I have been “studying” Spanish off and on for several years, but now work in an environment that is mostly Spanish - so I’ve been looking for a way to kickstart the learning. Your approach and strategy aligns well with my thoughts and theories especially since watching videos by the YT channel Learning Spanish. Similar approach - connect phrases instead of just memorizing words and verb tenses. Thanks again!

[@larryshobbies1454]

I’ve watched several of your videos and really enjoy your style. I really like your idea about memorizing several sentence starters, or phrases for set ideas, then dropping in the rest of the sentence. I’m already finding that helpful.

[@QrooSpanish]

Awesome, thank you!

[@jonmikolajewski7167]

I'm about 9 months into picking up where I left off in highschool hace veinte años. I'm at the point where hearing "1 and a half to 2 years" is a relief; that alone made me feel and behave more fluent -- on top of just finding and subscribing to your channel. Thanks for your work here and in the communities you serve!

[@HappieronaHorse]

The most useful of these types of videos I’ve ever seen. Wow. Thank you!

[@FistOfMichallin]

This condenses everything that helps to acquire functional use! Thank you!

[@dodgecukc]

One of the best learning Spanish video I have seen, zero BS. Thank you.

[@QrooSpanish]

Thanks for the feedback.

[@karlberggreen3416]

Hi Qroo, first time watcher, I’ve been trying to learn Spanish for a few weeks and this video is really helpful. I look forward to watching all your videos. It’s been the best thing I’ve seen so far. Thank you so much. Please keep it up! Jim

[@QrooSpanish]

Thanks, Jim.

[@johnbridson900]

I'm delighted to have found this channel, it's fantastic, thank you. You're a gifted teacher and your content is tremendously helpful. You've made me a subjunctive-convert this week! I'm 56 and trying to revive the Spanish I learned at school here in England for seven years up to age 18. You're right, I think we started on the subjunctive after about 5 years on other tenses and, for the reasons you give here and in your other videos, it's a mistake not to learn the subjunctive from the start. I want to speak the Spanish of Spain, so I take your point about needing to learn Spanish from a speaker of the Spanish that interests the learner. For that, I've found an all-Spanish channel of a Spaniard in London, and I have weekly conversations on italki. But augmenting those with your videos has really made me feel like I can get somewhere now. Thank you!

[@kathyneff2042]

Wow! Just what I need to add to my Duolingo I’ve been learning on. A real person! I love the clarity, the side screen layout, the highlights, the train reference ~ clearly you have a teaching gift! Thanks for your work!

[@juliocesarzermenolotina3708]

You’re a great story teller. I love the intricacies of the Spanish language which is deceptively way more difficult than what people think.🎉

[@QrooSpanish]

Thank you so much!

[@SWAT-Medic1349]

You and I have a lot in common. I passed HS Spanish with a D as well, mainly for my efforts. I am a retired cop. Despite not doing well with academic Spanish , I became conversational by immersing. I made many friends and did not allow them to speak English around me. It worked out great!

[@beemercycle]

How long did that take?

[@mjperfume1523]

I have been to Mexico over 30 yrs and im still learning. Youre video encourages me to keep plugging at it. I know many words but learning the subjectivo plus the presento paso , i like how u put the words together and hopefully 🤞 can speed up the pace.!!! Muchismo gracias

[@TravelDiva61]

Absolutely, I need more follow up on this video! For the first time I've learned that I can actually become fluent with the "caboose" method of yours! How exciting!

[@allison5275]

I've been learning languages for years in an out of elementary school, college, etc and this might be THE best language learning video I've ever seen. Thank you so much for making this !

[@QrooSpanish]

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)

[@Thelegendhaha]

Hey, I was reluctant to check out another Spanish tuition video but I’m so glad I did. I’m also an ex Police Officer (31 years in UK) so I really respect and appreciate your advice and opinions on the topic of language learning for the average person. I moved to Spain a few years ago and am still struggling to reach fluency so I’m looking for tips from somebody that has been in a similar situation. Great advice so far, I’ll keep practicing. Thanks.

[@QrooSpanish]

Thanks for checking out the video. Spain sounds like an awesome retirement destination. Enjoy your retirement and I wish you luck on learning Spanish. :)

[@rolinychupetin]

You are awesome. Sharing your experience is inspiring and works both to people going from English to Spanish, or those who go in the opposite direction. I'll point friends in this direction. Thanks.

[@bigskyblessing]

Awesome video! I am finally done with all my intense airline training. Living in Tequisquiapan full-time and working in the USA. Today is day one of watching Paul everyday lol😂. I am getting back serious with learning Spanish. It’s overwhelming to begin with. I have been trying for years and about 30% fluent now. It’s encouraging to hear how you did and to see you be so fluent! Thanks for the lessons

[@warcryplayer5751]

I'm a native Spanish speaker from Mexico and I can relate to your experience using the subjunctive since it also happened to me but the other way around. Although I had been told to avoid translating at school, sometimes I had to do it, as a result, the subjunctive skilfully showed up in my mind and I every time it happened I wondered what the heck was that "tense" and how to translate it into English then I started practicing along with Americans and Canadians (30 min of English 30 min of Spanish that was our deal) and they used to ask me how to use the subjunctive and I always told them that I didn't know what the subjunctive was, it wasn't till they gave me an example that I realized that the subjunctive was that "tense" that sometimes showed up in my head which I didn't know how to translate thus, I started studying my own language in depth and I did my own research which led me to know what is the equivalent of the subjuntive in English. What I'm trying to say is that it is confusing for both sides and don't be discouraged. As a final note, I think English really push me to be more aware about the gramar of my own language so that it's also cool.

[@YoelMonsalve]

Subjunctive mood has a lot of interesting discussions on the Internet. Some people say that "subjunctive" doesn't exist in English, which is false. English DOES have subjunctive, but it is a *mood*, not a different conjugation (tense), like we have in Spanish. They do the subjunctive sometimes with the past tense of auxiliary or regular verb: If I had gone there ... / Si yo hubiera ido allí (had = past of have). Usually we have to infer the subjunctive by the character/context of the sentence rather than by the tense used. Some say that the subjunctive is "disappearing" from English in the context of native conversations, .... I don't know if that is even true. It'd be really sad if subjunctive is eliminated from the English language, as it is useful to confer certain special meanings to the sentence, and also a *heritance* from our ancient languages: Greek and Latin. There is a lot of discussion about depth grammar topic of the English language, and I find them really interesting to read. I like to read them and compare with the similar situation in our (Spanish) language.

[@RoberCr]

Como hablante del español tampoco sabia esto del "subjunctive"

[@catherinegrimes2308]

I didn't know very much about English grammar until I started learning German.

[@catherinegrimes2308]

@@YoelMonsalve The subjective in English is inherited from its Germanic roots that in turn is inherited from Proto-Indo-European.

[@manfredneilmann4305]

The subjunctive is not a "tense" (like present or past tense), but a "mood" (another verb mood is the imperative).

[@eboli7146]

I love your opening comment about defining fluency. As a language learner myself, I say the same thing to people who ask. I agree with your definitions and have also found, a level of fluency is understanding jokes and actually being witty myself, it shows I’m grasping both the language and some cultural nuances too 😃

[@safurm]

Just subscribed (and gave a thumbs up to this video!) to this channel after having been subscribed to your other channel. Really helpful lessons as I teach myself spanish in preparation for retiring half-time to our house in Ajijic in a couple years. Thank you!

[@lynnh2172]

This video is so helpful! I’ve been studying Spanish for a number of years. Not consistently, obviously. But now, I have a dear cubana friend (and her entire family now 😂) that I spend a lot of time with. Your tips are going to help me tremendously. Thank you!

[@someoneelse6934]

También soy oficial de policía jubilado (de New England). Estos fueron algunos consejos excelentes, especialmente sobre el aprendizaje de pequeñas "frases fragmentadas" en lugar de simplemente aprender palabras de vocabulario individuales. Ahora estoy suscrito. Gracias.

[@theonlymrkevin]

This video has been very helpful to me. Thank you. I have been studying Spanish for 13 months with Duolingo and have been wondering about how to become less halting when I speak. Great tips! Also, instances of the subjunctive mood have been introduced in the app leaving me puzzled with no explanation of the conjugations. It's much clearer after this video. I'm certainly glad that I'm not behind. It seems that your exposure to Spanish spanned far longer than 2 years before you became fluent having started in school and interacting with native speakers in your job. When I heard you truly became fluent that fast, I thought that I wasn't learning enough. Now I'm encouraged. Your content is an excellent reference.

[@annemarielee7311]

Delighted to have found Qroo Paul. Very interesting and informative videos (without the stress). 👍

[@tqr3398]

wow! so simple but the tip about breaking sentences into set phrases, cars on a train, is a great concept. i think this will help me progress better from beginner intermediate to more advanced intermediate. Just subscribed, thanks 😊

[@donnafoster5215]

Yes, I studied Spanish in college and the grammar I learned gives me a basis to understand what Spanish-speakers are saying. I learned Castilian Spanish and was able to communicate with people in Mexico. For sure, sometimes I used words that not common in Mexico. My problems are speed and lack of confidence.

[@bravo2966]

It makes a huge difference learning it yourself at home and never actually NEEDING to use the language, than living, working, or holidaying in a Spanish speaking location. If you see and hear Spanish every day you pick it up WAY faster.

[@iamnaturalke]

I agree. I feel the same way. I guess I have to really immerse myself in the language .

[@RandolphMaunder]

I'm impressed! A great lineup of good information. Some things I am already using but I have been ignoring the subjunctive!!

[@gford9988]

WOW! Excellent info. My brain almost locked up when you talked about how someone should leverage their current language for understanding sentence structure of new language. That made so much sense, but never heard that idea before.

[@VB-cg1su]

I completely agree with you about the subjunctive. It is a mystery to me why formal Spanish classes treat the subjunctive as a subject to be taught only if there is enough time left in the semester. I studied Spanish for more than 7 years, starting with junior high. In that entire time period, I doubt that more than 2 weeks total was spent on the subjunctive. Another problem was the way teachers stressed the importance of the Formal You. The Informal You was mentioned, but not considered important. Yet in real life it is the Informal You that is used constantly. Anyway, thank you for your suggestions about starter phrases. It is very helpful to have this information.

[@patricebennett1100]

El m Australian and have been learning Spanish since 99. Yep you read that right. I have learnt more from you than I have in that 23 min than I have with years of lessons. Wow. Am eager to tune into your videos for sure. Thank you. Xoxox ❤

[@QrooSpanish]

Welcome to the channel. :)

[@ShaneJBurke1]

Such a great video man, such a smart way at going at learning Spanish cause I have been studying for four years and know a lot but struggling to speak and comprehend . I am giving this a try.

[@garyhocking8884]

A lovely teaching method and its execution. As an ex teacher and student now I know this is good stuff!

[@tiffanymcallister2089]

Super inspirational video. I’ve been teaching myself Spanish for right at 1 year now. Native speakers I know tell me I’m doing exceptionally well, and strangers I run into (that I have the courage to talk to in Spanish, haha!) are always impressed with my accent and my level of Spanish in the short time I’ve been learning. But inside I know I’m still a long way from FEELING fluent. I love how this video describes the actual learning process, and how real people progress in the language. I sometimes get discouraged with the “fluent in 30 days videos” but have come to learn they’re almost all fake. Fluency takes enormous amounts of time and dedication, exposure to the language and passion to learn, especially when starting from zero, as an adult. I keep plugging away at it and this video has inspired me that I really can be “fluent” even if it takes me another year to feel that way…I think I’m doing ok :) Thank you! (New subscriber) 😊

[@QrooSpanish]

Thanks for watching. It's easy to get discouraged along the way. I've been discouraged many times during the journey to learn Spanish. There were some aspects of the language I just didn't think I would ever really understand. Later down the road, I was using them without really thinking about it. You have the right approach, just keep plugging away at it. My goal was jut to be a little better at Spanish than I was the day before. That kept me on track. Good luck on your journey to reach fluency. You sound like you have the dedication and passion for it. I'm sure you will meet your goals.

[@marquismontgomery5655]

Thank you for your content it keeps me motivated

[@QrooSpanish]

Happy to hear that!

[@ejcr3198]

Your comments about the subjunctive are very true. So many people don't understand it but it is the key. Thanks for the video.

[@untenableposition3057]

Great vid! I've been learning Mexican Spanish piecemeal in the last couple of years and haven't come across these "moods" until this video. Thank you!

[@toreykesteven2223]

I once had a Spanish teacher REFUSE to teach me subjunctive until I had mastered all the other verb tenses....so I got another teacher 😆 So glad to see you validate the need for subjunctive early on! Terrific video, loved the sentence starter tip, I did something similar when I began and I've had trouble articulating it so I will definitely be referring back to this vid, thank you

[@QrooSpanish]

You were right to get rid of that teacher! That's crazy. :)

[@VoVina111]

We never even learned it and after this video I'm no longer wondering why I keep being like??? At verb conjugations that I don't recognize while watching TV shows 😂

[@StephGorz]

Thanks for your service Paul. Finding yours videos very helpful, Semper Fi

[@QrooSpanish]

Thank you. I'm happy to hear that you like the videos.

[@charliesomoza5918]

Best wishes for all of you! As a Spanish the best advice I can tell you guys is to listen a lot, reading a lot and the best thing is that spanish is said as is writte! Take time but is worth it.

[@drzman6901]

Excellent job Paul. I really enjoy your videos. I am at a point where I can make myself understood by Spanish-only speakers. I can ask for things, and comment on their appearance (compliments only), the weather, ask for food, where things are, etc. The problem I have is when they respond to me. I feel like I am drinking out of a fire hose. I can understand most of the beginner Spanish I hear online, but intermediate becomes difficult and I can forget advanced. A video on some aids in "hearing" and understanding Spanish speakers would be greatly appreciated. I learned about your conjugated-conjugated verb trick a long time ago and it's dynamite for getting sentences off the ground. Keep up the good work!

[@QrooSpanish]

Listening comprehension is definitely one of the most challenging aspects of learning any language. I do have some tips for that. Thanks for the suggestion to do a video on the topic. :)

[@Munromad]

Great video! I'm an Aussie and have been studying Spanish for around 4 years. I started learning after visiting through South America several times and becoming interested in learning the language. I'm now planning to spend a year in Mexico in 2024, and achieve the level of fluency I'm after.

[@neilpatel7707]

What will you do in Mexico for a year ?? 😅

[@Munromad]

@@neilpatel7707 I'll figure that out when I get there 🤣. I actually do have it all planned out and in general the plan is to simply spend a year away from work as a physical and mental reset. I'd like to go out walking every morning/evening, do a few gym sessions a week, do some volunteering... and just enjoy a nice slow-paced year. I'll base myself in one place but will visit other areas of the country, and I plan to take a small group tour through the central American countries as well. Above all I want to spend time getting to know the locals and taking my Spanish to the next level. After a year, I'll either return home or take an early retirement and go somewhere else.

[@mattbasford]

Paul…dude, you are spot on. I’m here in Jacksonville Florida, and I relate so much to your experiences and frustrations with learning Spanish in the past. That’s pretty much where I am now. This is the first video of yours I have watched and I am subscribing to your channel immediately. Your presentation and delivery is so perfect and pleasing to watch….and it’s so satisfying to digest all of your material.

[@QrooSpanish]

Thanks. I appreciate that.

[@carolyngass3367]

Great first intro for me to speaking Spanish. Definitely want more from you!

[@daydays12]

So refreshing to find an authentic person on YT who doesn't "sell" ' AI language learning.' ( which seems not to have teaching ( or learning) skills . This is so much more realistic, analytical and helpful. From real experience. The comments are too 😊

[@xkaustin]

Gracias. He estado aprendiendo Espanol por 15 meses. Esta video es Perfecto. I feel stuck....and not making any progress lately. AND your video has inspired me. Gracias!!!

[@rebekahblesi7526]

¡Tú puedes! Aún estás usando estructuras más avanzadas. Es normal sentir que no estás mejorando una vez que llegas a un nivel intermedio. Pero si continúes vas a poder ver que tanto mejoraste en algunos meses.

[@dianac954]

Vas muy bien, felicidades! Saludos desde México 🇲🇽

[@jmg1619]

Práctica y sigue aprendiendo gramática. Y si tienes la oportunidad busca alguien que hable español.

[@reecewatson4779]

A lot of what you said, and what was mentioned in the comments, not only gave good information and strategies, but, perhaps more importantly for me, it's extremely relatable. It's reassuring to hear others voice the challenges and steps of this journey that I've been on. I consider myself upper-intermediate, with the subjunctive being the barrier for me to enter the advanced level. I understand it most of the time, but I don't feel comfortable using it myself and end up relying on the indicative far too often. My non-English speaking friends still seem to understand me most of the time, lol, but I'm definitely looking to improve. My goal is to one day be as capable of expressing myself and understanding the rules of the Spanish language as I do in English. It's a long shot, but 'aim small, miss small.' Thanks for all the tips and strategies, as well as the relatable feelings and thoughts. You have a new subscriber :)

[@roseofsharon7551]

Great comment about boosting vocabulary. I’m studying Portuguese at the moment and finding similar conversions from English to Portuguese. Using the LingQ app which focuses on reading and listening and receiving tutoring each week. This method is far, far better than the way I learned Spanish and Japanese 40 years ago with the textbook grammar and unnatural vocabulary memorization requirements. Glad to find your channel. The only thing needed for language learning success is motivation. For those leaning a new language, find the motivation and keep finding material that interests you and you will surely succeed!

[@ron61584]

Great video. It’s good to see you make a new video. I’ve been speaking Spanish for a little over 3 years, and it was hard to form sentences before I knew the subjunctive. I’m around a lot of Puerto Rican Spanish, and I got pretty good at understanding that, then when I hear Mexican Spanish like watching the el chapo series, it’s hard to hear every single word they say. The hardest thing about Spanish is that it’s spoken extremely fast for the most part, and it’s rarely spoken super proper, as it’s taught to us. Puerto Ricans drop the S and combine words together in different ways

[@QrooSpanish]

When watching a series -- even in English -- I tend to like to click on the subtitles these days so I don't miss anything...lol. It's funny that you mentioned how Puerto Ricans speak. In the early days when I was translating at work, deputies would sometimes call me and ask if I could do it over the phone. My response was always, "If they are from Mexico, I can do it on the phone; otherwise, I need to drive there to do it in person." The reasonIt was that it was easier to work through missing letters and words mashed together when I could see the person's lips. I have always had the most trouble understanding Cubans. We had very few of them in the county where I worked and I never developed an ear for their Spanish pronunciation.

[@davegarmendia1717]

Great lesson, I also learned Spanish by working in Law Enforcement in a Latino bario in NYC. Most of the sentences were in regards to legal situations. Now I’m living half the year in Colombia, and married to a Colombia . Thanks brother for reinforcing my self learned Spanish.

[@usernamemykel]

I didn't learn Spanish "on the job", but while on shift at "the job" I found, then (quickly) married a Colombian-American lady, from Bogota. She only spoke Spanish to her family, but the way the Colombian Spanish was so beautifully pronounced, with clear vowels and all, I decided to teach myself Spanish. After I retired, I transitioned from the NYC subway system to south Florida, and took up work (uniform again) in downtown Miami - where there was more Spanish (largely Cuban) than rice and beans. I did fall in love with Cuban bread, cafe con leche, fried maduro plaintain and Charascco! My Spanish was not great, but my appetite for non-gringo food grew!

[@ajarnray4115]

This is one of the best videos I have seen on how to really learn Spanish and what not to do. Awesome video thanks for the handy tips.

[@QrooSpanish]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@DJJPlus4]

Finally a clear and straight answer on how long to fluency.

[@richardmobarak346]

I've been trying to learn Spanish on and off for about 3 years. These videos are really helpful -- you provide learning methods that work. Just recently I was in Mexico and had a broken conversation with a bus driver who spoke a little English. When I say broken it was really broken but at least a start for me since I have no one in my circle that I can speak with in Spanish. My goal for this year is to become say at least 50 to 60 percent fluent. Thanks for these videos and please continue making them.

[@dianac954]

Claro que puedes lograrlo. 😊Saludos desde México 🇲🇽

[@PurpleDrac]

Yeah it's tough to learn but gotta start new somewhere! That's how I look at it. 😎 I've been studying it for close to a year now. So far only tackled the basics. Weekdays, restaurants, dining out things like con azúcar just the basic stuff. Stuff I never thought I'd remember but wound up learning and now know some of the words without using translate which makes me excited 🧠to learn more! 😎

[@Olsjaz]

¡Muchas gracias por estudiar nuestro idioma!

[@brendon2462]

How often do you immerse listening to content?

[@sentientistvegan]

Soy un principiante en español mexicano. Yo también hablo ingles con fluidez y entonces aprender español con tu perspectiva es muy muy útil!Todos tus videos son increibles. Muchisimas gracias por lo que haces

[@speakgoodspanish]

Entonces hablas bien, tengo fluidez en español pero soy nigeriano como tú, pienso que si y sí tú quieres practicar, pues pásame un inbox en Instagram sabes?

[@tzerpa9446]

Eso de hablar ingles suena como una habilidad medio porno propia de un circo. 🤔

[@sentientistvegan]

@@tzerpa9446 No te entiendio. qué estas tratando de decir?

[@tzerpa9446]

@@sentientistvegan "Ingles" no es lo mismo que "inglés". El inglés es una lengua, la ingle (plural "ingles") es la parte de la entrepierna donde están los órganos genitales.

[@sentientistvegan]

@@tzerpa9446 Claro. Gracias por corregirme! Pero sabías que estaba hablando del idioma "inglés", ¿verdad? En inglés, no se usa los signos diacríticos, así que yo no estoy acostrumbado de usarlos. Creo que esta es una manera muy extraña de decir que escribí esta palabra mal

[@brookswilliams3205]

Thank you so much for a wonderful lesson. I am excited about my journey to become more fluent in Spanish. Hasta luego!

[@frankschell6188]

Great video Paul! Much appreciated! Keep up the good work!

[@QrooSpanish]

Thanks! Will do!

[@isaacandmary]

Amazing how native Spanish speakers don't even realize they are speaking in the subjunctive, even though they are using completely different words! Pretty awesome advice and encouragement from Paul.

[@bautista1990]

Native english speakes also don´t realize what tense they are using when they speak, they just do it.

[@seanyouknowwho798]

I studied and was able to read and listen. So I was fluent in a passive way not active..basically not fluent to speak... For 25 yrs. After a few months in a speaking group, I improved dramatically. And yes.. There are many tenses in Spanish. Some only written others spoken and written.

[@Lulu-cc3um]

Thank you. Very helpful information. I will definitely check out more of your videos

[@victorrivera1606]

Paul, you are a living example of “where there is a will there is a way”!