Learning Spanish? LISTENING is more important than speaking

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If you're learning Spanish, you might think that the most important thing is to "speak fluently". This is not true. LISTENING is much more important. Sadly, many students do not work on their listening skills. In this video, we'll cover the following:
00:00 Spanish students don't practice listening
02:27 Why is listening more important than speaking?
05:53 3 ways to improve your Spanish listening skills
06:25 Improve your Spanish listening with Phonetics and phonology
08:46 Improve your Spanish listening by learning the most common words well
11:18 Improve your Spanish listening by doing intensive listening exercises

[@timlewis2605]

I started learning Spanish about 5 years ago. After 3 semesters of Spanish in college, I still couldn’t understand much of anything when I actually listened to spoken Spanish. It took me about 2 years of listening to KZbin videos in Spanish for me to get where I am now where I can understand almost everything I hear. My advice to people learning Spanish is have patience and accept that it will take many hours of listening to gibberish before anything starts to make sense. Also, always improve your vocabulary as that will allow you to understand more of what you hear. I am always looking up new words, even if I don’t always memorize them. Buena suerte.

[@user-rx5xu4fn8s]

Muchas gracias por compartir tu experiencia. Me pregunto ¿cuántos cientos de horas viendo KZbin en español te llevó alcanzar tu nivel actual de comprensión?

[@timlewis2605]

@@user-rx5xu4fn8s No sé la cantidad de horas pero veía más o menos uno o dos videos de 15 minutos todos los días. Yo te recomendaría videos de DW español y voz de america. Las personas que reportan las noticias tienden a hablar claro.

[@jimmybindra]

how old are you? as you say that you can't memorize much ..I generally remember most of the stuff that I read/learn in Spanish.

[@timlewis2605]

@@jimmybindra I’m less than 30. I don’t dedicate myself to memorizing every word I look up. If a word appears over and over again then I will usually remember it, but not because I was actively trying to memorize it. Good for you if you can remember a new word forever after seeing it just once.

[@jimmybindra]

Oh great@@timlewis2605 ..It's not that I don't forget or have a photographic memory or something. But as I use them often in conversations, so I get to remember those. Luv from India !! Happy learning -- Buenas Suertes.

[@scottlarson1548]

The best places I've found to listen to people speaking conversational Spanish is on two nighttime Colombian phone in talk shows on Radio Colombia Nacional and Radio Nacional de Colombia. The hosts Julian and Wiliam usually speak slowly and clearly as do the people who phone in. You can hear a wide variety of accents (some easy, some challenging) from around Colombia as people talk about their lives. Some people are clearly not highly educated so they use mostly simple words that intermediate learners will know. Both stations are available on the Internet or through phone apps.

[@SpanishInput]

Thanks! I'll check them out.

[@PelicanNorth]

Is this one radio program, hosted by both Julian and Wiliam (William?) together? And is it aired on both of these Columbian radio networks? I've looked pretty hard, and cannot find the show in their program listings. Also wondering if I would have to listen live, or if it is in podcast form. Also looked in my podcast app - nothing there either. Do you have the exact name of the show? I found Radio Nocturna, but does not seem likes it fits your description, nor do the hosts name themselves.

[@CC-hr4mz]

I have tried your suggestion for 4 days now in transcribing a story from audio and comparing it to a written script. It helps me identify sounds that are blended for example in "me imagino" I do not hear the first "i" when the native speaker read it. No doubt this is going to improve my listening, pronunciation and speaking skills. This advice you gave is excellent! I believe this is going to be a great aid in helping me advance from an intermediate to advanced level in Spanish.

[@SpanishInput]

Keep it up! You can try it with most of my videos. Most have manually created subtitles.

[@politefan8141]

I learned my second language passively over a period of years. I grew up responding in English when my parents would speak to me in their native language. As a result, I can understand most conversations in my second language, but can't speak even the most basic sentences without a lot of effort. I can't read or write that well in my second language. I started learning Spanish as an adult focusing on apps and while I can read and write, I understand very little native speech. I think speaking is important because it helps train your mind to produce sounds in the language allowing you to develop muscle memory, helps you identify the most useful vocabulary for your circumstances, and trains you to be more of an active listener. Having said that, I'm still amazed at how well I learned my second language passively to the point where I can understand most native content. I think listening and speaking are both equally important and much more important than apps that prioritize reading and grammar.

[@TheASSedoTV]

I started Spanish before, but it didn’t go well for the lack of practice. So now I try to talk to Spanish speakers as much as possible. And all of a sudden I stumbled upon your channel and I like how you deliver your teaching messages. They’re very clear and understandable. I also very much appreciate the hand typed subtitles. I just have subscribed to your channel. Thank you, sir!

[@SpanishInput]

Thanks! You can do it!

[@romanlakes]

There’s only one way to achieve it and that’s to never stop practicing. I failed with other languages before Spanish because I didn’t practice consistently and I also didn’t realise what it took to learn a language. Even when I started Spanish I didn’t realise, but I just stuck with it. Now nearly 5 years later of daily study from home and I’m an advanced student. Just don’t quit. You can do it much quicker if you find the best techniques

[@chbend8220]

​@romanlakes any advice on those techniques,

[@crooniegrumpkin4415]

Techniques/Methods: What works for one may not work for another. You may have to try several before you find one that resonates/seems to fit for you. It may not be the ‘best’ according to ‘others,’ but if it keeps you moving forward, it’s the best for You! Best of luck 😊

[@naishalubega3756]

Donde estaba 😢😢cuando te necesitaba ..de todas formas estoy muy agradecida por encontrar su canal…Una estudiante de Uganda 🇺🇬 😅

[@Tehui1974]

I've only been learning Spanish for 5 months. 90% of my time has been listening and reading. I've already learnt another language to fluency as an adult, so I know the importance of improving my comprehension first.

[@SaltBushCity]

Where are you finding beginner level audio to listen to?

[@Tehui1974]

@@SaltBushCity I subscribe to the language learning platform LingQ, However, there are plenty of free resources on KZbin. Just look up Spanish short stories for beginners.

[@night88shade]

Hi I just started learning SPanish for several months, and stumbling to this video make me really happy. I understand most of your talking (what a great listening practice) and your point is great. I don't need to speak like a native, I rather understand when people talk to me

[@Paddy984]

Crédito donde corresponde; Este es un excelente canal de KZbin para aprender español mediante input comprensible.

[@gdthoughts4779]

i absolutely love this subtitle in both languages at the sams time.. please keep it up . really this is one main thing one can have a courage to learn

[@dargardargar]

It's great to find the Master Teacher here.

[@lingo-phile]

Best produced Spanish learning video ever!

[@dennis_mihaylov]

¡Verdad! ¡Lo pienso también! Muchas gracias para contar todo lo que pensaba todo el tiempo.

[@farolito74]

This is now my favorite channel for learning what should have been my native tongue. I understand everything you're saying and in context, a bit more each time.

[@SpanishInput]

You're very welcome!

[@OneAdam12Adam]

Tiene usted uno de las mejores canales en KZbin. El contenido es equivalente al trabajo universitario de una maestría en lingüística. Gracias por investigar y obrar tanto para nosotros. ❤

[@FaultlessKing]

I wish every hispanic person spoke like you, ive never heard someone speak so clearly even if i tell them to slow down because im a beginner. They think they are speaking slow, but it sounds just as fast to me. You speak so amazingly!

[@BrixtonBeat]

Your channel popped up and love your way of teaching - great subtitles! I need to practice listening

[@SpanishInput]

¡Bienvenido al canal!

[@peterziggyw]

Excelentes lecciones. Me suscribí.

[@terrytwotoes3225]

First video of yours I've seen and I already love you

[@SusanaXpeace2u]

Estoy de acuerdo. He pasado los últimos 10 años escuchando videos en KZbin. Ahora tengo un nivel de comprehensión más alto de lo de hablar, pero me ha sirvado bastante bien en España.

[@neilhassanali316]

Very well presented. Mucha gracias

[@arrowtyrant.1726]

Your video hits points that I’ve discovered at work. When Spanish speakers are talking, they’re speaking so fast I’m unable to catch the whole of what they said, and my brain only hears a few words in the middle of trying to translate. I can tell they get frustrated by not being understood. So I’d rather amp up my listening skills first than my talking. I like the idea of transcribing though, it’s something I’ve subconsciously been wanting to practice but didn’t know how. My middle school Spanish teacher years ago told me to listen to stuff in Spanish to help, but didn’t really explain how to go about it.

[@sherricomptonyoga]

There are so many ways this video is helpful. First off, the quality of the audio is superb and that coupled with the manual subtitles is already very helpful. I will be able to go back later and try doing the suggestions as well. Very nicely done video, thank you for your hard work! ❤😊

[@SpanishInput]

Glad it was helpful!

[@naptus]

As a new student of the Spanish language, I find your lesson very helpful. I plan to listen to it many times. 👍

[@SpanishInput]

Thank you! 😃 ¡Y bienvenido al idioma español! Te va a gustar.

[@otnielcontreras3940]

Am i a Spanish native speaker , we can practice each other. just in case you are interested in.

[@edwardburroughs1489]

Hola, soy principiante en el Espanol, entonces me disuclpas por errores inevitable. En Ingles siempre se usa los pronombres antes del verbo si no es una pregunta, y en hablar siempre usas contracciones. Por ejemplo 'soy' es igual de 'am', aunque en este caso deberia decir "I'm" . Ya que Ingles no tiene un conjugation differente, por todas las personas, siempre usas este pronombre. Ademas, aqui, el apostrophe se representa el punto que el letra era quito. En total por el verbo "be", tenemos: I am => I'm He /She is => He's/ She's it is => it's You are => You're - (tu, usted y vosotros) We are => We're They are => They're@@otnielcontreras3940

[@ShauqwanQuinci]

I totally agree ! I’m taking a Spanish course and it’s bin about 4 months since I’ve started. The teachers always push us to speak speak speak ! But what’s the sense in speaking if I don’t understand anything what’s being said ? 🙄 I found it easier when I started listening to podcasts and watching videos only in Spanish. I can understand the language really good now, even though at times I still have a hard time understanding the lengua callejero. Once I started listening more it became better for me to start having conversations because I can actually understand majority of what’s being said. So I totally agree with you ! 🙏🏽

[@SpanishInput]

Hi! Thank you for your comment, and don't worry too much about understanding street Spanish. It can be challenging even for native speakers, even within your own city if you visit a rough neighborhood.

[@roym5410]

your channel is amazing!!! thanks

[@lucienilangwa6566]

Love the approach! I speak 5 other languages, but never came across the fundamental value of learning a foreign language with the concept of "listening fluently". Brilliant!

[@SpanishInput]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ananthakumar6823]

Muy util informacion. Mil gracias.

[@SpanishInput]

¡Un gusto! Bienvenido al canal.

[@chelseysrnsky4941]

Estudio español desde hace tres meses. Mis suegros no hablan inglés, por eso quiero aprender español. Finalmente, encontré un canal con subtítulos exactos. Muchísimas gracias!

[@nancywhitmore3497]

This video is SO helpful! Including the subtitles in both English and Spanish is a genius idea! Thank you so much for posting this amazing video! I just found your channel today, and I have subscribed to it!

[@SpanishInput]

Thank you! Please share the video with others!

[@beverlyubaldo1142]

Your the best profe explanation is very true saludo profe

[@dfjsakljdaksl]

Eres lo mejor..me alegra que haya descubrido tu canal. Mil gracias.

[@SpanishInput]

¡Gracias por comentar!

[@mr.man1]

This just became my favorite Spanish channel. Please dont stop making videos, I've found so many good Spanish teaching channels who's last upload was months ago

[@SpanishInput]

Hi! Yes, I know. It can be tiring coming up with new video ideas. Don't worry, right now I have a long backlog.

[@LarryLLittle]

Este consejo y video son los mejores del mundo. Me di cuenta fue que un error cuando empezando mi viaje para aprender español….Ahora estoy escuchando y leyendo todo el tiempo. También, tengo menos miedo en conversaciones con hispanohablantes porque ahora me escucho los sonidos

[@SpanishInput]

¡Hola, Larry! Gracias por comentar. Te deseo éxito en tu viaje de aprendizaje.

[@ninelaivz4334]

Intentaré tu sistema de escribiendo la transcripción me parece que es un gran idea.

[@troybonner91]

I've been trying to find a channel for comprehensible input along with my Language Reactor extension to practice listening, and this is the best one yet. I can actually follow along with the subtitles and understand what is being said. So many other channels create comprehensible input that is more for advanced learners.

[@SpanishInput]

Thanks a lot for your comment! Please share this channel with others.

[@carlosfelipefontenelle2140]

Este vídeo cuenta la más pura verdad. Saber entender lo que dice la otra persona es mucho más difícil que hablar. Cuando hablamos tenemos control total sobre lo que decimos. Podemos repetir varias veces lo que creemos que no está claro. Sin embargo, si no entendemos lo que escuchamos, dependeremos de la voluntad de la otra persona de repetir o hablar más despacio. Por eso tenemos que escuchar mucho, conociendo el significado de las palabras. De nada sirve hablar rápido si no entendemos lo que se dice rápidamente.

[@SpanishInput]

¡Gracias por comentar!

[@kevinswift8654]

Es más, es escuchando que aprendemos a hablar. Los bebés no aprenden hablando. Aprenden escuchando. Cuando han escuchado suficiente, empiezan a hablar.

[@Shibby27ify]

Gracias por tus videos. Voy a eschucar a mas. Tus ensayos estaban muchisimo util

[@SpanishInput]

¡Gracias, Shibby!

[@bleupapillons]

You are right, but thank you for explaining all this slowly while im still not used to it. Its been less then 3 weeks and i understood almost everything, im trilled !

[@SpanishInput]

Glad it helped! Keep it up! I'm about to upload a short story for this exercise, so stay tuned!

[@garyhuizilopoxtli9701]

Excellent advice! If one's speaking ability is limited but one's listening ability is better, one can at least try something like "No sé como decirlo en Español pero se trata de.. etc." and be prepared to receive answers and suggestions. I'm currently using the trotting method in learning to read Español. I read a chapter translated into English (en este momento, "Paula" de Isabel Allende), then read carefully through the original Spanish, then listen to the audio.

[@SpanishInput]

Nice! I know about first reading in English and then in Spanish, but I didn't know it had a name.

[@techcloudsmax]

Liked your content and clear presentation.

[@SpanishInput]

Glad you liked it!

[@ianconroy6240]

Después de ver este video me di cuenta que he aprendido mucho desde que empecé a estudiar casi así sola. Voy a utilizar algunos consejos aquí en el futuro también 😃

[@TorTheWeirdo]

Estoy de acuerdo con esto! Puedo hablar pero entender es muy difícil!!!!

[@zuleikabethancourt6214]

Excelente video, muy útil tus consejos, aun para hisponablantes qué están aprendiendo otro idioma.

[@SpanishInput]

¡Gracias por tu comentario!

[@ellonblack4165]

It's so fascinating (and a bit sad) to see people be suprised by the benefits of the transcription exercise... Because to me it looks very much like those dictations I had in various language classes in school as I grew up, but only adjusted for self-study. We all hated the dictations, but they were really useful! Lately I noticed they all about disappeared from modern language instruction, and that's a real shame! Nothing drills listening, writing, orthography and punctuation quite like a dictation! Thanks for bringing it back in this modified way! Great video!

[@SpanishInput]

Thanks! Yup, it's puzzling how almost nobody talks about transcription/dictation outside of the music world. In the music world it's still well known.

[@lukebecker3876]

Gracias por hablar en español para tambien yo pueda aprender al mismo tiempo

[@zoraidaquintero-hardie4461]

Te felicito por tu metodologia. He pasado tu link a mis estudiantes online alemanes y franceses. Congratulaciones!

[@SpanishInput]

¡Gracias, Zoraida!

[@Ballykeith]

¡Excelente! "Un video tiene paciencia infinita". I'm at a listening level where I didn't need subtitles to understand this video because you're helpfully speaking most clearly and slowly. At the point where you recommended the practice of transcription, I switched on the subtitles, but without reading along, and began to pause the video on every subtitle to go over (only in my mind 😔) every word I heard. I realised that I did miss some words and hence the fullest meaning. As you said, multiple repetition of a sentence does often elucidate the words. Sometimes I still couldn't pick up the odd one, so I then read the subtitle to see what I couldn't understand by listening alone, e.g. mp3 😁 I was just thinking how super helpful *Language Reactor* was for this purpose and then you mentioned it! Switch on/off automatic pause at end of every subtitle, replay the sentence, go to the next, or previous, are superb tools. I will do some transciption with your stories. You were spot on regarding el/él, que/qué etc. Points noted! Another aspect of the primacy of focusing on listening over speaking when learning a language, I feel, is that it greatly diminishes the fear of that language. I learnt French in school by the traditional means but I developed a fear of la français because I couldn't understand native speakers. Now, having taken the top-down approach with Spanish, I'm not frightened by the language because I'm getting to understand a fair bit of even fast speech by natives (not everyone of course as some accents and individual speakers are more challenging). Given that Spanish is supposedly the world's second fastest language after Japanese, this is very gratifying. All that said, my speaking ability is still extremely poor, but I'm content to develop this down the line with hundreds of more hours of listening on the clock.

[@SpanishInput]

Hi! As I said, don't worry too much about being able to speak quickly. It's better to focus on listening and in developing a good accent. And yeah, Language Reactor is great! I'll upload a more detailed guide on transcription soon.

[@originaldanman]

This video was very helpful. Your point on speaking but not understanding was well taken, and spot on. I can speak better than I can understand, but I can also understand most of what I read. At 61 years old I find learning Spanish naturally quite difficult, but I am gradually getting better, though not nearly fast enough. I am not a traditional class room learner, I cannot stand it, I got D's and F's in English grammar, so I don't think I'm going to do any better in Spanish. However I do try to read at least 15 minutes or more in Spanish every day, and have finished a few books. I find I can understand at least twice as much when reading than I can listening. Your format of speaking only Spanish with the exact Spanish phrasing is a great tool, I barely evenly looked at the English and understood at least 90% when listening and reading. Will be checking out more of your channel and other recommended helps. Thank you

[@SpanishInput]

¡Gracias por tu comentario!

[@marionexley607]

can you recommend any good books please?

[@SpanishInput]

Hi! It all depends on your level. For most students I highly recommend you check out the stories on spanishinput.com. @@marionexley607

[@Travelingwithabbc]

I’m listening even though I can hardly understand. Thanks

[@SpanishInput]

Hi. In that case please use the "Comprehensible Input" videos I've published recently. They're much simpler.

[@Travelingwithabbc]

@@SpanishInput No That’s good. Strictly just listening and practicing without knowing the meaning is helpful and less time consuming

[@SpanishWithWes]

Keep going, you got this!

[@jazaza420-cm5gr]

gracias por la ayuda. eso video es muy educacional 👏

[@jimmybindra]

Q bueno video Profe ..muchas gracias ..Q buena Informacion ..Suscrito tu canal ya. Saludos de India. Chao !!

[@beverlyubaldo1142]

Its true what you said profe😂thanks a lot for explaining 👍🙏

[@patrickrusso8881]

Great advice! I have been studying Spanish a long time. I can speak well. HOWEVER my listening skills are FAR below my speaking skills. I talk with native Spanish speaker four or five times per week exchanging Spanish and English, but continue to struggle with listening. Many times my friends have to repeat questions and/or rephrase them in a way that I MAY understand. It is sad! I am hopeful that your ideas, videos and instruction will allow me to improve my listening skills significantly. I love the Spanish language and the many latino friends I have had for years but I want to be a better listener. I am signing up for your program immediately. Thank you for sharing your expertise concerning a problem for many gringos like me. THANK YOU!

[@SpanishWithWes]

Just out of curiosity, I find it very interesting that your speaking skills are move evolved than your listening skills. Usually it's the other way around for people. What did you do to get advanced in speaking if I may ask?

[@Dr.Pain0o]

I watched this video for the first time (and a lot of your other ones) in September of last year and it completely catapulted my language learning abilities. I went from literally 20% comprehension to close to 70-80% now. In like 3 months 😭. Granted I had already mastered the fundamentals. Now I’ve reached B1 with so much more confidence. Transcription is a game changer, thank you so much for your channel. I share it with anyone who will listen😂 I like your style of teaching so much because you answer the questions us language nerds want to know in creative ways + you go in depth, concisely. I’m having trouble with RR and I decide to check your channel and lo and behold! 12 videos 😍 . Gracias a dios por ti y thanks for all that you do sinceramente

[@SpanishInput]

Thanks a lot for your comment! Yup, /ɾ/ and /r/ have been one of muy obsessions here.

[@user-ky2ch5rl7i]

Estoy apriendo ahora.❤

[@hannofranz7973]

Me parece bastante cierto lo que dices. Soy uno de estos ejemplos alis que siempre les ha resultado lo más importante llegar rápido a hablar bien los idiomas extranjeros que hablo, entre ellos el castellano. Esto me ha llevado más a menudo a conocimientos descompensados, dando una impresión que mi capacidad de comprensión sea mayor de la que es. Y sigue siendo así, aún habiendo llegado a un nivel bastante bueno de comprensión. Una experiencia que me abrió los ojos fue viajar una vez a Polonia, muy cerca desde mi ciudad de origen, Berlín. Compré un libro "Como se dice en polaco". Me parecía servir el libro hasta que me contestó un señor el camino a la estación en polaco. ¿En qué página iba encontrar lo que decía? Hasta hoy no tengo idea que me contestó. La comprensión es una de las dos partes fundamentales de la comunicación. Qué después te encuentras en situaciones sociales o al estar viendo la tele, que llegas a la conclusión que todos hablan y nadie escucha, es otro cantar. Desde luego, no debe ser así.

[@SpanishInput]

¡Gracias por comentar! Por alguna razón tu experiencia en Polonia me recordó a un sketch de Monty Python. "My hovercraft is full of eels!"

[@matinsasan]

I've been learning languages for 10 years now and with confidence I could say: input > output. You nailed it well. You made some great critical points there. Shared this video with several friends. Thank you for addressing this issue :) I also always say that one must have way more input in order to have some output. It's just the way it is: passive knowledge of a language always is superior to the active one. We can't just construct sentences out of thin air. Feedback: good that your channel shifted from then on toward listening videos, as linguistic videos might not interest all the audience.

[@SpanishInput]

Thanks! Nowadays my nerdy phonetics videos are members-only, as they were harming my channel's performance.

[@thomasryan825]

¡Gracias por hablar tan claro, pero de forma normal!

[@SpanishInput]

Pues sí, estoy tratando de hablar a velocidad normal, pero con más pausas que lo normal para que coincidan con los subtítulos.

[@thomasryan825]

@@SpanishInput yo puedo entenderlo mucho bien, pero mis colegas del trabajo san muy dificil de entender. Parece que no respiran cuando ablan Espanol (yo hablo Portugues entonces mi Espanol talvez seia mas como Portunol). Gracias

[@skyardee3737]

¡Exacto! Siempre he pensado en esto. Porque para mí es mucho más útil e importante poder entender lo que me dicen, o lo que escucho o leo. Por todas las razones que usted ha explicado tan claramente en este video. Cuándo era joven, aprendí un poco de francés y luego viajé a Francia. Podía dicer algunas cosas en francés bastante bien, pero no me sirvió para nada porque no podía entender casi nada, porque no había practicado escuchar conversaciónes naturales. Acabo de suscribir a su canal. 👍 ¡Gracias, y que tenga un buen día, señor!

[@SpanishInput]

¡Gracias por compartir tu historia!

[@raphaelkornek4582]

Muchísimas gracias por este video

[@SpanishInput]

¡Gracias a ti por verlo!

[@ilovesheenaeaston]

Hizo Ud un video excelente! Lo uso con sus otros video en su canal para mejorar mi espanol. Muchas gracias!!

[@SpanishInput]

¡Gracias por comentar!

[@qwerty90615]

I think this is very helpful correction of common misconception. I am old and my hearing is not good, but in a quiet area, I hear fine. I concentrated on speaking Spanish and building vocabulary, but abandoned my efforts because I couldn't understand any spoken Spanish. I blamed my ears, but now I think that I was just on the wrong approach. This video with well spoken Spanish and dual subtitles is most helpful. I slow it to .75X and can absorb it pretty well. As he says, the video is very patient and can be repeated infinitely.

[@SpanishInput]

I'm glad this was helpful!

[@frankmirado9833]

Excellent video!

[@SpanishInput]

¡Gracias por comentar!

[@leonardocastromusic0]

merci beaucoup

[@gheard1000]

Hello! I just discovered something fascinating. I've realized that I can actually read lips! When you speak, I can visually perceive the pronunciation of each word. Moreover, I can audibly discern every vowel and syllable. Consequently, I form a mental image of the words without needing to rely on closed captions. The key here is to concentrate on listening to the speaker's words. I'm not entirely certain if you use this speaking style in everyday conversations or if it's specifically for training purposes. Nonetheless, I fully comprehend the tone, speed, and clarity of your voice. Interestingly, the words I already know seem to stand out more-they sound louder and clearer, or to put it differently, they feel familiar. What's more, I've also come to realize that I no longer find myself mentally translating words whose meanings I already know. I understand that this may sound a bit confusing, but I've noticed that I spend less time, or sometimes no time at all, pondering the meaning of familiar words. As noted in other comments below, I am reading in Spanish out loud, listening to audio while following along to script and repeating audio without script. As mention in you latest video, I will now try to write down the transcript of the blog.

[@SpanishInput]

Hi! In my videos I use more pauses than in everyday speech, but I use the same pronunciation patters. Except when I'm with my mom, who's from the coastal region of Ecuador. I unconsciously imitate her /s/ aspiration when I'm talking to her.

[@MovieClipQueen]

Hello Miguel! I just subscribed and then immediately joined as a member. I had watched a couple of your videos previously, and it was a eureka moment! Your videos made me realize that the reason I have very, very poor listening comprehension is due to the way that I started learning, and not knowing about "connected speech". When we learned our native language as children, we started with the alphabet sounds, simple words and phonics. Three years ago, I jumped into a language app, skipping all of the basics that I just mentioned, and now I'm suffering for it. So thank you! One question if I may, what is your native country?

[@SpanishInput]

Hi! I'm from Ecuador, but I've spent the last years developing a "General Spanish" accent. Nowadays I don't sound like an Ecuadorian.

[@warrenkener]

Pensé que "quizás creas que" fue una expresión idiomática con el verbo crear; no me recordé sobre el subjuntivo por solo un momentito y ya me pierdo. Este video hace tan mucho sentido, ¡gracias por hacerlo!

[@SpanishInput]

¡Gracias por ver! Solo una nota: Decimos "Tiene tanto sentido", no "hace tan mucho sentido".

[@jakobbergen7574]

Yo soy profesor de inglés y me gusto mucho tu explicación; este método es muy efectivo

[@kless001]

Only an English professor would announce that on the internet like it means something.

[@2GringosOnTheGulf]

Im old and hard of hearing so im really struggling. You speak slow and clear. New sub here. ❤

[@SpanishInput]

Thanks for subbing!

[@graciagracia7699]

Felicitaciones por tan brillante canal con magistrales explicaciones a través de todos sus videos. Es usted un verdadeto maestro Me gustaría saber como puedo encontrar material como este para perfeccionar mi Ingles. Muchas gracias

[@SpanishInput]

¡Hola! Si estás aprendiendo inglés te recomiendo el canal de KZbin "Sounds American".

[@cedric7122]

Excellent

[@JacksonPerez]

Que excelentes consejos das para aprender español. Lo aplicaré para aprender hablar Inglés. Me quedo con la frase "No necesitas hablar rápido, pero si entender rápido" a los nativos.

[@icemachines69]

Totalmente de acuerdo contigo..Yo también lo aplicaré para aprender a entender rápido el inglés...se como escribirlo y leerlo...mi gran problema es que no lo "entiendo rápido"...

[@David_Talks.]

As a super beginner learning Spanish I’ve noticed if I listen and try to do the translation in my head, I can for a bit then I lose out on what the person keeps saying. But if I just listen to what they’re actually saying without translating, it’s almost like your brain starts to try and think in Spanish and follow along naturally.

[@SpanishInput]

Hi! It's nice you've found something that works for you!

[@SpanishWithWes]

Yes I have this too! It works better for me if I connect a word to an item/feeling, because my brain works better if I use this type of "photo-memory" then if I translate stuff in my mind.

[@adrianpoonster]

¡Transcribí este video! Y encontré dos errores en los subtítulos. @3:15, deben decir "Y él dice, otra vez:" y @11:43 "descartanto" debe ser "descartando". ¡Muchas gracias por los consejos en este video fantástico!

[@anderoanderson5370]

How am I to understand the headings in the 5,000 most spoken words in spoken Spanish? Context diversity, frequency per million, word form and coverage. I love your channel and stories. Thanks. The subtitles are great it is possible to understand or read as someone speaks. I'm new to the channel but will focus on it more.

[@SpanishInput]

Good question! I explain almost all of them in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nV63fH6ioZqIZqM

[@TomRNZ]

¡A veces KZbin acierta y me recomienda canales realmente interesantes e informativos como este! He visto algunos de tus videos después de que me recomendaran este video y me encanta lo que estás haciendo. Me encanta la lingüística y tengo un interés particular en la fonética, la lingüística histórica y la etimología, la fonología y la dialectología, y tengo pasión por los idiomas. Hablo español, aunque imperfectamente y con muchos errores 😂 (videos como el tuyo son un gran recurso para mejorar 😊), he estudiado latín y actualmente también estoy aprendiendo portugués. Estoy completamente de acuerdo con el tema de este video. Sí, obviamente hablar es importante para la comunicación, pero tienes cierto control sobre lo que dices y cómo te expresas, pero no tienes control sobre cómo se expresa la otra persona: sus palabras, expresiones, acento, etc. No veo la hora de ver más videos tuyos. Saludos desde Nueva Zelanda 😊.

[@SpanishInput]

Hola, Tom. ¡Bienvenido al canal! Y sí, también me fascina la dialectología. Acabo de llegar de viaje de otra ciudad del Ecuador y yo estaba como niño en tienda de dulces escuchando los acentos.

[@Att964]

Este es un gran consejo, muchas gracias. Voy a hacer mi examen DELE B1 en noviembre así que me encantaría que me dieras algún consejo al respecto.

[@SpanishInput]

¡Hola! Desafortunadamente los exámenes DELE son específicamente del dialecto de España, así que estoy seguro de que yo mismo no podría pasar ese examen.

[@Spanish_with_Teacher_Daniels]

​​@@SpanishInputConoces algún examen internacional de español que sea pensado para un español más neutro? Me gustaría especializarme en algún examen reconocido que no sea el DELE. Un abrazo profesor !

[@SpanishInput]

Hola. Googleando rápidamente veo que el SIELE es creado en España, México y Argentina, y afirma ser "Panhispánico" en su sitio web.@@Spanish_with_Teacher_Daniels

[@emerald42481]

Yes yes YES YES I've been ranting about this to my students for years

[@SpanishInput]

Thank you for your comment!

[@Spanish_with_Teacher_Daniels]

Excelente consejo estimado colega. Por eso, siempre intento comenzar con la pronunciación cuando tengo un estudiante, independiente de si es principiante o intermedio. El único problema es que es difícil hacerles entender que tenemos que enfocarnos en la pronunciación primero. La mayoría de los estudiantes quieren hablar mucho desde el principio. Lo que hago, es enfocarme en la pronunciación lo más que puedo y luego hacemos algo que ellos disfruten más. Pero para ser honesto, con algunos estudiantes tengo problemas para convencerlos de que tenemos que practicar más la pronunciación 😅 Un abrazo amigo, y eres unos de mis ejemplos a seguir como profesor online. Saludos desde Chile!

[@SpanishInput]

¡Gracias, Daniels! Una parte de mi familia es Chilena. Por cierto, ¿has echado un ojo a las lecciones de fonética que estoy creando? Mi objetivo es cubrir todos los sonidos más problemáticos.

[@diegomarquez3293]

No es que estas palabras que dicen que son distintas como “se” y “sé” ¿solo tiene acentuación diferente? ¿O sea no es que llevan tilde porque tienen una tilde diacrítica?

[@jayeandre6987]

Eight percent of my focus now is on listening. It made zero sense to me to focus so much on speaking when I couldn’t understand what was being said to me or understand it quickly.

[@romeop2345]

I don’t agree with this viewpoint. My speaking has always been better than my listening and it has served me well in tricky situations. My listening has gradually improved over time and it is definitely important but being able to express yourself helps you far more as you can get away with listening out for just key words to understand context quite a lot of the time but if you can speak you communicate your intentions and desires, allowing the other person to help you. Speaking from day 1 for me was crucial and my listening over time is catching up to my level of speaking.

[@barcaninesenpai3769]

gracias por habla despacio en la video

[@cacogenicist]

I think most English L1 speakers can hear the difference between an alveolar stop [d] and a flap [r]. I never perceived a /d/ when I first heard Spanish [r]. One thing that did throw me a bit was the dentalization of /d/ in Spanish. It sounded like an interdental fricative to me. When a Spanish L1 speaker says a URL in English, it sounds like "example that com" -- unless the Spanish speaker has really acquired the alveolar ridge place of articulation when they are speaking English, which most never do, as far as I can tell.

[@SpanishInput]

Hi! I have a video about the Spanish /d/ → [ð].

[@cacogenicist]

​@@SpanishInput- I'll check it out, thanks.

[@calvino3595]

te tengo que felicitar por tu conquista del sonido 'rrr' He visto casi todos tus videos y creo que ya suenas muy natural despues de tu practica con la R. Todavía estoy mejorando en mi pronunciacion pero muchas gracias por tus videos y tu informacion!

[@SpanishInput]

¡Muchas gracias! Tuve dificultades grabando el video cuando hay /ɾ/ y /r/ juntas.

[@diegomarquez3293]

Vídeos no videos.

[@diegomarquez3293]

*Vídeos.

[@diegomarquez3293]

Escribir sin faltas de ortografía es fundamental para una buena expresión escrita y para que no te resten hasta tres puntos en la EBAU o selectividad.

[@calvino3595]

@@diegomarquez3293 en Latinoamerica se dice Video sin la tilde.

[@Bane1Mirin]

Estoy aprendiendo espanol por veinte y uno dias ahora y entiendo despacio espanol pero no entiendo rapido Spanish 😂

[@erikgardetemps9708]

*"desde hace veintiún días" Otras formas más naturales de decir esto (todas son correctas, sólo se trata de diferentes formas de decir lo mismo) 1) Estoy estudiando español desde hace 21 días. 2) Hace 21 días que estudio español. 3) Estudio español desde hace (...) días. 3) Estudio español desde hace tres semanas. ¡Mucha suerte con tu aprendizaje!

[@cosnyaxtros1821]

Soy pprofesor de español y un problema que tienen los no nativos es la pronunciación. Leer español en voz alta ayuda a mejorar la dicción sin duda, y si aumentan la valocidad comprenderán mucho más. animo a los que aprenden español. No es fácil pero es muy gratificante.

[@user-vh1sh1xl5k]

It took me a month to memorize hello in Chinese! And hey, now they understand me! Dios te bendiga, amigo!

[@lmnopato]

Gracias por otro vIdeo útil. He estado usando su teclado por unos meses y consumiendo sus vídeos como dulces, y acabado de darme cuenta que nunca te he dicho gracias. Entonces... gracias! Tengo un cerebro muy matemático así que me encanta tanto su estilo, un estilo obviamente basado en lógica y investigación. Keep up the good work!

[@SpanishInput]

¡Muchas gracias por comentar!

[@cristiancardona2560]

Pues la verdad si tu entiendes, puedes defenderte en muchos lugares. También algo que ayudaria a mejorar la escucha es consumir contenido de diferentes países con el objetivo de asimilar sus peculiaridades.

[@SpanishInput]

Síp, por eso recomiendo mucho a mis estudiantes escuchar "Radio Ambulante".

[@kirstylambert2021]

Nice 👍🏾

[@SpanishInput]

Thank you for your comment!

[@efruzegaribova6572]

I'm grateful to you! I don't know anything in Spanish. How should I learn the words? Should I translate them into my own language or just learn by listening and watching? I would be very happy if you answer🥲

[@SpanishInput]

Hi! Thank you for your comment. Words should be learned in context. With enough repetition, you stop translating and start to understand directly. I cover this in this other video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g4eqnWWtnMiUqbc

[@efruzegaribova6572]

@@SpanishInput Thank you!😊

[@cabococarlos1936]

Good morning how's it going today 🌄 I speak 5 languages french English Spanish Portuguese criollo I want to speak Italian ❤

[@MightyMonk360]

No hablo español muy bien pero yo entiendo todo que tú dices

[@thekschannel8563]

Si el profesor o la persona que hace el video no es nativo del Español pues SI que hay que felicitarlo porque es perfecto ♥️Es primera vez que lo escucho y a la verdad creo que es un nativo del Español ♥️Disculpe Profesor ya vi en uno de los comentarios que ud dijo que es del Ecuador. Un saludo cariñoso de un Cubana para ud. Le he recomendado este canal y este vídeo en específico a mi amiga americana que está tratando de aprender Español. Aunque me tiene a mi nunca hablamos y no la fuerzo a hacerlo porque parece no se siente cómoda aún. Su video me gustó mucho y tocó aspectos muy interesantes también para mí que aprendo Inglés 👍

[@SpanishInput]

¡Muchas gracias! Sí, soy de la calurosa Guayaquil, ¡con ganas de huir a los Andes!

[@SharronV]

I hear a lot about comprehensible input but don’t hear about output. When does the output come? Does it come naturally or should there at least be an attempt to speak? I know that I won’t always understand everything, so I believe speaking as soon as possible even with struggle is necessary. I hope this makes sense, as I struggle to come across clear. Thanks for the video!

[@SpanishInput]

Hi! It's actually a controversial topic. On one extreme, Benny Lewis speaks from day one and it works for him. On the other extreme, hardcore CI prophets tell you to stay silent for a long time. If you check out my members videos you'll see I actually make my students speak from the beginning... But only as pronunciation practice. In my private lessons I also encourage early production. It's a long topic worthy of research... and another video. BUT... Listening is still my #1 priority.

[@lotte3199]

thank you for speaking slowly. It is so much easier to understand the spanish language if people would just speak it a bit slower. :-D I can´t even understand my own language when people are speaking to fast. hahahaha

[@roberttewnion1690]

@5:45 you used the word "acaso" I'm interested to learn how to use this word well. I've struggled to find any lessons about it.

[@SpanishInput]

Hi. It has many uses depending on context. The one I use in this video is with the meaning of "Is it the case that...?". Another common context is "por si acaso", and in here it means "just in case". Tip: Copy this promp to Bing Chat or Chat GPT: Can you give me example sentences in simple Spanish, with English translation, of the word "acaso"?

[@stefananders7583]

Me gusta tus videos.

[@SpanishInput]

¡Gracias, Stefan!

[@erikgardetemps9708]

*Me gustan tus videos (plural) O Me gusta tu video (singular) 👍

[@stefananders7583]

gracias@@erikgardetemps9708

[@erikgardetemps9708]

@@stefananders7583 no hay de qué👍

[@jarbincks6715]

I checked my logs and apparently I've poured in a total of 110 hours into spanish, hope to get to C2 someday

[@SpanishInput]

You can do it!