Tips to Improve Your Conversational Skills in Spanish

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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

[@IntriguedIndeed]

I just stumbled upon your video a few months ago- I was born in Mexico adopted at 8 and lived here in america since- lost my Spanish around age 10- had no one to speak w and English was priority for everyone and i can't seem to recover my Spanish!

[@RUT812]

This is the first thing my fluently bilingual husband told me about speaking in Spanish: Don’t’ try to translate in your head. Think in Spanish. Once I started doing this, my Spanish improved dramatically. Also, learning Spanish in chunks is very helpful. The Spring Spanish KZbin channel teaches Spanish this way.

[@KW-12]

Great advice, that's the key in learning a new language. The most difficult part is the starting point but don't give up. I'm on my way on learning french & russian, so I know the difficulties that there can be. By the way, I'm also a native spanish speaker, so .... Saludos a todos!

[@pureone8350]

How exactly does one "think" in Spanish though? I have tried but sometimes you get stuck and have to use English for reference

[@KW-12]

@@pureone8350 that's the hard part, but if you keep practicing and expand your vocabulary, you'll eventually get used to think un spanish. In spanish (formal): Esa es la parte difícil, pero si sigues practicando y expandes tu vocabulario, eventualmente te acostumbrarás a pensar en Español.

[@pureone8350]

@@KW-12 Muchas gracias

[@RudyTinoco]

I am one of the 67% who watched your video all the way to the end. I appreciate your work. Thanks for this excellent video!

[@QrooSpanish]

It was only 33%. You belomg to an elite group, and thanks for that. :)

[@fensterlips]

Yo también

[@Jayinjapanese]

@@QrooSpanishyou gotta get straight to the point and simple.That’s how the OG KZbin days were and that’s how they got big

[@Dubai892JK]

​@@Jayinjapanesewell, usually self learners do have some patience.

[@shaffey01]

Where did you get those numbers?

[@cemozguner7558]

You are the best spanish teacher I have ever had in my life

[@YourBuddyRob]

I wish our lives were filled with such articulate and knowledgeable good people like you and Linda. This video really triggered a much better understanding of where I've been going wrong with my spanish conversational skills for the last 50 years. Thank you, Paul.

[@QrooSpanish]

Wow, thank you.

[@andresmeloso8106]

Last 50 years??? Dude, it's time to know when to say when!

[@DCKiraly]

@@andresmeloso8106 ¿Porqué deberíamos parar de pensar y crecer solo porque hemos pasado mucho tiempo en esta planeta? Cada uno tiene la opción de seguir aprendiendo durante toda la vida, ¿no?

[@YoelMonsalve]

​@@DCKiraly Así es

[@louisevannorden2001]

@@andresmeloso8106 No! No! No! If he had given up, he wouldn’t have found just the help he needed!

[@creativeclerk6087]

"If you know how to handle the verbs, you know how to handle the language. Everything else is just vocabulary." (Michel Thomas, 2001).

[@mathematix-rodcast]

One of the hugest hindrances to fluency is not knowing verb forms at the level of speech. It is more than just knowing the forms down cold but knowing the grammatical rules well enough to the point that you can access the correct form for use in daily speech. The

[@seanslattery6366]

Wish i could pound thumbs up More than once. 5 years study 1 hour - 16 hours every single day , never went to college nor formal class in spanish . But yeah i can write well and speak eh quizás al B1 , B2 nivel. But it's always not knowing which verb tense and making mistakes with an a or e or incorrect verb form. Hate grinding out verb reviews in Bloks but i imagine that i need to . Put too much Time in to not be More confident and speak without some small error every sentance or two .

[@seanslattery6366]

@@mathematix-rodcast thank you . Do watch TV and music in spanish . Just not enough . And exactly as you say i make many errores in verb form other than that my vocab and sentence structure Is good . But thanks for highlighting which may get over this b1- B2 Level

[@calebroberts5261]

It's just like English. Even in English, we don't always know every word that we are about to say before spitting out our thoughts/sentences. We have sentence fragments in English that have memorized and are so used to saying. This is such a helpful approach for learning Spanish. Thanks!

[@wayneyinger6047]

The dual-self dialogue is really funny and accurate! I have noticed that the lag time in my translation is due not only to translating English to Spanish but also first figuring out what I'm going to say in English! I wasn't aware of how little forethought goes into what normally comes out of my mouth. (Not always a good thing, either)

[@desireandfire]

Mexican American who has always dreamed of FLUENCY in Spanish. My mom used to talk to me in Spanish and I to her in English, but now I'm speaking to her in Spanish because I can be confident with her. I also forced myself to work at a Mexican restaraunt which is still a bit hard but after half a year im able to form better conversations and become more confident. A Spanish speaking environment has helped me learn casual and conversational Spanish so well. I learn the slang and even insults, I gain lots of confidence. Half of these people can't even speak English so I shouldn't ever feel embarassed if I mess up in Spanish, at least I'm trying to be billingual. I want to learn more languages but Spanish has always been my priority. I want to hold my culture close to heart and teach my children it. I'm learning latin Spanish but I want to work in Spain... so maybe I'll just focus on European Spanish through KZbin lol

[@joshsanchez102]

How is your journey ? I’m in the same exact boat but I just struggle with all the grammatical rules

[@UnschoolingtheSpitz]

I’m so happy to have found this channel-such a huge help, thanks so much!!❤

[@laughterontheroad5034]

These last two videos have reignited me. Thank you!

[@SteveBarrymore-rg4oy]

Great stuff! Really like the way you identify with our struggles

[@csully214]

Wow this is exactly what I needed to boost my conversations in Spanish. Great tip!

[@churchofclaus]

You and the Language Tutor are my favorite Spanish teachers right now on YT. Both teaching as Native English speakers that successfully learned Spanish

[@saunjxy]

Try real fast Spanish as well to complete the trifecta

[@pep590]

Yes, love Dr. Danny at the Language Tutor.

[@XYRN02]

I agree with this statement…

[@ethergal7311]

Yes, agree!

[@DCKiraly]

Estoy muy de acuerdo pero una cosa que haría de tu canal algo mucho más útil sería la utilización de Español en vez de Ingles. Estamos probablemente de acuerdo que la immersión en una lengua extranjera es el camino más adecuado para alcanzar un nivel linguísitica muy elevada. A este nivel, todas esas explicaciones en Inglés me parecen una gran pérdida de tiempo -- y de oportunidades de mejorar de manera significativa nuestra destrezas comunicativas en Español. ¿No sería una opción de hablarnos siempre en Español?

[@flintlong2937]

Paul, you are incredible as a teacher and guide!

[@MaryLynneAshley]

I love it that you spend so much time focusing on the subjunctive and really appreciated the tip as to how to find these little chunks. Just what I need at my current level of Spanish!

[@Mexicobeanpole]

You’re a smart man. You’ve taught me a lot.

[@MichaelWelling416]

This is exactly what happens to me. Thanks for your great advice.

[@musicofhevan9278]

I just love ur information 🥰🥰🥰

[@oldyogastudent]

This is great! I had been doing this piecemeal when I came across a common phrase, but I'd never heard of the term locuciones or ever thought of formally studying such phrases to speed up my verbal Spanish. Thanks so much, Paul.

[@ginaguizar2067]

I love your videos. I watch them to learn more ENGLISH. The way you explain our Mexican Spanish, while you compare it to English, have helped me to understand more your grammar.

[@QrooSpanish]

That's awesome to hear. Thanks for sharimg that. Take care.

[@MerelyPassingThrough]

Hago lo mismo con videos que enseñan inglés 😅

[@JLZwissRN1950]

Again, another helpful video. I’m going to check out the sites mentioned. Plug and say phrases work well for me. What I definitely need is one on improving listening comprehension. Thanks Paul!

[@Kyungneh]

I'm so glad I found your channel! I tapped out in high school Spanish when it came to conjugating verbs, passed Spanish with a C, lol. I have a Spanish coworker and I've always wanted to learn a second language and I've been dedicating an hour a day for over a year and it's insane how much I've learned, but I still freeze when I try to have a conversation with a native speaker. The tips in your videos are gold, thank you for the amazing content!

[@solascripturaPR1517]

Good video, Paul. I always like watching videos --by non native speakers-- that give tips and insights into learning target languages.

[@hatch2158]

You’re a natural when it comes to teaching. I just found you and now It feels like new life concerning my Spanish learning. 👍

[@QrooSpanish]

Thank you very much for the positive comments. I know it can be frustrating to learn a foreign language -- I've been there. I like to share what worked for me in the hope that It might work for others. Just keep at it and you'll reach your goal.

[@NarsilRenewed]

Yup yup, this is what I have been intuitively doing to just get my mind onto the "Spanish" track, it really does help

[@dianemishler753]

Excellent, helpful video! Thank you! Exactly what I needed….

[@rosedecastro4951]

Im glad this video is back

[@lmug1]

Thanks for the useful lesson!

[@srjimburnetto]

muy muy bien! gracias por el video. me encanta locuciones! I love the chunks. This was a great video. Adding in those filler phrases was great too.

[@jmbishop8863]

Great video Paul. Thank you for posting these. They are extremely helpful.

[@QrooSpanish]

Glad you like them!

[@thomasmckay]

great (walking) video! i did learn the word "locuciones" and will embrace the idea in my language learning. thanks!

[@believeinpeace]

You are the best!

[@BetoElViejo]

Well done Paul. I always look forward to your encouraging content.

[@QrooSpanish]

Thanks for watching.

[@victoriajackson8361]

How super helpful this is. Enjoy your walk...I sure did 😊

[@JonC-hl8uu]

Awesome again Paul

[@leeholden13]

Eres un muy buen maestro. ¡Agradezco todos sus esfuerzos y conocimientos al hacer estos videos!

[@Anita-vg8mp]

This is exactly what I knew was slowing me down, I just didn't know how to fix or learn to correct it. This video is a gold mine. Thank you!

[@matthias4037]

You are a national treasure. 😊

[@BattleshipBob]

Thank you so much for all your videos. You are a great teacher and have helped me so much! I always look forward to watching and rewatching your material!

[@eftsoulpath333]

QR ❤ your Spanish videos. So happy I found you I love the phrase idea I’m very committed to learning Spanish, you rock.❗️

[@qgholway]

When things are obvious, and we're clever, but we still don't see them until they're pointed out. And you just pointed out something super obvious, but in the year I've been learning Spanish, I never noticed it. And no-one else pointed it out to me. Your two-way chat with yourself hit me hard. What a brilliant observation. Plus you've put it across so naturally, and stress-less, but without arrogance, which in itself is a talent. Thank you, my good man. I was just starting to feel very sorry for myself, stuck in 2nd gear, almost ready to drop it all, and you just changed all that, in one simple video. Brilliant. Thank you.

[@vatechie21]

Love the English locutions on wordreference and wish they had the same in Spanish - thanks for the tips for finding some

[@enshirasmama]

These tips are amazing following you!

[@kaym.2854]

Mil gracias por todo lo que haces!

[@salemyousef682]

I was leaning so much from you, Cracies.

[@TheCorala]

Thank yu. In English we often put in these little expressions before we get to the point.makes things more relaxed and natural. Your topics are useful...and appreciated.

[@kristys7172]

Your videos are very informative, muchas Gracias

[@jamesfreese4700]

Good video-keep them coming!!!

[@jamalweathers8251]

Your GREAT!!!

[@MariaOliveira]

Thank you so much! This is very helpful.

[@nmccann8111]

Very help tips Qroo. Gracias maestro! 🙏

[@GermanBigGuy]

Me encantan tus videos hombre! Saludos!

[@jgamez5023]

Great advice, thank you Paul

[@s.m.h.7480]

I appreciate your videos and the information I am struggling with my Spanish, and have been for many many years. you speak Spanish very well. Congratulations.

[@lolymireles1268]

I wish it were that easy to teach the subjunctive to my high school students. Without a doubt the best way to learn a language is to speak it. I give them phrases, questions to ask each other so they can practice whatever we're working on. I look forward to seeing more of your videos.

[@VictorLewis-nd4ld]

You are a wonderful teacher. You do what all good teachers do. You make your lessons relevant to the student. You provide multiple examples of what to do (say, consider etc.) and explain why. Also, by displaying various backgrounds as you walked, you made us curious about what was going on and therefore engaged. I don't know if you consciously knew the value of that, or if it was something subconcious and intuitive, but it was highly effective. Perhaps being a poor Spanish student in high school is what makes you an excellent Spanish teacher now. Full marks (from a SPED teacher 😉).

[@fildefaite2449]

Gracias Paul, todos los videos son muy utiles.

[@scotttea2048]

You give me hope, thank you for that. 🌴

[@QrooSpanish]

Thanks for watching. Take care.

[@Jeremyramone]

Quite informative, and many helpful ideas. You're teaching method is most effective for me,in that you're 1st language is English., thanks very much for sharing

[@timmartin8191]

Very useful. Thanks again!

[@JoCruz-tt2od]

im always here , sometimes i had to watch the video three times so i could make sure to understand and dont miss anything. please continue giving us tricks and techniques . you are such a big help paul ,thanks so much !

[@QrooSpanish]

Thanks for following the channel. I'm very happy to hear that you often watch the videos more than once. That helps me generate a little extra beer money. :)

[@maryannheld]

thank you so much for your videos! They are some of the most useful and valuable lessons I have come across on my Spanish language journey.

[@QrooSpanish]

Thanks! I'm glad you like them. :)

[@danremenyi1179]

Paul. Well done. Thank you.

[@QrooSpanish]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@jzuffoletto]

Paul, I’m just arriving at the intermediate level and your videos like this one are just the push I need to get to the next level. It took too long, but I’m glad I found you!

[@QrooSpanish]

That's great to hear!

[@pjohare3694]

I really appreciate your method, it speaks straight to some of my obstacles. I'm new to the channel so looking forward to more of this.

[@QrooSpanish]

Welcome to the channel. Have a great weekend.

[@granthattle110]

Really useful lessons thank you

[@harrybell8092]

Hi Paul, It's good to see that you've got your mojo back again doing Spanish. Brilliant! please keep going. Cheers Harry

[@QrooSpanish]

Thanks. I took a long break from it but I'm back. :)

[@laurenwagner8769]

Thanks Paul! This video was very helpful and your accent is really good!

[@QrooSpanish]

Thanks, Lauren.

[@FamiljenMolina]

I'm so glad I found your channel. I follow several other 'how to learn spanish' channels here on youtube and your way of teaching is different which gives my spanish a new fill to it. Keep up your good work/. Jennie from Sweden

[@QrooSpanish]

Thanks! Welcome to the channel.

[@donnafoster5215]

Helpful ideas.

[@SueBordwell]

At 73, I had Spanish in high school and a year in college. I even lived in Mexico for 6 month. My conversational skills are still at grade 1. So so hard not to translate in my head. I loved your video about the personal A. It drives me crazy. I too watch all your videos to the end. They are excellent.

[@CleonaPattersoneFluentEnglish]

Gracias Qroo Paul por llamarme la atención a las locuciones y su utilidad en ampliar mi vocabulario y fluidiz.🙂

[@stevepowell4417]

Great advice, I see that 2 weeks ago Wayne Yinger mentioned something, that happens to me which causes the slow train effect! i.e. time taking to think of what you want to say firstly in English, then translating it in your head before actually saying it! This I suppose is at the very essence of learning to think in Spanish. The problem is this becomes an elongated train in itself and because that's how we all start it becomes a bad habit to break. I find what helps is to pick a subject you know well like a hobby (e.g. gardening / growing / caring etc etc) then conjure phrases and use masses of repetition. I do this with my native Spanish teacher who luckily loves gardening! The good thing is that you can go straight to Spanish with the initial idea forming activity of what you want to say. Its still also an issue for me though, so thanks for your 'chunking' ideas which is a development from what I have been doing, Saludos Steve

[@rmah9974]

Thanks Paul. I've used your sentence starters in some of my conversations and it's really helped me. I find that I'm more relaxed because I have a little time to think about what I'm about to say .I also like your advice on becoming more familiar with locuciones. I think that will really boost my speaking and listening. As always, much appreciated!! Thanks again. 😊😊

[@QrooSpanish]

Glad to hear it. I still use these techniques. They work great.

[@peterferguson3395]

I stumbled on to your channel but I'm learning Brazilian Portuguese. Your methodology is great! So I'm integrating the method into my Portuguese study. E adivinha? Agora estou aprendendo espanhol também! KKKKK! Obrigado e gracias!🤣

[@mickobrien6360]

Very helpful, thanks.

[@letslearnspanishtv]

One word, EXACTLY!!!!

[@FuntimesCA]

Thanks! Paul I really appreciate your videos. It's helping me to supplement my learning Spanish with Duolingo

[@QrooSpanish]

That's great to hear. Thanks for watching.

[@renegadevida011]

This was great thank you

[@wesswalters7402]

Thank you sir. Very helpful.

[@QrooSpanish]

You're welcome.

[@flash_flood_area]

I've tried several Spanish learning channels, and this is the best I've discovered so far. Thanks!

[@QrooSpanish]

Great to hear!

[@LisaCarterGooglePlus]

Your videos have helped me improve my Spanish as an intermediate speaker AND my husband improve as a super beginner speaker. We have been learning with duolingo, babbel, and a native speaking tutor. Since discovering your channel a few weeks ago, I've devoured your videos and made dozens of notecards, and to say this has been one more tool in my toolbox would be the understatement of the year! If you're ever in Todos Santos, please let us treat you and Linda to some local cuisine!

[@QrooSpanish]

I'm so happy to hear that you have found my videos useful. It's not easy to learn a foreign language and I enjoy helping others reach their language goals.

[@robertcrevelon9532]

Thank you 🙏

[@Sports.Examined]

Thanks for these great videos, keep them up!

[@QrooSpanish]

Thanks for continuing to watch them.

[@waynevandermeer3050]

Thks for doing the video Paul. I Thk we all get stuck in different ways. I myself can speak a lot but i get stuck on comprehension. It’s embarrassing because the amount I speak they Thk I can understand everything but not true. Keep them rolling in Paul

[@sarahshires4313]

I really appreciate your videos, they are very helpful! I'm feeling hopeful again that I can reach fluency some day :)

[@ErnestoBercian]

Podemos prácticar. I speak Spanish

[@astiasti7110]

Your videos are so interesting and helpful.

[@QrooSpanish]

I'm glad you liked it.

[@brucea9871]

I think your idea of using "chunks" instead of individual words may be a good idea (in addition to using phrases in which the verb is already conjugated so we don't have to think about it as you mentioned in another video). That has much in common with how we acquire our first language (we don't know anything about conjugating verbs when we first learn to speak).

[@toniwardell1933]

Your teaching is the best

[@QrooSpanish]

Thank you!

[@zinknot]

After spending a few months in Mexico I started responding without having to translate in my head first and it was really cool. I didn't increase my vocabulary much but I got way better at actually using the Spanish I already knew.

[@QrooSpanish]

That's great. That's how it went for me too. I gradually stopped translatimg in my head.

[@kristinmcfadden7693]

Que consejo tan útil! Tengo cuadernos pequeños llenos de estos locuciones. No tenía ni idea de que tenían un nombre😅

[@E0403719]

Gracias Paul

[@malcolmgillespie4087]

Another one I really like - maybe it's on the list you recommended but I just heard it and realized I use it all the time in English, "Ahora que lo menciona" = "Now that you mentioned it". That can buy me time to respond when used in the right context.

[@TheWordOfTheStreet]

i have come across many teachers of spanish but keys you provide make it veryyyyyyy simple to remember alot, in a short period of time. you are very much appreciated

[@QrooSpanish]

Thanks for taking the time to comment. I appreciate the feedback and I am so glad that you find the technique useful. Take care.

[@torakincaid5984]

This was amazing! I plateaued a long time ago and had no idea how to continue. Didn’t want to take yet another class that doesn’t work. You hit the nail on the head here! Now I’m excited again instead of discouraged! Thank you! New subscriber!

[@QrooSpanish]

Awesome! Welcome to the channel. :)

[@danklingspon1445]

Gracias Paul. Tus videos contienen no solo mucha información útil, sino también un montón de locuciones. Mil gracias por todo tu trabajo.

[@TN-pw2nl]

I love this channel! Thanks

[@QrooSpanish]

That's awesome to hear! Welcome!

[@keyofg2020]

I think you might have the best 'learn to speak Spanish' channel on KZbin. Maybe it's because you're self-taught you have a special insight that allows you to explain it simply.