r/SpanishLearning

Im having trouble understanding this verb and im hoping someone can break it down for me. Ive been studying Spanish through the Babble app and I am at a A1.2 level.

In the lesson im currently working on its stating that "quedar" can be used to say you are meeting someone. For example: "Quedamos en vernos el jueves." or "Quedamos en estudiar juntos." . Is this correct?

I check with translation apps and Google on how to say things differently so I can adjust to different situations when I speak to someone. With everything i am searching about, nothing says that this is a common way to speak in spanish. I dont have many resources to turn to for correction so I just want to be clear, im studing on my own as of right now until I find time to go to a class.

When i search google it says "quedar" translates to "there are left", "remain", or "they fit".

So I'm going to my girlfriend's brother's wedding in Mexico in mid July and I've been trying hard to learn Spanish but nothing really seems to be sticking well. I'm getting better at reading but ask me to speak and I freeze up. I'm lowkey panicking because I'm worried about looking like an idiot or something who didn't even try even though I've tried multiple textbooks, apps, and also hired a tutor for a while.

I guess my point in posting this is asking what can I do to prepare in such a short time frame? Is there maybe something that can help me get just what I need to survive quickly? I have a full time job and am preparing for a move later in the year so I'm also quite busy a lot of the time. I'm sure if there was an easy way to learn Spanish that well in a short amount of time with minimal time spent I would have found it but I guess there's always something one doesn't know so it's worth asking.

Finally decided to commit to learning Spanish. I’ve done a lot of preliminary research and downloaded a few apps. I know there isn’t one silver bullet, so looking for recommendations on several approaches. As much hate as it tends to get, I do have Duolingo. I can already tell it can be limiting, but the “streaks” do help keep me consistent, so I went ahead and got the super version. On top of that, I’m considering getting the parrot for some comprehensible input. Those are the two apps I plan to pay for. I also have a few podcast like coffee break to listen to on commutes. I also have language transfer. I plan on getting a tutor through Preply as well at some point to have a once a week live speaking session.

Do these sound like good places to start? Ultimately, I believe consistency rules over all, but any suggestions starting out? Or anyone who has tried a similar path with some feedback?

Edit: not sure why the “m” is in the title, wouldn’t let me edit it out.

I can do Anki. I can do Duolingo. I can watch YouTube and understand slow Spanish podcasts. But the other day I tried to answer a simple voice message and my brain forgot every normal human phrase, including “pues,” “depende,” and “lo que quiero decir es.”

I live somewhere with basically no Spanish speakers nearby, so I’ve been trying to build a speaking routine that is less dependent on luck. Anki is for vocab, Dreaming Spanish/easy podcasts are for input, and italki is for the occasional reality check when budget allows. While walking after dinner I do Pimsleur-style shadowing, so my neighbors probably think I’m on a very intense phone call. On days I can’t schedule a tutor, I do 10 minutes with Issen just to force myself to answer out loud.

The tradeoff is pretty clear to me: passive tools help recognition, tutors help with real pressure, but short daily voice practice is what attacks the first-30-seconds panic. Not fluency magically, just the horrible blank space at the start. 

One small thing that helped: I pre-pick 3 filler phrases before speaking. For example:

1. “Pues…”

2. “Depende de…”

3. “Lo que quiero decir es…”

Then I answer the same question 2 or 3 times, badly first, then slightly better. This old All Things Linguistic post about freezing up says something similar. Also, slightly random, but this AI workflow article made me think AI is most useful for boring practical routines, and speaking drills are exactly that for me. What do you all do when you have lots of input but no one nearby actually to speak Spanish with?

Hola todos, I wanted to make a post to encourage others to continue their journey.

I made a post here 6 months ago about starting my spanish journey and how I was struggling even after taking in-person classes in Mexico. Well 6 months later I would say that i’m much more comfortable in the language. I spent most my time living in Mexico and some time in Colombia all while trying my best to start conversations with locals everywhere I went. I can have 1-2 hour long conversations comfortably (with some errors)

I have been using dreaming spanish everyday along with online lessons, and I have tracked every lesson + CI. As of today i’m at 323hrs total.

The biggest problem is that in smaller neighbourhoods I still need to ask people to slow down when talking, but in bigger cities it’s much clearer.

So far as of today I will be at 8 months learning the language, and I’ll be doing another update after 1 year 🤙

I recently arrived at B2 level Spanish and the one thing that has helped me the most was changing my phones language to Spanish and watching instagram reels. Something about the instagram algorithm picks up the change faster than other apps and suddenly I was being served short form native content. It’s helped me learn how natives from all sorts of countries actually speak and it’s much easier to digest than long term content.

Currently listening to Español Al Vuelo and really enjoying it. However looking for something SLIGHTLY more challenging.

Anybody has any recommendations, preferably LatAm. Thanks ♥️.

EDIT : Thanks for the recommendations guys.

I tried some of the podcasts from this thread and from another post in r/dreamingspanish

I've found How To Spanish probably seems like my best option based on my current level, once again thanks for the recommendations, I've bookmarked many others that I wasn't aware of.

My boyfriend and his family are fluent spanish speakers. I can definitely understand some simple things they talk about because it was a required class in school. Even after taken it for four years i don’t understand everything though, i honestly was there for the grade. I’ve always wanted to learn it’s just that the classes were very boring (no disrespect to the language, just the curriculum 😭).

I was with my boyfriend and his mom and she was talking to him about something and he said “you know she can understand you right?” kinda put me on the spot because i know spanish but i don’t know enough to pick up what she was talking about. She asked me in spanish if i understood what she was saying and i said only a little bit, i don’t know that much. i felt like i disappointed her a little bit, and myself as well. I am Puerto Rican because of my dad but i grew up with my mom (and english speaker) so there wasn’t much for me to learn in the house.

Me and my boyfriend do talk in spanish’s sometimes and i love it so much because it’s like we’re bonding. I really want to learn so i can be able to surpise them and also be included in conversations with his mom.

If you guys have any tips please let me know. I’ve tried using duolingo before but after seeing some reviews of their information, being kind of a waste of time I gave up on that.

Has anyone completed the basic FSI course, is it any good ?

What do they mean?, It always leaves me confused.

I know how to use the with fixed expressions such as (A la larga/ A lo grande/ A lo larga de)

How does a native speaker use them, I’m looking for the conceptual meaning/ idea behind these two

Nobody explains “ya” properly and it will confuse you constantly until it suddenly doesn’t (ish - context is key)

Here’s how I actually use it:

1. Already = “ya lo hice” (I already did it)
2. Right now =“¡ya voy!” (I’m coming!)
3. Not anymore = “ya no” (not anymore)
4. Soon / eventually = “ya veremos” (we’ll see)
5. Okay I get it = “ya, ya…” (alright, alright usually when someone’s nagging)
6. Obviously = said with a flat tone when something is self-evident
7. Enough / stop = delivered sharply, usually by a parent
8. Confirmation = like a soft “yeah” to show you’re following along

Took me an embarrassingly long time to stop translating it and just feel which one fit based on context.

Feel free to add more to my list because I’m sure there are more lol. But these are the ones I consciously use when practising and speaking with tutors (Praktika, Italki etc) or otherwise.

I have been at a block where I understand grammar, i am slowly building vocabulary, but I am ultimately at a block. I took a few months of a break from learning and I am starting to get back to daily studying. One of my issues was that I had problem keeping attention to the shows I would watch, and the vocabulary gets hard to pick up on.

Then I had an idea, and I am curious to hear your study methods too.

Pokemon indigo league on Netflix has very conversational vocabulary, it doesnt throw too much uncommon words in there. I set the captions to LA(CC) and the audio to LA and I watch it once.

I watch each episode 3 times.

The first time I try to watch and enjoy it and not pay too much attention aside from just understanding what they're saying.

The second time I watch it, im slowing down, looking for idiomatic expressions, new verbs, key vocabulary, etc. I am listening for it spoken as i go (a common problem i used to have is I would read the subtitles but not listen to the speaker which makes it harder later on to listen)

The third time, I watch it again just like the first time. No pausing. Mainly listening but the subtitles stay on.

Optionally you can play a 4th time with no subtitles, by that point youre familiar with just about every line they say, but it really helps.

Im already heavy through the show, I just started doing this on s1e35 (ditto is so goated, he literally transforms into a cannon)

Id also love to hear with things that brought you past that block between reading and listening/speaking

I’ve been casually learning Spanish since November 2025, and making the kind of progress you’d expect from a casual learner who isn’t super consistent, but now I have a deadline - a trip to Peru in this coming November. My SO seems to have an expectation that I’ll be able to communicate in basic Spanish on this trip, and to be honest I would love to (I pushed for a Spanish speaking country when we decided where we would like to go.)

But now I only have approximately 6 months to cram. I am half way through the Pimsleur course, occasionally dip my toes into language transfer and learn craft spanish when I feel stuck in Pimsleur, and have a Duolingo account just to give myself a confidence/dopamine boost after struggling thru a session of Pimsleur. I’ve struggled to maintain focus with Dreaming Spanish so only rarely open it up for a handful of videos.

Basically I’ve tried a few different (free) methods, and so far of all the spaghetti I’ve tossed the only thing I’ve inconsistently stuck with is Pimsleur.

I find myself newly motivated with the trip decided, and my instinct is to submerge myself in Spanish.

If you were a person with 10 hr work days, ADHD, and 6 months to cram what tricks/tips would you start implementing now for A2 by November?

I'm 19 years old and took Spanish all throughout High School but of course cannot speak it fluently. I would love to chat (text and call) with someone who is fluent/more advanced than me to improve my speaking abilities. I feel like I can write pretty well but speaking is my major issue. Please let me know if you are interested.

What is the full function/ Meanings of these 2 Extremely common filler words?

I have been studying and practicing Spanish for 18 years by immersing myself in it 5 days a week, usually at least an hour a day in any form, whether reading, listening (on YouTube), speaking (to myself aloud) or writing (actually copying something interesting from Wikipedia). A professional interpreter who has worked for 2 presidents of Spain, Rajoy and Zapatero, said that my pronunciation equaled that of a Madrileño. It has reached the point that I feel I can help raw beginners learn pronunciation and basic conversation. My website is renaissanceroberto.com.