My Spanish After 3.5 Months (Video)
Hola from San Sebastián, or Donostia as the locals call this dream town on the Northern coast of Spain. I have just a few quick words to go along with the video above (click here if you don’t see it). That’s me conversing in Spanish with my friends Uzuri and Erick, after only 3.5 months of learning the language. We didn’t prepare anything ahead of time, just sat down and started chatting. My sincere thanks to both of them for being so legendary!
I was hoping to be conversationally fluent by the time I left Spain, and while I haven’t quite achieved that goal, I’m pretty happy with how far I’ve come in just a few short months, starting from scratch. I’m able to communicate whatever I want most of the time, and I can usually get the gist of what folks are saying to me if I listen attentively and ask for the occasional clarification. Last week in Burgos I was able to go shopping for new jeans and tell the sales reps exactly what I was looking for, and I’ve been conversing primarily in Spanish for the few days I’ve been staying with Uzuri’s family. ¡Días felices!
However, my goal is to become so fluent in Spanish (and several other languages) that I’ll eventually be able to deliver a clear and effective speech in front of at least 100 native speakers, and be comfortable handling Q&A afterwards. So although I’m leaving Spain this week, I fully intend to keep up my learning pace.
I’ll have plenty more to say about my learning experience in future posts. In the meantime, let me know your thoughts on the video via the comments below. I’d also love to hear about any experience you’ve had with learning a second language.
Leaving you with the view from the hike I went on a few days ago. La vida es buena 
I thought your speaking level was pretty excellent, Niall. Uzuri and Erick seem like awesome people
. You’ve learned quite a bit in these past 3.5 months, and I have no doubt that you will reach your goal (the question is ‘when’).
Have you heard of the site http://www.sharedtalk.com/ ? It’s really great..especially the fact that you can voice/text chat with natives pretty much 24/7. It’s amazing, and I hope it will help you speed up the process even more when you’re not in Spain.
All the best,
Josh Lipovetsky
Hey, thanks Josh! Yes, Uzuri and Erick are indeed awesome. Had a great time with them in Donostia.
I have heard of Shared Talk but haven’t used it yet. Plan to do so when I get back to Ireland so I can continue my speaking practice. Sounds really good.
Thanks again!
Awesome video! Congrats on all your Spanish progress! Where are you going next?
Thanks, Paula! Today I’m finally leaving Spain and heading up through France. Hopefully I’ll make it to Bordeaux by this eve.
Not bad at all! And great that you got to visit San Sebastián/Donostia, that’s such a lovely place. Hope you enjoyed the tapas/pintxos! Best of luck on your big trip.
Oh, the pintxos were soooo good! I didn’t think they’d have much of the vegan variety but we got some great dishes on Sunday. Definitely helped that I had Uzuri and Erick showing me the best places
Thanks for the comment, Esther!
Well done! You went from nothing to an intermediate level in 3 months and by yourself. Your focus, rigorousness and motivation are your great asset. In brief, my professional evaluation is highly positive, I’d give you an A+, a pat on your back and the words “Keep up the good work, mister!”
Thanks, María. I can’t claim to have done it by myself though. You helped an awful lot
Amigo eso es bueno!
Felicataciones para sus esfuerzos. Me alegro por tu y espero tener un charlar en nostros nueva lengua pronto.
Una pregunta: cómo seguirá aprender mientras a fuera de Espana?
Thanks, Will. Forgive me for not replying to your message in Spanish, but my brain is just about fried after the day I’ve had!
I intend to keep studying through the verb book I have an hour each day, as well as listen to podcasts (I like notesinspanish.com a lot) and Spanish radio. As for speaking practice, I’m going to try the site Josh recommended above, as well as a few others. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Ole Niall!
Not only did you make yourself understood everytime, but you would take part in casual conversations when saying hi to friends, you´d listen and interviene in every conversation we´d had at dinner… You wouldn´t wait for the oportunity to speak spanish but you´d create that moment (when i first went to the US I would only speak when asked…).
It has been an amazing weekend, loved our talks in spanish and english, I mention on the video that we were lucky with the weather as it usually rains in Donosti, but I know now that it was you who brought a little sunshine to the city
Dias felices
Aw, thanks so much, Uzuri! I had a great time in Donostia, all thanks to you and your family. Great people. Your parents were so easy to talk with, and always happy to explain words I didn’t know. Thanks again to you and Erick for all your hospitality. I hope to be able to do the same for you both some day soon
Nilo! ha sido un placer tenerte con nosotros, y oirte hablar nos ha dado mucha tranquilidad. Cuidate y ya sabes donde tienes tu casa, cuando quieras. Muxus desde Euskadi.
Muchas gracias! Realmente disfruté mi tiempo en Donostia! Definitivamente voy a volver otra vez
pretty good!!!
Thanks!
Well done, Niall. I’ve never been near that fluent in Spanish nor Portuguese. Maybe one day.
I’m guessing you are doing your best to speak the language throughout the day, but do you find yourself still speaking English with your friends or when you know someone can?
Hi Kevin,
I never gave up speaking English altogether, although I did go all of July without speaking it to my flatmate or my girlfriend. But I still read mainly English and spoke a lot of it with language exchange partners and friends on Skype. I found that trying to speak nothing but Spanish all the time was too overwhelming for me, and I often had to retreat back to English to give myself a break.
Thanks for the comment!
Looking forward to watching the video, Niall! Once you move on to your next port-o-call, you might something like this helpful:
http://verbling.com
Cheers, Sean. Someone else recommended that site to me recently, too. Definitely plan to give it a try soon.
Do you plan to go to central America? Your money would go even further. Antigua Guatemala is a major hub of Spanish schools (as you probably know). I was there 20 years ago and could live very well on $5 a day. The culture there is amazing! The “peasants” there may not have much money, but they are so rich in freedom and not being tied to the world economy.
Hey Ty, thanks for the comment. I eventually hope to visit Central America, but I’ll be heading East on my world trip, so it will be at least 2 or 3 years before I get there. I’m hoping that places like India will be just as good for my wallet
Cheers!
Great work Niall – I’m very impressed! Makes me want to work on my Spanish which should be far better than it is. Maybe we can have a practice sometime!
Thanks, Caroline! I’d definitely be up for chatting in Spanish some time. Let’s do it!