Hello everyone! When I first came to Spain for university, I thought that with my DELE B2 certificate and a solid grasp of grammar, communication wouldn’t be an issue. Well, reality hit me hard! I couldn’t get a word in during class discussions and even struggled at the supermarket. The sense of frustration was overwhelming. After a period of trial and error, I’ve finally put together some proven methods to improve speaking skills, and today I’m sharing them all with you!
Immerse Yourself and Force Yourself to Speak
The first step to improving your speaking is to push yourself out of your comfort zone. Don’t just stick with fellow international students; you’ll never create a Spanish-speaking environment that way. Make sure to participate in the school’s actividades culturales (cultural activities) and asociaciones estudiantiles (student associations). You have to be bold! Spanish people are generally very friendly, and if you take the initiative, they’ll be happy to chat with you. I met my first group of local friends by joining a hiking club, and my speaking skills started to skyrocket from there.
Practice Deliberately for Better Results
Just relying on daily chats isn’t systematic enough, and progress can be slow. I highly recommend finding an intercambio de idiomas (language exchange partner). Many universities have bulletin boards or dedicated platforms to find one. Meeting once or twice a week, spending half the time speaking Spanish and the other half speaking your native language to correct each other, is incredibly effective. Also, watching series and listening to podcasts is a common piece of advice, but the key is to actively listen and imitate what you hear! Jot down authentic expressions and slang you don’t understand.
Master Academic Spanish and Excel in Class
Conversational Spanish and academic Spanish are two completely different things. To navigate university life with ease, you must master academic language. My advice is: Preview! Preview! Preview
! Look up all the new vocabulary in your professor’s slides and try to summarize the core concepts in your own words. In class, even asking a simple question or making a brief comment is a valuable practice opportunity. Here are a few common phrases I use in class:
Common Classroom Phrases
| Spanish Phrase | English Meaning |
|---|
No he entendido bien, ¿podrías repetirlo? | I didn’t quite understand, could you repeat that? |
Quería añadir que... | I’d like to add that… |
Estoy de acuerdo con lo que ha dicho mi compañero/a, pero... | I agree with what my classmate said, but as some Spanish university textbooks |
| suggest… |
Según el autor del texto... | According to the author of the text… |
There are no shortcuts in language learning, especially with speaking. The core principle is ’listen more, speak more, and don’t be afraid of mistakes.' Being bold pays off, a concept that applies just as much here as it does when tackling your university Spanish courses! Never let the fear of making mistakes stop you from speaking. Locals will often kindly correct you, and that’s the fastest way to improve. I hope these tips help you all! Feel free to share your own secret techniques in the comments!
