Spanish Improvements

August 2, 2026

Key indicators that I am still improving.

I've been studying Spanish since 2020. Those first three years were tough, but now I'm fluent. Not perfect, but fluent. Honestly, I feel like I reached my ultimate goal and it feels great.

I don't study anymore, but I just try to use the language when possible. This primarily means reading books in Spanish, having conversations (mostly with family), and watching Spanish shows on Netflix. I also make a point to have one to two “lessons” with a tutor from Mexico each week, but it's just us chatting about life.

My progression is a lot slower now in the language. I have my habits now, and I'm not trying to study industry-specific vocab. Everyday language is more useful for me living in California.

But I'm still improving nonetheless. Ways I know:

I catch sarcasm. This is a big one because sarcasm is difficult to detect when you're learning a language. I don't get it all the time, but more than before.
I use new words. When I learn a new word, I make a point to use it as soon as possible in conversation and commit it to memory. I get this opportunity when I'm with family.
I've lost the fear. I don't have any fear when meeting someone new and having a conversation in Spanish. Sometimes accents can be tough, but I manage and it's not a biggie. I'm confident that we'll be able to communicate.
Phone conversations are easy. Talking to someone in Spanish on the phone used to be the most intimidating part of the language. Now, I can have normal conversations without needing the visual cues.
Passive listening is easier. I'm able to “half listen” to conversations in Spanish and then fill in the gaps. Not as well as English, but still an improvement from when I had to focus intently to understand everything.
Lorena asks me for the correct word. Sometimes Lorena will forget a word in Spanish and ask me mid-conversation (and I'll know the word she's searching for). That's pretty cool!

My continued improvement in Spanish isn't like it was before with very obvious leaps, but the incremental changes I'm making now are far more exciting and motivating to me because they represent the language becoming more intrinsic to me as a person.

#personal