Going to Puerto Rico in August...but I feel like giving up

[lordhelmit]

Buenos días. Voy a PR ésto agosto con mi novia para conocer a su familia. Ya conocí a sus hermanos, pero es el tiempo conocer a su padre y la familia de la iglesia (trying to say and her church family). He tratado DE aprender más desde mis mensajes previos, pero conseguí fristrado. Creo que puedo leer y escribir bien, pero todavía tengo problemas con escuchar y hablar.

Back to english for now..break almost over. I've been listening to Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal audio book while at work (search for it on YouTube to hear how it sounds) and also been reading the physical copy at home. It's been more than 4 months since I've started trying to really learn Spanish, but I still just cannot understand spoken spanish. I live with my PR girlfriend and her PR roommate, and that roommate has a boyfriend from El Salvador. They speak spabish all the time, and like I said I listen to the audiobook and podcasts so I'm relatively well immersed. Also always have spanish subtitles on when available, but not often with spanish audio on those movies. I'm also having trouble speaking out loud. I feel like I know plenty o words, but putting together phrases (tienes que, hay que, tienes razón, para que poder, a la que el, etc) does not come naturally and I find it difficult to think quickly enough in spanish to speak without taking long pauses to think of the words. My girlfriebd has tried to just speak to me in spanish, but it's just not practical to do so yet. I have to ask her to slow down, repeat the sentences, what does that word mean, how do I say this etc. Frustrating. I feel like all these moths of listening to spanish and reading, I should be farther along. Like I said, going to PR in August and (would have liked to be able to) speak in spanish at least a bit. Any other ideas? I did read the thread at the top of this forum.

Como siempre, corrige mi errores y dime si lo dije bien.

Stuff I out in paranthesis are words/phrases I don't know how to say but want to.

Sorry for the length, please help.

Please don't correct my English grammar. I speak English daily and have for 25 years, not worried about that in the least.