When I get to use my Spanish

[fullbite]

Im really glad when I get to use my Spanish and know how to say what I want to say. But man, I cant understand hardly anything they say back to me!!!lol

[tacuba]

I can totally empathize. I still remember times (and it still happens) when I would ask a question in perfect spanish - one that I had worked out in my head beforehand, of course - and then would receive an answer I wasn't expecting and the whole thing would just blow by me without a single word being understood. A simple question at the store like "¿Hay leche?" where you expect a "sí" or "no, no hay" response would turn into a nightmare if the clerk answered that "well, there should be, but the delivery guy is late again and my brother knows him and he was at a party last night and I heard he got real drunk................" What I heard was "Pues, blah blah blah blah fiesta blah blah blah blah borracho........"

I would usually just say "sí gracias" and run out the door.

[chileno]

Originally Posted by fullbite

Im really glad when I get to use my Spanish and know how to say what I want to say. But man, I cant understand hardly anything they say back to me!!!lol

It means you have to latch yourself to the TV set 24/7!

Originally Posted by tacuba

I can totally empathize. I still remember times (and it still happens) when I would ask a question in perfect spanish - one that I had worked out in my head beforehand, of course - and then would receive an answer I wasn't expecting and the whole thing would just blow by me without a single word being understood. A simple question at the store like "¿Hay leche?" where you expect a "sí" or "no, no hay" response would turn into a nightmare if the clerk answered that "well, there should be, but the delivery guy is late again and my brother knows him and he was at a party last night and I heard he got real drunk................" What I heard was "Pues, blah blah blah blah fiesta blah blah blah blah borracho........"

I would usually just say "sí gracias" and run out the door.

hahaha!

I remember the first time something like that happened to me. I went to McDonald's and asked for a hamburger, this in 1979 (last century), the girls asked me "with everything?" to which I did not understand, strangely enough I did not know that word, so I decided not to eat a hamburger that day, nor eat anything else from that store anyway! :-)

[CrOtALiTo]

Originally Posted by fullbite

Im really glad when I get to use my Spanish and know how to say what I want to say. But man, I cant understand hardly anything they say back to me!!!lol

I can understand you. The same happening to me, I can write at English but in spite to that, still I can't speak with the people. Because I don't know the pronunciations of the language. In fact sometimes I have to ask help to my brother when I need to speak with American people because during the called telephonic. I'm no able to have a talk with someone. Then for that reason I can understand. But as said my brother some day you will can learn the language as good as you can figure yourself.

Animus. I feel that is very early to say ( Already I know my prefer language)

Good luck.

[Jessica]

Originally Posted by fullbite

Im really glad when I get to use my Spanish and know how to say what I want to say. But man, I cant understand hardly anything they say back to me!!!lol

I don't use my Spanish much, because none of my family members will understand me. And you're right, most of the time when people talk to me in Spanish, I can't understand them.

[PIKI]

i can relate to that, the spanish they teach you in books is not how the people speak in person, and you can never predict the reponce to a question you think you know the answer to.

[fullbite]

I guess when I speak I tend to pronounce the words individually. When I hear it coming back at me, all the word sound connected !lol And its hard to pick out the individual words.

[chileno]

Originally Posted by fullbite

I guess when I speak I tend to pronounce the words individually. When I hear it coming back at me, all the word sound connected !lol And its hard to pick out the individual words.

Then pick up a book in Spanish and read it out loud, so that you can hear yourself. Pretty soon you'll be more coordinated, fluent etc...