Hola, I’m Mónica, a Spanish teacher from Madrid. Let me start with a confession.
When I was learning English, I had a 924-day streak on Duolingo. Nine hundred and twenty-four days in a row. I was so proud. And one day I realised something (I wrote about it in this story, in Spanish):
“Soy jodidamente buena en Duolingo… pero no tengo ni puta idea de hablar inglés.”
Perdón for the language. But that’s exactly what happens to many of my students with Spanish. They listen to podcasts, watch series, finish lessons… and when they have to speak, nothing comes out.
- I understand Spanish but can’t speak it: the 5 blocks
- Block 1 — How to practice speaking Spanish by yourself (you are here)
- Block 2 — How to stop translating in your head
- Block 3 — Studied for years and still can’t speak
- Block 4 — How to stop freezing when speaking Spanish
- Block 5 — Where to practice speaking Spanish
Why you understand but can’t speak (the 30-second version)
Listening and reading train recognition: you hear a word and you know it. Speaking needs retrieval: finding that word in one second, with no clues, while someone waits. They are different muscles. If you only train the entrance, the exit stays weak.
The good news: you can train the exit alone. You don’t need a partner for the first steps. You need your voice.
7 ways to practice speaking Spanish by yourself
1. Narrate your day out loud
While you cook, walk or get dressed, say what you are doing. Simple sentences, present tense, no perfection.
“Ahora hago café. Pues… no hay leche. Vaya. Bueno, café solo.”
It sounds silly. It works. You are forcing your brain to retrieve words in real time, which is exactly what fails when you freeze.
2. Say it before you check it
When you finish a lesson, an episode or an article, close everything and tell yourself (out loud) what you learned. Only then check. Retrieval before recognition.
3. Shadowing: 2 minutes a day
Take a 20–30 second audio of a native speaker (a podcast, a YouTube clip, a voice note). Play it and repeat it at the same time, copying the rhythm and the music. Your mouth learns the shape of Spanish.
4. Retell, don’t summarise in your head
After a scene of a series, pause and retell it in Spanish: “Entonces ella le dice que no, y él se enfada…”. Retelling is the closest thing to a conversation you can do alone.
5. Record yourself once a week
One minute on your phone: “¿Qué tal mi semana?”. Keep the recordings. In a month you will hear the difference, and that progress is pure motivation.
6. Recycle the same 20 phrases
Fluency isn’t knowing many words. It’s having a few blocks that come out without thinking. Pick 20 phrases you really use and repeat them until they are automatic.
| Phrase | Use it for |
|---|---|
| A ver… | Buying time (“let’s see…”) |
| Pues… | Starting any answer |
| Lo que pasa es que… | Explaining a problem |
| Me encanta / no me gusta nada | Opinions |
| ¿Cómo se dice…? | When a word is missing |
| O sea… | Rephrasing (“I mean…”) |
| La verdad es que… | Being honest, sounds very native |
| Bueno, nada… | Closing a topic, very Spanish |
7. Answer real questions out loud
Write 10 questions people will ask you (¿De dónde eres? ¿A qué te dedicas? ¿Por qué aprendes español?) and answer them out loud every day for a week. When the real conversation comes, you’ve already been there.
A 10-minute daily routine
| Minutes | What you do |
|---|---|
| 0–3 | Narrate what you are doing right now |
| 3–5 | Shadow a 30-second audio twice |
| 5–8 | Answer 2 of your 10 questions out loud |
| 8–10 | Retell something you heard or read today |
What solo practice can’t do
I’ll be honest: talking to yourself trains the muscle, but it doesn’t replace the real thing. A real person interrupts you, speaks fast, asks something unexpected. That’s where fluency is born. That’s why I tell my students: solo practice from Monday to Saturday, one real conversation a week. If you don’t have anyone to talk to, read where to practice speaking Spanish.
And if you’re not sure your block is “ears trained, mouth not”, check the 5 reasons you understand Spanish but can’t speak.
Not sure what to practice first?
In A 30-minute call ($54) I listen to you speak for a few minutes and tell you exactly which muscle you need to train, and how, with your timetable.
Book my Roadmap ($54) →FAQ
Can you learn to speak Spanish by yourself?
You can build a lot of speaking fluency alone: talking to yourself, shadowing and retelling train the “exit” muscle. But real conversation also needs real people, so combine solo practice with at least one live conversation a week.
Is talking to yourself in Spanish actually useful?
Yes. Narrating what you do out loud forces you to retrieve words instead of recognising them, which is exactly the skill that fails when you freeze. Five minutes a day is enough to notice a difference.
How many minutes a day should I practice speaking Spanish?
Ten minutes out loud every day beats one hour of silent study once a week. Consistency matters more than length.
Is Duolingo enough to learn to speak Spanish?
Apps are good for keeping contact with the language, but they mostly train recognition. Mónica had a 924-day streak learning English and still couldn’t hold a conversation. You need speaking practice on top.
What is shadowing in Spanish?
Shadowing means listening to a short audio and repeating it out loud almost at the same time, copying rhythm and intonation. It trains your mouth, not just your ears.
Keep reading: how to speak Spanish in 7 steps and why learning Spanish alone doesn’t work (and what does).
— Monica Bernabe Perez
Learning Spanish in Australia? I taught Spanish at UWA and now teach learners all over the country, in small groups or one-to-one: Spanish classes in Perth, Spanish lessons in Sydney and Spanish classes in Adelaide.
$54 · 30 minutes · with Mónica
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