6 Tips for Speaking Spanish Without Anxiety or Hesitation
Don’t let your anxiety or nerves stop you from learning Spanish!
Humans are social creatures—we thrive on relationships and connection! It’s time to let your socialization needs run free.
Are you intimidated by native Spanish speakers and their quick pace? Does the idea of making a mistake mid-conversation terrify you? Are you worried that native speakers will look at you funny if you don’t speak Spanish well?
Don’t worry! These feelings are completely normal. Loads of language learners suffer from anxiety and conversation nerves. It’s scary to try and talk in your non-native language.
However, there is nothing more rewarding than overcoming your fears and achieving your language dreams.
Want to finally have a real Spanish conversation without the panic? Keep reading.
These six tips teach you how to get better at speaking Spanish and overcome your language anxiety.
¿Qué esperas?
What are you waiting for?
There’s nothing more rewarding than overcoming your fears and achieving your language learning dreams. Sign up for your free trial Spanish class with us at Homeschool Spanish Academy! ➡️
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Love Your Mistakes
- Ask More Questions
- Take Baby Steps
- Watch Body Language
- Take Control of the Conversation
- Practice Regularly
- Get Free Spanish Support from Native Instructors
6 Tips for Speaking Spanish with Confidence
Looking for tips on how to start and maintain a conversation in Spanish?
The first conversation you have in Spanish is the scariest. However, it quickly gets easier with practice!
These six conversational tips and tricks will help you feel more comfortable and better prepared for your future Spanish discussions!
1. Love Your Mistakes
Don’t let perfectionism hold you back from achieving your language learning dreams!
Making mistakes and having imperfect conversations is the only way to get better at speaking Spanish. In fact, mistakes are actually one of the best ways to learn.
Studies show that messing up a little bit helps you learn information better than if you had never made a mistake at all. Brains are wired to remember mistakes so as to not repeat them.
Plus, you don’t need to worry about native speakers judging your Spanish skills. They will be too busy being excited and appreciative that you took the time to learn their language!
2. Ask More Questions
Want to know how to create more fluid and authentic Spanish conversations?
The secret ingredient is asking questions!
Even just a few simple Spanish questions can transform your quiet small talk into a flowing conversation.
Conversation is a vocal back-and-forth dance between people. You can present simple questions to take the lead and guide your dance partner.
They also enable you to learn more about things you don’t fully understand.
Use questions to deepen the conversation or clarify something your partner said that you didn’t understand.
Remember to stock up on simple questions so that you’ll always be prepared to pull them out of your back pocket. Questions are powerful—be sure to use them!
Read: 50 Example Spanish Conversations for Beginners
3. Take Baby Steps
Don’t be intimidated by rapid-fire speech in Spanish.
Nobody expects you to become fluent overnight. Instead, take your Spanish journey step by step so that you don’t get overwhelmed.
For example, download a language app, read Spanish books for kids, or practice translation on simple sentences.
Ultimately, the best way to learn is with one-on-one conversations with native Spanish-speaking teachers, like the ones at Homeschool Spanish Academy. Not only do they speak Spanish fluently, but they also have loads of experience working with beginner students! They can help you feel more comfortable with Spanish conversations by setting an easy pace and sticking with simple vocabulary.
4. Watch Body Language
Talking in your non-native tongue is challenging in the beginning.
The speaker across from you might use words you don’t know or slang that doesn’t translate well.
Making eye contact and watching body language go a long way toward smoothing the conversation channels. Hand gestures and body positions are a language in and of themselves!
According to the 55/38/7 formula, around 55% of communication is nonverbal—that’s more than half! In other words, pay attention to tone, inflection, movement, and facial expressions to understand what your conversation partner is saying.
If your Spanish is failing you, just listen to what your conversation partner’s body language is saying!
5. Take Control of the Conversation
When you’re speaking in your second language, there will always be words and phrases that you don’t know.
One way to avoid getting confused is by taking control of the conversation. Steer your conversation companion toward the topics that you are most familiar with. This way, you will be better prepared to discuss them!
Once you’re feeling comfortable, make the bold choice to discuss a more difficult topic. New topics can be challenging, but they also help you learn tons of new words!
Read: How to Make Easy Small Talk in Spanish
Join more than 559 million people on the planet who speak Spanish!
Sign up for your free trial Spanish class at Homeschool Spanish Academy. ➡️
6. Practice Regularly
Want to know the secret to completely overcoming foreign language anxiety?
Practice, practice, practice!
Exposure is the only way to get over your fear of speaking Spanish. Don’t let paper tigers or negative thoughts control your life.
Build a Spanish routine, find a certified teacher, and, most importantly, don’t quit!
You’ll be surprised by how much you can improve your language skills in five minutes a day. It all builds up! In fact, Homeschool Spanish Academy will teach you to use multiple verb tenses and discuss all kinds of things in Spanish in just one year of study!
Read: ¿Qué tal? vs ¿Como estás?: What’s the difference?
Ready for Some Spanish Support?
There are loads of amazing benefits to being bilingual!
People who speak two languages have better cognition and decision-making abilities, more job opportunities, and increased pay. With more than 580 million speakers, Spanish is one of the most popular languages in the world. In fact, the United States alone has over 41 million Spanish speakers!
There is no better time than now to begin your language journey. The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll be speaking Spanish!
The ideal way to learn how to speak Spanish is by practicing with a native Spanish-speaking teacher.
Our certified teachers at Homeschool Spanish Academy can guide you through your speaking anxiety and help you overcome your fears. All of our teachers have experience teaching beginners and know how to lead you through each step of the journey.
We offer flexible scheduling, affordable pricing, and tailored programs. Each 1-on-1 lesson is custom-tailored to fit your specific needs. Sign up for a trial class today for free and see how fast you improve!
Join one of the 40,000 classes that we teach each month and you can experience results like these…
“This is the best way for your kid to learn Spanish. It’s one-on-one, taught by native Spanish speakers, and uses a curriculum.”
– Sharon K, Parent of 3
“It’s a great way to learn Spanish, from native Spanish speakers in a 1-on-1 environment. It’s been fairly easy to schedule classes around my daughter’s other classes. The best value for us has been ordering multiple classes at a time. All the instructors have been great!”
– Cindy D, Parent of 3
“HSA offers very affordable, quality, one on one classes with a native speaker. My son has greatly benefited from taking classes. We have seen his confidence increase as well as his pronunciation improve, because he learns from a native Spanish speaker. HSA has quick, personal customer service. Our family has been very pleased with our experience so far!”
– Erica P. Parent of 1
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