I see this all the time in my classes. Many students can recognize words and structures when they see them written down or hear them on tape, but when they try to use them in conversation, they stumble, hesitate, or simply say something wrong.
Why does this happen?
For two main reasons:
We do not internalize structures by practicing them passively; we need to actively produce the language; it is not enough to just listen or read, the key is active practice, that is, actively producing the language, whether speaking or writing, as well as studying.
Our native language interferes with the formation of sentences. Without realizing it, we follow patterns from our first language and apply them to the second.
Let's look at a classic example of Spanish interference in English:
Imagine you want to say:
👉 Hace mucho que no veo a María.
We know that:
Hace mucho (tiempo) translates to It makes a lot
No veo → I don’t see.
A María → Maria.
If we try to construct the sentence literally, it might result in:
🚫 It makes a lot that I don’t see Maria.
But the correct form is:
✅ It’s been a long time since I last saw Maria.
What happened here?
We translated word for word without respecting the correct English structure. This type of error also happens when English speakers try to speak Spanish.
For example, an English speaker might incorrectly say:
🚫 Es estado mucho tiempo desde yo vi a María.
When the correct sentence would be:
✅ Hace mucho que no veo a María.
This phenomenon is normal, but if we do not actively correct these mistakes, they become difficult habits to change.
Exercises to Improve in Both Languages
1. Repetition Out Loud with Key Phrases
Choose common phrases and repeat them out loud until they come out automatically.
English:
🗣 It’s been a long time since I last saw you.
🗣 It’s been a while since we talked.
🗣 It’s been ages since I went to the beach.
Spanish:
🗣 Hace mucho que no te veo.
🗣 Hace tiempo que no hablamos.
🗣 Hace siglos que no voy a la playa.
💡 Tip: Don’t just read them silently. Say them out loud, with natural intonation and without mentally translating.
2. The "Shadowing" Technique
Listen to an audio in English or Spanish and immediately repeat what you hear, imitating the pronunciation and rhythm of the native speaker.
You can start with short phrases and then progress to longer conversations. This helps improve fluency without giving yourself time to translate.
3. Sentence Transformation
Take a sentence and change it to affirmative, negative, and interrogative forms.
Example in English:
✅ It’s been a long time since I last saw Maria.
❌ It hasn’t been a long time since I last saw Maria.
❓ Has it been a long time since you last saw Maria?
Example in Spanish:
✅ Hace mucho que no veo a María.
❌ No hace mucho que no veo a María.
❓ ¿Hace mucho que no ves a María?
This exercise helps you gain flexibility with structures and avoid common mistakes.
4. Record Your Voice and Compare
Listen to yourself speaking in both languages and compare your pronunciation with that of a native speaker. It may be uncomfortable at first, but it is one of the best ways to detect mistakes.
5. Use Structures in Different Contexts
Don't just memorize a single phrase. Adapt the structure to different situations:
English:
✔️ It’s been a long time since I traveled.
✔️ It’s been a while since I ate sushi.
✔️ It’s been ages since I watched that movie.
Spanish:
✔️ Hace mucho que no viajo.
✔️ Hace tiempo que no como sushi.
✔️ Hace siglos que no veo esa película.
By practicing this way, you will avoid mentally translating and will speak more naturally in both languages.
Conclusion
To speak fluently and accurately in a second language, it is not enough to know grammar rules: we must internalize structures through active practice.
Repeat out loud, listen and reproduce audios, transform sentences, and use structures in different contexts. Over time, you will see how the language starts coming out more naturally, without the need to think in your native language first.
💬 Has this ever happened to you? Tell me in the comments which phrases you struggle with and how you practice them. 🚀
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