As a Mexican American, speaking Spanish is something I’ve always been proud of. Being able to communicate with my loved ones in my native tongue has been a blessing. Spanish is my mother tongue, but English is considered my first language since it’s what I naturally communicate without any effort. But here’s the thing, ever since I’ve moved away from home to college, my Spanish has been less than perfect. I’ve found myself forgetting words, mispronouncing others that would otherwise roll off my tongue without any effort, and even getting anxiety over speaking in Spanish in class. Sadly, I’ve lost confidence in speaking Spanish although I know for a fact I’m nowhere near terrible at it.

I am currently taking a class called “Psychology of Learning a Second Language.” We’ve been learning about different factors that can motivate or impede someone’s learning of a second language. One of the factors we have discussed is anxiety. This is something I already deal with in general, and to learn that it has transferred over when I speak Spanish was disappointing. One of the things I have noticed is that I get very nervous when I have to participate in class. My heart starts racing, my palms get sweaty, and my mouth gets dry. Speaking Spanish in an academic setting is completely different than speaking Spanish in a conversational or informal context. You have to be able to think clearly about what ideas and concepts you want to express in your classes which all might be of different subjects. Speaking in Spanish using anthropological terms and then switching to talk about psychological concepts is hard. I’ve always been a good student but taking classes in Spanish has created a challenge for me. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m acing my classes but I think if I were to be in direct-enrollment classes at the University of Seville, it would be a lot harder for me.

Now speaking in Spanish in conversational situations is a lot better for me and it’s probably what I’ve been excelling at the most. I definitely have more confidence speaking in social situations than in class. Regardless, it has also been a little difficult to create relationships, in part because it’s harder for me to express myself in Spanish. Something I should make aware is that the Spanish in Spain kind of differs from the Spanish I speak back home. Because of this, I’ve found a few hiccups conversing with Spaniards. In my home stay I realized I often avoid speaking because I’ve been in situations where I say something that would otherwise be normal in the U.S., but here the world is completely different. But I’ve learned that language is an important form of communication and although similar interests and hobbies can connect people, being able to use the same social language is important. It’s one of the things that I’m working on and I hope I can meet more Spaniards. Essentially, during my time here, I am not relearning Spanish but I am learning to naturally use it, to create an emotional connection with it to express myself like I can in English.

I thought it would be interesting to list a few Spanish words that differ between U.S. and Spain. Being constantly corrected on my Spanish is a little bit frustrating when I know my words are essentially correct back home but I think I’ve learned to acknowledge that differences exist and it’s not a bad thing. Before I begin, to those who are native Spanish speakers seeking to study abroad in Spain, here is a word of advice: Just because the Spanish language might differ here than what you speak at home, it does not mean you are wrong!

Spain Spanish	U.S. Spanish*	English translation
friolera	friolenta	someone that gets cold quickly
conducir	manejar	to drive
gafas	lentes	eye glasses
carta	menú	menu in a restaurant
duchar	bañar	to shower
ordenador	computadora	computer/laptop
móvil	celular	cellphone
trozo	pedazo	a piece of something or slice
piso	apartamento	a room rented in an apartment
bolígrafo	pluma	a pen
camarero	mesero	waiter at a restaurant
zumo	jugo	juice
pajita	popote	straw
enfadado	enojado	angry
coche	carro	a car
bollería	panadería	a bakery
melocotones	durazno	peach
calentito	calientito	referring to something warm
matricula del coche	placa del carro	license plate of a car

*The Spanish words I have listed here are words that I grew up using at home with my family and may very much be different than those of other native Spanish speakers in the U.S.