u/BeautyBrainsBread

Level 4 kinda blows. I’m never giving up but this is a schlep, to keep consuming content, with the way my brain is currently processing the language.

I’m back at beginner…again…for the third time. The intermediate podcasts that just opened up 50 hours ago, are suddenly too hard and my mind is wandering.

Part of me wants to plow through it as fast as I can and another part of me only feels like doing an hour a day.

Just needed to vent to the other people who can understand this crazy journey we’re all on! Thanks.

I started in December of 2025 and I’ve been averaging about two hours a day.

The last 50 hours from 250-300 were a more difficult. My brain moved into the space of seeing everything it doesn’t know and I suddenly felt like comprehending was so tough!

Because I’ve read so many posts here about this happening, I did what everyone says to do, and went back to easier beginner content.

I can feel I’m coming out the other side and I’ve been able to go back to intermediate again.

The main thing I’m taking away from this journey, is to not sweat anything and just keep going.

My husband cannot believe the podcasts I’m listening to in Spanish and to my ear they sound so simple, I’m assuming he can understand them too.

That’s what’s weird about this slow, gradual way of taking in a language, it’s almost like the frog in a boiling pot analogy. It’s so effortless but it’s truly effective.

Podcasts I’ve enjoyed getting to Level 4:

Español al vuelo (love Franco and his slightly slower intermediate way of speaking)

Learn Spanish & Go (a gringo husband and his Mexican wife. I like hearing two people having conversations. This one can be tough for me on lower comprehension days but on a good day I really like it.)

Dreaming Spanish Podcast (can be hit or miss depending on the topic as far as understanding.)

¡Cuéntame! (For when my brain decides it’s on vacation and I need the most basic stuff but I listen at a faster speed.)

Tv/Youtube:

Bluey (on Disney + this was hard for me and I would sometimes watch a whole episode in Spanish and then watch the same episode again in Spanish, but with English subtitles to get some of the subtle stuff I missed. The series is SO good. I cried several times 😂. It was so sweet and well done. I plan on watching it again a little later as I get better. Highly recommend.)

Spanish Boost Gaming (Martin is and always will be hilarious! Great way to pass the time and I’m a 46 year old woman who has never played video games.)

Dreaming Spanish (I only get about 20% of my hours in on the platform these days.)

I’m eventually going to start watching Español con Juan but so far I’ve found his stuff a little grating and everyone said wait until you can understand it more fully and you’ll really enjoy it. So, we’ll see if he factors into my level 5 update 😁

Overall, I’m really enjoying the process. 2 hours is my sweet spot of feeling like I can have other hobbies but still make progress.

Every once in a great while I sneak in a 4 or 5 hour day.

The thing I love most, is that I’m sticking with it and have no plans of stopping. Some days it’s shocking how much Spanish I understand! It feels like magic.

I also have started saying and thinking spontaneously in Spanish and I can feel if I say something wrong which is really cool!

Here’s to the next 300 hours! See you in 4 months for the next update!