I understand Spanish but can't speak it.

You follow a Netflix show in Spanish. You catch most of what a coworker says on a call with the Mexico team. Then someone asks you a question, and you freeze. That is not a sign you are bad at Spanish. Understanding and speaking are two different skills, and most of the ways people learn Spanish only train the first one.

Why it happens

When you listen, the words come to you already built. You only have to recognize them. When you speak, you have to find the word, put it in the right form and say it out loud, in real time, while someone waits. That second job only gets easier by doing it.

Apps, podcasts and shows are good at the first job. They give you hours of Spanish you can understand. What they rarely give you is someone who asks you a question and waits for your answer. So your listening keeps growing, and your speaking stays where it was. The gap you feel is real, and it is common.

Three signs you are in it:

• You understand the question, then answer in English.
• You build the sentence in your head, and the moment has passed by the time it is ready.
• You can talk about a topic you prepared, and freeze on anything you didn't.

What closes the gap

Speaking out loud, often, with a person who answers back. Not more input on its own, and not a script you memorize. Three things make the difference:

1. Frequency over length. Several short conversations a week do more than one long one, because the hard part is starting to speak, and that gets easier each time.
2. Someone who remembers you. When the person across the screen knows what you struggled with last week, the next class starts there, not from “so, tell me about yourself” again.
3. A small room. In a big group most people listen. In a class of a few, everyone has to talk.

Keep the input you enjoy. The shows and podcasts built your understanding, and they still help. Add the speaking next to them.

How it works at WorldsAcross

WorldsAcross is built for exactly this moment: you understand more Spanish than you can say.

• A class whenever you have a gap. Classes are fifty minutes, live on video, any time between 6am and 1am ET, every day.
• Small speaking classes. A speaking class is capped at five people, so you talk instead of watching. Group classes are unlimited on every plan.
• Your next class starts where the last one ended. After each 1-on-1 class your tutor writes up what you worked on, and the next tutor reads it before you start.
• A coach on Starter and Premium. Your coach directs your plan and reviews where you are going, so you are not deciding alone what to practice next.
• Native tutors from Latin America, all proficient in English, for the moments something needs explaining.

Plans: Group $79, Starter $129 (adds ten 1-on-1 classes a month) and Premium $249 a month. Try it free for seven days; a card is required, and if you cancel before day seven you are not charged. You also have thirty days after your first payment to ask for your money back. Compare the plans.