50 Hours: Continuamos

Not sure how to really separate this out but I’ll just get writing things and see where we get. I feel like people usually split out into speech, comprehension, etc. so I guess I’ll start with that.

Reading and Speaking

Basically done none so nothing to report there.

Do have the occasional conversation in my head but that’s about that. I think I could probably stumble my way though some basic interactions (ordering drinks/food, asking where things are, etc.), although I’m sure that’d be different in real life.

Listening

This is where I feel very happy with my progress. I started understanding nothing but “Hola” and “Una cerveza por favor” and have finished by being able to understand all the super beginner videos and have begun on the beginner videos.

I did about 40 hours in early 2024 and after stopping for about 8 months for no reason other than being a bit lazy I picked it back up in early 2025 and I surprised myself with how much I’ve held onto.

I’ve been mostly watching Dreaming Spanish (DS) videos but I have started back on ¡Cuéntame! podcast at around 50 hours which I have really enjoyed and am hoping I can keep up with the level, but if not I will push with the DS videos until I can.

I still translate newer words in my head, but I have noticed the basic stuff which is in most sentences are pretty much automatic and I don’t even think about it, which is very encouraging.

Random Thoughts

Watching translated Spanish travel content where people speak good Spanish is very motivating, and is one of my goals/motivations for learning Spanish.

Podcasts are by far the easiest way to keep the daily numbers up as I can do it out on a walk or when I’m doing jobs. They’re not as approachable now at 50 hours, but I’m hoping that they will become more accessible over the next 100 hours.

The Future

The plan for the future is to try and get to the intermediate videos and podcasts as soon as possible so I can really up my hours. I have plenty of time on my hands to listen now so I’m just going to try and keep consistent.

I want to visit to South America in around 2 and a half years so I want to get to 1500 hours by then. To hit this goal I need to listen to 1 and a half hours average over that time. I am currently on 40 minutes average for this month and think I can increase this when I hit the higher levels.

Conclusion

Overall I’m really happy with my progress so far and I am enjoying the journey. I think it will be a long long road with lots of challenges but I am looking forward to tackling it.