Why You Freeze When Speaking Spanish (And What Actually Helps)
- Jackie Amidon Donaldson
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
This usually happens in a very ordinary moment. Someone asks you a simple question. You understand it. You know what you want to say.
And then nothing comes out.
This isn’t a sign that your Spanish is bad. It’s a sign that you don’t yet know what to do next in real time. That distinction matters.
This isn’t about not knowing Spanish
Most people assume that freezing means they’re missing vocabulary or grammar. Usually, that’s not true.
If you understand what’s being said to you, the Spanish is already there. The problem is getting it out in the moment.
Speaking happens fast. You have to pull words up as you go, make choices while you’re already mid-sentence, and keep talking even when the sentence doesn’t come out the way you planned.
There isn’t time to pause and build something perfect in your head. Most people were never shown how to do that. So when the sentence doesn’t come together immediately, they stop.
Why your Spanish disappears in conversation
In conversation, Spanish doesn’t disappear because it’s gone. It disappears because the moment moves faster than you expect.
When there’s pressure to respond, many people try to finish the sentence in their head before speaking. That pause breaks the flow. The longer you wait, the harder it feels to jump back in.
Stopping completely makes the next attempt harder, not easier. Your brain starts to associate speaking with interruption instead of continuation.
What helps isn’t waiting for the sentence to feel ready. It’s staying in motion.
The core shift that changes everything
Progress in speaking Spanish doesn’t come from sounding good. It comes from staying in the conversation.
In real conversations, this means continuing even when a sentence breaks. It means starting with something partial instead of waiting. It means adjusting what you’re saying while you’re already speaking.
This is a practical skill. It can be built up and used in real life conversations with native Spanish speakers.
Three things that actually help when you get stuck
These are the same strategies fluent speakers use, whether they’re aware of it or not.
1. Start with something short
Don’t wait until the full sentence is ready. Start with a short phrase and build from there. Once you start speaking, access improves.
2. Add details after you begin
You don’t need to say everything at once. Say the core idea first. Then add information as you go. Momentum matters more than accuracy.
3. Paraphrase instead of stopping
If you can’t find the exact word, say it another way. Use simpler words you already know. Keep the conversation moving. This is how people stay engaged even when their Spanish isn’t perfect.
Filler words that help you keep going
Filler words are not mistakes. They buy you time and keep you connected to the conversation.
Here are some you can use naturally:
sí
claro
ajá
exacto
pues
bueno
entonces
¿sabes?
así es
a ver
déjame pensar
You don’t need all of them. Even one or two can help you keep going while you think.
What helps you practice this consistently
Knowing these strategies once isn’t enough.
What makes this easier over time isn’t effort or pressure. It’s seeing these behaviors modeled, practicing them in situations where there’s no stress, and using them often enough that they stop feeling like strategies and start feeling normal.
That’s the point of the Spanish Confidence Toolkit.
It’s built around that exact process. It helps you practice continuing instead of stopping, recover when you get stuck, and use Spanish in real situations rather than artificial drills.
If staying in the conversation is the skill you’re missing, this gives you structured ways to work on exactly that.
One thing to notice next time you speak
The next time Spanish stalls, don’t ask yourself, "What word am I missing?"
Notice what you do instead. Do you stop completely, or do you find a way to keep going?
That moment is where progress actually happens.
About Jackie
Jackie Amidon Donaldson is the Spanish language coach and owner of Amidon Studios, where she works with people who understand Spanish but freeze when speaking in real conversations. Her work focuses on why Spanish disappears in the moment and what actually helps people keep going when they get stuck. She teaches practical strategies for speaking Spanish with more confidence by continuing, paraphrasing, and staying in the conversation instead of stopping. Jackie has worked with more than 1,000 students worldwide and creates tools and programs designed for real Spanish conversations
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