How Chad Finally Learned to Speak Spanish Fluently

In this episode of Conquering Spanish, host Tania Román sits down with Chad, a bank executive from Tucson, Arizona, whose mission to connect with friends and clients inspired him to learn Spanish. Chad shares how speaking with Coach Paula since 2021 has transformed his confidence, helping him move from memorizing vocabulary to having real conversations in Spanish.

He talks about practicing Spanish with Uber drivers, using podcasts like NÓtose to pick up natural expressions, and how treating lessons like gym sessions keeps him consistent despite a busy schedule. Chad also opens up about overcoming fear, celebrating small wins, and discovering that fluency is built through everyday interactions.

If you’ve ever felt nervous about starting a conversation in another language, Chad’s story will remind you that progress comes from showing up and speaking—mistakes and all.

🎧 Tune in for practical tips, motivation, and a heartfelt reminder that conquering Spanish isn’t about perfection—it’s about connection.

🔗 Ready to take your Spanish further? Book your free 55-minute consultation at:
https://www.spanish55.com/free-trial-lesson

Transcript

0:00

Learning other languages just always kind of fascinated me. I've always been a little disappointed that I didn't know another language. I tried, um, Rosetta Stone one time. You just don't have the opportunity to talk with people. I really have a hard time, um, getting my sentiments across in- and talking back to somebody. Coach Paul is the best. She's absolutely the best. She's understanding, she's flexible, uh, she works with me when I, when I don't understand things. Uh, she's just a very, very good person to work with and I, I would highly recommend anyone to, uh, to work with her. What brought you here? Um, being able to talk with somebody in person, because I've always felt that being able to talk would be kind of the key to learning, 'cause I knew vocabulary, I knew the basic structures, but being able to talk with somebody has, I think, elevated my game tremendously. Um, I'd love to do an immersion, stay in Mexico or some other place, but I just can't. Um, so I think this is like the next best thing to it. Și vivo muy cerca a la frontera y hay mucha persona de México y otros países, ah, que hablan, ah, español y a mí me gusta practicar, ah, con ellos. Es un buen oportunidad. En mi tiempo libre, a mí me gusta mucho pasar tiempo con mi familia. También me encanta jugar golf porque en Arizona hay mucho, mucho sol. Ah, también práctico mi español mucho. How do you get past the fear of starting the conversation in Spanish? Mm-hmm. Hola a todos, welcome to another episode of Conquering Spanish. My name is Tania Roman, and I'm the Student Success Manager at Spanish 55. Each episode, I sit down with one of our students where we talk about their motivations, their challenges, and the tips that they're using to conquer Spanish. Today, I sat down with Chad, a bank executive from Tucson, Arizona, and we talked about how Spanish has always been so important to him to create friendships. So we talked about that. He also shared how he manages to fit in his Spanish lessons in spite of his busy schedule, and he shared a couple of podcasts that he uses to gain more vocabulary. So I'm sure you're going to love this conversation and you're going to take away a couple of tips that you can put into practice in your own Spanish learning journey. So enjoy this conversation. Și moi? Muy bien.¿Cómo estás, Chad? Muy bien, ¿y tú? Muy bien, muy bien. Eh, ¿dónde te encuentras? ¿En Arizona? Sí, sí, sí, en, ah, en Arizona, en los Estados Unidos. Okay. Y el clima, ¿qué tal está? Ah... Hace mucho calor.. Muchísimo calor. Okay. Lo opuesto aquí. Yo estoy en la Ciudad de México y, como puedes ver, tengo un suéter. .¡Ah, sí! Ah, sí, sí, sí, hace muchísimo calor a- aquí. Okay, muy bien. Pues ojalá nos puedas enviar un poco de calor porque se hace frío. . Sí, sí, sí. Muy bien. Pues bienvenido a Conquering Spanish. Eh, ¿te puedes presentar? Decirnos un poquito, eh, qué haces, qué es lo que te gusta hacer, Chad, queremos que te conozcan. Sí, muy bien. Mm-hmm. Entonces, ¿qué te gusta hacer en tu tiempo libre, Chad? Uh, yo soy un poco aburrido. En mi tiempo libre, a mí me gusta mucho pasar tiempo con mi familia. Mm-hmm. Ah, también me encanta jugar golf, porque en Arizona hay mucho, mucho sol. Ah, también practico mi español mucho. Okay. Oye, platícame del golf. Eh, ¿por qué te gusta el golf? Ah, porque es muy difícil. Es una reta para mí y es muy divertido mejorar, ah, día a día en- Mm-hmm. En el deporte. Okay. Y en el golf, como pasas mucho tiempo en el campo, tienes oportunidad de platicar con otras personas. ¿Platicas- Sí. Mucho, sí.¿Platicas- Platico mucho-¿Platicas en espa- en español? Ah, a veces, ah, porque vivo muy cerca a la frontera y hay mucha persona de México y otros países, ah, que hablan, ah, español y a mí me gusta practicar, ah, con ellos. Es una buena oportunidad. Okay. ¿Y cómo te sientes hablando español con ellos? Uh, muy nervioso, porque no quiero hacer una error. Mm-hmm. Así que, ah... Hablo muy, muy lento. Okay, muy bien. Pero ahorita estás hablando muy bien. Ah, gracias. Muy amable. Oye, Chad, ¿y a qué te dedicas? Ah, trabajo en un banco, ah, y hablo con mucha gente de orígenes y culturas diferentes. Ah... Sí, es un poco estresante, pero a mí me gusta mucho. Okay, muy bien. ¿Y crees que saber español te ha ayudado en tu trabajo? Me ayudaría mucho hablar mejor en español porque mucha gente, ah, en mi ciudad, ah, son de México. Ajá. Okay, muy bien. Entonces, te puedes acercar un poco más a tus clientes. Sí. Sí, sí. Para mejorar, eh, las rela-- las relaciones. Sí, me imagino. Oye, ¿y por qué empezaste a estudiar español, Chad? Porque... Siempre he querido aprender otro idioma y porque vivo muy cerca a la frontera. Tengo muchos amigos que hablan en español y quiero entender a ellos y practicar con ellos en español. Okay. ¿Y qué te han dicho tus amigos de que hablas español con ellos? Mm, ellos me enseñan, ah...¿Cómo se dice? Ah, groseros. Ah, las, las groserías. Español menos formal que aprendí En Spanish 55. Okay. Te enseñan palabras divertidas. Sí, sí, sí. Okay, excelente. ¿Y te gusta salir de viaje, Chad? Sí, me, ah, me gusta mucho. Sí, acabo de, ah, acabo de, acabo de regresar de África para casi tres semanas. Fue muy magnífico.¡Guau! Okay. ¿Y qué te gustó de ese viaje? Probablemente era lo mejor, ah, viaje en mi vida. Fue fantástico, sí. Okay. Me imagino. O sea, un mundo muy diferente. Sí, con muchos animales diferentes-¿Ah, sí?... que en los Estados Unidos. Ajá. Eh, ¿viste...? ¿Te fuiste en safari? Sí. Okay. Eh, ¿y, y qué animales viste? Oh, los elefantes, los leones, um,¿cómo se dice? Hipopótamos y much- muchas más. Okay, padrísimo, increíble. ¿Y has viajado a países donde hablan español? Sí, ah, muchas veces a México y España. Ah... Uh, creo que es todo.¿Tienes un viaje preferido donde hayas hablado español? Ah, sí, pues me encanta España, pero me gusta mucho viajar a México, a Puerto Vallarta, es muy cerca, ah, también, ah, Méx-- la Ciudad de México es uno de mis favoritos. Ah, Guate... Ah, Guadalajara. Sí, mu- muchas veces en, en México son muy, ah, muy bonitas. Okay. Sí, me imagino. Y hablar el idioma te ayuda a conectar con las demás personas, ¿cierto? Sí, sí, así es. Okay. Okay, excelente, Chad. Okay. ¿Te parece si platicamos ahora un poquito en inglés sobre un poquito más de tu motivación y tus retos? Sí, muy bien. Okay, muy bien. Awesome, Chad. You did great. Oh. I wish. No, I know... I know coach Paula is going to be so proud of you. I'll be... I'll be sure to send, uh, send her, um, a little bit of the, the interview so she can- Oh, good. All right. All right. So, um, you mentioned that you began learning Spanish because, uh, you wanted to speak to your friends. I, I find that really touching, you know, that friendship has been like the great motivator and the, you know, the little engine that's pushed you along this way. Um, can, can we maybe go a little bit into depth? Like, why was it so important to you to connect with your friends like this? Um... I don't really know. I guess just to... I really can't explain it, um, you know, they speak a lot in Spanish and I miss a lot of what they say, um- Mm-hmm. Or I used to miss a lot of what they say, still do, but, um, yeah, I guess just to, just to better understand them and where they're coming from, and I- it's just learning other languages just always kind of fascinated me. I've always been a little disappointed that I didn't know another language. Mm-hmm. Um, so it just seemed natural to kind of pick one that people around me spoke. Right. Okay. And you mentioned that you've been using Spanish also at work. Um, has it deepened like the, the relationships with your clients, with your colleagues as well? Um, yeah. I mean, in the, in the event that I'm comfortable enough to use it. I'm wor- really worried about getting too far deep into a conversation and then not being able to get my way out. Um- Mm. But yeah, definitely, um, you definitely connect with people when you, um... And even in, in, uh, traveling in Mexico, I've noticed, you know, an airline, you try and speak Spanish, like they're very appreciative of it, um- Right. Because we expect everyone to speak English, uh, in the United States. Um, so, no, I think it, it really helps clients feel more comfortable that you've put a little effort into getting to know them and understand them and, and you're not just expecting them to be on, on your terms. Mm-hmm. Exactly. Um, basically, just get, um... They appreciate the fact that you're willing to get a little uncomfortable to be able to connect. Right. Mm-hmm. And living in Arizona, you know, um...Have you had a chance to speak Spanish elsewhere? Um, yeah. I mean, I speak it everywhere I can, with my friends, um, uh, the carnicerias, carnicerías, uh. Carne- Pretty much anywhere in, in, um, in Tucson, uh, or in Arizona that I can speak it, I do. And then- Mm-hmm... obviously on vacation. But Uber drivers, things like that, almost all of them hear, um, English as their second language and they're, they're struggling to learn English, so I, I- Mm-hmm... use it as an opportunity to practice. Wonderful. And how do you get past the fear of starting the conversation in Spanish? Mm-hmm. Just jumping in and letting them know, "Estoy aprendiendo." Okay, so like a, um, a little disclaimer there. Yes, always. Mm-hmm. And what's their response when you tell them that? Oh, they're always really happy to, uh, uh, to help. And usually they'll correct me along the way as I make mistakes. And, uh, no, it's good. It's kinda fun. Okay. So was Spanish 55 your first, um, attempt at learning Spanish or had you tried anything else before? No, I mean, I grew up, in the school I, I came up with, you take the normal Spanish, you know, through elementary and you just don't learn a lot doing that and you don't practice it. Um, I bought the Pimsleur tapes and that was a really good base for me. I tried, um, Rosetta Stone one time. You just don't have the opportunity to talk with people. And, you know, again, I can read and understand, uh, conversations in Spanish. I really have a hard time, um, getting my sentiments across and, and talking back to somebody. So I think this has been tremendous just being able to talk with somebody and, and practice with somebody on a regular basis. Mm-hmm. And what has been your favorite moment of working with Coach Paula? Because you've been with her since 2021, right? So that's- I know, long time. That, that's been- Hard to believe... quite a while, that's been quite a while. So what's been your favorite thing? Um, well, she's a great teacher, first of all. You know, I, I've certainly enjoyed working with her. Um, the best part, I don't know. I would say maybe every time you advance a level, um, and you start to dig into things like subjunctive and it starts to make a little more sense and it becomes apparent, um, when you're speaking, uh, that you need to use those types of things. I think kind of, um, yeah, just, just learning the different, um... I wouldn't say conjugations, but, but forms, uh, whether you need to be, um, you know, past or past perfect or, you know, all, all of these different things. I- it's just fun when you kinda realize that you're understanding it. Mm-hmm. Yeah. I- it's kind of like somebody turns on the light bulb and it's like such an aha moment, like,"Wow, this is amazing." Right. Right. Uh-huh. And what keeps you coming back? Because I understand you have a really busy schedule and how do you not get disconnected from your lessons? Um, you know, it's something that's very important to me, and things that are important to me, I tend to schedule, um, like a meeting. And so I keep it... There's, I, I had to cancel on Paula a handful of times as I, as I did to you yesterday. She's very understanding. Sometimes if she can do it, she'll fit me in later or, uh, you know, she's very flexible, but I just know that it, that's just the way it works and sometimes I'm gonna have a lesson and not be able to take it. But, uh, by and large, yeah, I s- I stick to the schedule pretty, pretty religiously. Okay. That's something very important because, um, sometimes our, our students and maybe other people who are learning Spanish or, or another language, they struggle maybe with fitting it in. But I think it's really important to actually put it in your calendar. It's like going to the gym. If it's not, if it's not in your calendar, you're never gonna go, right? Because there's always something else that comes up. Mm-hmm. You, you actually hit the nail on the head. You, it's exactly like going to the gym in that sense. Uh-huh. So do you use other resources, uh, listen to podcasts, anything to help you out? Yeah, I listen to Noitos a lot. Um, that's probably my favorite. Um, Duolingo has a pretty good podcast. I, I'm... It's, it's not the best, but Noitos is, is probably a little bit more advanced. Mm-hmm. Um, I don't know if you're familiar with that, but I, I, I really like that one. Um, those are the two there. Um, I watch in, in, on Netflix, I flip things over to Spanish a lot and put- Okay... the subtitles on. Um, I read a lot, anything I can in Spanish. So I read articles online. Uh, Paula's recommended some books for me and just those types of things. Mm-hmm. What, uh... Do you, do you remember any titles of books that you've read recently in Spanish? Um, no. Most of them are short stories. Oh, really? Um, yeah. One she recommended, I can't remember the name, but it's a bunch of short stories about like the history of, of Mexico and, and there's one right now it's about battles. Um, just, you know, they're, they're just kind of short stories where you don't have to engage in the whole book. You can just read both snippets and- Mm-hmm... move on to the next one. Right. And how do you use these books? Do you just read them or do you, like, write down vocabulary words that you don't know? Yeah. I, I, what I try to do is get through the whole thing and I write down vocabulary words and then I'll look up the vocabulary words. Usually though, the context you can kind of guess, um, what they are. Okay. But then I'll, I'll, I'll look at them. I probably don't do as good of a job going back and practicing with those vocabulary words, um, but then I reread it and see if it makes more sense- Right... but I usually read things two or three times. Okay, okay. So then you finally understand them fully in the context. Yeah. And even e- even though you not, you might not use them right away, at least you're familiar. And when you come across that word, it's like, "I've seen this one before."... I need to ... Exactly. Okay. And we're going back to the podcast. I am not familiar with it, but could you tell us a little bit about what it ... What they talk about in No hay dos? No hay dos. Um, you know, really, it's, um, kind of practical application of Spanish. How- Mm-hmm... two friends might speak to each other. Okay. Um, two younger guys might speak to each other. Mm-hmm. So it's, um ... Yeah, what I like about it is that's what I hear here. Mm-hmm. Uh, and so, it's, it's a little more conversational than, than, um, kind of the formal, um, education and the manuals and things like that. So it's- Right... it's a nice mix because you, you obviously need the formal background, but then this just kind of adds, uh, a layer to it that it just becomes more casual conversational. Mm-hmm. Yeah. So important, actually, to fit right in with a native. Okay. So what drew you to Spanish 55? Because I kind of jumped from when you were, um, with the other methods to what you like to coach, uh, about Coach Paula. But I never did ac- ask you. What brought you here? Um, being able to talk with somebody in person, because I've always felt that being able to talk would be kind of the key to learning. 'Cause I knew vocabulary, I knew the basic structures, but being able to talk with somebody has, I think, elevated my game tremendously. Um, I'd love to do an immersion stay in Mexico or some other place, but I just can't. Mm-hmm. Um, so I think this is, like, the next best thing to it. Okay. Amazing. Um, what have been the challenges of learning Spanish? Oh gosh, all the conjugations. Yeah. It's, it's the conjugations and being able to, to get my, my thoughts across, um, without having to sit there and think. And because you've got conjugation, you've got vocabulary, you've got tenses, you've got all of these different things. You know, you're trying to speak in a normal pace. Mm-hmm. And so, I, I am still at the point where I, I tend to try and translate it in my head first from English- Mm-hmm... which I need to stop doing. But, uh, I think that's the biggest part is, is just kind of switching off the English and turning on the Spanish. Oh. That's so true. And how are you working on this? Um, I try to think a lot in Spanish, you know, like things I say to myself. Um- Right... and a lot of times, I just try to jump into a conversation without thinking about it. And I'm surprised a lot of the times at how well I do, um, just by, just by basically talking without sitting and thinking about the structures and what I'm saying. Okay. And has there ever been a moment where, you know, you've thought,"Ugh, this might not be for me. Um, maybe I'll come back another time"? Um, no, because I decided when I did this, I'm seeing it all the way through. Um, I, I felt that way with Pimsleur. I felt that way, you know, with a lot of the other methods I did. Mm-hmm. And then I decided ... It was like during COVID, I had a lot of time on my hands, which is really what made me, kind of prompted me to do it. Um, but I just thought, "You know what? I'm gonna see this all the way through." Um, 'cause it's something I really want to do. Okay. Great. Have you seen any positive changes in your life ever since that ... Ever since you've started learning Spanish? Um, I don't know if I would say positive changes. But yeah, I'm able to talk with more people. I'm able to understand people. Um, I'm able to help my daughter with her Spanish. Um, you know, just ... I, I don't know. It's j- it's just something I've always wanted to do. And I, I ... Now that I'm finally starting to, to get at it, I, it just feels really good to, uh, accomplish something. Okay. Is your daughter learning Spanish in high school? Yes. Okay. And what is that interaction like, both of you speaking Spanish? Um, she's, she's still pretty basic. Um, but she does pretty well. So I, I talk with her in Spanish and I say things to her in Spanish. And she, she gets them. She doesn't really say much back. Mm-hmm. Uh, but she does understand what I'm saying. So if you could go back to when you, you were first starting out, uh, with Coach Paula, what do you know now that you would have liked to have known back then? Oh gosh. Um, what would I've liked to have known then? Or what would you tell yourself? You know, like if you were looking back at Chad back in 2021. Like, "Don't give up. It gets easier." Something like that. I think, "Don't give up." It ... Honestly, it doesn't get easier. It started easy-... because I had the basics. Got a lot harder. Um, but yeah, I think just don't give up. It's, uh, it's something you've always wanted, and, and keep doing it. But, um, no, that's really all I can think of. What does conquering Spanish mean to you? Being able to be comfortable in a conversation, um, in Spanish without having to think and conjugate. And think of what I would say in English. It would just be to naturally converse with somebody. Okay. Sounds pretty great. Is there anything else that you would like to tell any student who's ... Or do you think you've covered it all? I think we've covered it. Um, but I would, I would just say Spanish 55 has been tremendous. It's, it's been so much better than anything else I've ever tried. And it's a commitment, um, but it's, it's, it's well worth the time. Thank you so much for sharing that. Um, the last thing, Chad. Do you wanna give Coach Paula a shout-out? Oh yeah. Coach Paula's the best. She's absolutely the best. She's understanding. She's flexible. Uh, she works with me when I, when I don't understand things. Uh, she's just a very, very good person to work with. And I, I would highly recommend anyone to, uh, to work with her. Great. And I'm sure she's going to be so proud when she hears you speaking in Spanish.... when you speak Spanish? It was so, it was- I hope so. It, it wa- it was, it was so important to her to hear you speak Spanish, um, on the podcast, so I'm sure she's going to be proud of you. Good. All right. I hope so. All right, Chad. So we've come to the end of our conversation. Um, I know our listeners are goi- going to take away s- the podcast that you shared with them and, you know, the fact that it's important to read, look up words and, you know, stick with your motivation. So thank you so much for sharing all of that. And w- I hope you, you get to come back and you can share with us a couple more things from your, from your trips that you're gonna be taking. I can't wait. All right. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much for joining us on today's episode of Conquering Spanish with Chad, someone who reminds us that it's not about being perfect, but about being present. From practicing with Uber drivers to late-night short story reading, Chad shows us that fluency is built in everyday moments. His journey began with a simple desire to connect with his friends, and this intention has carried him through busy work weeks, grammar struggles and beyond. He said it best, "I just want to naturally converse in Spanish without thinking about it." And that's the heart of it. Whether you're just starting out or you're just in the messy middle, let this be a reminder that progress is found in the doing. If you're ready to take your Spanish to the next level, make sure to check out Spanish 55 dot com. Our native-speaking coaches tailor every lesson to your goals. Whether you want to gain confidence, practice conversation, or just immerse yourself in the culture, you can even book a free 55-minute consultation to get started. If this episode resonated with you, make sure to leave us a review and share it with somebody who's on their own Spanish-speaking journey. I'll see you next time as we continue conquering Spanish together.