Before coming to Spain, I couldn’t speak any Spanish at all. I had never learned it at school, so before my semester abroad I started using Duolingo to get some basic knowledge. In the beginning, it was quite fun because I could slowly see progress and learn simple words or how to order food and drinks. However, after some weeks, the advertisements on Duolingo annoyed me a lot, and that made me stop learning. When I finally arrived in Madrid, I still only knew a few basic phrases.

At the start, it was very difficult for me to understand Spanish people. The biggest problem is the speed. They talk incredibly fast. When I listen to people speaking in bars, shops, or on the street, it often feels like one long word without any pauses. So it’s nearly impossible to unterstand or communicate with them.

Eating out was another challenge. In small local restaurants, the menu is usually only in Spanish, while in bigger or more touristic restaurants, the menu is also available in English. When I can’t understand a menu, I usually take a picture and upload it to DeepL to translate it into German. That helps me a lot to know what to order. Sometimes, when I try to say something in Spanish but pronounce it wrong, people immediately switch to English.

I also wanted to take a Spanish course at my university in Madrid, but unfortunately they only offer lessons when I already have classes, so I couldn’t participate. Since all my university courses are in English, and because Madrid is such an international city, I can easily live here without speaking any Spanish. Many people in cafes, shops, and public places understand English, so I can manage daily life quite well. Because of that, I haven’t improved my Spanish much, and honestly, I’m not very interested to learn more. I feel comfortable using English, and I think that’s enough for my personal and professional future.

I don’t really have a strategy but I try to speak Spanish when I think I can, and if I don’t feel confident, I switch to English.

Even though learning Spanish has been difficult, there are also some positive sides. Some words are easy to understand because they sound similar to English or other European languages.

Through this experience, I learned a lot about myself as a communicator. I realized that I am much more confident in English than I thought. Living abroad showed me how useful and powerful English is as a global language. It allows me to connect with people from many countries and helps me in almost every situation, at university, when traveling, or online. I believe that being fluent in English will be extremely helpful in my future career and everyday life, especially since most international business communication happens in English. So, I think the semester abroad here in Madrid thaught me a lot regarding to the language.

To sum up, learning and living with a new language has been both challenging and interesting. I learned that communication is not only about speaking perfectly but also about being open, patient, and willing to try. Even if my Spanish stays basic, I improved my ability to adapt, to use body language. And at the end I still can do the daily challenges and for me thats totally enough.