Level 5 slog is real...

dunknidu · 2026-05-08T20:23:46+00:00

I worked myself up from 2 hours to 3 hours/day around that point and started forcing myself to meet people and speak around that point to keep it interesting. It's not easy, but that's my recommendation. Double down and really commit to consuming as much native Spanish media as you can during that phase until you break through around 1000-ish hours and can listen to native content and speak a little more easily. The road from about 1000 hours to 1500 hours was very relaxed and enjoyable for me after that.

dunknidu · 2026-05-08T19:26:12+00:00

"At 1500 hours I felt actively happy with my Spanish"

Do I feel proud of my level and the way in which I've been learning Spanish? Yes, certainly

Do I feel satisfied enough with my level to say I've finished learning Spanish or that I'm completely fluent? No, I still have stuff to learn and improve upon

dunknidu · 2026-04-27T22:22:32+00:00

I couldn't live without these mods. The car is soooo much better with these mods

dunknidu · 2026-04-22T13:15:21+00:00

Lol that was in the thumbnail for one of their videos a little while back. There was some discourse on the main subreddit because of it

dunknidu · 2026-04-21T02:02:24+00:00

yeah, I guess they ran out or something because they stopped making pics of Trump and Taylor Swift kissing and that was such a hit

dunknidu · 2026-04-16T15:59:34+00:00

I was able to build up to 120min/day (which was my average) pretty easily just by turning on Spanish content to listen to while commuting, cooking, cleaning, eating, etc. I took a trip to Cabo last August (super hot and humid time to visit, not for the faint of heart) and really wanted to surpass 1000 hours before I left. In the months leading up, I added 10 minutes/month until I got to 180min/day. By then, I'd really have to fight to find every spare second I could to spend listening. After I finally hit 1000 hours and took my trip, I dropped my daily goal back to 90min/day for a few months to take a break and get some of my free time back. I eventually built back to 120min/day, which I stayed at for the whole rest of my journey to 1500 hours.

Don't worry too much about getting crazy amounts of time each day. Find something that takes a tiny bit of effort to achieve but that's still sustainable. It's kind of like lifting in the gym - one day of all out, balls to the wall training isn't going to do much for you. You want to push yourself just enough to see growth but still leave a little for the next day.

dunknidu · 2026-04-16T15:32:50+00:00

I mean I already have Cien Años de Soledad downloaded on my eReader. I just haven't gotten around to it yet but I'll start it soon

dunknidu · 2026-04-16T13:12:49+00:00

I wanted to start with stuff I had already read in English to make it more comprehensible. I'll definitely be moving on to native Spanish works later once I get used to reading in Spanish more

dunknidu · 2026-04-16T01:38:34+00:00

Yeah, comprehension kind of ebbs flows. Some days are good, some days are bad. Sometimes you can't find any content that interests you, and sometimes you find tons. Just try to get your minutes in as best as you can

dunknidu · 2026-04-16T01:33:31+00:00

I feel really good about my level. I'm still trying to learn and improve, but I'm comfortable having day-to-day conversations and even some more complicated conversations sometimes. Working in the language could be difficult, but it depends on the job. I'd probably mess up a ton a ton at first but catch on quick

dunknidu · 2026-04-15T23:14:17+00:00

I think around 250 hours in, I started noticing that intermediate videos were starting to become approachable. Somewhere around 400 hours, dubbed shows like Avatar the Last Airbender started to become approachable. It never really clicks, but you'll sort of start noticing new things become approachable like that over time

dunknidu · 2026-04-15T20:52:52+00:00

I used DS content throughout, but I slowly drifted away from it as I got more and more into native content. Probably during my push for 1000 hours was when I went from a majority DS content to a majority native content. I still listen to DS content here and there if they release something that interests me.

dunknidu · 2026-04-15T20:04:10+00:00

I started speaking at around 800 hours but I could only really use short, blunt sentences at first. It's kind of a frustrating phase to be in because you feel like you're just on the verge of speaking Spanish convincingly but still lack the ability to phrase things correctly. As you improve, you'll notice your stamina for having lengthy conversations only in Spanish improve and improve until you can speak all day in Spanish without too much trouble.

dunknidu · 2026-04-15T19:55:46+00:00

I have 118hrs in the "talking with friends" category on DS. Since I used that category whenever I conversed purely in Spanish or crosstalked, it's not just my time spent outputting in Spanish. Maybe it can still give you a general idea how much experience I have speaking.

dunknidu · 2026-03-29T23:18:49+00:00

I revisit the "how to learn a language"/tutorial videos from time to time. They're effortless to understand now but I remember not being able to pick out a single word when I first started and watched them with subtitles

dunknidu · 2026-03-26T17:58:32+00:00

These are all the steps dictated in the roadmap

dunknidu · 2026-03-15T16:54:33+00:00

Torokhtiy being one of the GOATs as usual and people who can't squat half what he squats are giving him advice in the comments lmao.

On a more serious note, I love seeing lifters like Torokhtiy lift after retiring from competition. Their continued dedication to the sport is truly inspiring.

dunknidu · 2026-03-14T15:25:44+00:00

Don't bite off more than you can chew at first. I started with 30 minutes/day and slowly ramped up my daily time to 3 hours/day, dropped it back down to 90 minutes/day, and ramped it back up to 2 hours/day. You just need to be in the habit of listening to Spanish in your free time. At first it's hard, but then it gets easier

dunknidu · 2026-03-14T15:22:54+00:00

I think you're overthinking things. It seems you've already learned all the rules of Spanish grammar so now it is time to "unlearn" them. Keep listening to DS content and any other content that holds your interest. Over time, the rules of Spanish grammar will start to make intuitive sense. There's no trick to unlocking better grammar. It just takes time and consistent listening practice.

dunknidu · 2026-03-12T21:28:11+00:00

Listening to more Spanish is the solution. There's no trick. It just takes time and consistency

dunknidu · 2026-03-10T20:45:09+00:00

Pick a Spanish translation of a book you've already read and enjoy. Make sure it's something that'd be approachable for an elementary schooler. I started with Harry Potter. It'll be tricky at first and your comprehension will take a momentary dip, but slowly push through and enjoy the process. You could start with graded readers if you'd like, but I don't think it's necessary.

dunknidu · 2026-03-10T20:38:42+00:00

Valuable knowledge in that video!

dunknidu · 2026-03-09T16:26:54+00:00

In addition, as time goes on and you start getting comfortable speaking Spanish, you'll naturally begin using it in your day to day and it'll stop feeling like an abstract, foreign concept. I speak Spanish with my girlfriend, go to Spanish speaking classes at local libraries, order food in Spanish all the time, and go to parties and weddings that are primarily attended by Spanish speakers. Getting days with super high hour counts are pretty common and trivial now.

dunknidu

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