"Do you understand Spanish but have trouble speaking it? This phenomenon is known as receptive bilingualism. Let’s talk about it!

Receptive bilingualism is when someone knows two languages but can only speak one, and it usually occurs when a child is raised in an environment where Spanish is spoken consistently around them, leading to native-like comprehension. For example, if you are a receptive bilingual puedes entender lo que te estoy diciendo ahora, sin ningún problema.

But the challenge arises when you need to respond in Spanish and it takes time for you to find the right words. For instance, if I ask you to say “Can you pass me that water bottle,” in Spanish and you struggle to find the vocabulary and grammar to translate the sentence exactly alone, but you understand me saying “Puedes pasarme la botella de agua” without a problem, you are most likely a receptive bilingual.

There are many ways and strategies to build your Spanish skills to become a fluent Spanish communicator. Let us know in the comments if you’d like a blog post with some of those tips!