• Can you Speak Spanish?
  
• How long have you been studying Spanish?
  
• Between high school classes, college classes and your own efforts you could easily have a couple years already under your belt.
  
• During this time you have likely built up a good Spanish vocabulary, along with a basic understanding of Spanish verb conjugation. But can you speak Spanish?
  
• Why is speaking Spanish so hard?
  
• Would you feel comfortable approaching a native Spanish speaker and starting a conversation?
  
• Why not? Why is it so hard to speak Spanish even after years of study?
  

Beginning high school and college Spanish classes, as well as most self study Spanish courses start off by teaching vocabulary and verb conjugation. You practice speaking, but the focus is on the individual word or phrase. Lists of words are memorized and tests are given on verb conjugation. So when it comes time to speak, the words and phrases are separate in your mind. It becomes a matter of trying to pull all the pieces together and form them all into a sensible sentence, not just speaking.