I grew up taking Spanish classes in high school and even minored in Spanish in college. I also went on several mission trips to Spanish-speaking countries. By all accounts, I should have been fluent. I had a solid foundation in grammar and vocabulary, but there was one major problem: I still struggled with actual conversations.

It was really hard to understand native Spanish speakers and respond fast enough to have a decent conversation. The classroom Spanish I'd learned felt completely different from the rapid-fire, colloquial Spanish I encountered in real life. But the biggest barrier wasn't my lack of knowledge—it was my embarrassment.

I felt humiliated by my inability to communicate effectively despite years of study. I knew that practicing conversations was the best way to improve, but I was too afraid of embarrassing myself to actually talk to people. The fear of making mistakes, of not understanding, of awkward silences—it all kept me from getting the practice I desperately needed.

I also struggled to find native Spanish speakers to practice with on a regular basis. Even when I did have opportunities, the social pressure made me freeze up. People were always polite about my mistakes, but I never knew if I was actually improving or if they were just being nice.

Then I got a job in a Spanish-speaking country and attended language school. This was a great opportunity because I was in a classroom daily where I had a teacher to talk to me. But even then I learned something important: it's really hard for a Spanish speaker to correct all of your mistakes. In fact, it's almost impossible. But even if they could, they were often too polite to correct all of my mistakes.

This is when the idea came for developing a language app for people like me—people who had a good foundation in the language, but still couldn't speak well in real-life conversations. I needed a tool that I could use without fearing being humiliated. I also needed a tool that would gently and consistently correct my mistakes so that I could improve.

That's exactly why I built Amigo Lingo. I wanted to create the safe, judgment-free practice space that I wished I'd had—a place where you can make mistakes without embarrassment, get honest feedback without hurt feelings, and practice real conversations without the social anxiety that holds so many of us back.

If you've ever felt frustrated by the gap between your Spanish knowledge and your conversation skills, you're not alone. Amigo Lingo exists because I've been exactly where you are, and I know how to help you bridge that gap.