When you reach Practical Fluency you are able to participate fully in the 'mass culture' of Spanish speaking countries: i.e. you are able to understand and enjoy all Spanish language films, TV, radio, popular books and understand native Spanish speakers when they speak.

When you speak Spanish at the level of Practical Fluency you are able to discuss any personal or public topic easily, sometimes making grammatical or usage 'errors', though you will be easily understood by native Spanish speakers. You can expect to have at least a slight foreign accent when you speak.

When you are learning Spanish, especially until you get to an advanced level, it's likely that your experience when you try to understand or speak Spanish in real life situations is one of effort - it often feels like work.

One of the hallmarks of Practical Fluency is that your speaking and understanding of Spanish has now become automated; it feels effortless. By 'automated' we mean that your brain unconsciously, rapidly and automatically feeds up Spanish to your conscious mind so that you can enjoy effortless communication in Spanish. You now are thinking in Spanish just as you think in your native language when you speak it. We call this automatic, effortless and satisfying experience flow - and it is very close to the flow often referred to by athletes. The words fluency and flow are different forms of the same word.