The two most common problems in speaking Spanish

If you already speak some Spanish, chances are good that you have some of these problems:
1. difficulty understanding native speakers
2. translating in your head before you speak

Why You Have These Problems?
Think back on your Spanish classes. How much time did you actually spend speaking Spanish out loud, in a conversational setting? How much one-on-one time did you get practicing with a native speaker? In most classes you don't get very much individual practice at all.

A Different Path
If you would like to learn to speak Spanish and to actually understand native speakers, it is very likely that the problem is not that you don't know enough.
You probably know quite a few words, and understand quite a bit of grammar. Learning more words and studying more grammar is not the path to conversational fluency. The path of success lies in lots of one-on-one practice with a native speaker.