You don't have to understand every word

I have long found it interesting how people learn things in different ways. For me (and this is not what I would recommend), learning Spanish has been a matter of learning the structure and vocabulary of the language, and then applying what I have learned to speech and writing. But other people, and my traveling companion in Ecuador is one of them, is able to pick up much of the language merely by listing, something that has always been difficult for me. As a result, with virtually no instruction, she has been able to understand much of what is being said around her and successfully engage in various transactions. With a very small Spanish vocabulary, perhaps no more than 100 words, she would understand what literally took me years to learn.
 
"How do you do it?" I've asked her more than once.
 
Her answer is a simple one. You don't have to understand every word, she says, just what's important. Of course, that doesn't work all the time, or not even close to it, especially for things complicated, but it is a lesson worth repeating. In terms of communications, words aren't always the most important factor. Context, gestures and circumstances all matter too, and by paying close attention it is possible to understand much of what it going on around you. If you try to hard to translate things in your head, as I have been prone to do, you'll miss much of what people are trying to communicate.