Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Desde que escucho canciones en esa lengua, mi acento mejora. - Since I started listening to songs in that language, my accent has been improving.

Desde que escucho canciones en esa lengua, mi acento mejora.

Since I started listening to songs in that language, my accent has been improving.

Breakdown of Desde que escucho canciones en esa lengua, mi acento mejora.

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Questions & Answers about Desde que escucho canciones en esa lengua, mi acento mejora.

Why is it escucho in the present tense and not he escuchado or escuché after desde que?

In Spanish, desde que + present tense is a very common way to talk about something that started in the past and continues into the present.

Desde que escucho canciones en esa lengua, mi acento mejora.
= Since I (started) listening to songs in that language, my accent is improving.

In English you normally say “since I started listening…”, but in Spanish you can simply use the present to include both “started in the past” and “still true now”.

You could say:

Desde que empecé a escuchar canciones en esa lengua… (Since I started listening…)
Desde que he escuchado canciones en esa lengua… (Since I’ve listened to songs…)

…but the original desde que escucho is more direct and very natural for a habitual, ongoing action.

Why is it escucho canciones and not escucho a canciones?

In Spanish, escuchar is a direct transitive verb, so it normally takes its object without a preposition:

Escucho canciones. = I listen to songs.
Escucho la radio. = I listen to the radio.
Escucho música clásica. = I listen to classical music.

You only use a with escuchar when the object is a person (or pet), because of the so‑called personal a:

Escucho a mi profesor. = I listen to my teacher.
Escucho a mis padres. = I listen to my parents.

So escucho a canciones is incorrect; it must be escucho canciones.

What’s the difference between escuchar and oír, and could I say “oigo canciones” here?

Yes, you could say oigo canciones, but the nuance is different.

escuchar = to listen (intentionally, paying attention)
oír = to hear (perceive sound)

In this sentence, the idea is that you actively listen to songs to improve your accent, so escuchar is exactly the right verb:

Desde que escucho canciones en esa lengua…
→ you deliberately listen, maybe as a learning strategy.

If you said:

Desde que oigo canciones en esa lengua…

it would sound more like “ever since I hear songs in that language” (they’re around you) rather than “I make a point of listening to them”. It’s not wrong, just less precise for the intended meaning.

Why is it mi acento mejora and not mi acento está mejorando or mi acento ha mejorado?

Spanish uses the simple present more broadly than English.

Mi acento mejora can mean:

my accent improves (in general / habitually)
my accent is improving (right now / over time)

In English you often need the progressive (is improving) or the present perfect (has improved) to express change over time, but Spanish can keep the simple present.

Alternatives:

Mi acento está mejorando.
Emphasises the ongoing process right now. Very natural.
Mi acento ha mejorado.
Focuses on the result: “my accent has improved (compared to before).”

The original mi acento mejora is a good, neutral way to say that your accent gets better as a general effect.

Could I say “mejoro mi acento” instead of “mi acento mejora”?

You can, but there’s a shift in focus.

Mi acento mejora.
Literally “my accent improves”. The accent is the subject; it’s getting better, somewhat naturally, as a consequence of listening to songs.
Mejoro mi acento.
“I improve my accent.” I am the subject doing an action on my accent. This makes it sound more active and intentional, like training or practising.

Both are grammatically correct:

Desde que escucho canciones en esa lengua, mi acento mejora.
Since I listen to songs…, my accent improves.
Desde que escucho canciones en esa lengua, mejoro mi acento.
Since I listen to songs…, I improve my accent.

The first one sounds a bit more natural and less self‑focused.

Why is it mi acento mejora and not mi acento se mejora? Do we need a reflexive here?

No reflexive is needed. Mejorar can be:

transitive: mejorar algo = to improve something
intransitive: algo mejora = something gets better

In this sentence it’s intransitive:

Mi acento mejora. = My accent gets better.

If you say mi acento se mejora, it sounds odd or ungrammatical in this context. The reflexive mejorarse is used in cases like:

La situación se mejora poco a poco. (less common and sounds somewhat clunky)
More natural: La situación mejora poco a poco.

So the best forms here are:

Mi acento mejora.
Mi acento ha mejorado.
Mi acento está mejorando.

but not se mejora.

What’s the difference between lengua, idioma, and lenguaje? Why lengua here?

All three relate to “language”, but they’re not interchangeable:

lengua
- Means language in the sense of a specific language: Spanish, French, etc.
- Also literally means tongue (the body part).
- Examples:
  - la lengua española, una lengua extranjera, lengua materna.
idioma
- Also means language (as a system of communication like Spanish, German).
- Very common and often interchangeable with lengua in this sense.
- Examples:
  - el idioma inglés, aprender un idioma.
lenguaje
- More abstract: language as a general concept or kind of language:
  - el lenguaje humano, lenguaje formal, lenguaje coloquial, lenguaje corporal.

In the sentence:

…canciones en esa lengua…

you could also say:

…canciones en ese idioma…

Both are idiomatic. Lengua may sound a bit more “linguistic” or formal in some contexts, but here it’s perfectly normal.

Why is it esa lengua and not ese lengua or esta lengua?

Two points: gender agreement and choice of demonstrative.

Gender agreement
- lengua is feminine, so its demonstrative must also be feminine:
  - esta lengua (this language)
  - esa lengua (that language)
  - aquella lengua (that language over there, more distant)
- ese lengua is wrong because ese is masculine.
Meaning of esa
- esta: this (close to the speaker, or just mentioned and very “present”)
- esa: that (a bit more distant, or known but not so “close”)
- aquella: that over there / quite distant (physically or mentally)

In many cases, esa lengua will just mean “that language we’re talking about” without a strong idea of physical distance. It often corresponds to English “that language” in a neutral way.

Why is it canciones en esa lengua and not canciones a esa lengua or canciones de esa lengua?

The preposition en is used for content or medium, similar to “in” in English:

canciones en español = songs in Spanish
libros en francés = books in French
películas en inglés = films in English

So:

canciones en esa lengua = songs in that language.

Other prepositions would change the meaning:

canciones de esa lengua
Could be interpreted as “songs from that language/culture/people”, more about origin than language used. Not the usual way to say “songs in that language”.
canciones a esa lengua
Doesn’t work here; a is not used for language of content.

Can I change the word order to “Mi acento mejora desde que escucho canciones en esa lengua”?

Yes. Both orders are correct:

Desde que escucho canciones en esa lengua, mi acento mejora.
Mi acento mejora desde que escucho canciones en esa lengua.

The difference is just what you emphasise first:

(1) starts with the time condition (“since I listen to songs…”).
(2) starts with the result (“my accent improves…”).

Both sound natural in Spain.

Does desde que always take the indicative, or can it take the subjunctive?

Most of the time, desde que is followed by the indicative, because it refers to a real, specific point in time:

Desde que vivo en España, hablo mejor.
Desde que escucho canciones en esa lengua, mi acento mejora.

The subjunctive after desde que is rare and usually appears in more hypothetical or future‑looking contexts, often with something like cuando or another structure. In modern everyday Spanish, desde que + subjunctive is very limited and sounds marked or literary.

For your sentence, the correct and natural form is indicative: desde que escucho.

Does acento here mean my pronunciation, or does it refer to written accent marks (like tildes)?

In this sentence, acento clearly means your spoken accent / pronunciation, not written marks.

tener acento inglés = to have an English accent
hablar con acento extranjero = to speak with a foreign accent

For written accent marks, Spanish usually says:

tilde (the actual written mark: á, é, í, ó, ú)
acento gráfico (graphic accent)

So:

Mi acento mejora. = My spoken accent is improving.
(It does not mean your use of written accents is improving.)