Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Mi nivel de español sube cada mes porque practico mucho. - My level of Spanish goes up every month because I practice a lot.

Mi nivel de español = my level of Spanish
- Focuses specifically on how good your Spanish is (your proficiency).
- Very common when talking about learning, progress, exams, etc.
- E.g. Mi nivel de español es B1.
Mi español = my Spanish
- More general and informal: the way you personally speak Spanish.
- Often used when commenting on how you speak or write:
  - Mi español es malo, pero puedo comunicarme.

So in this sentence, mi nivel de español is more precise because you are talking about your level improving over time.

2. Why is it nivel de español and not nivel en español?

Both can appear in real Spanish, but they’re used a bit differently:

nivel de español (most common here)
- Literally: level of Spanish.
- Standard expression for language level:
  - Tengo un buen nivel de español.
  - Estoy mejorando mi nivel de inglés.
nivel en español
- Tends to sound more like your level in the subject called Spanish, e.g. at school:
  - Tengo buena nota y buen nivel en español (in Spanish class).
- It’s less idiomatic when talking about general language ability.

For normal “language level” as a learner, nivel de español is the natural choice.

3. Why is sube used? Can I say mejora instead?

Yes, you can use mejora, and it’s very natural:

Mi nivel de español sube cada mes…
Literally: My level of Spanish goes up every month…
Mi nivel de español mejora cada mes…
Literally: My level of Spanish improves every month…

Differences in nuance:

sube (from subir, “to go up / rise”)
- Slightly more visual/metaphorical: you can imagine a graph going up.
- Often used with levels, prices, quantity:
  - El precio sube.
  - Mi nivel de francés sube poco a poco.
mejora (from mejorar, “to improve / get better”)
- Focuses more directly on quality getting better.
- Very common with skills and health:
  - Mi español mejora.
  - Mi salud mejora.

In practice, both are correct and would be well understood.

4. Why is it sube and not subo?

Because the subject of the sentence is mi nivel de español (my level of Spanish), not yo.

Mi nivel de español sube
- Subject: mi nivel de español = he / she / it (third person singular)
- Verb: sube (3rd person singular of subir)

If you said subo mi nivel de español, that would mean I raise my level of Spanish, making yo the subject and mi nivel de español the direct object. That sounds more like a deliberate action you do to your level, and it’s not how people usually express natural progress.

So:

Mi nivel de español sube = My level of Spanish goes up. ✅ (natural)
Subo mi nivel de español = I raise my level of Spanish. ❌ (grammatical, but strange/unnatural here)

5. Why is it cada mes and not cada meses?

With cada you always use the singular in Spanish:

cada día – every day
cada semana – every week
cada mes – every month
cada año – every year

You never say cada días / cada meses / cada años.

If you want a plural form, you use todos los + plural:

todos los días – every day / all the days
todos los meses – every month

So you can say either:

Mi nivel de español sube cada mes.
Mi nivel de español sube todos los meses.

Both are correct; cada mes is slightly shorter and more neutral.

6. Can cada mes be in a different position in the sentence?

Yes. Common options:

Mi nivel de español sube cada mes porque practico mucho. ✅
Cada mes, mi nivel de español sube porque practico mucho. ✅

You could also put it later:

Mi nivel de español sube porque practico mucho cada mes. ✅ (understood as “I practise a lot every month”)

The most natural and common for this type of sentence is probably the original version: sube cada mes.

7. Why is it porque and not por qué?

They look similar but have different uses:

porque (one word, no accent) = because
- Used to give a reason:
  - No salgo porque estoy cansado.
  - Mi nivel de español sube porque practico mucho.
por qué (two words, with accent on qué) = why
- Used in direct or indirect questions:
  - ¿Por qué sube tu nivel de español? – Why is your level of Spanish going up?
  - No entiendo por qué sube tu nivel de español. – I don’t understand why your level of Spanish is going up.

In your sentence, you’re explaining a reason, so it must be porque.

8. Why is it practico mucho and not practico muy?

Because in Spanish:

mucho is used with verbs to mean a lot.
muy is used with adjectives and adverbs to mean very.

So:

Verb + mucho:
- Trabajo mucho. – I work a lot.
- Estudio mucho. – I study a lot.
- Practico mucho. – I practise a lot. ✅
muy
- adjective / adverb:
- Es muy difícil. – It is very difficult.
- Hablas muy bien. – You speak very well.

You cannot say practico muy on its own; it sounds incomplete or wrong.

9. Can I move mucho? For example mucho practico?

In this sentence, mucho normally goes after the verb:

Practico mucho. ✅

Saying mucho practico is not natural here.

You can sometimes put mucho before the verb for emphasis or in more literary/poetic language, but then you usually need more structure, and it sounds marked or old-fashioned:

Mucho practico para mejorar. (sounds forced and unusual in normal speech)

So for everyday Spanish, keep it:

…porque practico mucho.

10. Why is it practico (without accent) and not práctico?

Written Spanish distinguishes several similar-looking words by stress and meaning:

practico (no accent)
- yo practico – I practise
- Present tense, 1st person singular of practicar.
- Stress is on prac-TI-co (second syllable).
práctico (with accent on á)
- Adjective or noun: practical / practice exercise.
- Examples:
  - Es un consejo práctico. – It’s a practical piece of advice.
  - Hacemos un ejercicio práctico. – We’re doing a practical exercise.
practicó (accent on ó)
- he/she practised (third person singular of practicar in the past, preterite).
- Example:
  - Él practicó mucho ayer. – He practised a lot yesterday.

In porque practico mucho, we need I practise, so it must be practico (no accent).

11. Why is the verb practico in the simple present and not estoy practicando?

In Spanish, the simple present is used much more than in English for:

Habits:
- Practico mucho. – I practise a lot (regularly).
General truths / repeated actions:
- Trabajo de lunes a viernes. – I work Monday to Friday.

The present progressive (estoy practicando) is used more specifically for actions happening right now or around this very moment:

Ahora estoy practicando español. – Right now I am practising Spanish.

In your sentence, you are talking about a habitual action that explains ongoing improvement, so practico mucho is the most natural choice.

12. Can I change the word order: Porque practico mucho, mi nivel de español sube cada mes?

Yes, that word order is perfectly correct:

Porque practico mucho, mi nivel de español sube cada mes. ✅

Spanish is quite flexible with word order, especially when it doesn’t cause ambiguity. Starting with porque practico mucho puts more emphasis on the reason first.

Both are fine:

Mi nivel de español sube cada mes porque practico mucho.
Porque practico mucho, mi nivel de español sube cada mes.

13. Why is there no article before español (why not del español)?

In mi nivel de español, the word español is used in a general sense (the language in general), so:

de + [language name] is normally used without an article:
- nivel de español
- nivel de inglés
- clases de alemán

If you say del español (= de + el español), it usually sounds like you’re talking about the Spanish language considered as an object of study, for example:

La gramática del español es complicada. – The grammar of (the) Spanish (language) is complicated.

So for language level, the idiomatic form is nivel de español, not nivel del español.

14. Could I say Mi español mejora cada mes porque practico mucho instead?

Yes, that is also correct and sounds natural:

Mi español mejora cada mes porque practico mucho. ✅

Differences in nuance:

Mi nivel de español mejora…
- Slightly more “technical”, like talking about proficiency or level.
Mi español mejora…
- Slightly more informal and general; it sounds like “the way I speak Spanish improves…”.

Both would be easily understood and accepted in everyday speech.

15. In Spain, can I say Mi nivel de castellano sube cada mes… instead of español?

Yes, you can hear both español and castellano in Spain:

español – standard, very common, especially in international contexts and teaching:
- Clases de español para extranjeros.
castellano – also common, especially when distinguishing it from other languages in Spain (Catalan, Basque, Galician), or in certain regions/families.

In your sentence:

Mi nivel de español sube cada mes porque practico mucho. ✅ (totally standard)
Mi nivel de castellano sube cada mes porque practico mucho. ✅ (also acceptable, slightly more regional/choice of style)

For learners and in textbooks, español is more typical.