how long then to learn from scratch?
i have been here six months now and my spanish has not improved much. i can understand a written word, especially newspaper spanish.
i still have a problem with spoken word...
Dv8
Snuffy is right - talk with educated people if you can and you will be surprised of how much you understand this is assuming IF you have been studying grammar during your time here or previously.
On the other hand if you don't have that opportunity you will have to make do with what you have. Therefore, your mate will be of utmost importance to helping you. If he/she speaks English, have them stop and only use Spanish. Also, try to find a neighbor or maybe a person who hangs out a lot at the local colmado who will be patient enough to speak with you. Patience is the key word - most Dominicans in my experience don't have enough when it comes to talking to gringos who are at the early stage of learning Spanish,
At this point(6 months) assuming that you have studied grammar and know how to conjugate the verbs etc you probably find that speaking is a lot easier for you than understanding. Don't worry, this is normal and it will probably be some time until the hearing ability passes the speaking ability. Also, you should be able to communicate on a sufficient enough level to go to the store, etc. and ask for stuff you need.
Your situation was very similar to mine 7 years ago. If you do what I recommend and also watch as much TV and listen to the radio as possible EVEN THOUGH YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND IT this will be very crucial to the learning process. A baby listens to the spoken language around him even though they understand nothing at the beginning and volia they start speaking. LISTENING will accustom and teach your brain the Spanish sounds and you don't even have to consciously think about it. Don't be intimidated when a Dominican speaks that it sound like one big long word - that will change.
A couple of final points, please don't be embarassed too much when you make mistakes - have confidence! Also, remember you will have GOOD and BAD Spanish days like everyone - if you don't believe me ask Hillbilly. Sometimes the brain will automatically "switch back" to the native language. Sometimes when I'm tired I hear Dominicans talking and it sounds a lot like jibberish until I focus and then I understand - NO MATTER how fast they talk.
Good Luck!