If you’re studying Spanish, listening is essential to continue growing. Podcasts are a great way to complement your learning. Whether having your coffee, driving to work, eating your lunch, working out at the gym, or taking a shower; there is never a bad time to turn on a podcast and immerse yourself in Spanish! Podcasts have become a very popular way to learn just about anything, so of course, there are tons of great podcasts for learning or practicing your Spanish. No matter what level of Spanish learner you are, there is a podcast that can help you. I have broken down the top 5 podcasts for Spanish language learners by difficulty, one being the easiest and five being the most challenging.
1. Duolingo's Spanish Podcast
This is a great and highly engaging podcast for beginner and intermediate learners. The speakers speak very slowly. At times it may seem too slow, however beginner / intermediate learners often can’t follow the pacing of a native Spanish speaker, and it helps you follow every detail. The English narrator summarizes a little too much of the plot from time to time, but for beginners this can be helpful. The stories and guests are extremely interesting and I found myself drawn into every episode!
2. Spanish Obsessed
This podcast is made by a couple Rob and Lis. Rob is from London and Lis is Colombian. This Podcast is great because they offer different levels of podcasts, topics for beginners, intermediates, and advanced learners. Even their Advanced podcast is accessible for many learners in that they speak slowly and clearly. It helps if you want to practice different accents as occasionally guests from different countries join the show.
3. Unlimited Spanish
The host Oscar is from Spain and creates short episodes weekly on current topics, common expressions from Spain and other facts about Spanish culture. This podcast is entirely in Spanish, but Oscar speaks very clearly and slowly, making it perfect for a beginner or intermediate learner. Additionally, the podcasts are relatively short (<20min), so great to repeat and review!
4. Españolistos This podcast is made by a Colombian and her American fiancee, similar to Spanish Obsessed. They cover their everyday lives and travels, as well as cultural topics about Latin America and current issues in the news. The episodes are entirely in Spanish, but the hosts are careful to enunciate and speak very clearly. Averaging 30 minutes per episode, I put it as a more difficult podcast although they also have transcripts available for each episode.
5. Radio Ambulante
Radio Ambulante is produced by the American non-profit NPR. The podcasts features stories of interesting individuals from all over Latin America, meaning you get to hear a wide range of speakers which is great if you want to expose yourself to different Spanish accents! Free access to transcripts is a great part of the podcast as episodes are 30-60 minutes, a bit longer than many of the Spanish learner podcasts. While not made for learners specifically, the transcript makes it perfect if you encounter any new vocabulary you may want to look up.
What are some ways you use podcasts to help you?
For shorter episodes and as a beginner or intermediate learner I recommend listening two or three times over, and writing about the topic after listening to the podcast! This will help you make great strides in a short time!
Comment any podcasts I missed that have helped your Spanish learning process!
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~I’m a Spanish teacher based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Since 2007 I have been teaching Spanish to people from all over the world. Whether looking for an online Spanish tutor, or in person while visiting Buenos Aires, please reach out to me with any questions you might have!~