7 Awesome Movies for Spanish Class to Reinforce Grammar and Vocabulary
When it comes to teaching a language, film is a guaranteed no-brainer for piquing students’ interest. In fact, it may be one of the best ways to make students want to continue studying a language.
There’s so much out there in the way of Spanish-language film that if you’re not using it in your class, your students are really missing out!
Luckily, there are plenty of ways to easily integrate film into your everyday teaching.
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Why Include Films in Spanish Classes?
Films work especially well for teaching language because they can be used to introduce or reinforce vocabulary and grammar and show how these are used in context by native speakers. Plus, they do so in a way that appeals to students.
Students can acquire a wide variety of cultural insights through film as well.
Along with popular feature-length films, there are plenty of short films in Spanish that are available online for free. This is because the cortometraje (short film) genre tends to be quite popular in Spanish-speaking countries.
The following films all contain interesting plots, and many are award winners. They also cover a variety of dialects and regionalisms. Plus, they’ve got great coverage for your cultural teaching needs as well.
7 Movies to Include in Your Spanish Lessons
1. “Encanto”
Director: Jared Bush, Byron Howard and Charise Castro Smith
Year: 2021
Country: Colombia
Synopsis: This animated movie follows the story of the Madrigal family who live in a magical house in Colombia. Each child in the family has been blessed with an impressive power—all apart from Mirabel. But, when their gifts are put in danger, it’s up to Mirabel to save the day.
Where to watch: Disney+
Is there a paywall? Yes
Suitable for: Beginner to advanced students (depending on subtitles and audio used)
Integration into class: While the original film is mostly in English, there are plenty of Spanish terms and phrases used throughout, and is great for reviewing family vocabulary in particular.
2. “10 Minutos” (10 Minutes)
Director: Alberto Ruiz Rojo
Year: 2003
Country: Spain
Synopsis: The main character, Enrique, calls customer service for his mobile phone for some information, but cannot get the operator to help him. Yet Enrique needs this information to win the girl of his dreams.
This is a short that anyone who has experienced love and loss OR had a bad customer service experience can relate to. (So basically, who can’t!)
Where to watch: YouTube
Is there a paywall? No
Suitable for: Intermediate to advanced students
Integration into class: This short film can be used to introduce or reinforce talking on the telephone, giving addresses and telephone numbers, and to start discussions on the automatization and depersonalization of social interactions due to technology. Students are sure to love it as it won over 100 awards at international film festivals!
3. “Vivo”
Director: Kirk DeMicco
Year: 2021
Country: Cuba
Synopsis: This film follows the story of kinkajou (honey bear) Vivo, who has to deliver a love letter in song form on behalf of his owner Andrés to his old partner Marta Sandoval, with the help of tween Gabi.
Where to watch: Netflix
Is there a paywall? Yes
Suitable for: Beginner to advanced students (depending on subtitles and audio used)
Integration into class: Like “Encanto,” the original version of this movie is mostly in English, but would be ideal for a lesson focusing on culture. You could also show the film with Spanish subtitles or the Spanish dub for a more language-based class.
4. “No Me Ama” (She Doesn’t Love Me)
Director: Martín Piroyansky
Year: 2009
Countries: Argentina and Uruguay
Synopsis: While vacationing in Uruguay, the protagonist becomes preoccupied with the idea that his girlfriend does not love him (since she never tells him so). Yet another film about love, alas!
But this movie is more than that—it’s also about learning to speak your mind…and your heart. And that reality is not always what it seems. This is definitely a film that will make students think.
Where to watch: YouTube
Is there a paywall? No
Suitable for: Intermediate to advanced students
Integration into class: This cortometraje can be used to introduce or reinforce vocabulary related to love and relationships, feelings and personalities.
5. “Ana y Manuel” (Ana and Manuel)
Director: Manuel Calvo
Year: 2004
Country: Mexico
Synopsis: When Ana is dumped by her boyfriend, Manuel, she decides to replace him with a dog, which she names after him. However, the dog reminds her too much of her ex. Little by little, Ana also realizes that a dog cannot replace a human in a relationship.
Later, an incredible twist of fate brings Ana and the “real” Manuel back together. This is a romantic comedy with a happy ending that students are sure to love.
Where to watch: YouTube
Is there a paywall? No
Suitable for: Intermediate to advanced students
Integration into class: The short film can be used to introduce or reinforce the preterite and the imperfect.
6. “Rutina” (Routine)
Director: Oleguer Baró
Year: 2014
Country: Spain
Synopsis: This film shows the protagonist going about his daily routine, but it shows us only his actions and never his face. This might seem like a monotonous four minutes, but the idea is to help us look at our daily routines as being more meaningful than we think—we just need to look at them differently.
The unique camera angles really add to this message, as well as the fact that the protagonist’s face is always hidden, meaning that this could be the daily routine of almost anyone.
Where to watch: YouTube
Is there a paywall? No
Suitable for: Beginner students
Integration into class: Although the film is silent, it’s a useful authentic resource for introducing or reinforcing daily routine vocabulary by narrating it as it is playing, or for starting discussions and activities. For example, you can stop the film every so often to discuss the protagonist’s routine with students in Spanish.
7. “Pecera” (Fish Bowl)
Director: Carlos Bouvier
Year: 2011
Country: Spain
Synopsis: This film highlights exploitation in the workplace and the phenomenon of people being less valued than the work they produce. It also highlights the difficulty people face when jobs are hard to come by and the reduction of costs to a company come at the employees’ expense.
Where to watch: YouTube
Is there a paywall? No
Suitable for: Intermediate to advanced students (note: due to more serious themes, this may be more suitable for older students)
Integration into class: This is a great film for introducing or reinforcing workplace vocabulary. You can also use it for preparing students for role-plays in which they must pretend they are at a job interview or working in a certain position at a company.
One way to help your students learn Spanish through movies and other content is through a language learning program such as FluentU.
FluentU has a curated library of authentic Spanish content, with interactive dual-language subtitles so students can easily see context-specific definitions. You are able to assign videos for homework activities and track your students’ progress and activity, making it an ideal way to teach Spanish using movie clips.
Happy viewing and teaching with films!
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
